Eating a little bit cleaner and more mindfully will boost the immune system to keep you healthy during the hectic holiday season so we can indulge in the decadent and soul satisfying food and beverages with a little less shock to our systems!
Marcy, a 26 year old entrepreneur, presented to my office having had a urinary tract infection a few days prior. Urinary tract infections were common for her and could happen once a month during stressful times and a high sugar diet. She had taken antibiotic prescriptions half a dozen times already this year. Marcy enjoyed a glass or two of red wine throughout the week, craved sweets daily and was looking forward to the holiday baking season but knew it would trigger several more infections.
I had Marcy commit to a 7 day diet overall of no wine and only organic foods without gluten, dairy, soy and corn which are all highly inflammatory. When we don’t eat organic options we expose our bodies to a variety of chemicals that are toxic to our system. Organic produce, grass fed meat, free range chicken and wild fish are excellent options. I also had Marcy stop all sugar consumption except for 1 piece of fruit per day. Since she had taken antibiotics frequently and we know they can alter the gut microbiome, a probiotic was necessary. Probiotics modulate the immune system enhancing its response to pathogen induced inflammation. Her vitamin D dose was increased to 10,000 IU per day and she took advantage of our cleanse and renew club (CRC) monthly membership to get a lymphatic drainage and colon hydrotherapy session regularly to keep her internal organs of elimination open and optimally functioning. Lastly, I formulated an herbal treatment for supporting a healthy bladder and urinary tract immune response with botanicals such as Uva Ursi, Cranberry, Buchu, Mahonia and Althaea. I expect Marcy to have some resilience this holiday season and she now has an evidence based herbal formula to use at the first sign of a UTI.
