Immune Support Therapies

At daSilva Institute we offer a wide range of treatments to support the body’s natural immune fighting potential through the use of nutritional IVs, supplements, enzymes, specialized diets, detoxification, stress techniques, lifestyle change, among other targeted therapies. To combat all of the elements that break-down and compromise our immune system, we focus on treating and repairing the body by replacing what is missing and supporting optimal immune function.

•Nutrition – to boost the immune system, to increase natural mechanisms for fighting sickness and disease, and to prevent reoccurrences.

•Detoxification- to eliminate substances which may be burdening the immune system and compromising metabolic processes (e.g. heavy metals, pesticides, environmental toxins, and metabolic wastes).  This may take the form of herbal and nutritional support, diets, and IV protocols.

•Chelation- the removal of heavy metal toxicity from the body in the forms of DMPS and EDTA.

•Life Style Change and Stress Control – to assist the individual in making the necessary changes in their life structure and belief system to minimize stress.

•IV Immune Therapies-IV therapies that can be used to prevent disease and support a healthy immune system or therapies that may be used to fight and help reverse sickness and disease.
    ⁃Myers Cocktail- named after the late John Myers, M.D. of Johns Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore, Maryland, this therapy involves a combination of vitamins used to treat Shingles, Asthma, Seasonal Allergies, Acute Infections, and much more.
    ⁃Gutathione- perhaps the most powerful antioxidant, it helps protect the body against free radical damage, thus slowing the progression of an underlying disease. It also dramatically improves the detoxification ability of the liver, which protects the body and immune system against toxins.
    ⁃Vitamin C- acts as an anti-oxidant in healthy cells.  It is also a pro-oxidant (killer) of cancer cells by generating hydrogen peroxide inside cancer cells only. It enhances T-cell activity, natural killer cells, and B-cells (all cells of the immune system)

Another part of treating the immune system is understanding the underlying factors of what compromises our immune system to begin with.

•Immunosenescence- Immunosenescence refers to the gradual deterioration of the immune system brought on by natural age advancement.  As age advances, our bodies decline leading to increasing frequency and severity of diseases such as cancer, chronic inflammatory disorders and autoimmunity. Immunosenescence can sometimes be the result of the continuous challenge of the unavoidable exposure to a variety of antigens such as viruses and bacteria, toxins, stress, and malnourishment.

•Stress- Stress is a well documented cause of poor immunity.  When a person is stressed over a long period of time, the body produces more CD8 cells, which suppress T-cells that produce antibodies.  In clinical studies, subjects exposed to stress had 74 to 90% more chances of developing infections and were 27 to 47% more likely to catch a cold.

Prolonged stress leads to:

Impaired immune function
Reduced glucose utilization- leading to diabetes and poor weight control
Increased bone loss (osteoporosis)
Reduce muscle mass and poor skin growth & regeneration
Increase belly fat accumulation
Impaired memory and learning & destruction of brain cells

Improper Diet- A low body weight can weaken the immune system as well as protein deficiency.  Vitamins are an important element in the body's defense mechanism.  Antioxidants (vitamin A, C, E) and beta-carotene strengthen white blood cells, and vitamin B6, zinc, and iron boost the body's immune potency.  A deficiency in any of these elements will weaken the body's ability to fight off germs.

Not Enough Sleep- Sleep directly affects our resistance to germs.  Deep sleep stimulates the thymus gland, an important component in T-cell production, so people who do not get 8 hours of sleep each night weaken on the of the most fundamental aspects of the immune system.

Lack of Exercise- A lack of exercise reduces the blood flow and circulation of antibodies throughout the body.  It is also believed that the increase in body temperature during exercise helps the immune system's reaction level against foreign invaders.

Environment- Chemical exposures, pesticides, food additives, synthetic medications, toxic metals, and even cosmetics, increasingly compromise our immune system.  Current law allows 350 different pesticides to be used on the food we eat.  The average home contains 3-10 gallons of hazardous material and an average of 400 synthetic chemicals can be found in the human body. This toxic burden directly impacts how well our bodies can fight disease.

To learn more about the programs and therapies we have available please call our office at (941) 388-0940.