In my last post, I wrote about the key metrics I look at to assess someone's overall risk going into cold and flu season. There are some affiliate links in this post. Here are the "red flags" I look for.
- Elevated high sensitivity CRP
- Elevated ferritin
- Low magnesium
- Elevated hemoglobin A1C or fasting blood glucose
- Anemia or low white blood cell count
- Poor body composition (more on this later)
- Low vitamin D
- Poor kidney function
- Low cortisol, DHEA-S, or sex steroid hormones
- Implantable devices
Good news - you can get these labs at Direct Labs. Direct Labs has two panels that I use in my practice - the Stillman Nutrition Mini Wellness Panel and the Stillman Nutrition Comprehensive Wellness Panel. They both include the labs I check for cold and flu season. Just search for them on Direct Labs and you’ll find them.
What makes these labs so special, and why do they predispose us to greater risk of death during the winter months?
There is a LOT to unpack here. So much so that I don't see how I can do that and STILL share with you my top tips for thriving during the season when death naturally becomes more likely.
So let's just cut to the chase.
Each of these is a marker of overall fitness and health. They are related to our body's most fundamental physiologic functions. I can't give you a thorough run-down of exactly what I make of these labs in a single post, but I can give you the "short" version.
Whenever I see one of the red flags above, particularly in the fall when I don't have much time to prepare them for cold and flu season, I go into "crisis management mode." We have to at least try to get these things under control as fast as possible. I do not want to frighten anyone with this - none of the above are (typically) the "end of the world," but they also aren't something to take lightly. They are a sign that vitality is waning and the patient needs to get serious about their health as soon as possible.
Sadly, I see a LOT of people kicking the can of their wellness down the road. They think that "tomorrow" is a good time to actually come to see me.
Yikes. This mindset turns what could be simple repairs into massive health-and-wellness renovation projects. If your mindset of preventive medicine is that a few hundred or thousand dollars now is something you can't afford, you'd better get ready to spend thousands, tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands next year or next decade, because that's what's going to happen.
So what are the key things to do about these problems? This post contains affiliate links to the gear that I love to recommend to my patients. Your affiliate purchases and premium subscriptions help to fund my writing habit. Don’t forget that our premium membership includes a monthly Q&A. December’s Q&A is right around the corner (December 10 at 11 AM Eastern).
"Patients should have rest, food, fresh air, and exercise - the quadrangle of health."
- William Osler
I wrote to Paul Marik, MD, once that, "98% of my practice is a refinement of these four factors."
"The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking."
- Albert Einstein
But the devil is in the details, as they say, and that's why it's not as simple as just repeating, "diet and exercise" to everyone.
First, REST is vital to life. What do you need to rest properly? To create the right environment for rest, I recommend blue blockers, red and infrared lights, fixing your light environment, sauna, time outside, sunlight, and some downtime are vital to your health. You can't get around the fact that you need REST. Winter isn't just nature's season of death - it's nature's season of REST. You're supposed to rest during the winter. But what do we do in our modern culture? We run ourselves ragged working, partying, and vacationing.
And then we wonder why we get sick? It's not exactly a mystery.
Schedule some time off during the holidays. Scale back both your expenses and your work. Take a few spa days. Go to bed early. You'll be glad you did.
Second, you have to get serious about understanding your diet and nutrition. Too many people today have no idea what to eat. They think they are eating a healthy diet, but in fact they are eating something they are having terrible immune reactions to. They think they are eating a healthy diet, but they are getting overloaded with a nutrients like iron or zinc. They think they are eating a healthy diet - but they are actually sabotaging their health with some combination of their dietary choices.
The biggest problems with the diet generally come down to:
Lack of nutrient density
Excess of processed, packaged food and therefore unhealthy food additives
Hidden allergens or autoimmune triggers
Dietary excesses leading to nutritional imbalances
You frankly need physician or practitioner guidance to sort out exactly what to eat beyond a nutrient-dense diet of whole, natural, non-GMO, organic foods. Most of people's nutritional problems evaporate once they follow the four simple rules above.
I use the app Cronometer in my practice to help patients understand (and to help ME understand) what they are eating. You can check it out here.
Third, you need time outside. One of the reasons people get sick in the winter is that they think that cold weather is a good reason to stay inside. But the reality is that even in the darkest time of the year, the outdoors is STILL far brighter than the indoors.
All-cause mortality increases as light in the environment decreases. There is no debate about it - the sun reduces all-cause mortality. Likewise, cold exposure has an important place in maintaining our metabolic health. It turns on our brown fat and tunes up our metabolisms.
This is why I love to pair a cold-plunge and a sauna together OUTSIDE in cold climates. The Sauna Space is the sauna I use indoors. I start patients at 20 minutes, three times weekly, provided they don't have low levels of minerals (because sauna will deplete these levels).
I also LOVE the Sperti D for the winter. Just 5 minutes in front of the Sperti D keeps vitamin D levels squarely in the optimal range. I also use the Sperti D in my practice for practically every skin rash that present.
I pair the Sperti D with a red/infrared light from EMR-TEK or the Sauna Space to get all three key frequencies of sunlight (UV-B, red, infrared) that are deficient in our indoor environments.
Time outside is just as, if not more, important in winter than in summer. This is one of the reasons why FRESH AIR is one of the most vital components to good health.
What else is vital about fresh air? People don't realize that modern buildings are set up for disastrous air quality. Our indoor air is incredibly polluted. The outdoor air is, with rare exceptions, always better than the outdoor air.
Always.
The indoor air in modern buildings is loaded with volatile organic compounds, molds, danders, dust, and other allergens and toxins that our bodies then have to neutralize and detoxify. This makes getting fresh air into your life a vitally important component of your wellness.
The most important thing is to just open the doors and windows twice a day to air out your home, and to spend time outside, in fresh air. It's as simple as that.
Fourth, but not least, exercise is critical to health in the winter season. I believe that everyone should lift weights. Even light weight lifting provides great benefits for health and longevity. Sauna has many of the health benefits of sauna, as do red/infrared light therapy. This means that pairing all of these together is incredibly beneficial and is one of the first things I focus on with patients.
This is why I hired a strength coach at my practice - Jim Laird. The results we are getting for our patients are nothing short of incredible, which is why we started to incorporate group coaching into our programs, as well as 1:1 coaching time with Jim. Schedule a consultation with us today and find out how we can help you achieve optimal vitality.
These fundamental habits (a nutrient-dense diet, a proper light environment, UV-B light, sauna, exercise) are the FOUNDATION of good health. Ignoring them, regardless of your diet and lifestyle, is a recipe for premature disease.
This is why talking about labs without talking about lifestyle is pointless.
But that's just the BEGINNING of how we optimize for cold and flu season...
My next post will unpack more of the ins and outs of the labs I use to prepare someone for the most wonderful and dangerous time of the year.
Until next time, be well,
Dr. Stillman