From inhaling air pollution to touching dirty surfaces, we make contact with toxins every day. Luckily, the immune system is designed to protect you from invaders – but to do this, your immune health needs help from some friends called … nutrients!
Key nutrient levels are needed for supporting immune function. For some people, though, filling in nutritional pockets may be easier said than done, especially since we have unique lifestyles, diets, genes, and environmental surroundings. According to a Frontiers in Nutrition report, “…inappropriate nutrient consumption is associated with development of major human diseases due to an immune system not properly functioning.”
Bottom line: when you don’t have enough essential nutrients in your body, your defenses against pathogens can weaken, too.
So, ask yourself this – are you aware of any nutrient deficiencies in your body that might be affecting your immune function? When you think about it, optimizing these levels can be challenging. In our fast-paced society, ultra-processed foods are frequently consumed; soil depletion is causing fruits and vegetables to lack nutrients; chronic stress is ‘eating up’ nutrient levels; and, as we age, our absorption of nutrients can alter from digestive changes or chronic conditions. Clearly, paying attention to nutrition is required for fostering immunity.
Here in this article, the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre briefly emphasizes:
- The role nutrients have on immune health;
- How toxins and vitamin deficits are related;
- Quick tips for nourishing the body with nutrients;
- How intravenous therapy works in our IV Lounge.
How nutrients affect immune function
It only takes one nutritional deficiency to impede the immune system, especially if you’re lacking zinc, vitamin A, iron, folate, or selenium.
Vitamins, minerals, and amino acids assist with immunity in numerous ways; they may act as antioxidants to protect against cellular damage; help construct antibodies; and even foster the growth of immune cells. “Similarly, trace elements or metals act as enzyme cofactors and control different immune response cycles by controlling the expression of cytokines, chemokines, and other signaling molecules,” explains an Archives of Razi Institute report.
The link between toxins and nutrient deficiencies
Studies have confirmed that people who lack basic nutrition tend to heighten their infection risks. Below, we list examples of some nutrient deficits and their roles in the formation/severity of getting sick:
- Iron deficiency: Iron is one of the key drivers of immune function, creating lymphocytes that can help you respond to infections. Lacking iron can impede detoxification processes and, upon heavy metal exposures, can encourage the body to unnecessarily absorb lead and cadmium.
- Vitamin A deficiency: This vitamin supports lung functions and the mucosal barrier; when you’re lacking vitamin A, you could be susceptible to forming respiratory ailments. This deficiency may also lead to digestive discomforts, as vitamin A helps manage the gut microbiome. Without this nutrient, you could be at risk of boosting intestinal permeability.
Older adults are particularly vulnerable to forming vitamin and mineral deficiencies. These shortcomings can be caused by various factors, such as poor appetite, a chronic illness, depression, medications interacting with the absorption of nutrients, and a lack of funds and/or transportation to access food. Thus, balanced nutrition should be recognized and practiced for all life stages. And taking a functional medicine approach to your health may be beneficial for your personal nutrition, especially for supporting long-term health goals.
Strategies for boosting nutrient levels
Keep in mind, when you optimize nutrient levels, it doesn’t guarantee that you’ll never get affected by germs and toxins! You may still catch an illness; but you might experience less-severe symptoms. Immunity optimization is not a substitute for a healthy lifestyle either – regular physical activity, a balanced diet, and stress management must be combined with nutrient-enhancing tips to optimize immune function.
With that, read these tips to ramp your nutrient levels:
- Explore the Mediterranean Diet: Meet with our holistic nutritionist about adopting a Mediterranean-based diet. It embraces fresh fruits, vegetables, fish and healthy fatty acids, and may be beneficial for lowering inflammation and leaky gut.
- Take oral supplements: Functional naturopathic doctors may prescribe complementary nutrient therapy, such as oral vitamins. Some oral supplements can come with side effects (i.e. upset stomach) or medication interactions, so it’s to your advantage to speak to a health provider before trying new supplements.
- Book an IV therapy session: If you’re struggling with malabsorption, you can get a custom-made IV drip prepared. In our IV Lounge, we dose vitamin and mineral drips for biological needs – we can blend an IV drip with the nutrients that you’re personally lacking or customize one to target a wellness goal.
If you’re curious about your vitamin levels, you’re welcome to access our lab services. We use functional medicine testing to measure how your current health status is holding up; these tests scrutinize biomarkers to help us explore the root cause of your mineral deficiencies, oxidative stress amounts, hormone imbalances, etc. In some cases, functional testing can point out details that conventional tests may not be capable of catching. Contact us today to replenish your nutrient levels!
Suggested reading: Can Environmental Toxins Disrupt Your Skin? An IV Therapy Toronto Report
Visit our IV Lounge for functional vitamin drip therapy
When you become a new patient at the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre, you gain access to our IV Lounge. This is where we blend fresh vitamin drip treatments with the principles of functional medicine, customizing therapeutic doses for your health goals only.
Intravenous therapy provides you with an instant delivery of nutrients. There is no need for ingestion – instead, an infusion needle is inserted into a vein, allowing for a nutritional formula to bypass the digestive tract. This reduces your chances of experiencing side effects that can come with ingesting some oral vitamins. With IV therapy, nutrients are delivered directly into the bloodstream, bypassing the digestive system, which may be beneficial in certain clinical situations where absorption is impaired. This differs from oral supplements, where absorption can vary depending on individual digestive function
Regular drip therapies do not replace healthy living. When IV therapy is added to a regime of functional medicine therapies, a balanced diet and exercise, then they may assist with optimal health outcomes.
Our IV Lounge is closely supervised by our experienced team, which consists of naturopathic doctors, nurse practitioners and registered nurses. A wide range of IV drip nutrients are available, including essential minerals, high dose vitamin C therapy, several types of amino acids, and NAD+. Doses of vitamin D, glutathione, and B12 booster injections can also be customized, so feel free to ask us any questions about our nutritional treatments!
Furthermore, we are proud of our multidisciplinary approach to wellness. We are proficient in integrating conventional/Western therapies with natural therapies (i.e. naturopathic medicine, holistic nutrition, Traditional Chinese Medicine, etc.), herbal medicine, psychotherapy, hormone optimization treatments, and more. These modalities are adapted with the functional medicine model, and integrated therapies may be suitable for managing chronic conditions, stress levels, and blood pressure regulation.
IV therapy from the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre blends personalized healthcare with the rapid effects of intravenous therapy. What’s holding you back from enhancing your wellness? Let’s explore this today – new patients can request an initial consult now by clicking here.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is designed for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. This information should not be used to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting a doctor. You should always consult with a health care practitioner before relying on any information in this article or on this website. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider because of information you have read from the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre website or other affiliate media.
References
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Original article "Toronto Functional Medicine Centre – (416) 968-6961" first appeared in the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre website.
