Stay Heathy This Winter with New Antimicrobial Povidone Iodine Throat and Nasal Sprays

We have some new iodine products in a throat spray and a nasal spray that I wanted to write about from a company called Cofix. They're unique, because the idea behind them is that they can be used preventably against microbes entering the body in a prophylactic way, helping to prevent infection by working to “deactivate a substantial portion of germs and pathogens” that come into the body through the nose and mouth.

The throat and our sinuses are in almost all cases how viruses and bacteria enter our bodies. The povidone iodine in our new Cofix sprays have long lasting antimicrobial effects in our bodies, and when used as a nasal spray or throat spray is meant to help protect against infections due to its antimicrobial benefits. The nose and throat are generally the first line of defense against bacteria and viruses from breathing in microbes from people nearby who might be sick. I feel like COVID made us all very aware of how bacteria and viruses can be transmitted from another person, obviously through coughs and sneezes, but also just breathing if they have a virus.

The most important thing we can do to stay healthy from whatever is going around each winter is by helping our own body's own immune system. Also, anything that can help to reduce the viral load, or the amount of a virus in our body, can be especially beneficial for helping our body to fight things off and stay healthy.

There has even been research done with these throat sprays on Covid patients, finding a significant reduction of incidents of contracting the illness for those who used it.

Do I think these povidone iodine sprays are 100% and that you'll never get sick? No, that would be amazing, but truly anything that reduces the likelihood of illness, whether it's cold, flu, respiratory infection, or whatever is a great thing. For me, a sore throat is always my first sign of illness, so I do believe this throat spray is a good idea. Knock on wood, I've been using it since the fall, and I do think it really works.

Iodine can impact the thyroid, both in people who are deficient and people who have excessive amounts of thyroid hormones. If you have thyroid disease or problems with your thyroid, we would recommend asking a doctor before starting this povidone iodine spray (something that's always a good idea for everyone regarding all supplements). Also, this antimicrobial iodine spray should be used sparingly, only a little is needed to be effective, more is not always better, so If you choose to try this Cofix spray, make sure you're only using the recommended amounts.

Stop in to see us at 7228 W. College Drive in Palos Heights for more information.

Preventative Immune Health for Cold and Flu Season

Q: I was horribly sick last winter, several times, and I want to avoid that happening as much as I possibly can!  What preventative supplements would you recommend to give me a better chance of staying healthy this year?

A: Now is a great time to start thinking about winter wellness, since it’s much easier to stay healthy than to overcome an illness that has firmly taken hold of you. There are a number of supplements which I think everyone would benefit from taking this cold and flu season, that help the immune system and entire body to be in balance and work right.

The first thing I’d recommend is Vitamin D. Vitamin D is a tiny pill and inexpensive- there’s no reason everyone shouldn’t be taking it. Our bodies make vitamin D when our skin is exposed to sunlight, but both the sun and our time outdoors are sorely lacking in winter, which can lead to most Americans being deficient in the vitamin. Vitamin D is best known for its benefit of strengthening bones, but it is also fantastic for boosting the immune system when taken in sufficient amounts- so much so that scientists have speculated that a large part of why people get sick so much more often in the winter months as opposed to during the summer is directly related to lower vitamin D levels during the winter months.

When looking for a vitamin D supplement, be sure to choose the D3 form of the vitamin, since it is the best absorbing form. Noted natural physician Dr. Weil recommends that adults take 2,000IUs of vitamin D daily, so that is the recommendation we use as well. If you have been shown to be deficient in vitamin D on a blood panel, you may need even higher amounts to restore your body to sufficient levels of vitamin D. 

New research is coming out every month on the many varied benefits of increased vitamin D supplementation, so I would very much recommend boosting your vitamin D supplements this winter.

The second preventative supplement I’d recommend are probiotics. Probiotics are good bacteria that reside in the colon and intestines and help with digestion and balancing the bad bacteria and microbes that enter the body. When the balance of good bacteria in the body is upset, it can lead to a number of undesirable effects.  One example is how diarrhea and yeast infections are so common after taking antibiotics; that is because antibiotics kill the good bacteria that we need along with the bad.  Thankfully, many doctors are becoming aware of the necessity of the good bacteria in our bodies and will actually recommend probiotics as a necessary supplement to take during or after taking antibiotics.

I love probiotics because they are safe for everyone to take from children to adults, and have no negative effects, only positive. They are fantastic for boosting the body’s immune defenses, which has been confirmed by numerous research studies. Probiotics are especially beneficial for reducing the risk of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, particularly in children. 

One recent study found that school children who took a probiotic along with vitamin C had 33% fewer upper respiratory infections and missed 30% fewer days of school than children who took a placebo. Another study reported that children who took probiotics had a 24% reduced chance of getting gastrointestinal infections like “stomach flu” when compared with children who did not receive probiotic supplements. Though those two studies were with children, the benefits are applicable for people of all ages. 

One we particularly recommend are Jarrow-Dophilus EPS Probiotics, which are room temperature stable. I love them because their probiotics are made up of specific strains which have been shown to be most effective by clinical research. Jarrow-Dophilus uses strain identifiers for their probiotics, since there can be different strains of the same probiotic species that have extremely different effectiveness. 

It’s something that can be likened to dogs in a way. All dogs are technically one scientific species, but we all know there are huge differences between dog breeds. If you want a dog that is going to be fast, you’d get a greyhound, not a pug. It’s the same thing with probiotics. Specific strains of probiotics do specific things, so if your probiotic is not listing the particular strain of good bacteria that it’s using, you don’t know if you’re getting the most effective formula. 

Stop by the store and we’d love to help you find the products that are right for you to keep you healthy this cold and flu season!

Here are a few other articles from our site which you may find helpful:
 

A Pass Favorite: Irwin Naturals ImmunoShield

Zinc Lozenges: Clinically Proven to Boost the Immune System

Health Q & A: Keeping Kids Healthy this Winter

Our Favorite Immune Boosting Supplements

Health Q & A: Sinus Infections

Q:

I have a terrible sinus infection and was wondering what if anything could help. 

A:

Sinus infections are terrible.  Thankfully there are a number of natural things which can really make a difference.   Boosting the immune system is the first thing that can help.   There are quite a few supplements which have both antiviral and antibacterial properties, as well as supplements like mushroom extracts which can help with enhancing the body’s natural killer T cells, our body’s first line of defense which works to seek out and destroy invaders- bacteria and viruses.

Irwin Natural’s Immune Shield is a great supplement which we all take which is a great all around supplement to help fight off illness.   It’s a mix of a number of herbs and supplements which work to boost the body’s own defenses against sickness.  Another supplement which is particularly good for sinus infections specifically is oregano oil.  Oregano oil has anti bacterial, anti viral, and anti fungal properties.  Many sinus infections also have a fungal component, which can make oregano oilparticularly effective. 

Another thing which can help is a neti pot.  A neti pot looks basically like a little teapot.  It’s used to irrigate the sinuses.  It’s used with a homemade saline solution of bottled water and salt; first it’s poured into one nostril and then that salt water goes into the sinuses and flows out the other nostril.  It sounds kind of strange, but it’s absolutely fantastic for the sinuses.  It also makes your nasal passages feel really nice when suffering from a cold or sinus infection, since it helps to clear out excess and dried nasal mucus and moisturizes the nasal passages.

Finally, if you have been on antibiotics for a sinus infection, or for any other reason, it’s very important to supplement with probiotics, or “good bacteria”.  Antibiotics are very effective, but they are indiscriminate, killing the good bacteria we need for healthy digestion and immunity along with the bad. If you've ever had diarrhea or a yeast infection after taking a course of antibiotics, it was likely due to depletion in the good bacteria our body needs to maintain health.