Treating Viruses – Without Fear

Posted on by Stephanie Grutz
Treating Viruses – Without Fear

The coronavirus has created quite an uproar in the media. Deaths. Infections. Masks…. LOTS OF MASKS. Hysteria. Quarantine. Travel bans. I bought a bubble and decided I’ll live in it for the next few months. 

Just kidding. What I’ve learned in health is that fear rarely solves problems. It usually makes people act hysterical and with quick, thoughtless judgement. Yes, we have to prepare for a major pandemics, but we should be proactive about it and not reacting when it has already happened. 

The best way to cure a virus is to prevent getting one in the first place. Common hygiene practices go a long way.

  1. Hand washing with soap and water is the single most important thing anyone can do to help spread infection. Hand sanitizer is typically filled with chemicals and does not wash off germs like hand washing does.  
  2. Avoid touching your face and eyes. This can be habitual for some people, but our hands carry a lot of germs and our mucous membranes in our eyes, nose and mouth can be a vehicle for spreading infections. 
  3. Increase your vegetable intake and decrease your processed sugar intake. Sugar decreases your immune function and can actually slow down immune function HOURS after sugar intake. Sodas, frappuccinos, candy,  breads, yogurts and other processed foods contain high amounts of sugar. 
  4. Improve your immune function with high quality supplements. Vitamin C, Organic Elderberry, Vitamin D3 and Zinc are all great supplements to keep the immune system working well. 
    • Vitamin C: Dosing can be as high as your bowels tolerate (we call this bowel tolerance). 3,000-5,000mg divided throughout the day is usually well tolerated. When sick, your body cycles through vitamin C (a potent antioxidant) faster, so your body usually needs more. You can do higher doses and then back down if you are having gas, diarrhea or GI upset. 
    • Organic Elderberry: 1 tsp. twice daily. Can double the doses when sick. 
    • Vitamin D3: Best to have levels checked, typically the Iowans I treat are all deficient and do well with 5,000-10,000 IU daily. Can increase this dose for a few weeks while improving your immune function. 
    • Zinc: 20-30mg daily WITH food

It’s great to know what you can do to prevent viruses (including the coronavirus), but what can you do if you were to get a virus? Typically the treatment requires increasing your fluid intake and resting. If you notice that you have a fever, cough, chest pain or other symptoms, please get checked out by a medical professional and call in to work. We spread infections often in the periods where we are just starting to experience the first signs of illness. Again, this is why hand washing is so important. 

Dr. Andrew W. Saul, an international expert on vitamin therapy states, “The coronavirus can be dramatically slowed or stopped completely with the immediate widespread use of high doses of vitamin C. Bowel tolerance levels of C taken in divided doses throughout the day, is a clinically proven antiviral” 

If infected with a virus:

  • Increase water intake, stay hydrated
  • Take time off work to sleep and rest, allowing your body time to heal
  • Increase vitamin c to bowel tolerance. 2,000mg every 2 hours while acutely ill. If you have too much, you will have loose stools, just decrease dose to lower dose, but keep taking. *If you have ulcers or sensitive digestive tract, go very slow with your vitamin c intake
  • Get a vitamin c (Immune Boost) infusion

Vitamin C has been known to be one of the best natural antivirals around. Professor Victor Marcial-Vega reported, “Given the relatively high rate of success of intravenous vitamin C in viral diseases and my observation of clinical improvement within 2 to 3 hours of treatment, I strongly believe it would be my first recommendation in the management of the coronavirus.” He goes on to state that he has seen vitamin c infusions treat influenza, dengue fever, and chikungunya, for over 24 years. 

Hopefully this can give you practical and helpful ways to prepare for any viral infection. Remember fear increases stress which decreases immune function. Turn off the television and start washing your hands. 

In Health,

Stephanie Grutz, ARNP, FNP-C 

Please see your medical provider if you have any questions or concerns about your health. And remember, always ask “why” and get to the root cause of your symptoms. 

Winter is Here: Keep your Immune System Strong

Posted on by Stephanie Grutz
Winter is Here: Keep your Immune System Strong

It’s the time of year of year where we spread more than holiday cheer…

Winter is here, the beautiful bluffs glittered with snow and fireplaces glowing an amber hue. Oh the beauties of the Iowa seasons! What might not be so beautiful, are those illnesses that can accompany the cold and winter months. In the winter, we are typically indoors more often, running to holiday parties and family gatherings with other people that are ill, and the cycle of never ending coughs and colds pursue. Most winter illnesses can be managed with TLC and sleep, but ailments like the flu, shingles and other viruses, can really knock someone down hard. Taking preventative measures now, can help keep you striving throughout the seasons.

Immune Boost IV Infusion

The definition of Influenza aka “Flu”: 

Web MD’s definition of influenza is “a viral infection. People often use the term “flu” to describe any kind of mild illness, such as a cold or a stomach virus, that has symptoms like the flu. But the real flu is different. Flu symptoms are usually worse than a cold and last longer. The flu usually does not cause vomiting or diarrhea in adults. The flu causes a fever, body aches, a headache, a dry cough, and a sore or dry throat. You will probably feel tired and less hungry than usual. The symptoms usually are the worst for the first 3 or 4 days. But it can take 1 to 2 weeks to get completely better”.

Since the immune system is most likely suppressed, prior to ever having flu or shingles, sometimes other opportunistic infections such as ear infections or pneumonia can come about adding insult to injury.

The easiest way to avoid illness is to improve and maintain your immune system! Typically when our immune system is not functioning (which can be due to stress, disease, everyday toxin overload, decreased exercise, increased sweets/decreased nutritious foods) we are highly susceptible to illnesses, as our body is working hard to process all of the other stressors in the body.

Winter Wellness Package

How to keep healthy

  1. Decrease stress. Realize that the stresses of holidays and don’t overdo it. Take “me-time” so can unwind, relax, meditate and focus on what is really important to you in your current life. Holidays sometimes mean we aren’t able to avoid the people that are what I call “energy zappers”, but we can try to limit our exposure to them.
  2. Decrease toxins. As I emphasize throughout all my articles, decreasing toxins in our lives will help enhance our immune system. Choose organic when possible, avoid chemicals – including artificial scents/products (perfume, laundry detergent, body wash, lotions, candles). Use essential oils to diffuse throughout the house, some specific essential oils (I use one called Thieves), can actually eliminate spores and other toxins from the air. Do the magnificent detox baths 2-5x/week with 2 cups epsom salt + 1/4 cup baking soda.
  3. Take supplements. Vitamin C and zinc are my go-to supplements when I’m feeling rundown. Vitamin C 1000mg three times daily and Zinc 25-30mg daily can really help perk up the immune system. I always recommend purchasing supplements that do not have fillers or a lot of “other ingredients”, they won’t perk you up as well as high qualities brands will. Use Select Balance for all your supplement needs! 
  4. Get IV Nutrition! Say what? IV nutritional therapy loads your body with high dose vitamins and minerals, bypassing the GI system and going straight into your bloodstream. Delivering powerful nutrients & antioxidants directly to your cells, will get you on your feet faster! Vive IV Therapy in Dubuque is a great place to utilize for this purpose. Vive IV has an infusion called the “Natural Flu shot” where there are high doses of VItamin C, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals infused in an IV bag to help give that needed boost when people are feeling the start of an illness coming on.
  5. Vitamin D3 Injections! 50,000 IU injections we recommend doing once weekly x6-8 weeks to help your immune system. Optimal (between 60-80) Vitamin D levels have been shown in studies to be more effective than the flu shot. In addition, you can also take 5,000IU (or more depending on your levels), during the winter month to keep your levels optimal.

Being proactive and helping your immune system stay at the top of its game, will get you through this winter and all other seasons, in a breeze!

Vitamin D3 Special