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Colds & Flu
How To Protect Yourself Against This Year's Flu Virus
Date: 17/08/09
As I‘ve said in previous alerts, we need to approach this whole debacle by saying: This year the flu will be a bit tougher and more aggressive than in the past. You have at your disposal tools to bolster your immune system and drastically reduce your risk of colds and the flu. You do not need a vaccine to do this. In fact, a vaccine could easily make your health worse.
A lot has been said in the past few weeks about the threat of a second wave of the H1N1 flu virus this year, especially with the approaching winter months. Whilst we are being told a vaccine is on the way, we all know that its development has been rushed and that it would not have undergone adequate safety testing – irrespective of the fact that there are numerous studies showing that vaccines simply don’t work. See last week’s article: Swine Flu: Mass H1N1 vaccination threat, for more details.
As I‘ve said in previous alerts, we need to approach this whole debacle by saying: This year the flu will be a bit tougher and more aggressive than in the past. You have at your disposal tools to bolster your immune system and drastically reduce your risk of colds and the flu. You do not need a vaccine to do this. In fact, a vaccine could easily make your health worse.
The big question is now, how can you protect yourself and your family against this years flu virus?
Simple steps
Start by being informed. Educate yourself about influenza strains, vaccination risks, and the public health laws that may require you or your children to undergo either mandatory vaccination or quarantine. (This is just in case things are blown completely out of proportion.)
Take care of your health to reduce or eliminate your risk of contracting the flu. The key is to keep your immune system strong by following these guidelines:
* Eliminate sugar and processed foods from your diet. Sugar consumption has an immediate, debilitating effect on your immune system.
* Take a high quality source of animal-based omega 3 fats like Krill Oil.
* Exercise. Your immune system needs good circulation in order to perform at its best for you.
* Optimize your vitamin D levels. Vitamin D deficiency is the likely cause of seasonal flu viruses. Getting an optimal level of vitamin D will help you fight infections of all kinds.
* Get plenty of good quality sleep.
* Deal with stress effectively. If you feel overwhelmed by stress, your body will not have the reserves it needs to fight infection.
* Wash your hands. But not with an antibacterial soap. Use a pure, chemical-free soap.
Vitamin D
I’ve already mention vitamin D as a protection against flu. The September 2009 issue of Health Science Institute (HSI) - our monthly newsletter, goes in to full details of how this vitamin can protect you this winter with its all-round health benefits. Click here to find out more about subscribing to HSI.
The largest study of its kind to date shows that vitamin D each and every day is what will keep the doctor away when it comes to the common cold or the flu.
According to a US study by Dr. Adit Ginde, of Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital, Boston, lower levels of vitamin D are associated with an increased risk for respiratory infections, such as the common cold and the flu. And people who have pre-existing respiratory disease - like asthma and emphysema - appear to be at an increased risk. The findings of the study is based on an assessment of vitamin D levels, nutritional habits and respiratory infection rates among nearly 19,000 American men and women and was reported in the February 2009 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
To measure the specific relationship between vitamin D and respiratory risk, Ginde's team analyzed data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, collected from 1988 to 1994.
Participants were aged 12 - 38. All completed nutritional and health surveys and had physical examinations. Blood samples were taken to measure levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, considered to be the optimal measure of vitamin D status.
The researchers found that those with less than 10 nanograms of vitamin D per millilitre of blood, considered low, were nearly 40 per cent more likely to have had a respiratory infection than those with vitamin D levels of 30 ng or higher. The finding was consistent across all races and ages.
In particular, people who had a history of asthma or some form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were even more likely to suffer from vitamin D deficiencies.
Asthma patients with the lowest vitamin D levels had five times the risk for respiratory infection, and vitamin D- deficient COPD patients had twice the risk.
The best food sources of vitamin D are: cod liver oil, salmon, mackerel and eggs. Not many food sources provide vitamin D and the best way to get it is by getting optimal sun exposure in order for your body to produce vitamin D itself.
Before you start taking a vitamin D supplements it is advisable to first have your D-levels tested because vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin and can be quite toxic.
Good Bacteria
Eighty per cent of your immune system is located in your digestive system, so it makes perfect sense that a healthy gut and probiotics would be a good starting point for warding off cold and flu viruses
A robust immune system is your number one defence system against all disease, and in order to keep your immune system in top working order you must have a healthy balance of good to bad bacteria in your gut (the optimal balance is about 85 per cent “good bacteria” and 15 per cent “bad”).
Researchers of a recent study actually found quite significant benefits among 3 - 5-year-old children who received either a single strain or combination of probiotics twice a day for six months.
Compared to the placebo group, the single and combination probiotic groups had reduced fever by 53 per cent and 73 per cent respectively, decreased coughing by 41 per cent and 62 per cent, and reduced runny noses by 28 per cent and 59 per cent.
Antibiotic use was also 68 per cent and 84 per cent lower, respectively, which is a major gain in and of itself because antibiotics are vastly overused in children and contribute to the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
If you eat a diet rich in fermented foods like these that have NOT been pasteurized (pasteurisation will kill the probiotics), then you will likely enjoy great digestive, and immune system, health.
However, if you find yourself strongly drawn to processed foods or rely on mostly cooked foods, the balance of “good” versus “bad” bacteria in your digestive tract will have a hard time staying optimal.
The ratio between the "good" and “bad” bacteria is one of the critical factors determining your optimal health, as the good bacteria are essential for:
* The proper development of your immune system
* Protection against over-growth of other microorganisms that could cause disease
* Digestion of food and absorption of nutrients
The probiotics in your gut also play a role in helping numerous bodily functions, such as:
* Digesting and absorbing certain carbohydrates.
* Producing vitamins, absorbing minerals and eliminating toxins.
* Keeping bad bacteria under control.
* Preventing allergies. Friendly bacteria train your immune system to distinguish between pathogens and non-harmful antigens, and to respond appropriately.
* Providing vital support to your immune system. Beneficial bacteria have a lifelong, powerful effect on your gut’s immune system and your systemic immune system as well.
Sugar also acts as a fertiliser for growing bad bacteria and yeast in your gut, so if you consume a lot of sugar you’re fuelling the bad bacteria rather than the good.
Likewise, stress, pollution, and taking antibiotics can further upset the balance in a negative way.
Since “good” bacteria are increasingly absent in most people’s diets, it is important to include foods that contain live probiotic bacteria in your diet, or take a probiotic supplement - especially since flu season is just around the corner.
Of course, these are not the only measures you can take to protect yourself against colds and flu. You can do further reading by looking at the ‘Related Reading’ section at the end of the article.
Related Reading:
Echinacea And Astragalus : Powerful Immune Boosters
Fighting Colds And Flu The Natural Way
Sources:
‘Squalene: The Swine Flu Vaccine’s Dirty Little Secret Exposed’ by Dr. Mercola, published online 11.08.09, articles.mercola.com
‘Good Bacteria Fight the Flu’ by Dr. Mercola, published online 14.08.09, articles.mercola.com
‘Too Little Vitamin D May Mean More Colds and Flu’ by Alan Mozes, published online 23.02.09, health.usnews.com
Back to topAs I‘ve said in previous alerts, we need to approach this whole debacle by saying: This year the flu will be a bit tougher and more aggressive than in the past. You have at your disposal tools to bolster your immune system and drastically reduce your risk of colds and the flu. You do not need a vaccine to do this. In fact, a vaccine could easily make your health worse.
The big question is now, how can you protect yourself and your family against this years flu virus?
Simple steps
Start by being informed. Educate yourself about influenza strains, vaccination risks, and the public health laws that may require you or your children to undergo either mandatory vaccination or quarantine. (This is just in case things are blown completely out of proportion.)
Take care of your health to reduce or eliminate your risk of contracting the flu. The key is to keep your immune system strong by following these guidelines:
* Eliminate sugar and processed foods from your diet. Sugar consumption has an immediate, debilitating effect on your immune system.
* Take a high quality source of animal-based omega 3 fats like Krill Oil.
* Exercise. Your immune system needs good circulation in order to perform at its best for you.
* Optimize your vitamin D levels. Vitamin D deficiency is the likely cause of seasonal flu viruses. Getting an optimal level of vitamin D will help you fight infections of all kinds.
* Get plenty of good quality sleep.
* Deal with stress effectively. If you feel overwhelmed by stress, your body will not have the reserves it needs to fight infection.
* Wash your hands. But not with an antibacterial soap. Use a pure, chemical-free soap.
Vitamin D
I’ve already mention vitamin D as a protection against flu. The September 2009 issue of Health Science Institute (HSI) - our monthly newsletter, goes in to full details of how this vitamin can protect you this winter with its all-round health benefits. Click here to find out more about subscribing to HSI.
The largest study of its kind to date shows that vitamin D each and every day is what will keep the doctor away when it comes to the common cold or the flu.
According to a US study by Dr. Adit Ginde, of Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital, Boston, lower levels of vitamin D are associated with an increased risk for respiratory infections, such as the common cold and the flu. And people who have pre-existing respiratory disease - like asthma and emphysema - appear to be at an increased risk. The findings of the study is based on an assessment of vitamin D levels, nutritional habits and respiratory infection rates among nearly 19,000 American men and women and was reported in the February 2009 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
To measure the specific relationship between vitamin D and respiratory risk, Ginde's team analyzed data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, collected from 1988 to 1994.
Participants were aged 12 - 38. All completed nutritional and health surveys and had physical examinations. Blood samples were taken to measure levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, considered to be the optimal measure of vitamin D status.
The researchers found that those with less than 10 nanograms of vitamin D per millilitre of blood, considered low, were nearly 40 per cent more likely to have had a respiratory infection than those with vitamin D levels of 30 ng or higher. The finding was consistent across all races and ages.
In particular, people who had a history of asthma or some form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were even more likely to suffer from vitamin D deficiencies.
Asthma patients with the lowest vitamin D levels had five times the risk for respiratory infection, and vitamin D- deficient COPD patients had twice the risk.
The best food sources of vitamin D are: cod liver oil, salmon, mackerel and eggs. Not many food sources provide vitamin D and the best way to get it is by getting optimal sun exposure in order for your body to produce vitamin D itself.
Before you start taking a vitamin D supplements it is advisable to first have your D-levels tested because vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin and can be quite toxic.
Good Bacteria
Eighty per cent of your immune system is located in your digestive system, so it makes perfect sense that a healthy gut and probiotics would be a good starting point for warding off cold and flu viruses
A robust immune system is your number one defence system against all disease, and in order to keep your immune system in top working order you must have a healthy balance of good to bad bacteria in your gut (the optimal balance is about 85 per cent “good bacteria” and 15 per cent “bad”).
Researchers of a recent study actually found quite significant benefits among 3 - 5-year-old children who received either a single strain or combination of probiotics twice a day for six months.
Compared to the placebo group, the single and combination probiotic groups had reduced fever by 53 per cent and 73 per cent respectively, decreased coughing by 41 per cent and 62 per cent, and reduced runny noses by 28 per cent and 59 per cent.
Antibiotic use was also 68 per cent and 84 per cent lower, respectively, which is a major gain in and of itself because antibiotics are vastly overused in children and contribute to the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
If you eat a diet rich in fermented foods like these that have NOT been pasteurized (pasteurisation will kill the probiotics), then you will likely enjoy great digestive, and immune system, health.
However, if you find yourself strongly drawn to processed foods or rely on mostly cooked foods, the balance of “good” versus “bad” bacteria in your digestive tract will have a hard time staying optimal.
The ratio between the "good" and “bad” bacteria is one of the critical factors determining your optimal health, as the good bacteria are essential for:
* The proper development of your immune system
* Protection against over-growth of other microorganisms that could cause disease
* Digestion of food and absorption of nutrients
The probiotics in your gut also play a role in helping numerous bodily functions, such as:
* Digesting and absorbing certain carbohydrates.
* Producing vitamins, absorbing minerals and eliminating toxins.
* Keeping bad bacteria under control.
* Preventing allergies. Friendly bacteria train your immune system to distinguish between pathogens and non-harmful antigens, and to respond appropriately.
* Providing vital support to your immune system. Beneficial bacteria have a lifelong, powerful effect on your gut’s immune system and your systemic immune system as well.
Sugar also acts as a fertiliser for growing bad bacteria and yeast in your gut, so if you consume a lot of sugar you’re fuelling the bad bacteria rather than the good.
Likewise, stress, pollution, and taking antibiotics can further upset the balance in a negative way.
Since “good” bacteria are increasingly absent in most people’s diets, it is important to include foods that contain live probiotic bacteria in your diet, or take a probiotic supplement - especially since flu season is just around the corner.
Of course, these are not the only measures you can take to protect yourself against colds and flu. You can do further reading by looking at the ‘Related Reading’ section at the end of the article.
Related Reading:
Echinacea And Astragalus : Powerful Immune Boosters
Fighting Colds And Flu The Natural Way
Sources:
‘Squalene: The Swine Flu Vaccine’s Dirty Little Secret Exposed’ by Dr. Mercola, published online 11.08.09, articles.mercola.com
‘Good Bacteria Fight the Flu’ by Dr. Mercola, published online 14.08.09, articles.mercola.com
‘Too Little Vitamin D May Mean More Colds and Flu’ by Alan Mozes, published online 23.02.09, health.usnews.com
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