Avoiding the Season of Sickness: The Importance of Vitamin D and the Immune System

The Christmas Season is famously known as the “most wonderful time of the year.” The air is fresh and crisp and holiday lights illuminate in the dark night. As the snow starts to fall, we can’t help but envision sugar plum fairies and flying reindeer. We look forward to cuddling by the fireplace, drinking hot chocolate, and being surrounded by warmth and love. But for many, this time of year is filled with more tissues and sore throats than candy canes and cheer. But why? Was your grandmother actually right when she’d yell at you to put on a jacket so you don’t catch a cold? Or is it merely coincidence?

After what feels like decades of researching this “Old Wives Tale”, Yale scientists have finally been able to prove that cold weather does, in fact, make people sick – meaning your grandmother was right! Colder temperatures not only result in a “sluggish immune response” but they also weaken the nose’s first line of immune defense. This leaves you much more susceptible to the more rapid spread of infection than during sunnier months.

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Sugar slavery – the historical record speaks about the relationship between the sugar trade in America and human slavery in the US.  But real sugar slavery is our addiction to processed foods in the US. Lately, it seems that sugar, high fructose corn syrup and other variants of sweeteners are all over the news.  Sugar addiction can be blamed for a host of ailments and most doctors will tell you that no matter what your situation – you should cut your sugar intake. But what does sugar addiction actually look like? How do you know if you have been affected?

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