Spirulina - The Miracle Cure for What's Going Around in the Office?

*Cough, cough*

It's normal to hear someone cough in an office environment. There are times when we simply need to clear our throats, relieve ourselves from choking, etc. However, when my boss started doing coughing, it started to take on a different tone. It definitely started becoming more frequent, and it soon became clear that he was coming down with something.

He did this for two days until he finally decided to work from home today. I was relieved as I didn't want to catch what he had. And to be fair, he definitely caught it from other co-workers who were sick last week and began to drop like flies then as well. I've been at this job for three months, and I've quickly come to realize that it's easy to catch whatever's going around.

When I went home to make my protein shake after my workout, I instinctively reached for the spirulina I had on hand. To be frank, I didn't know if it helped with preventing a cold, but I knew it was better than eating an orange or popping vitamin C pills.

The Badass Superfood

Spirulina is a "blue-green algae,"but is considered a cyanobacterium that has chlorophyll, so it uses the sun as an energy source. Spirulina is grown all over the world and is cultivated for both human and animal consumption. However, you'll most often see it in a pill, flake or powder form.

Spirulina is super rich in protein, having 50 to 70 percent protein by weight. This is way better than red meat, which only has 27 percent protein, and it's calcium rich too making it a good substitute for those who are lactose intolerant.

Spirulina also has the following nutrients/benefits:

• B vitamins (including exceptionally high B-12), vitamin K, and other vitamins
• It's naturally rich in iodine
• Minerals such as potassium, magnesium, sodium, selenium, chromium, manganese, iron, phosphorus, zinc and copper.
• A great source of gamma-linolenic acid (or GLA, which is an important fatty acid for heart and joints)
• Metallo-thionine compounds, which are proteins combined with metals that bind heavy radioactive isotopes
• Fatty acids, including sulfolipids
• Phytopigments (phycocyanin, chlorophyll, and carotenoids)
• Eighteen different amino acids
• Polysaccharides, fructose, mannose, ribose and rhamnose

Phew! Just by reading this list, it's safe to say that this stuff is good, no GREAT, for you. Furthermore, spirulina has been studied to see if it can inhibit viruses (such as HIV) by blocking its replication—and it showed that it could. Even though there haven't been many studies done to prove that spirulina can 100 percent suppress the HIV virus and be considered a cure for the disease, there have been some human studies done to show that spirulina does help boost the immune system.*

So, my theory is that since it can help inhibit viral growth (in this case, a potential cold or influenza virus), as well as boost the immune system, I should be able to fight off whatever is plaguing my co-workers. Again, this is a personal theory based on the information out there on spirulina. But, even if it is incorrect, I really have nothing to lose as almost any nutritionists can agree that throwing a little bit of in your shakes isn't a bad thing. 

So far, I've been doing this for two days and I feel awesome. There were a total four co-workers (who sit very close by to me) who were attacked by this nefarious cold, and I don't want anything to do with it. That's why I head to spiruilina when I think I can catch a cold or coming down with one. I would also suggest anyone else to do the same. You can pick up the powder form (the kind I have in the above picture) from you local Whole Foods or health supermarket.

Stay healthy everyone!

L²

*Sources:

1. Progressivehealth.com 

2. Mercola.com