Summary of Dr. Datis Kharrazian DC PhD Immune Talk 3/27/2020
https://www.facebook.com/datiskharrazianpage/videos/2096457010499899/
By Dr. Heather Hunt DC
Dr. Datis Kharrazian is a Harvard Research fellow in immunity, has a PhD in Health Science and is most exciting for me, he is a chiropractor! His wife is also a chiropractor. He is one of my top two favorite teachers and resources for Functional Medicine and I have attended many of his seminars in the last eight years. His words are like music to my ears, but many people cannot understand him without background training in health/functional medicine/medicine. So I wanted to summarize this great talk and add in my own comments/suggestions.
I will italicize my own comments/additions-- Dr. Heather Hunt DC
One way to know if you have a compromised immune system is a low White Blood cell count. This can be seen on a Complete Blood count (and is available from our office for about $20 at our cash lab).
Immune System Health Suggestions
SLEEP! One of the most important immune cells, Natural Killer cells, are primed (activated) by melatonin, the sleep hormone secreted by the pineal gland. Interestingly, melatonin is also proven to be anti-cancer. I have always wondered if sleep itself is anti-cancer or if it is the actual melatonin. The natural killer cell priming makes me think it is about the actual magic of melatonin, which hormone specialist Dr. Uzzi Reiss MD calls the “hormone harmonizer.”
We all know about sleep and now is the time to prioritize it. Blue light of computer/phone screens (put on the blue light blockers!), news before bed, staying up too late with much needed alone time and more is stopping us from getting the deep rest we need to support our immune health. At least for now, please prioritize sleep for you and your children.
Most people can handle melatonin, and I think 1 to 3mg of melatonin or other sleep support (we have many free samples of my favorites at our office) is possibly a good idea right now. I use a liposomal oral melatonin as needed for when I wake up in the middle of the night and can’t fall right back to sleep as it absorbs so quickly.
IF YOU WAKE IN THE NIGHT and cannot fall back to sleep it is likely related to hypoglycemia. HYPOGLYCEMIA is a functional low blood sugar level where levels may be within normal limits via blood work but occurs when one has drops in blood sugar throughout the day (often related to low adrenal function). These periods of low levels throughout the day lead to an inadequate reserve to make it successfully through the night. When blood sugar drops in the night without sufficient reserves of the stored sugar glycogen in the liver, then epinephrine and norepinephrine (think adrenaline) are secreted to alert the liver for more need and one wakes with a rush of alertness and cannot easily fall back to sleep. (Dysregulated adrenal-- stress response system-- can also make the response to low blood sugar a huge adrenaline type surge instead of a little knock on the liver’s door that a little more blood sugar would be nice). Common hypoglycemia symptoms include: being shaky, lightheaded and irritable when you go too long without eating. Sugar cravings and then resulting blood sugar swings after consumption. Also, being energized after eating and able to function better.
Manage Blood Sugar: Article HERE
If women need to frequently urinate at night, think about strengthening your pelvic floor muscles (google exercises and we also have great local physical therapists here to help-- call our office for info). Frequent urination can also be related to elevated insulin levels and pre-diabetic conditions. A blood test will rule that in or out. In men it can be related to prostate enlargement.
Datis also recommended white noise machines to reduce ambient changes in sound in your sleep space and I LOVE earplugs!!! I get the Mack’s Dreamgirl Soft Foam Earplugs and they are smaller and fit my ears great. I use one earplug only at a time and put my unplugged ear to my pillow so I can still hear my kids if needed, it just helps drown out all the little noises).
SUPPLEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS
Datis argues that the concern around the “cytokine storm” with virus exposure is theoretical and the immune system is “an integrated symphony of movements all happening together” and at this point we cannot say that certain nutrients are creating a cytokine storm that is negative. He did not get into this discussion and in my research there are voices on either side. It seems you can trust your intuition on this one...
BUT!!! If one has AUTOIMMUNITY then nutrients that stimulate the immune system can create a flare up of the autoimmune condition and that will make someone feel/get worse. These include echinacea, elderberry, Larch arabinogalactans, mushroom extracts including beta-glucans.
Best nutrients for immune system:
Vitamin D- (2,000-5,000 iu, ideally blood test it to see your levels)
VItamin A- (vitamin A can build up toxicity, so use carefully, dose on bottle should be OK)
Vitamin C (dose 1,000mg a day and dose up throughout the day until you get loose stools then dose down. Some are recommending up to 5,000mg a day only when sick).
Anti-oxidants: break down free-radicals and address inflammatory processes in your tissues.You can take them as supplements and/or eat them in your diet. Food based sources of antioxidants: acai, blueberries, raspberries, pomegranate, brightly colored foods. Also, eating garlic, onions, asparagus and other sulfur-rich vegetables help produce the body’s master antioxidant, glutathione.
Flavonoids: Citrus fruits, parsley, onions, berries, black tea, green and oolong tea, bananas, seabuckthorn (my new favorite, also an Omega 7 and great for skin), buckwheat and dark chocolate (70% or more cocoa content)
Botanicals that are likely helpful: Echinacea for those who do not have autoimmunity has been shown helpful for upper respiratory tract infections in studies.
COVID-19 breaks down lung epithelial systems creating a leaky lung (like leaky gut) so supporting barrier systems is helpful. Gotu Kola and Vitamin A are particularly good at being endothelial barrier supports.
INNATE OPIOID SYSTEM IN HUMANS-- Be Happy!
We all have an internal opioid system involved in pain modulation, reward, responses to stress and autonomic control (https://n.neurology.org/content/79/8/807). Think endorphins! Endorphins are your body’s natural system to give you feelings of happiness and pleasure and are released in response to exercise, smiling, having babies, intimacy, eating certain foods, and more.Datis says to track your opioid status throughout the day and aim to improve your opioid content. This can be done by positive emotional response, hugs, exercise, happy movies, laughing, etc. What inhibits natural opioids are FEAR and ANXIETY. Meaning, fear and anxiety will actually stop endorphin production.
The importance here beyond quality of life is that the health of your opioid system determines the health of your immune system. There is a whole branch of medicine and research called psychoneuroimmunology studying these connections (so exciting!!!)
EXERCISE: Use exercise to “improve immune fitness” (brilliant). Meaning, physical exercise will help exercise your immune system and make it stronger to prevent and deal with illness. This is done not only by the release of opioids and antioxidants that occur with exercise, but also because moving your body moves your lymph. Your lymphatic system is your garbage disposal system of your body and also is the fluid through which your immune cells communicate and are stored (think lymph nodes). The Lymphatic System does not have its own pump like the circulatory system (the heart) so it requires the contraction of muscles (as in moving your body!)
DIET: Stay away from trans fats, fried foods, packaged and processed foods, sugars, and foods you are sensitive to as they all promote internal inflammation that suppresses immune function.
Fiber: Eat a high fiber diet, both soluble and insoluble fiber. The fiber feeds Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs) which turn on T regulatory cells in the gut and send messenger proteins (lipopolysaccharides) out to the rest of the immune system to increase efficiency and coordination of the immune response. Fiber also strengthens the immune system. Best way to do this is to eat a diverse array of vegetables daily. He recommends putting 15-20 vegetables in a vitamix type blender and blend it then eat a couple teaspoons a day.
If you have SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) and cannot tolerate fiber, you can take butyrate (a dominant SCFA) directly. Apex Entergetics makes a great product called Enterovite.
Don’t eat the same thing every day.
Diets high in sugar shut down the immune system. “Concentrated” sugar (sugar without fiber to counteract the effects) depresses Natural Killer cells for a couple of hours. Fruit has the fiber, but don’t live off fruit thinking it is healthy and fruit juices are not recommended as a daily habit.
HYDRATION: Water has oxygen and hydrogen, which are necessary for healthy immune response. Drinking water also changes the concentration of electrolytes and sodium in the body and are necessary to change the viscosity in the blood vessels so the immune cells can communicate well.
STAY AWAY FROM MOST NEWS: This includes all news channels (TV, radio, internet) as the intention is to cause fear and they are all interpretations at this point. Get your news only from the CDC and World Health Organization.
PANIC, ANXIETY AND FEAR depress the immune system. Watch happy movies, snuggle with loved ones, do things that bring happiness and joy.
More info on Dr. K’s free Immune Resiliency program https://drknews.com/
Heather’s Additions:There is agreement between mainstream and functional medicine that Zinc is helpful for immune function. When fighting off illness or building immune system resilience 15-30mg a day is sufficient. I like Zinc Supreme by Designs for Health
Favorite antioxidant supplements:Glutathione- the body’s master antioxidant (in liposomal preparation, by Designs for Health or Apex Entergetics)
Resveratrol
Glutathione Recycler- Apex Entergetics, a product formulated by Datis to up your internal glutathione production.
Immune System modulator and “Forever” supplement: Omega 3s. In fish oil or algae derived form for vegetarians and vegans. 2,000mg a day.
Sleep Support:
Liposomal Melatonin- Quicksilver or other brandsInsomnitol- Designs for Health
Alpha-Theta Ultra PM- Biotics Research
Alpha Gaba PM- NeuroScience
Stress (Adrenal) Support:Withania Complex- MediHerb (contraindicated in high blood pressure as it has licorice)
B Supreme- Designs for Health
There are adrenal uppers and downers depending on your needs. Please talk to Dr. Heather for how to best support yourself.
Obviously all these ideas in this paper are best understood and implemented through the guidance of trained professionals. Dr. Heather is available for phone nutrition consults anytime. However, not all have the luxury of access to doctors who are open minded and educated in functional medicine and are also rather conservative in their approach (which I perceive to be a good thing). These times warrant more accessible information and it is my attempt to give evidence-based and time-tried information that people can then research and make their own decisions about in order to help themselves and their communities. We all need to work together to get through this and I have high hopes we will come out a more connected and enlightened global community.
Yours in Health and Vitality,
Heather