As we approach the upcoming flu season many people have become worried about the approaching swine flu. WHO has declared a Pandemic Level 6 and mass vaccines have been ordered for the entire world. I’ve never been a fan of vaccines so back in May when the flu started to come to the news I started researching all the possible ways to build up an extra strong immune system. The information that I am presenting is not a substitute for a vaccine or a guarantee that you won’t catch a virus but an alternative through natural means to increase the strength of your own immune system. Please understand I am not saying to not get the vaccine I am stating that you need something additional until a proper tested vaccine with no after effects is mass produced.

Over the summer I have been taking in extra Vitamin C and have added Echinacea to keep my immune system strong. Building your immune system naturally is something that you need to be proactive in and should be doing prior to the outbreak worsening. It takes time for your immune system to build up and with all the toxins and allergens in our environment most people’s immune systems are already working at full force. Once you catch a virus it is too late to try to build your immune system because it is now fighting hard against the current infections.

In my research to learn more and find other things that may assist I started coming across many articles on Vitamin D and how it can help against the flu. Many people have now taken this information and decided that they were going to add a supplemental level of Vitamin D to their diets. The information isn’t proven but it was compelling enough to me to add an extra dose of Vitamin D to my daily regimen.

After reading dozens of articles on Vitamin D and how it can potentially help you fight influenza I found this one to contain a lot of information on some of the probable causes as to why it works and a clinical setting where the doctor discovered that he thought Vitamin D was helping.

In more recent articles studies lab work has shown that lack of vitamin D is associated with a lesser production of an antimicrobial peptide named hCAP-18. This is a protein that works with immune-system cells to kill all of those pesky pathogens.

In short, people with Vitamin D deficiencies have immune systems that don’t operate as well. The thing that you might find the most shocking is that most people may actually have a Vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin D is a very important nutrient that is found in very low levels in our food. Milk has been fortified with Vitamin D but it only has around 100iu’s per serving. Our bodies can produce huge amounts of Vitamin D through exposure to sunlight but the current recommendations on sunlight are to limit your exposure and cover up with sunscreen. So unless you are constantly exposing yourself to the sun, eating enormous quantities of herring and salmon, or drinking a lot of milk daily, then you might be deficient in Vitamin D and a higher risk to catching influenza viruses.

Recent trials are taking place to see what happens when subjects are given 1,200 to 2,000 iu’s per day. The current recommendation is 200-600 iu’s per day. There are people taking as high as 5,000 to 10,000 iu’s per day to build up their current blood levels in preparation for the flu season. I’m not going to make any recommendations as the best way to find how much you need is through blood work so to find the optimal level you would need to work with your doctor.

As times change, our environment gets more toxic, and science advances I believe that the levels of all vitamins and minerals should be evaluated. What was good 50 years ago isn’t necessarily still good enough for the constant changes we face. If you are are interested in increasing your Vitamin D intake you can find Vitamin D at any local drug store or nutrition shop. It's a good idea to talk to your doctor about what levels are right for you. The flu season is approaching so take action now by building your immune system.

Author - Rick Porter