Yes, I’m an herbalist….but as a clinician who is focused on treating the underlying causes of imbalance in the body, sometimes herbs aren’t the first choice for support. In fact, I can’t think of a time when I only recommended herbs on their own without other nutrition and lifestyle changes. With this in mind, I want to share 2 new pieces of scientific research that excite me:

1. Vitamin D: Bolus is Bogus – A Narrative Review

We know Vitamin D is important for immunity. We know that people with adequate Vitamin D levels have decreased likelihood of becoming severely ill from COVID. And yet I’ve always had to ASK for my Vitamin D levels to be tested by my MD, rather than the Dr. suggesting it or even recommendation that take a Vitamin D supplement in the winter. Vitamin D screening and supplementation (if needed) should be universal. Don’t even get me started on this tangent!

The interesting thing about this study is that they’re looking at bolus dosing – this is the typical dose you get with a Vitamin D prescription from the Dr. – usually something like (1) 50,000 IU pill a week. Spoiler alert – this probably isn’t helpful, and may actually be harmful to your immune system due to the way your body responds to a large amount of the Vitamin D hormone (yep its actually a hormone) all at one time.

Just take a look at this chart summarizing Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs – the “gold standard” of research) for acute respiratory infections and COVID-19, comparing bolus dosing vs daily dosing. This is enough for me to feel good about the Vitamin D supplement I am currently taking on a daily basis.

2. A Case-Control Study for the Effectiveness of Oral Zinc in the Prevention and Mitigation of COVID-19

Zinc supplementation for the win!

“The findings from our study suggest that zinc supplementation in all three doses (10, 25, and 50 mg) may be an effective prophylaxis of symptomatic COVID-19 and may mitigate the severity of COVID-19 infection.”

If you’re already taking a multivitamin, make sure to check if it has zinc in it before buying an additional supplement. Take it with food because it can irritate your stomach, and if you would rather not supplement, then make sure to each zinc-rich foods. Check out a chart with high zinc foods here.