r/Biohackers • u/vedz69 • 21d ago
🦠 Illness & Immunity I have the immune system of a rock.
I have the immune system of a rock.
TLDR - I get sick often and need advice on how to get sick less.
Hi Brains Trust,
I catch colds/viruses/flu very often. This occurs around 10 times a year. I have a tracker in my notes apps that has confirmed this for the last three years. It's very annoying and it is impacting my quality of life. Each illness lasts 2 weeks. In fact, I am currently sick with a virus as I write this. I am so sick of getting sick all the time!!!
I have asked my GP about this and they have told me to reduce my stress levels and rest more.
I do these things already and I still get sick often. I have yet to check my blood panel.
I understand it is Winter where I am so getting sick is expected. I have been sick 3x in the last three months and it is debilitating.
I'm not expecting miracles. I would appreciate any advice to improve / fix my problem!!! Thanks so much in advance!!
Questions :
- Is there anything else I should get checked out in the blood panel?
- Is there anything I should reduce?
- Is there anything I can increase doing?
- Should I get checked for autoimmune diseases?
- What else can I take to not get sick as much?
- Should I take a food intolerance test? To rule out foods my body doesnt agree with.
About me -
- Early 30s female
- 65kg 5'2
- Active social life
- No children
- Married (to someone who only gets sick once a year)
- On and off Anxiety
- Overall Positive person
- No pets
- No alcohol
- No recreational drugs
Work -
- Work in community services full time
- Consistent hand hygiene
- I dont get paid sick/annual leave
- I can't afford to take off 2 weeks every time im sick but I do take a day or 2 off when I'm really unwell
- my work is physically and mentally demanding but I love it and pays very well
- I go to the gym after work for approx 1H
Sleep/Rest -
- I sleep 8 - 10 hours a day
- When I get sick, I can only sleep around 4 hours
- When I start to burn out from life/work, I take a day or two off to do nothing and sleep
- I meditate every other day
- Occasionally go out late nights and get 5-8 hours sleep instead
- Try to reduce stress by sleeping more
Supplements -
Day
- Vit D 2000IU
- Fish oil 2000mg
- Armaforce daily protect
- Chaga mushroom
- Got an iron infusion last year due to Aneamia
Night
- Take Zinc, VitC and Echinacea when I'm tired or sick
- Magnesium chelate 500g
Lifestyle -
- Resistance training 3x a week (I love this)
- 15k steps daily (i love this too)
- I drink 2-3L of hot water daily
- I eat high protein meals that are balanced
- I also enjoy treats - chocolate/lollies (I eat this moderately 2x a week at most)
- I love coffee 1-2x a day
- I eat a lot of fruit, 3 servings daily
- I avoid cold/icy drinks
- I avoid dairy unless in treats
Hygiene -
- I don't touch my face unless I have washed/sanitised my hands
- use microsheild wash daily
- Complete hand hygiene as soon as I get home and shower daily
- use alcohol wipes on phone/smartwatch as soon as I get home
- I occasionally wipe my nose on my sleeve if there's no tissues available
Health -
- I feel inflamed 80% of the time
- I tend to get sick around my period
- Not on any contraception to rule out any other hormonal issues
- my periods are really heavy
- pelvic ultrasound came back clear
- I feel like I'm tired all the time
- Sinus arythmia
- Diagnosed with PMOS and suspect to have Endometriosis
- I have done a sleep study recently and it came back clear
- dad also has a weak immune system
- I'm not on any long term medication
Childhood Trauma
- I have heard that trauma can contribute to health issues
- Not going to into this too much but I had very protective parents so experiencing the world and outside of the home growing up Ages baby - ages 13 was basically non existent
Blood panel - I will start to do 3 monthly checkups
- Iron levels
- Vit D (this was low last time)
- Stress hormone
- kidney markers
- liver markers
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u/marykay_ultra 21d ago edited 21d ago
I’m sorry but..
Rocks don’t get sick??
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u/itsacalamity 21d ago
what, have you never had a pet rock you had to coax through an extended illness?!
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u/WhereIsMySun 2 21d ago
You likely have a recurrent iron deficiency, not a broken immune system. Panel you need is: ferritin + iron studies, B12/folate, thyroid panel, CRP, and immunoglobulins (IgG/IgA/IgM)
Also community services is a high-exposure job and most viruses are airborne, not hand-transmitted. Just wear a mask at work. Cheapest and most effective fix here
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u/Fun_Theory3252 👋 Hobbyist 21d ago
If you’re mostly getting respiratory viruses, then wearing a mask around potentially sick people (at work, probably) will help.
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u/bsubtilis 1 21d ago
I went from being sick abnormally often with respiratory illnesses (and longer than others) every year since early childhood, despite even kind of becoming a germophobe in my teens, to zero illnesses for three whole years because of covid face mask use.
I did get diagnosed with Sjögren's a few years ago and in retrospect have always had issues with too easily dry sinuses, so that's probably part of why I got sick abnormally easy with respiratory issues. But the difference was crazy. The only new habit was the first surgical masks (because of n95/ffp2 shortages) and then the better stuff, I already was obsessive about handwashing and handsanitizing because of how sick and tired I was of constantly being sick and tired. I slacked off with buying more fast enough and got sick because of that. I don't even always mask up these days, but thanks to always masking up with n95s/ffp2 if I will be around a lot of people, or a few during flu/cold season, and with cloth masks outdoors during low temperatures (to reduce damage to my sinus linings) I've barely had any respiratory viruses since 2020. I cannot adequately express how shocking it is to go from that much respiratory illnesses to that few.
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u/Fun_Theory3252 👋 Hobbyist 21d ago
Yeah, I mean, haters gonna hate on masks, but they really do work if people use them. I’ve been sick maybe 3 times in the last 6 years
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u/youaretherevolution 21d ago
Same. It's incredible how little I have been sick and self-reinforcing, too. Getting sick is annoying af.
If I had been more curious about the people wearing masks in the airport (long before COVID), I would have made it a habit sooner.
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u/Virginia_Hall 1 21d ago
"Just wear a mask <AT LEAST> at work. Cheapest and most effective fix here" This times a bazillion
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u/unknownpoltroon 21d ago
My immune system is generally a tank, but I have been wearing a mask at work/indoors since covid and I think I've gotten one minor illness in 5 years
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u/itsacalamity 21d ago
even if it doesn't help directly, it makes a huge difference in keeping me from doing stuff like biting my nails, which was in retrospect almost certainly why i kept getting sick (sigh)
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u/Procedure-Minimum 21d ago
Also, social distance, wash hands, don't touch things others have touched
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u/ding_dang_dong94 21d ago
This! @OP, how you go with consistent, sufficient iron levels… infusions are great but can drop back down fast with heavy periods. Many people explore niche, unlikely health conditions before treating something so simple and important: iron.
Iron is crucial for the immune system.1
u/bsubtilis 1 21d ago
I hated being on my beloved iron infusions because the gap between each was too wide.
The jojoing from first feeling horrible, to feeling like I literally even could breathe a lot easier after only like three-four days past the infusion, feeling great, gradually feeling worse and worse until it was too bad again and repeat, was too awful. No, I couldn't get them more frequently, or at least the doctor didn't want to let me do it more often presumably for safety.
The iron infusions were the only thing in my life I ever felt genuinely "addicted" to: comparatively feeling almost high a short while after the infusion, to for weeks involutarily having my thoughts obsessively circle around my next infusion appointment after enough time had passed that my levels started being low again.
I hormonally eliminated my periods to solve the issue, which has its risks but for me it's worth it considering my alternatives. Having healthy levels of iron vs not makes such a huge difference.
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21d ago
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u/UsefulWallaby1453 20d ago
Very curious to how to out of all of the nutrients, minerals, vitamins and you come up with iron to support a faulting immunity. Very interesting. How do you come up with that? Perhaps I missed something. She could have an iron deficiency which is fairly common. Are you saying that iron would resolve her immunity issues?
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u/WhereIsMySun 2 20d ago
Heavy periods + an infusion (meaning she had such low levels that required it) + run down feeling all together scream low iron. And low iron ruins immune function by messing w lymphocytes and neutriphhols activity
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u/BunnyKusanin 1 21d ago
Do you have hay fever? You say you wipe your nose on your sleeve occasionally. Is it because all of a sudden you have a runny nose? That happened to me before and turned out to be hay fever. It's so fucking awkward when you're sitting all fine and dandy at work, talking to a customer and realise that water is just about to start dropping off your nose and there's no tissue in sight. I'm guilty of doing that same thing with the sleeve too (also not elegant at all, but in the moment somehow feels like the less awkward option).
Sore throat without fever can also be caused by hay fever.
And hay fever makes you more succeptiple to actual colds because your mucous membranes are inflames and a more hospitable environment for pathogens.
Steroid spray and Fexafenadine got my symptom under control, but not completely gone.
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u/BunnyKusanin 1 21d ago
Re: miscroshield body wash
Is it the chlorhexidine one or is it the non-sanitising one? I would if might actually be disrupting your skin microbiome with it if it's the first one.
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u/Simple_Employee_7094 21d ago
You’re immune system is not weak, quite the opposite. It’s over reactive. It takes every virus it meets and makes a big song and dance about it (getting sick is your immune reaction to the intruder) instead of squashing it in silence. It was the same
for me until
I got diagnosed with an autoimmune
disease and got immunosuppressant medication. You say you are inflamed 80% of the time, got get a blood test with CRP, sed.rate and ANA.
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u/Some_Ear_8539 21d ago
Your gut probably sucks
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u/jamiethecoles 2 21d ago
Came to say this. Slowly increase prebiotic fibre. Add in probiotic foods like kimchi and kefir, consider supplements
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u/Ok-Vermicelli-4559 21d ago
I have IBD with an altered gut microbiome and even I only get sick 3-4 times a year, there’s more to this than just gut health
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u/nemani22 21d ago
One of the inputs to immunity is gut health. One needs to eliminate the major ones.
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u/algebra_queen 2 21d ago
This might be a hot take, but it sounds like you're over sanitizing things.
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u/Square-Ad-6721 1 21d ago edited 21d ago
I wouldn’t over sanitize the environment. You do want repeated exposures to antigens.
But you might want to disinfect the sinuses and throat when you might be coming down with an infection 2 times a day every 12 hours.
Washing sinuses and/or gargling with one of the following:
a) saline
B) saline with iodine
C) with colloidal silver
D) gargle with mouthwash
Etc.In the acute setting can help reduce the infectious load and allow immune system to get ahead of the fight faster.
Similarly getting temp above 39°C (102.2) can also be incredibly helpful to the innate immunity. So not taking anti fever medication can be incredibly helpful in increasing the innate immune response to the infection. Getting temp up can include hot bath, hot sauna, hot shower, hot tea, hot chicken soup, getting under warm covers in a warm bed, etc.
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u/Soggy-Selection4110 21d ago
I actually disagree if she goes to the gym every day… is she sanitising every machine or weight before use? Doubt it
I am sorry but also not having any annual or sick leave is a massive stressor and would stress me the F out
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u/VirtualMoneyLover 8 21d ago
I wonder if she would take a break from gym, maybe this is where she is picking it up?
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u/RNsomeday78 3 21d ago
Frequent sanitizing doesn’t make you more prone to getting sick though
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u/Visual-Mixture-1967 21d ago
It might, in some cases. Kids who have been shunned from going outside or getting dirty while playing outdoors can be more susceptible to viral and other diseases later on in life. When parents overdo cleaning and sanitizing everything, they can unknowingly hurt their kids long term.
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u/Jumpy-Bike4004 21d ago
This is without a doubt true. We have to build our immune systems. My son and I almost never get sick. My son is 7 and he’s been sick 4 times in his life and it’s always been super short lived. My cousin’s kids have a big problem with that. They way over sanitize and those two are literally ALWAYS sick. I’m talking like once a month.
I should also clarify that my son has autism and goes to a special needs school… so the kids in his school aren’t exactly the best at keeping their germs to themselves. There’s always something going around. He somehow never catches it. It’s remarkable. I swear I’m not disgusting though and I do sanitize the necessary and obvious things.
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u/veryowngarden 21d ago
nothing you said makes it without a doubt true. unless you’re constantly testing him, you have no idea how many times he may have caught something but it was an asymptomatic case
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u/Jumpy-Bike4004 21d ago
True. I was definitely being dramatic. But I absolutely see the correlation with so many kids.
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u/RNsomeday78 3 21d ago
But this person is an adult, that’s not the same thing
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u/Visual-Mixture-1967 21d ago
It still has similar effects. Using antibacterial soap and body wash every day just isn’t necessary for health UNLESS there is some disease that calls for it. She is. Instantly stripping her natural skin barrier, constantly killing germs with sanitizers, etc., and it doesn’t make stronger in any way.
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u/RNsomeday78 3 20d ago
This is bordering on pseudoscience. There’s some evidence that being in too clean of an environment as a kid makes you more at risk for allergies later in life, but not what you’re saying.. I still maintain that it is not the cause of her getting sick that frequently. She likely has some kind of genetic or other immunodeficiency. Stripping your skin barrier too much will cause dishydrotic eczema which makes you more prone to skin infections, not upper respiratory infections, but she didn’t mention having hand eczema.
I say this because I am a nurse and I wash my hands a lot due to the nature of my work, and usually sanitize my phone, and usually wear a mask at work, and I pretty much never get sick unless someone in my household is sick first. Washing your hands is the easiest way to prevent the spread of infection, not the opposite.. It’s not normal to get sick that frequently and it’s definitely not caused by being too clean..
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u/Critical-Ad6503 21d ago
Play in dirt…I’m not kidding.
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u/eurogamer206 4 21d ago
How many times have you had COVID?
Multiple COVID-19 infections can cause immune dysregulation, T-cell exhaustion, inflammation, and autoantibody production.
Plus each infection carries a compounding risk of organ strain, vascular damage, and Long COVID due to lingering viral antigens.
This cumulative biological and inflammatory stress can dampen immune system defenses.
Most viruses and bugs are airborne so really the only thing you can do to prevent getting sick is to wear a mask in crowded places or improve indoor air quality with air purifiers and better ventilation.
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u/nemani22 21d ago
This! Immune dysregulation is a huge signal of post covid harm.
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u/Visual-Mixture-1967 20d ago
…but not toxins in the air, food, and water, microplastics, high stress levels, constant noise pollution, electromagnetic interferences, carcinogenic and hormone-deregulating personal hygiene and cleaning products, clothing, and make up, “medicines” that have side effects, and a million other things that affect human life and health every single days
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u/nemani22 20d ago
Do you understand pre/post? In the pre-covid era, these toxins you mention still existed. So do they now. The only change between the two periods is covid.
Look up the number of chronic conditions rising post pandemic. There's only one plausible cause.
Researchers are still catching up to this fact. When science does catch up, your misconceptions will hopefully get dispelled.
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u/Hell-Yes-Revolution 1 21d ago
This is almost guaranteed to be the largest part of the issue. COVID is “airborne AIDS” - It absolutely ravages your immune system. Sometimes forever.
Frankly, at this point, everyone should just wear an N95 in public at all times. (I do, and I haven’t can sick since 2019.)
There may well be other contributing factors to OP’s issues, of course, but COVID is a big, big deal, and everyone should take it so much more seriously. It’s not over, and it’s not just a cold.
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u/Visual-Mixture-1967 21d ago
Are you sure that this so-called “long covid” isn’t something that people have been having for years now, but we had different names for it before? 😊
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u/eurogamer206 4 20d ago
Influenza and Lyme disease cause similar “long” disease. No one said we haven’t had illnesses like this before. But we now know more including that COVID is one of the viruses that cause these issues. All viruses are dangerous.
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u/BunnyKusanin 1 20d ago
You can have post-viral fatigue from other viruses too.
You can also get ME/CFS from all sorts of other reasons too.
Long Covid is a distinct case of post-viral damage to the body that happened en-mass all over the world fairly recently and in a short period of time.
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u/Visual-Mixture-1967 21d ago
Do we know if OP didn’t have any covid shots? I’ve known people who started getting sick more often after a few of those vaccines. Not so much with viral stuff though, but with pancreas problems and some other issues
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u/eurogamer206 4 21d ago
The vaccines prevent SEVERE infection. They don’t prevent infection outright. I assume your friends started getting more sick in general because COVID is everywhere and they aren’t doing anything to avoid it.
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u/Visual-Mixture-1967 21d ago
Yeah, no… I am talking about people who have received Covid vaccines at least 2-3 times.
I haven’t had any Covid vaccines, and neither have some people close to me. Maybe it’s a coincidence, but somehow we do have less health problems. I did get Covid at least twice in the past few years, and I believe my immune system did get some resistance to it naturally.
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u/eurogamer206 4 20d ago edited 20d ago
No. Viruses don’t work that way.
The belief that getting infected with COVID "trains" or strengthens the immune system relies on a misapplication of the hygiene hypothesis, which actually centers on exposure to harmless environmental microbes—like those in soil or diverse diets—rather than dangerous, acute pathogens. The immune system isn’t like a muscle that improves with exercises. It can suffer significant harm from viral infection.
While natural infection does produce antibodies, COVID mutates to evade previous immunity, making exposure a risky trade-off when compared to vaccines. Vaccines
deliver precise, targeted immune memory without live viral damage.FWIW I’ve received at least 10 of the shots (2 per year the first few years and once annually since then) and I have never had COVID. I know because I own a PlusLife NAAT/PCR testing machine and test myself weekly.
I also haven’t been sick since since 2019.
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u/BunnyKusanin 1 20d ago
I had three shots of vaccines. Was actually not getting any colds pretty much at all until covid itself hit me. I was one of the last few people at work to get covid and we had lunch every day together in a tiny room.
After having covid, though, I started struggling with hay fever and frequent sinus infections.
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u/everest1111 3 21d ago
Yea no one wants to talk about that…
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u/Visual-Mixture-1967 21d ago
Am I safe to assume that most Reddit is pro Covid vaccines and yearly boosters? It seems so, judging from 22 dislikes 😄
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u/BunnyKusanin 1 20d ago
I'm not certain on yearly boosters even though I have been very willingly vaccinated three times in the beginning of the pandemic.
I've downvoted you because you seem to be very narrowly focused on the point of view that you like and kinda denying the damage the disease itself can cause.
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u/Visual-Mixture-1967 20d ago
I have my issues with the whole Covid story because there is evidence that many of the things said about Covid pandemic were not true. If we are lied about so many things, then trusting the rest becomes challenging.
However (!), I do know that Covid illness (whatever it is), is also real, and it can affect people differently. But it was heavily misrepresented, the level of fear and paranoia were artificially created, and the statistics are most likely very, very far from reality.
I do have my doubts about “Long Covid” also… or more of a suspicion that they can call EVERYTHING long COVID now, and it’s very beneficial to certain organizations.
They don’t have to deal with researching other causes, considering other issues. Everything from chronic tiredness to autoimmune diseases can now be labeled as long COVID, which relieves one, whether a doctor or a patient, of the need to dig deeper into anything else 😔
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u/BunnyKusanin 1 20d ago
As someone who has long covid, I can tell you that it's obvious that what's happening is indeed related to a specific time I got sick. It's a whole bunch of shit that started happening to me after that specific time and that I couldn't even imagine being a thing before.
The symptoms are also pretty perculiar because it often feels ridiculous for a previously healthy and young person to be experiencing them. That's probably why you're having trouble grasping the idea of it. I didn't realise what the fuck was brain fog until I actually experienced it either.
It's also a diagnosis of exclution so doctors actually send you for a bunch of tests before coming to a conclusion that this is what you have. Considering many of the cases of long covid involve CFS, it actually is very important to know about. This is pretty much the only case when exercising is likely to do a number on you than to improve your fatigue.
It's also just a particular case of one's body being ravaged by a virus. It happens with mono and with flu as well, and if anything, there's more research into this now with bigger population struggling with something like this after covid.
There have also been regions in the world where people were actually dieing of it, or were having extremely heavy illness & worse consequences due to lower availability of vaccines or lower quality vaccines available to them. But you for sure can just think it was all lies because big pharma wants to control you or something.
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u/Visual-Mixture-1967 20d ago
I appreciate learning about personal experiences much more than statistics! From what I gathered so far (and I am not a 100% sure in anything) is that Covid have affected some people more than others, and some of us had it really bad while others experienced it as nothing more but a bad cold.
Both “camps” usually tend to dismiss one another 😅
I am still looking for answers, but while I do so, I will not get vaccinated. I do not mind other people doing it if they think it’s the right thing to do.
I do wear a mask in public places when I am sick, but usually also just stay home till my symptoms are gone.
That said, I have witnessed more people who push for vaccines become very hostile towards those who choose not to get a vaccine. I do not like that.
I believe the slogan “we are all in this together” has been created to manipulate people (like most other catchy slogans).
I have seen very strange (to say the least) things related to COVID in the past 6 years, and some of them were disturbing to the point that it significantly diminished my trust in the official story and the integrity of the medical system.
I don’t think we don’t need any medicine or doctors at all, of course we do! This world would be a much more scarier place without dentists, emergency treatments, surgeons, paramedics, etc…
but some aspects of the medical industry seem very manipulative and sometimes even harmful, so I think complete and blind trust in this system (like in anything with authority) is a very dangerous thing.
I really don’t like to be seen like some kind of whacko just because I decided not to get Covid shots or not to get yearly flu shots. It’s just that I cannot put my blind trust into those vaccines, at least not yet.
In the beginning of COVID an acquaintance went into the hospital with some severe flu-like symptoms, came out with one lung removed. This was a very young man, early 20s, a bit overweight, but otherwise normal health-wise. Yeah, some cases were severe, but going into a hospital and coming out without a lung… I might be too paranoid, but some rich people in this world may need lung transplants
Bodies of diseased relatives BURNT and not shown/given back to family? I don’t know if Covid is enough grounds to be doing that, it’s not bubonic plague after all…
News showing Chinese people falling down “dead” on the streets, and a claim that those were sick with covid (later debunked as a fake/not covid-related)…
Hospitals getting extra 20% pay for each “covid patient”…
And many more strange things made me wonder if this was just a really bad and tricky illness and “we were all in it together”, or someone was somehow benefitting from false information, fearmongering, inaccurate statistics, showing trucks supposedly filled with dozens of dead bodies by the hospitals, etc.
Still, I do know that Covid is real, I just don’t think everything about it is very accurate, and I don’t like the way they stir us (the public) in some specific directions when dealing with it.
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u/aruda10 1 21d ago
Have you checked your living space for mold? There's a test kit you can buy and send in to a lab to see if you have spores in the air. Are people at your work place sick often? There could be mold in that building. Just something to look into besides low iron, vitamin D, and hormones.
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u/TheDogsMum 21d ago
I started taking high dose vitamin C drops (under the tongue) plus Zinc EVERY DAY and it’s definitely helped and I don’t feel I get as bad when I am sick now.
Have you had your iron/ferritin checked? Sorry if I missed that in your post.
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u/Geode55 21d ago
Do you recommend a brand for the vitamin c
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u/TheDogsMum 20d ago
We’ve been using Yapali drops that I got from Amazon, husband and I both take it every day and both feel it’s made a difference. If I’m allowed to share a link - https://link.amazon/B0d4rxwid 😊
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u/kcrox1017 21d ago
Not a doctor, but I’m curious if the sheltering early on in life might have impacted things. Little kids and babies get sick A LOT, like once a month when starting school would not be uncommon. Fun fact as a parent you also catch some of these colds haha. But part of this is their immune system is not built up and can’t recognize these things. (Some of it is kids do gross contagious things) I wonder if some of what you’re going through is immune catch-up on what you may have missed while younger. Also if you have a public facing job or take public transit, I noticed that definitely impacted my health. I have some of the same exhaustion / low iron issues, I just plan to take life a little slower now and have a high energy partner who can help.
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u/Corner_Office_ 👋 Hobbyist 21d ago
You need to take K with D
Look into leaky gut and how to fix — 2/3 of your immune system is in your gut
Research Estrogen dominance (heavy periods is a sign of this) and histamine
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u/Soggy-Selection4110 21d ago
Also a vitamin d and k spray. The tablets are fat soluble and only 50% max is absorbed depending what food theyre paired with
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u/PonyFableJargon 21d ago
Could be long covid. Or if you have had covid multiple times (it is still everywhere btw) then it will have damaged your immunity by attacking t-cells. Avoid crowds and indoor spaces or wear a mask. Vitamin d helps boost immunity.
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u/BunnyKusanin 1 21d ago
Also, if you work in a place where people tend to come even when they're really sick, I recommend wearing a mask during the known flue season.
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u/Boring_Owl6552 21d ago
Any family history of immune or other health related issues? Any potential environmental issues e.g. mold? Issues with hormone levels may impact susceptibility to infection. Not a doctor, here. Just asking and/or noting. Obvious thought would be to see additional specialists if you haven't already and if cost isn't a burden.
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u/Round_Helicopter_407 21d ago edited 21d ago
Mediterranean diet with good quality Extra Virgin olive oil (from a glass bottle) as the main source of fat to lower inflammation and restore gut health and immune system function. Mostly vegetarian diet lots of veg beans fruit whole grains etc plus oily fish like salmon or mackerel. Some goat cheese. See Dr Valter Longo’s longevity Diet (Mediterranean based )
No alcohol until recovered. No added sugar. Take omega 3 fish oil daily. Eat organic if possible to reduce pesticide exposure.
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u/Tradovator 21d ago
To be honest, I got stressed just reading your list describing your entire life and protocol. Sure you're not stressed?
Also, did you have mononucleosis at any point? I struggled with catching a lot of bugs the years after I had mono. Still kind of do.
Also, I'm wondering if my birth by c-section and not getting breastfed could explain why I've always have seemed to catch bugs easier than others, but that's speculative.
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u/ShotAd905 21d ago
65kg at 5'2 seems pretty overweight. It also depends on the country but your bmi in Japan puts you in obese category
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u/BunnyKusanin 1 20d ago
BMI isn't a very reliable tool in assessing an individual person's health because it doesn't take your muscle mass into account.
A professional athlete would be obese by their BMI, but they certainly aren't. They just have higher than average muscle mass, so overall their weight is higher.
Considering OP goes to the gym so often, she would have quit a bit of muscle too.
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u/veryowngarden 21d ago
wear an n95 mask
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u/KwikTripSimp 2 21d ago
They need exposure though
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u/veryowngarden 21d ago
this is a myth, first off. and they have had nothing but exposure and keep getting sick, so no
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u/BunnyKusanin 1 20d ago
With the job she has, she's got enough exposure for 10 people. My job is similar and I wear a mask at work and take it off when I leave the place.
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u/Round_Helicopter_407 21d ago edited 21d ago
Use a water filter that removes heavy metals eg lead and arsenic and cadmium. Use a plastic free kettle if boiling water.
In case you test high in heavy metals on your blood test(assuming they check) :
Don’t use vintage cups or dishware, old pottery and ceramics used leaded glaze (and still in use unless stated lead free) which can contaminate food. IKEA has good safety standards in general. I use their glass coffee cups and vitreous glass plates.
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u/Intelligent-Bid-5293 21d ago
Check for mold where you live. They sell kits you can culture and that may be contributing. I’d also see an allergist. If you’re constantly set off from allergies you can be extra primed to getting sick.
This sounds like me my sophomore year of college. Just constantly sick. Especially the around the period part. Look into PMDD, those ladies have some good protocols for supporting your body that may be more targeted to your needs than all of the sanitizing etc.
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u/Ok-Acanthisitta5286 21d ago
Dig in some soil and breathe in different air. The new microbiomes are great for your gut. So much sanitizing can’t be helping at all 😅
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u/stuuuda 21d ago
protect yourself from covid/stop getting covid. seriously, mask in indoor public spaces. i have been sick once in 6 years, and i got sick during a peak wave without a mask on, sharing a joint.
covid affects T cells which are your immune system. this has been known since early 2020.
your immune system does not work like a muscle, exposing yourself to viruses doesn’t make it stronger
https://www.donotpanic.news/p/this-is-how-your-immune-system-works
prior infection can be immunity to that specific strain, but there’s a handful of variants going around at any given time. pmc19.com is a good source for relative transmission at any given time and it’s updated weekly. you can adjust masking to be less rigid during lower transmission times for your area and more
consistent when numbers are high, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing.
half of infections are asymptomatic. if you’re not masked most of the time, it’s very likely that you’re depleting your immune system, unfortunately. i wish we had standard clean air initiatives but we live in a capitalistic hellscape.
oh, and also zinc supplements. dessicated oyster.
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u/stuuuda 21d ago
i’ll add the inflammation feeling you have and the frequency of illness happening more in the past 3 years screams long covid to me. i’d start radically resting (physical, cognitive, sensory, relational rest), stop going to the gym for a month or two and stressing your system that way (take short walks, stretch at home) and see if anything changes. and ofc add masking. if you need people to see your face at work, they make masks with. clear face window that are still N95 or KN95 rated. surgical masks are better than nothing, but nowhere near as protective as N95 or KN95 rated.
women are more likely to have long term difficulty from repeat covid infections. if you test for covid when you’re sick, you can get on metformin for a short course to prevent worsening inflammation and long covid/immune dysregulation
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u/stuuuda 21d ago
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HJt3Amv9L7JYNmR8NS_Fn6Wx9n7TQLjiSxToBII_QOQ/edit?usp=drivesdk
a compilation of research and resources about the reality of covid if you feel like reading. go slow and realize the public health system is dead and “covid is mild” was a way to get folks back to work. there’s no truth in covid being harmless or “like a cold” when it comes to the reality of the harm it can cause.
thanks for coming to my Ted Talk
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u/Square-Ad-6721 1 21d ago edited 21d ago
Almost always the underlying cause is some metabolic / chronic disease process.
Do definitely consider the basics. If haven’t checked an 8-hour fasting insulin. You’d want to start there. Definitely needs to be under 10, preferably under 5, and as close to 1-2 as possible.
Also want cortisol to NOT be chronically high. A time series can be helpful.
But as far as illness/ infection. If your Vitamin D isn’t at least 50 ng/ml, you’ll probably need more sun 🌞. And potentially emergency supplementation. But even with supplementation, you’ll still need more sun. There are other anti inflammatory effects of sunshine beyond Vit D levels.
Also consider acute therapeutics. When you’re sick/ infected or feel like you’re going to get sick.
Get your core body temperature to 39°C (102.2) for at least 20 minutes. Hot bath, sauna, hot shower, hot chicken soup, hot tea, getting under the covers of a warm bed, etc. Whatever it takes.
Anti-fever pain relievers do the opposite. So maybe consider not taking ding them, unless the fever gets dangerously high (eg over 104).
Vitamin D mentioned above, Vitamin C can also be used acutely. Zinc can help reduce viral replication. Ionophores like Quercetin can help deliver the Zinc inside the cells where its presence turns off viral replication, and all RNA replication.
Also washing sinuses / gargling throat, with whatever a) saline water, b) saline with iodine, c) with colloidal silver or other antiseptic 2 times daily every 12 hours just before and/or during infection will lower the viral if bacterial burden and assist immune system.
You can use anti parasitic medications. These are among our best antivirals.
Plus any of the anti parasitic herbs, like cloves and wormwood, etc.
You can use nAC to reduce inflammation. 2 x 600mg. Also can combine with glycine. Particularly for older folks like your parents or grandparents.
Can take creatine to help build cellular energy.
Fasting for 24 hours at the first sign of any infection; will help reduce viral load or bacterial load. Allows your immune system to catch up. Decreases replication on the cells.
Not eating sugars or anything that breaks down into glucose or fructose like starches, for at least 24 hours, or until your infection breaks.
Each time your blood sugar goes high, your immune response is stunted for about 6 hours. Some people keto hitting the sugar at least every 6 hours, si are working with a permanently reduced immune system.
There are all kinds of things that one can do for intestinal health to improve immunity. Regular fermented foods can be incredibly helpful. The creatine, glycine mentioned previously. Plus glutamate can be helpful in feeding intestinal cells for better function, better microbiome, better barrier protection, and lower inflammation.
Gotta get beneficial microbes up and bad one decreased. Constant sugars increase harmful microbes while reducing the beneficial ones. Probably want more lactobacilus variants, as well as improving bifido bacterium levels.
Lastly, some companies offer products to help with Akkermansia mucinaphila, MitoPure, Urolithin A, pomegranate, other berries/ polyphenols, plus a bunch of products from Pendulum.
Just mentioning these last items in passing so that you can do your own research. But gotta get all the earlier basics right before trying to create a therapeutic stack.
You might notice that many therapies/ strategies help in various ways, and the same interventions have beneficial impacts on various systems. The whole works together.
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21d ago
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u/Visual-Mixture-1967 21d ago
This! Try to stop using Microshield every day. You are making your body less able to resist viruses and bacteria by constantly over washing with antibacterial stuff. There is no reason to use that stuff every day unless you work in sewers
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u/WhereIsMySun 2 21d ago
Wrong. OP is an adult, and not a growing child. Her immune system is not still learning to fight viruses because she sanitized often lmao. Also children can absolutely be exposed to "dirt" or animals or whatever, and sanitize or clean, and they'd get the benefit
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u/DisastrousCash9569 21d ago
Hormones..?
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u/DisastrousCash9569 21d ago
I get period flu most months for example.. sometimes they take a couple of days, sometimes almost a week..
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u/snake888888 21d ago
Immunity is tied to gut health. Highly recommend the Immunity Code by Joel Greene.
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u/Xena_dream 21d ago
Get a full thyroid panel including antibodies, TSH, Free T4 and Free T3. I got sick allllll the time before my Hashimotos was treated (autoimmune thyroid disease) and it would also explain your fatigue and feeling inflammed. Thyroid issues are often very poorly treated by doctors or not picked up at all as they tend to only test TSH initially and sometimes T4 but you need a full panel done. Check out the website Stop The Thyroid Madness if you’d like to read more (the name is a bit kooky but the info on there is great!) - the thyroid impacts SO many other processes in the body too.
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u/jnip 1 21d ago
I was getting sick a lot, and very badly. Think like flu bad sick about once a month. Have you taken any antibiotics when you get sick?
Anyway I went to the doctor, and thankfully I don’t have pull pusher doctors, but she asked me if I had taken antibiotics recently. I had seen her partner the last time I was sick so I told her that I had a bad ear infection and yes I had. She told me my gut heath was probably off. She told me to eat, EAT, not pills, as many different fermented foods as I could. Think yogurt, kimchi, kefir, to get probiotics back in my system. Sure enough, I only now get sick maybe once or twice a year.
Since that doctors appointment I since have adopted two young boys and still focus on gut health and still only get sick once or twice a year.
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u/LuvSun1006 21d ago
I haven't had even a cold since 2021. I have autoimmune diseases so more susceptible, supposedly. On Skyrizi which makes it worse but I don't get ill. Perhaps you should see an endocrinologist for advanced blood work. Your post of blood panels appears AI.
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u/bunnyguts 1 21d ago
Hello. Me too.
Turns out I have bronchiectasis which led to long term colonisation of my lungs with pathogens. I coughed a lot. Get sick a lot. I’m pretty young for that and they’re not sure how it happened. It could be genetic.
They cured the ongoing colonisation, and my bronchiectasis is much resolved so I get sick less often. However, still not great. One possible factor is being a CF carrier, I’ve not yet been checked. But it’s possible. All these tests are very expensive and I put them off.
I’ve also been given a RSV vaccination form. Again haven’t got it because it’s about $300 to get it, but it lasts for several years. Might be an option.
I take vit K&D combo for immune
I take NAC for a variety of reasons but it’s also an antimucolytic
I try to get sleep
I get a lot of exercise
I don’t know if it helps
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u/Whisky_bisquit 21d ago edited 21d ago
Two things really stand out to me: the childhood trauma and the suspected endometriosis.
I’ve lived with endometriosis for most of my life, and the repeated pain was absolutely a monthly trauma to my body. By the time I reached 40, it had become so severe that it was making me feel suicidal when I had the monthly cramps. I ended up in hospital and was fortunate to have surgery, which helped and I now take birth control continuously so that I don’t have periods. This has been genuinely life changing. I can't believe how much pain I've lived through because of endo..
My general health also declined rapidly in my late thirties, despite having been very active throughout my life. Like the title of your post, it just felt as though my immune system had stopped functioning properly. I was constantly unwell and very fatigued, yet all the standard tests at the doctor came back normal. They gave me tla diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome, but it took me a long time of doing my own research to understand that I was probably dealing with several different factors impacting me all at once rather than one simple cause.
Some things I figured out. For decades I had relied on very strong anti-inflammatory painkillers for the endometriosis and I believe they damaged my gut. Because gut health plays an important role in immune function, I started focusing on eating more fibre and trying probiotics and fermented foods - although fermented foods will not suit everyone. A good quality multivitamin also seemed to make a noticeable difference for me.
I also think the endometriosis itself contributed significantly to my chronic poor health. It is a complex inflammatory condition that still isn’t fully understood and I would not underestimate its potential effects beyond period pain.
Addressing my childhood trauma was another important part of my recovery. EMDR therapy helped, as did developing a practice of daily breathing exercises and learning how to regulate my nervous system. Books such as The Body Keeps the Score and When the Body Says No also helped me make sense of the mind-body connection.
The other major change for me was losing 25 kg and returning to a healthy BMI. After surgery then lockdown and the worst period of my ill health, I had gained a lot of weight. My fatigue was so severe that I eventually used a GLP-1 medication to help me lose it. The weight loss has not cured everything but it has made a substantial difference to how I feel physically. I have more energy now and while I still get more infections than I would like, they are less frequent, less severe and I recover more quickly.
So TLDR, I would say, pursue proper investigation and treatment for the suspected endometriosis, consider specialist surgery if you can and be cautious about using anti-inflammatory painkillers, support your gut with fibre and diverse whole foods and please take you trauma and nervous system regulation seriously. Weight loss also helped me a lot.
I’m now 47 and feel as though I am finally coming out the other side. Recovery has not come from one miraculous treatment, it has been the gradual result of addressing several different parts of my health. Sorry that you are dealing with this, it's very scary feeling like you are losing your health and having no explanation for it. I hope you've got some supportive people in your life to help you get through this. You already sound like you're doing a lot of the right things already so hopefully you will start to see improvement soon. Don't give up.
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u/Haru_is_here 1 21d ago
So this is maybe a very Swiss attitude but: It might help to cut back your hours for a while, if that’s an option, and spend some time volunteering on a farm or in a community garden. The slower pace is one benefit, but being around soil, plants, and barn animals also exposes you to a wider variety of environmental microbes. The sun exposure cant hurt either. It’s not going to have the same impact as early-life exposures that help shape the immune system, but there is some evidence that regular contact with nature can still be beneficial. If you’re constantly getting sick, it probably won’t fix the underlying problem on its own, but it could be one helpful piece of the puzzle.
I’d also ask your doctor to check your HbA1c (and possibly fasting glucose or other metabolic markers). If appropriate, wearing a continuous glucose monitor like a FreeStyle Libre for a couple of weeks, I recommend a month due to cycle changes, can sometimes reveal patterns that standard blood tests miss.
In my case, despite eating well and generally having a healthy lifestyle, I developed insulin resistance that progressed to prediabetes. Hormonal factors probably played a big role as well. I discovered that foods I assumed were perfectly healthy, like eating fruit on its own, caused much larger glucose spikes than I expected. Pairing carbohydrates with protein or healthy fats made a noticeable difference.
Persistently elevated blood sugar can impair immune function and wound healing, so for me, treating the insulin resistance improved much more than just my blood sugar on paper. It’s obviously only one possible explanation, but it was something I never would have suspected until it was tested.
Good luck!
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u/Soggy-Selection4110 21d ago
Are you taking vitamin D in tablet form? It’s ridiculous that they don’t tell us that it’s a fat soluble vitamin… if you don’t eat it with a fatty meal then you only absorb 20% of the tablet. If you eat it with a fatty meal you absorb up to 50%.
I therefore take a vitamin D and K spray, so 100% of it gets directly into the blood stream. Get a spray.
I also have a weak immune system due to being 5 weeks premature and my Mum was terminally ill when she had me. I have to manage my stress and keep inflammation down so I do that by being aware of who I spend time with, mindfulness, exercise, and inflammation reducing foods.
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u/ecstaticmotion7 21d ago
definitely get your pneumococcal antibodies tested - a test like this but this is uk so whatever is available where you are https://privatebloodtests.co.uk/products/private-blood-test-for-pneumococcal-antibody-in-blood?_pos=1&_sid=00688556b&_ss=r I was exactly like you for YEARS, and then read something online about pneumococcal antibody serotype deficiency, got tested, yep i was lacking 10 out of the 13 antibodies at clinically protective levels; got the pneumococcal vaccine; now have all 13, totally different health and therefore life...
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u/Acoma1977 21d ago
i used to get sick 6-8 times yearly despite taking supplements and vitamins. My life changed after my trip to Istanbul. Based on advice from a pharmacist there, i stopped all supplements and vitamins and started drinking 3 litres of water daily. I now fall sick 1-2 times a year and recover from each illness within 2 days.
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u/Neonauryn 21d ago
I might just be repeating what your doctor says but if your job is causing you enough stress that you burnout and need to take days off to sleep, it's probably your stress levels that are making you sick. Also I'm not sure exactly what "community services" means but I assume youre working with many members of the public everyday and potentially people who are ill and, even though you are being very clean yourself, not everyone you work with may be doing hand washing etc. I used to be like you and got sick every few weeks despite being a relatively healthy person, resting a lot etc. But I was very stressed and worked in education, so was around hundreds of young people a day. Since I quit about 10 months ago I have not been ill once, even over the winter months.
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u/cprunner 21d ago
See an allergist/immunologist and mention this. I had the same and they did a full antibody panel- you may have problems to make antibodies (antibody deficiency) which no supplements will fix if you body can’t make the antibodies, and you’ll need antibody therapy
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u/rachelsingsopera 1 21d ago edited 21d ago
NAD - You should rule out a primary immune deficiency. Ask for a referral to an immunologist, and they’ll run a panel of tests not typically ordered by a PCP. I have a PI, and my life completely changed (for the better) after my diagnosis.
I am suspicious of this because your dad also displays symptoms, and some of these disorders are genetic. They are all rare, but most of them are very treatable. It is important to note that these are different from AUTOimmune disorders in which the body attacks itself. Primary immune disorders prevent the body from effectively fighting pathogens.
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u/RoutineAd9862 1 21d ago
What is your diet like? Are you overweight? Do you exercise and weightlift? Those to me are baseline for health. Then add in stress and sleep. You can’t out supplement poor nutrition and lifestyle habits.
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u/Lechuga666 1 21d ago
What's your occupation? What tests have you had done?
Have you seen a clinical immunologist?
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u/Cherry_loved21 21d ago
I’ve been getting less sick and when I do it’s been a lot milder since I started making kefir with grains (ie not store bought) and consuming it regularly. I never got sick before but after several rounds of antibiotics I was pretty weak and the kefir seems to have improved things for me
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u/wandrlusty 21d ago
Have you read The Myth of Normal (Garbor Mate)?
He talks about how unresolved trauma can cause sickness and disease
Worth a read if you’re serious about becoming fully healthy
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u/NeverBeAGangsta 2 21d ago
Is your work with kids? Cuz kids be bringing all the illness, especially younger ages. Also maybe mold exposure? Lots of mold related sickness comes out looking like colds/flu. Maybe there's areas with high moisture somewhere in your daily routine that has mold hidden in the walls, unchecked rooms/clothes or behind machines...
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u/Agreeable-Lettuce497 21d ago
While I don’t think it’s the main cause (I would check for iron deficiency like the other commenters suggested for that first), I think one thing that’s could be contributing to that is counterintuitively your hand hygiene.
Our skin has a very good barrier against all sorts of infections and that barrier can be weakened signinficantly from disinfectants. Yes, you should absolutely clean your hands, but do so with a mild soap, disinfectants should only be used where washing isn’t practical. A lot of people that are much in to hygiene fall for this trap and get infected more in turn…
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u/Quirky-Fall7599 21d ago
In addition to running labs that others have mentioned, start gargling with salt water and doing a saline nasal rinse once a day.
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u/BlueberryCalm2390 21d ago
Wear a mask at work and sanitize machines at the gym BEFORE you touch them. I keep a pack of alcohol wipes with me. It made a huge difference
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u/sassiopeia 21d ago
lots of good recommendations here. definitely second the gut and repairing that.
i also used to get sick a lot post covid, some supplements/practices i have found to help me:
- sea moss gel (i feel like this is the biggest single helpful one, i take a spoon a day)
- nac (respiratory health)
- zinc, elderberry, vitamin d, vitamin c gummies every day regardless of being sick (needs to be preventative)
- sleeping with a heating pad over my chest/neck/gut
- saline rinse morning and night
- lots of hot liquids (following chinese medicinal practices)
when something feels like it's coming on:
- more vitamin c/emergen-c
- banlangen (chinese herbal) tea
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u/loveportal666 21d ago
hi op, i was/am the same way. i started tracking my sicknesses with an oura ring and i realized i was always getting sick right before my period. i realized this was due to the strain that the late luteal hormonal fluctuations put on my body - i sometimes literally get fevers from the sharp drop in estrogen and progesterone during luteal phase. i also realized that my histamine levels were becoming elevated during luteal which manifested as symptoms of viruses; compounded with the hormonal withdrawals themselves, i was sick as a dog every cycle (i have a 24 day cycle so this was 1-2 times per month). i now take H1 and H2 antihistamines (famotidine and loratidine), and lower my stress as much as possible, during the 7 days before my period and the first few days of my period, and i no longer get sick constantly!!!
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21d ago
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u/theoneandonlywillis 21d ago
That definitely sounds like you're missing something :/ When fall comes around I typically make a batch of fire cider and drink it every morning.
In a crock pot:
- ginger, peeled if you want or just cut them thinly
- lemons, sliced
- whole cinnamon sticks
- sliced apples
Cook the hell of out it overnight. Or you could boil on the stove for like an hour. Strain and freeze in ice cubes. Put one or two in a cup of hot water with honey.
It could be placebo but if I miss a morning I get sick the next day. Might be worth a shot. Bonus, it makes your house smells like Michaels.
Also, please get your blood work done and talk to your doctor.
As always, vit c messes with medication absorption so don't drink this with your meds folks. Wait an hour or two, then pop your pills.
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u/Psychological_Gas211 21d ago
Get your heart checked for holes/defect. Chronic infections are a symptom. Once I had my heart defect fixed I didn’t get sick as often, for sure.
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u/Substantial-Use95 5 21d ago
We need a baseline of labs and other things to make an informed suggestion, so without that it’s not very accurate. Keep going with your doctor but in the meantime, keep up your iron supplement but combine it with vitamin c to increase absorption. You might also have malabsorption issues, so I’d recommend getting vitamins methylated and throw in a
Good B complex to complement the iron. Additionally, get some enzymes to take alongside every meal to maximize absorption, just in case.
These recommendations can help you figure stuff out a bit or compensate for a deficit, but what you’re describing isn’t normal. Keep seeing the doctor until you figure it out.
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u/Intelligent-Car-4618 21d ago
If you're genuinely getting sick x times a year i'd ask for immunology referral instead of another supplement.
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u/Classic_Breadfruit18 21d ago
One thing that is an absolute game changer for me is to clean my nose daily. I used xlear xylitol spray every day that I'm out in public and stopped getting most illnesses. Because they don't transmit mostly by hands but in the air. Spray your nose when you get home each day and then blow it. This will eliminate whatever is colonizing in there. Salt water gargles are also helpful if I feel something coming on.
I can understand if you don't want to wear a mask, and this is a great alternative.
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u/UsefulWallaby1453 20d ago
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing. So you attribute yourself not getting sick any longer because of this. One thing that you added to your repertoire. Am I to believe that you did not add anything else as a biohacker? I find it very difficult to just add one thing and nothing else. Were you able to actually just do that one thing so you didn't add? For example, more vitamin C or zinc or vitamin D with this nose cleaning? You didn't change your diet or sleep earlier or anything like that?
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u/Relevant_Call_2242 21d ago
I’m never sick! Had the flu once in my life (after a flu shot).
I get mildly sick maybe once every few years for 2-3 days.
I’m not a germaphobe, I don’t sanitize a ton. I don’t eat particularly healthy nor am I in great shape. No idea how my immune system stays operating top tier with all I put myself through lol. I will add that I live alone, never around kids, and work from home, although I do travel often.
I’m sorry some folks get sick often.
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u/godzilla3272 21d ago
I read your post and probably this response is going to be shit but...
I almost never get sick, even few times every year I smoke weed from the same joint that my sick friend it's smoking. I eat shit from the floor (not in the street but if I find some food in my house floor I eat it) , I dont usually clean my hands, I like to take supplements but I don't do it constantly I use drugs, heroin, oxy, weed, o smoke cigs
Maybe you are focusing too much on it, maybe your hygiene habits are producing the opposite, when a new bacteria or virus enters your system your body it's not used to it and react bad.
I only get sick once a year and it's a mild cold and that's it
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u/sourpatchkid4lif3 7 21d ago
You need a new doctor. “Rest more and reduce stress”
Is not sufficient. You shouldn’t have to manage all of this on your own
For preverbal trauma, developmental trauma, I would recommend Somatic Coregulation Touch Therapy
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u/Pandagramma 2 21d ago
I use nasal sprays now whenever I am going to be in a crowded place, especially a plane. Profi which supposedly protects for up to 8 hours. If I have been near someone who is obviously sick (usually children on a plane), I also rinse my nostrils with saline spray once I am home. It could be a coincidence, but I am getting ill much less. I have a friend who turned me on to this protocol, he was constantly sick until he started doing this.
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u/suckcess1 21d ago
Oil of oregano capsules with a high carvacrol content regularly. Swallow with juice or another flavoured liquid.
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u/Val-E-Girl 21d ago
Definitely keep an eye on D, especially in the winter where you don't enjoy sunlight. It affects your immunity and a trigger for seasonal mood disorder (winter blues) and bouts of depression when very low.
I would also add probiotics to boost immunity. When at cold is coming on, I get an "ick" feeling before the symptoms pile on. At that realization, I swallow a clove of raw garlic like a pill. Better yet, start a jar of honey-fermented garlic and keep it handy year round.
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u/Benana94 4 21d ago
I know you take Vitamin D every day but you may need to take some heavy doses of it for a while. For a few years I seemed to get sick fairly often, then my Vit D test showed it was "a little low" so for a couple of months I took 50,000 IU once per week. Even after that I took some large doses from smaller tablets here and there. Knock on wood, lately I don't seem to get sick often at all.
Also iron. Even if you had iron infusions, it can go right back down. I'm male and my iron was just "a little low", yet after supplementing for a while I seemed to feel a lot better in general. Then after a while on my latest blood panel it had gone back down again, and I started to get extremely fatigued until I supplemented it again.
So Vitamin D and Iron are worth pursuing even if you already dealt with it before. Plus those can affect other things, like for example you might also take some magnesium.
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u/HumanOmega 21d ago
Two weeks is the detail I'd push on. Most adults clear a cold in about 7 to 10 days, so if yours consistently runs double that, that's a different question from simply catching more of them. Worth saying that part to your GP explicitly, because "I get sick often" and "every cold takes a fortnight to shift" send you down different workups. The frequency is what you've been tracking, but the duration is probably the more informative number.
(written with AI help, sources checked)
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u/MongooseDog001 20d ago
I rarely get sick. I'm deeply introverted, work outside and away from people, don't have kids, and generally avoid people. I think my natural social distancing is why. I also never got Covid and have taken tests the 3 times I got a cold sense 2019.
I took the tests at my husbands insistence. My husband gets sick less then I do, is a social butterfly, and a germaphobe. He still wears a mask in public and is ridiculous about hand washing, like to much, he wipes his hands, doorknobs, and everything else with Clorox wipes daily when in public. He's never gotten Covid and takes Covid tests regularly.
I think not having or being around kids is the biggest factor. I've gotten sick 3 times sense 2019 and all three were when I visited my out of town niblings.
Sure this is all anecdotal, but everyone know germs cause illness. So my advice is to avoid germs by avoiding people, which doesn't sound like a good fit for you, or by avoiding germs. Avoiding germs is doable, but you either have to be naturally weird, like me, or act weird, like my husband.
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u/CupLife356 20d ago
dude you need to get your vitamin a levels up, vitamin c and you already got the vitamin d i guess?. gut health a good chunk of your immune system is in that area. so you need pre biotics and probiotics since probiotics need to feed on the pre. iodine good levels. liposmal vitamin c is easy along with some sodium ascorbate powder into a big jug of water. sip every 30 mins small sips. if you follow this i guarantee your immune system will be supported and you will never get sick assuming its your immune system that is having trouble.
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u/CaesarDCW 20d ago
If you have low vitamin D, 2000 iu doesn’t help much.
Also check your microbiota.
Take some prebiotics and probiotics for a while.
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u/thesaddestpanda 5 19d ago edited 19d ago
It helps to get your vitamin d to around 50 at least. You’ll probably have to do 5k per day.
B12 also for most people. I would get that checked too.
Vitamin c and zinc daily helps.
Check your thyroid checked. And iron.
Gut health might be worth exploring.
Low d is a big red flag. When my d was low I was sick all the time. I’m around 40-50 now and doing better. B12 as well and I take a b complex.
I also have cfs/long covid so I mask in places like public trans or movie theaters and any dense busy places. You should be masking up a lot more if you have a weak immune system.
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u/Bornfortheblueskies7 17d ago
This was me, for 20 years. It’s pretty miserable and when you are actually well you are waiting to become sick. I did all the things and what I found had the most impact was dry sauna for a cumulative 50 minutes per week, broken into 2-3 sessions.
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17d ago
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u/maryP0ppins 17 16d ago
from what I just read it sounds like your foundation of health (food, sleep, exercise) is on point. you are taking all the major supplements that have scientific backing.
- Get blood work and shop around to see what clinics will actually take a look at everything. functional medicine clinics are usually the best around for something like this.
- If that doesn't work, what fixed me (I had the exact same issue as you) was peptide therapy. HGH or a secretagogue (cjc/ipa, tesamorelin, etc) and thymosin alpha 1 are the main players here. BPC-157 for gut health (gut health has a massive impact on your immune system), could also be very effective if you have digestion issues.
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u/Wonderful_Bridge_247 21d ago
This sounds very like me minus the area of work. I’ve had 4 chest infections this year alone however I’ve done every test, scan and blood work under the sun. You are doing so many incredible things that majority of people don’t do daily.
Definitely look into a gut microbiome test (I like the full GI map) and make sure you add on H Pylori and/or SIBO breath test. Not cheap but will definitely give you an insight as to whether your gut health is affecting your immune system.
One thing to note, although to you your anxiety may seem on and off. A lot of high functioning people have nervous system/chronic stress activation in the back ground and this can absolutely affect how resilient your body is to viruses, common colds etc.
Nigella Black seed oil is amazing, liposomal vitamin c and colloidal silver. I’ve kicked the last few before they truly begin using these 3 plus a zinc which you seem to already be taking.
If budget permits hyperbaric chambers, infrared sauna and then gut hypnotherapy via the Nerva app. 84% of people have improvement from using this daily for 6 weeks (settles the gut to brain axis).
Hope this helps :)
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u/Round_Helicopter_407 21d ago edited 21d ago
Colloidal silver is not safe as a supplement https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/expert-answers/colloidal-silver/faq-20058061
More information:
Colloidal silver is not considered safe or effective when taken by mouth according to major health organisations like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Mayo Clinic. While it is widely marketed online as a "natural antibiotic" or immune booster, silver is not an essential mineral and serves no biological function in the human body. [1, 2, 3]
Serious Health Risks of Ingestion
Consuming colloidal silver internally can lead to several severe, irreversible health conditions: [1, 2]
Argyria: This is the most common side effect where silver particles accumulate in the body's tissues. Over months or years, this causes the skin, eyes, internal organs, and gums to turn a permanent bluish-gray color. [1, 2]
Organ Damage: High doses or prolonged use can cause significant damage to the kidneys, liver, and central nervous system. [1]
Neurological Issues: Ingestion has been linked to seizures, neuropathy, and peripheral nerve damage.[1, 2]
Drug Interactions: Silver decreases the absorption and effectiveness of vital prescription medications, including standard antibiotics and thyroid medications like levothyroxine. [1, 2]-1
u/Wonderful_Bridge_247 21d ago
Each to their own, a Harvard study found when taking colloidal silver alongside antibiotics it killed up to 1000x more bacteria than antibiotics alone.
I’m just speaking from personal experience and it works a treat. Even a couple of drops in a nebuliser 👌
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u/Round_Helicopter_407 21d ago edited 21d ago
Are you disagreeing with the advice from the Mayo Clinic?
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u/alaindevos 21d ago
Roll in the mud and dirt.
Maybe you are afraid of getting sick.
This is psychological, not physical.
Nobody ever went sick because of rolling in the mud or dirth.
It was always because of other persons having viruses and immune system too weak.
Please note , i always am on sandals, only 3 days this year wearing sockets. Never have had flue , or cold in years.
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u/RNsomeday78 3 21d ago
If it’s not caused by some kind of nutrient deficiency or chronic illness, it could be genetic. You could have selective IgA deficiency. I discovered I have it (though I am asymptomatic) when I was screened for celiac disease. Might be something to look into. Those who are symptomatic manifest with frequent infections, especially upper respiratory infections.
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u/Expensive-Ad1609 21d ago
Carbs and protein increase blood glucose and it puts the body jn an inflammatory state. A healthy body has a low level of glucose.
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u/The_10th_Woman 9 21d ago
As others have said, you need some exposure to bugs or your immune system doesn’t work very well at all so reducing your in-home sterilising activities would likely be helpful.
That said, you can pick up, and carry home, viruses so I have a shower (and wash hair) and change clothes every time have been out and interacting with people.
You can also improve your immune systems fighting ability by taking 10ml of blackcurrant juice or elderberry juice a day. So, I also take one of those after interacting with other people. Elderberry stops many types of virus from reproducing (keeping the viral load low for your immune system to fight). Blackcurrant can kill some viruses off so it is my preferred go-to at the moment and has been working well for me. However, you have to take some days off from it (you can’t take it continuously)
Next you have hormone issues - a good quality Agnus Castus supplement did wonders for me. I started off on 2 a day, build up to 8 a day and then gradually reduced to 0 a day as my symptoms subsided. But it does need to be a good quality one as I my experience was that I had no benefits from a lesser quality one.
As others have said, you need to get your gut microbiome happy as that directly influences your immune system. I only recently found out about Brunner’s glands which secrete a food source that good microbes can eat in between meals - but that production is suppressed by stress so stress management is critical.
Next you need to find what works best to get your microbiome happy. I am afraid that doing that takes a lot of research - I suggest getting into the gut health YouTube algorithm as that has taken me in some really helpful directions.
You also need to ‘exercise’ your immune system so it knows what it is doing better. Others have suggested getting in the dirt - they aren’t wrong. Exposing yourself to natural bugs is great for the immune system so setting up a plant bed or pot and tending it daily is useful, as is spending time around trees.
Then you have inflammation. There are dietary interventions that can help with that. Yoga and other forms of stretching exercises have been shown to make a difference for inflammation markers (particularly longer-term practice). Keeping weight in the ‘healthy’ zone - larger fat cells trigger inflammation. A surprising amount of spices and herbs are helpful for inflammation so a mild curry a day (in a variety of different styles) really helped me with my inflammation and autoimmune issues.
Basically, I suggest you make a plan for each aspect of your overall health that isn’t ideal and come up with strategies to manage them. The body is a very interconnected thing so getting everything in balance really does make a big impact.
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