Pandemic+Panic+Swine Flu = Build Immunity

 

The gods of panic are amongst us again whipping up our anxiety levels with the threat of the next great pandemic:

Swine Flu – It Is Real

The swine flu is here.  I’m just not jumping on the pandemic band wagon and probably never will.

Pandemic seems to be a favorite word the media throws out there to get attention and part of me feels that pharmaceutical companies are in love with it also.

Drugs and vaccinations are big business and what better way to advertise than through the news media.  Yes, there is cause for concern.

Yes, people have died. I just don’t believe our reaction to this flu should be any different from our reaction to other flu viruses.

The best way to prevent or survive it is through diet and boosting your immune system.

Pandemic?

It means an infectious disease that spreads across continents and affects a very large portion of the population.  Pandemic is always used in reference to the great flu pandemic of 1918 that killed millions of people worldwide.  It was a nasty one indeed, but the conditions, which helped spread it, are not as prevalent today.

Poor sanitation, limited hygiene, and a world war helped fan the flames of that flu.

To keep this one in perspective, 140 people have died in Mexico City, an area of 22 million people.  The US government tells us to get an annual flu shot because 36,000 Americans die of the flu every year.

Sanitation

My heart goes out to the people of Mexico City who have suffered so much already from this one.  The high rate of death and the rapid spread of it points out how quickly something like this can develop in areas of poverty and compromised sanitation.

Mexico City has some of the dirtiest air in the world and living there is the equivalent of smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day.  Over 25% of the homes don’t have adequate sewage and the city water supply is very polluted. It’s sad but true that the poor always seem to bear the brunt of infectious diseases and natural catastrophes.

I bring up sanitation not just to point out how this all usually gets started but as a good example of our first level of protection.

Wash your hands.

Most people still think they catch the flu or a cold because someone sneezes near them. Actually it’s almost always because you touched something covered with germs and viruses and then scratched your nose or touched your mouth.

It’s common knowledge that 100% of gas-pump handles, grocery cart handles, bowling balls and shoes, contain traces of human fecal matter. Why?  Only about half the population in the US washes their hands after going to the bathroom.

Do you know why grocery stores have signs near the carts that say, “These wipes are provided to help sanitize your shopping carts”? Because if the sign said “Please wipe the poop off the cart” you probably wouldn’t shop there. Yuk!! Oh well, someone had to tell you.

So wash your hands. It’s the best first line of defense against catching a cold or flu. Carry a little germ killing gel in the car for when you refuel the car.

Have your kids wash their hands when they come home from school. Limit your time out in public if this thing seems to hit close to home.

These little things are always the best place to start.

General Immunity

Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty as they say.  Now is a particularly good time to focus on building your immune system.

Immunity is a huge topic and I’m just going to focus on some quick ways to work on it.

We’ve already covered hand washing so let’s focus on our immediate environment.

Food, Air and Water—Quality Control

• You can begin by changing your diet to one that emphasizes fresh, organic fruits and vegetables.  Low quality food bogs down the entire digestive and elimination system and slows down the immune system from doing its job.

• Research shows that high levels of sugar decrease the ability of white blood cells to gobble up bacteria.  In fact, drinking a 12 oz soda depressed the activity of white blood cells for 5 hours. With artificial sweeteners you get the added bonus of brain cell death.

• Drinking green tea had the opposite effect.  One week of consuming 2 cups of green tea a day doubled the amount of bacteria eating immune cells.  Obviously a little green tea is an easy way to raise your protection. Cut your coffee in half and have some tea.

• I’m going to assume you don’t smoke. It’s obvious that smoking is not part of an immune boosting program.

• Alcohol abuse lowers immunity and increases your chance of getting an infectious disease.  Limit yourself to a couple at a time.

• Avoid heavily processed packaged food that is usually loaded with pesticides, insecticides, genetically modified foods, and irradiated foods, food additives, coloring agents, flavors, corn syrup and preservatives. These all contribute to inflammation and overwork the immune system.

• Making sure you drink clean water and breath clean air should be part of any health program.  It’s especially important when trying to maximize your immune function. Every home should have a water filter to clean the chemicals out of tap water. Since 40% of tap water has already been through another human being it needs chemicals to clean it. It’s now your job to make it fit to drink.

• The same goes for air.  It’s free but dangerous levels of household chemicals wreck havoc on the immune system. Again it’s up to you to filter the air in your home

• Consuming Omega 3 oils helps the immune system make prostaglandins, needed to kill germs and other invaders. Eliminating fried oils drastically reduces inflammation.

 

Herbs—Immune Fuel

Now that we’ve laid the groundwork it’s time to load up on some real ammo for the immune system and I’m going to focus on specific items that I know work and work right away.

In the 19 years I’ve been an herbalist and 28 years in the health industry I’ve seen hundreds of herbs and supplements designed to boost immunity and ward of illness.

The following seem to work well for everyone and are relatively easy to find.

Echinacea—Immune Medicine

Most of you who have heard me talk are probably surprised to hear me mention this one because I usually seem to put it down during my lectures. Actually I always use it as an example of an herb that is overused but in this case a great herb to have on hand.

Echinacea rapidly boosts immune activity and can be used a couple of different ways.

1. Begin taking it immediately to boost a lagging immune system and take it for one week. It loses its effectiveness after that and it’s best to take a break from it. Liquid whole plant extracts work best. This is a good one for children also.
2. Have a bottle on hand and use it at the first sign of illness. It works best with colds and flu’s that cause heat symptoms—fevers, thirst etc…exactly what the swine flu produces. As soon as it appears start taking it every 2 hours up to 6 times a day. If you don’t feel better after 4 days discontinue it as it probably won’t be very effective after that. If using it this way as a medicine, which it is, it works even better with another herb goldenseal, another very powerful antiviral herb. The 2 herbs are usually combined and easy to find in a liquid extract.

 

My only objection to Echinacea is that it’s marketed as an everyday herb but it’s actually an herbal medicine that works best when it’s not overused.

 

Mushrooms—Immune Food

 

I’m calling it food because most mushrooms that boost immunity have a history of traditional use as a food.

In times of health crisis the dose just goes up. Shrooms like Shiitake and Maitake are a staple in Oriental cooking, while Cordyceps and Reishi are traditionally taken as tea. All have been consumed for centuries to promote vibrant health and modern research confirms their potent immune building properties.

Although medical doctors will chastise patients who even suggest that a natural food can boost immunity and preach to the contrary, the US Governments own website—PubMed—lists over 400 medical studies showing the immune building effects of mushrooms.

In fact the #1 and #2 leading cancer drugs worldwide for 20 years were actually mushroom extracts.  Since the discovery of Taxol they have fallen to #2 and #3 but one of them, Krestin from Trametes, is still #1 in Japan. These drugs are not part of cancer protocol in the US because our FDA doesn’t approve drugs that boost immunity, preferring instead to use poisons.

I’ll summarize a few of the best mushrooms that are easiest to find.

 

Maitake—primarily used to rapidly boost T cell production, it’s one of the best for dramatically boosting your immune system’s rapid response to immediate threats. It is currently being studied by the FDA as a future treatment for breast and prostate cancer.

Shiitake—helps increase overall immunity and is used to make a potent antiviral, anti cancer drug (#2) called Lentinan. It’s great for nutritional deficiencies and detoxing the liver. This one is often used in Chinese and Japanese cooking. Dried and powdered it makes excellent gravy as a replacement for meat.

Reishi—One of my favorite herbs and also one that played a major role in helping me get over Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It boost immunity, improves circulation, improves liver function, maintains healthy respiratory function, and lifts your spirits. Reishi is often used as part of a cholesterol-lowering program and is a potent adaptogen and stress reliever.

Trametes—Often called Turkey Tail, it can restore a weak immune system and is most often used as a cancer treatment. Clinical trials in Japan show it can triple survival rates for certain cancers and that’s why it’s still the #1 drug of choice for cancer there.

Cordyceps—keeps your lung, kidneys and immune system functioning properly and is often used to fight fatigue, improve stamina and endurance. This amazing tonic is a favorite for world-class athletes and those suffering from exercise induced asthma.

Tremella—a shroom used in Israel to make a potent antiviral drug called Tremellan, it is used in Chinese medicine to treat lung infection and to restore proper moisture in the lungs after illness.

Agaricus Blazei—a potent immune booster originally from the forests of Brazil, Agaricus is used to fight stress, reduce cholesterol, increase circulation and fight cancer. Clinics all over South America use this mushroom as a sole remedy for cancer.

These are some of the most potent and most commonly found mushrooms that can have a pronounced effect on building immunity. Since this seems to be an immediate crisis for many it would be irresponsible of me to not tell you of a place to purchase them as quickly as possible.

Immunity*

I speak on a number of different topics for nutritional companies and one of the products I lecture on is a multiple mushroom formula called “Immunity*” by Nikken.  It contains all of the mushrooms listed above and more.  I’m not getting a kickback on this product although I am ask to speak by the company and compensated to do so. I want to be up front about that and let you know it’s not why I’m recommending you try it if you’re at all concerned about the flu.The reality is that immune building should be on every health conscious person list and the current flu scare just makes it a priority.   Immunity is a great product to do that with.   A daily dose is usually 2-3 caps but I’m taking 4 caps 2x a day right now and will take more if I feel something coming on.

I have worked in a high volume herb shop for many years and have literally sold thousands of bottles of various mushroom supplements.  In fact the shop where I learned and practiced Chinese herbology is often credited with starting the Reishi mushroom craze in America. Whether that is true or not, we certainly were the first to sell very high quality Reishi and helped raise the consciousness about using high quality mushroom products to boost overall health and immunity.

I tell you this only to let you know I have experience with mushroom products and have received a ton of feedback on them from customers.  Without a doubt I have received the most positive feedback on the Immunity by Nikken, and it happens everywhere I speak.  So I can easily say with great confidence that this is a high quality product that works and I know you’ll benefit from taking it.  I also have known the people who grow it for about 19 years and so I’m very familiar with the care and quality control involved in bring it to market.  To find it just Google the word “Nikken” go to the site and find a distributor near you.  If you want to explore individual shrooms then a health food store will probably carry a few of them but all herbs work better in formulas so don’t just stock up on any one substance.  Also, make sure it’s organic!

Lactoferrin

This one isn’t a mushroom but a natural form of cytokine that’s produced in the body and can be taken in supplement form. It is found in the eyes, ears, nose, gut, throat, urinary tract and just about everywhere we have an opening susceptible to attack. It inhibits viruses, and is toxic to bacteria and yeast. Lactoferrin can boost immunity and speed recovery from an existing infection.

Before I wrap this up there are a couple of simple ways to boost immunity right away that are cheap and very easy.

Get Out In The Sun!

Vitamin D is one of the most important things needed to have great immunity and you can get it from the sun. Living here in Ohio I usually Google “sun” every April so that I’m familiar with what it looks like but in most of the country that isn’t a problem.

Supplement form (D3) is also fine and most Doctors are recommending 5000 units per day as a preventative and 50,000 units for 3 days if you catch the flu. That may seem high compared to the old standards we’ve been taught about Vit D but the body makes 20,000 units by lying in the sun for 40 minutes.

It’s estimated that 85% of Americans are deficient in Vit D.

Eat fresh garlic. It’s a very potent medicine when eaten raw and often referred to as natures own antibiotic. Smash a clove up raw and mix it with a little olive oil and eat it on a salad or bread. It’s not often the same substance protects against the flu and vampires so eat it up.

 

Be well.

Roger

 

p.s. A number of you have commented lately on my lack of writing skills. I wish I could defend myself but it’s hard when I don’t have the writing skills to do it properly. I knew it was only a matter of time before I got busted. Thanks for reminding me. I am going to hire a real editor when I get this thing off the ground. At least I know you’re paying attention. I do however defend my right to use colloquial English, farm slang, and make up words (shroom for mushrooms) as I go along. People have always said I write like I talk and now you know why I need an editor.