How to Prepare My Body for the Covid Vaccine
Affordable Ways to Support the Immune System for the Covid Vaccine.
Are you going to get a covid vaccine?
With the roll out of the vaccines now well and truly under way here in Australia a few people have been asking me about the vaccines and if they can do anything to prepare for them.
The answer is Yes!
You can support your immune system to have a good immune response to the vaccine and thereby a more effective longterm immunity.
Here are some simple nutrients to supplement with and what to look for in a supplement.
Zinc
Zinc is used in all systems around the body, including immunity. In today’s modern lifestyles, it is very common to be low in zinc.
Luckily it’s really easy and quite affordable to top up!
Here’s a few pointers in finding the right zinc for you:
Zinc is commonly used in it’s zinc sulphate form. This isn’t bad, however it can make some people nauseous, especially on an empty stomach. If you have a acidic or sensitive stomach try taking zinc just before or with food. Or alternatively seek an amino-acid chelate or ask me to prescribe a good one for you.
Vitamin C + Bioflavonoids
It’s old school, but it works. Vitamin C is good for many things and supports your immune system.
The different forms of Vitamin C.
The simple form of vitamin C is ascorbic acid. Ascorbic acid can be acidic on the stomach and teeth. So if you have an acidic or sensitive stomach, sensitive teeth or have previously suffered stomach ulcers look for a buffered vitamin C.
Buffered vitamin C forms include calcium ascorbate, sodium ascorbate, potassium ascorbate and magnesium ascorbate. If you choose a vitamin C formula with one or more of these look for the content of: “equivalent to ascorbic acid”. This will be the amount of vitamin C available when it’s separated from mineral.
Don’t forget the bioflavonoids!
Bioflavonoids are nutritional compounds that work alongside vitamin C in many areas of the body, especially to aid clearing histamine and support immune responses. They are naturally found in the white pith of citrus such as mandarins. A good vitamin C formula will include bioflavonoids, such as hesperidin or rutin (rutoside). These are especially beneficial if you have any allergy or high histamine tendencies.
If you’re unsure you’re welcome to contact me.
Vitamin C Side Effects
One of the challenges with taking vitamin C is absorption and digestive complaints. That is, poor absorption can cause loose bowels. This is because if not all the vitamin C is absorbed it will remain in the lumen of the intestines and attract water resulting in loose bowels aka the trots! If this happens to you stop taking the vitamin C until bowels go back to normal, reduce the dose and taper it up every 3 or so days. Making sure your bowels are comfortable and not loose before increasing the dose.
For example: have 500 mg x 1 daily for 3 days, then increase to 500mg x 2 daily for 3 days and then 500mg x 3 daily for 3 days.
If you have loose bowels, drop the dose of vitamin C back to the lower dose. This is your bowel tolerance.
Liposomal Vitamin C
For those with sensitive bowels or stomach liposomal vitamin C would be better for you. Liposomal is a different way of delivery of the vitamin C allowing more to be absorbed easier thus less likely to have lower digestive mishaps.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is involved in a few systems in the body. In immunity vitamin D helps in balancing the formation of the T helper cells, which are used to combat bacterial and viral infections.
Does low vitamin D levels effect immunity?
The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was found to be almost 100% in critically ill patients (62 out of 63). Vitamin D levels are found to be markedly low in severe Covid-19 patients associated with a high inflammatory response in those patients. A group of 154 covid19 patients were split into two groups: Group A made up of asymptomatic covid patients whereas Group B were severely ill covid patients. Across both groups 90 patients were found to be vitamin D deficient, with 61 of them being in the severely ill group of 62 patients in that group.
It is relatively easy and affordable to replete vitamin D levels, and very hard to take to much! Going into winter, wearing long sleeves and spending less time in the sun it is generally a good idea to add vitamin D supplement to your daily routine. If you prefer to see numbers it is something that can be easily tested by bloods.
There are now vegan Vitamin D options too!
Good food is the gateway to good immunity. Here’s 3 foods to include in your diet to help your immune response to the covid vaccine.
Foods to include in your diet for good immunity
If you’ve got the first three nutrient suggestions in the bag but wanting to know how to support your body more here are some more suggestions:
Prebiotics - Fibre
There is a close and important relationship between the gut microbiome balance and immunity. Therefore it is reasonable to include a specific probiotic and prebiotic, especially if you experience digestive symptoms and/or dysfunction ie. gas, wind, bloating, loose bowels or diarrhoea, constipation, or both leading to IBS.
Don’t forget to eat good fibre!
The good news is if you experience mild forms of digestive symptoms including good fibre foods in your diet maybe all you need. Foods include: chia seeds (soaked), rolled oats, Brassica vegetables such as: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and other good quality vegetables.
If you’re experiencing mild - severe digestive complaints it’s probably a good idea to book in for a consult. Meanwhile for specific probiotics for immunity and/or prebiotics you’re welcome to contact me.
Vaxing?
If you’re choosing to get a covid vax.. here’s how to support your body for maximum immune benefits.
Tumeric
Also known as Turmeric or Curcumin. There’s lots of evidence indicating the benefits of tumeric. There are number of compounds in tumeric which have been found to be have therapeutic value, which are available as concentrates in good quality supplements. However for the purposes of this discussion tumeric is referred to as dietary form. Tumeric has been shown to be: antiviral, antibacterial, anti fungal, hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory. All of these actions support the immune system in working, and thus responding well to a vaccine. Including a good amount of a good quality tumeric in dinners can help with the above.
Note: Caution Tumeric in high doses may contribute to anti-coagulant actions and may increase bleeding (ie. thin the blood). If you’re on medications and not sure of interactions you’re welcome to contact me.
Garlic
Garlic is really good for a lot of reasons! It helps balance out the gut microbiota, aids immune health, and thins blood. Include an extra clove of garlic per person in dinner each day or add extra fresh crushed garlic to humus and snack on that each day with chosen crackers or carrot sticks. If you would like a garlic without the smell of garlic, again let me know and I can prescribe one for you.
Sleep
Through the height of the pandemic people watching reported daily covid 19 deaths were found to experience increased stress, anxiety and poor quality sleep. In turn, poor sleep can increase anxiety, stress and contribute to poor immune effects, to become a nasty cycle. That is, in studies to other vaccines, a good sleep the night before the vaccination was shown to increase immune cell responses.
Don’t get the vaccination yet, if you have signs of a virus.
If you do come down with a pesky virus on vaccination day it’s best to give your system two weeks before getting a vaccination. Your immune system will already be using energy and resources fighting that virus. Take the suggested nutrients earlier in this article, get over that virus and allow your resources to build up again and then get the vaccination.
Quick Summary
If you don’t have any health concerns, come down with a cold 1-2 yearly and live a relatively allergy free life here’s some affordable tips:
Zinc
Vitamin C + bioflavonoids
Vitamin D
Turmeric - add to dinners.
Prebiotics - include good fibre foods daily
Garlic - add an extra clove of garlic per person to dinner
Sleep - good quality sleep.
FAQ’s
How long before getting the jab should I take supplements for?
Good question!
This depends on your health and how much time you have before your vaccination.
If you don’t have any health concerns, come down with a good cold/virus once or twice per year, have great vitamin D levels and live an allergy free life supplementing with the above, particularly zinc and vitamin C with bioflavonoids, 1-2 weeks prior to first vaccination is good. If you’ve booked in for a vaccination within days: start as soon as you can. Even starting with these 1-2 days prior is a big help to your immune system.
How long after getting the vaccine do I take supplements for?
Quick answer: at least 2 weeks.
It can take up to 2 weeks for the immune system to rally a good response to the vaccine. So it makes sense to support it as best you can for the two weeks, right? This gives time for your immune system to make antibodies and raise more immune cells for more efficient longterm immunity against covid.
Do I need to take supplements before the 2nd dose too?
Yes! Even if you didn’t experience an symptoms/side effects from the first dose (that’s actually not good!). Life goes on, and in between the first and second doses of the vaccine the nutrients get used up and replaced - it’s a constant cycle. So give your body a 2-3 weeks prior to the second dose of immune support and you’ll have better longterm immunity.
What if I get a cold before or on the day of the vaccine?
If you come down with a pesky cold/virus on your date of vaccination it’s best to cancel the vaccination, get over the cold and then have the vaccine once you’re 100% again. This is to make sure your immune system has full function to respond well to the vaccine for maximum immunity benefits. That is, if your immune system is trying to get on top of a virus it’s capacity to launch a good response to the covid vaccine is reduced. Plus the actual cold symptoms may get worse, or it may go into a secondary infection like bronchitis or sinus infection. And nobody wants that!
When do I need to book an appointment to seek help with vaccination preparation?
If you experience:
ongoing immune challenges,
high histamine and allergic tendencies,
autoimmune disorder/s,
ongoing digestive discomfort or concerns,
ongoing colds & viruses,
It would be best to book a consult with me and we can discuss a treatment plan to suit you specifically.
Do you have any other questions? You’re welcome to contact me with any further questions.
References
Prog Biophys Mol Biol vol 92:1 (2006): 65-79
J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol . 2015 Apr;148:310-7
Scientific Reports vol 10: 20191 (2020)
Cells Immunity, 21 (4), 527-538;2004 - include
Psychiatry and Psychology February 11, 2021
Pflugers Arch. 2012 Jan; 463(1): 121–137