Introducing Fusion Health's Immunity Defence Range

While it’s important to note that you can catch common colds and flu at any time of year, it’s obviously more likely to happen in the colder months, as lower temperatures can impact your immunity.

Basically, research has shown a decrease in body temperature can help explain why cold and flu season often coincides with winter. As temperatures drop, fewer and less-equipped vesicles are in place to protect our bodies from illness.  

Without an immune system, we would have no way to fight harmful pathogens that enter our body from the outside or protect our body from changes that occur on the inside when exposed to illness. The main things the immune system does include; 

1. To defend the body from illness-causing germs (pathogens) and to remove them from the body. 
2. To fight illness-causing germs such as pathogens that enter our body from the outside.  
3. To relieve symptoms such as runny nose, hay-fever, sore throat, congestion, dry or phlegmy cough etc.  

If these functions are running smoothly, you don’t notice them at all, but if they are compromised you’ll likely feel the toll it takes on the body. 

How to support your own immune system

With so many brands and immune support products on the market it can be hard to decipher what one is best for you and your individual needs.  

Do you want to build up your immune defences? Are you looking for a sore throat or cough relief? Or are you trying to fight off your current illness? This is where Fusion’s immunity range can help you out. 

Defend

These are your go-to Fusion supplements when it comes to helping improve immune defences within the body.  

Fusion Astra 8  

Fusion Astra 8 Immune Tonic contains a key herb called astragalus, which is traditionally used to improve immune defences and help reduce the frequency of common colds, as well as to help increase vitality and help the body cope with stress in Chinese medicine.  

Fusion Astra 8 also includes reishi mushroom, which improves immunity and relieves tiredness, based on traditional use in Chinese medicine. 

Fusion Immunity & Stress  

Fusion Immunity & Stress features astragalus to enhance immune defences, based on traditional use in Chinese medicine, along with KSM-66®, a clinically trialled extract of ashwagandha (also known as ‘withania’) (3). Ashwaghandha also helps to improve the body’s ability to adapt to stress. In Ayurvedic medicine, ashwagandha is traditionally used to support healthy stress responses and as a rejuvenating tonic. 

Fight

If you feel cold symptoms coming on or have recently encountered illness, these Fusion products can really help you out!  

Fusion Astra 8  

Astragalus is a herb that features in Fusion Astra 8 and is used in western herbal medicine, to stimulate a healthy immune system response and support the immune system to fight illness.  

Fusion Cold & Flu  

Fusion Cold & Flu contains echinacea, a popular herb traditionally used in Western herbal medicine to support the immune system to fight illness, such as the symptoms of common colds, and relieve symptoms of mild tonsillitis. Plus, echinacea decreases the length of common colds. Fusion Cold & Flu also contains balloon flower used to ease coughs in common colds based on use in traditional Chinese medicine. 

Fusion Quercetin Advanced  

Fusion Quercetin Advanced has a blend of key nutrients, zinc, vitamin C and vitamin D, to support healthy immune system function and play a key role in helping the immune system to fight illness. 

Relieve

When symptoms have weighed you down, here are our top products to reach for when looking for relief. 

Fusion ActiViral™  

We recommend taking Fusion ActiViral when common cold or upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) symptoms first emerge, including sore throat, runny nose, cough, fatigue, disturbed sleep, and mild fever. Fusion ActiViral combines andrographis (a plant native to South Asian countries) to relieve common cold and flu symptoms with vitamin C and zinc to support healthy function of the immune system. 

Fusion Quercetin Advanced  

Fusion Quercetin Advanced contains quercetin and vitamin C, which help relieve mild allergy symptoms. Quercetin also helps to reduce the frequency and vitamin C relieves the symptoms of hay fever (allergic rhinitis) . 

Fusion Cough Lung Tonic  

Fusion Cough Lung Tonic Liquid contains white horehound, traditionally used to relieve dry coughs in Western herbal medicine and thyme, traditionally taken to ease coughs in Western herbal medicine. It also includes elecampane, traditionally used to enhance lung health, and as an expectorant to relieve mild bronchial coughs and soothe irritated bronchial airways also based on use in Western herbal medicine.  

Fusion Cold & Flu 

Fusion Cold & Flu contains balloon flower, traditionally used to relieve common cold symptoms in traditional Chinese medicine as well as Japanese catnip, another popular Chinese herb, that is traditionally used to relieve sore throat, headaches, and mild fever caused by external wind-cold. 

Healthy Hacks to Beat The Winter Blues

Don’t forget that nutritional and lifestyle practices are also key to living a healthy life and maintaining a healthy immune system this cold season;  

1. Eat well – a diet abundant in plenty of fruits, vegetables, protein and fats can help produce multiple nutrients that support optimal immune function.  
2. Stay active – regular physical activity can help support circulation within the body and get immune cells moving.  
3. Adequate sleep – sleep provides essential support to the immune system and getting sufficient hours of high-quality sleep enables well-balanced immune defences. 
4. Good hygiene – it may sound cliché but maintaining good hygiene and keeping up with regular hand washing practices can help protect your body from foreign invaders.  
5. Manage stress - Research has shown that the body's stress hormone cortisol can suppress your immune system and effect its ability to fight infection. Restorative practices such as meditation and yoga can help reduce cortisol and support immune health. 

Disclaimer: With all stated products, always read the label and follow directions for use.

References 

1. Evans, S., Repasky, E., & Fisher, D. (2015). Fever and the thermal regulation of immunity: the immune system feels the heat, 15(6), 335-349. DOI: 10.1038/nri3843 
2. InformedHealth.org [Internet]. Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG); 2006-. How does the immune system work? [Updated 2020 Apr 23]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279364/ 
3. [Ashwagandha ref] Chandrasekhar K et al. Indian J Psychol Med. 2012;34(3):255–262.