Stay Healthy and Keeping Your Immune System Strong: Interview with Dr. Dae, Naturopathic Doctor

Since the emergence of Covid-19 there has been so much information circulating about how to stay healthy and how to boost the immune system. With infection numbers spiking and it being cold and flu season, I sought the advice of Dr. Dae, a naturopathic doctor out of DC to help me filter through the information and give us the tools to be our best selves physically. Read our interview below. 

Dr. Dae:

So, one of the things that I do, is I do webinars all the time talking about health, and that they’re free for people. And, the key message that I say no matter which of the presentations I’m giving is the same, is that we have to look at taking care of ourselves and our health first, because I actually believe that when women make themselves and their health a top priority, then they’re able to show up more powerfully for themselves, for the people that they love, and for the things that are important to them. And, that means making sure that your immune system is in the best shape possible. And, the way that that happens is through lifestyle. Most people are thinking, “Okay, I have to take this supplement,” but the truth of the matter is this, how much sleep we get, what foods we put in our body, how we manage our stress and how we exercise all of those things have a tremendous impact on our immune system. So, you have to think about our daily lifestyle and, if we think about that first, and then we want to add supplements and support and other things.

Brittany:

So your approach to having a healthy immune system really starts with a more holistic baseline approach to getting your body aligned, and in better shape than just, like you said, going to the drug store and buying all these immune-boosting supplements from the shelves. We really should be taking a look at, how we sleeping, what stress we’re taking on, what we’re putting in our bodies, like starting from the basics. Right?

Dr. Dae:

Absolutely before we go out and buy everything in the health food store that says immunity on it, we need to kind of focus on, are we eating the right types of foods? And those are real foods, and those are whole foods. Are we eating the colors of the rainbow? That doesn’t mean that you eat Doritos for orange? That means it’s winter, so are you having butternut squash, are you having pumpkin? Are you having red foods? Whether it’s an apple or salmon. Those things are actually really important for our body. Are you eating green foods like different types of greens? Is it broccoli? Is it collards? Is it kale? What are the white foods that you’re eating? Are you eating cauliflower? Are you eating onions? Are you eating garlic? These are things that boost the immune system and going to be way more powerful to eat with than it is to go to the health food store and get a gummy that has vitamin C in it, because there’s sugar in that, along with the vitamin C. Strawberries have vitamin C, so eating a strawberry or having an orange is going to give you more of a synergistic nutrient base than drinking just orange juice. So, not that an orange juice is bad, but eating the food is going to give you fiber, along with all of the other nutrients.

Brittany:

I want to ask about elderberry. I had never heard of elderberry prior to this year. And, it seems like if you go to the drugstore, you can not find elderberry. What exactly is elderberry? And, how is it helpful in boosting your immune system? Because I know some people who swear by. 

Dr. Dae:

Elderberry just like blueberries or blackberries, it’s a berry that you can find on a bush, and then you can utilize it. It has been known for a very long time as something that helps to just build and boost the body’s immune system. And elderberry is also helpful for respiratory. I think the reason why it’s so popular right now, is it’s traditionally used for respiratory issues and problems. So, it became super popular, because we know that COVID is a respiratory concern, specifically. And so, when we think about like, what are the best things for the respiratory system, that’s how elderberry comes into existence. 

Brittany:

What about other supplements such as zinc or vitamin d? Should we stock up on those?

Dr. Dae:

There is medical research behind looking at things like vitamin D, and looking at zinc and making sure that you have a healthy probiotic, that you have vitamin C. And when all this stuff went down, I totally get what you’re talking about Brittany. Because I went to the health food store, I couldn’t find any of the things that I would use for my patients. And so, I actually had to create my own immune-boosting formula based on the research that people can get.

So, people get excited about elderberry, and elderberry is great, but there are some things that there’s medical research behind that actually shows that you need to take these in certain amounts and in combination. Not that zinc isn’t bad, but zinc with quercetin and vitamin D3, is actually going to be much stronger as a grouping or synergy than individually. And so, that’s why I ended up creating a formula that I share with my practice members that they take to help them to feel better and to get better.

Brittany: 

What about Sea Moss? That has gained some popularity too within the last year. Should I also consider taking that?

Dr. Dae:

So, things like elderberry and sea moss, these things can help the body in general. So, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I do think though if people are really concerned about colds, and flus, and viruses and bacteria, that you want to get a formula that actually has proven efficacy to help support the body’s building of the immune system. And, I find that when people take things like, sea moss, black seed oil and they are helpful to them, it’s usually because the body has nutrient deficiencies, and it’s starting to fill that void.

This is why I talked about in the very beginning of our conversation, that we want to make sure that you’re eating the right foods, that you’re getting enough sleep, that you’re moving your body, that you’re managing your stress because those things are the baseline. And, when those things are taken into consideration, then a lot of these other supplements that people are having, the effects can begin to be not significant, because people are like, “Their body’s getting what it needs.” So, it doesn’t see this other thing and say, “Oh my gosh, thank you, thank you, thank you.” That’s why we always want to have the baseline. And then, we want to use supplements as a supplement to the way that we’re living our lives to strengthen our bodies even more.

Brittany:

I’m really appreciative of your time and helping to explain this all to us. Is there anything else that you feel like maybe readers should know during this time? Extra things that they could take and any precautions? I know we talked about eating. We talked about supplements. We talked about physical activities and the mindset. Is there anything else that will help them to get over this cold and flu season and COVID-19?

Dr. Dae:

Yeah. So, what I would say is people need to have fun. People need to laugh. People need to do things to help break up the monotony of what we are dealing with every day. Because, it’s a real thing, that people are feeling fatigued around giving up so many things that they’re used to doing, to make sure that the country as a whole is safe, and that the world is safe for us to go back out into. So, the sooner we can just really understand that this is temporary, and we still can have fun, we can still laugh, we can still joke around, we can do it in a safe way with other people, then that’s, I think also very, very important for our mental health. 

To learn more about Dr. Dae and her practice please go to www.healthydaes.com