Natural Remedies
The plant world is symbiotic with the animal world, each supporting the other, each providing what the other so desperately needs to live and flourish. Plants breathe out oxygen, and wonder of wonders that is exactly what humans inhale and feed throughout their bodies. The oxygen waste product of the human machine? Wonder of wonders, it is carbon dioxide, exactly what plants require to breathe, and again their waste product is oxygen, a miraculous process of mutual beneficence.
People eat plants, and after cycling through the body, the plants emerge as fecal manure, the nutrient-giving aspect of soil that plants require. Humans need plants, and plants need humans. What could be more indicative of intelligent design?
Plants are the perfect food for human beings to eat, and when people eat a high-plant diet, they suffer much fewer diseases and generalized ailments. People are healthier when they eat more fruits and vegetables and grains.
The higher the dead-animal content of the human diet, the sicklier the person, and even the blood-thirsty cravings of an animal diet sets in motion the zoonotic disease produce, viruses and bacteria leaping from animals to humans, chiefly because human beings were not designed to consume animals, but plants, and the closer the "you are what you eat" ties to the animal kingdom, the greater the sharing of animal diseases such as influenza and cancer.
When you are threatened by "swine flu" or "bird flu," turn to the plant kingdom to find your answers in meeting the mounting danger of epidemic and pandemic flu:
It's only natural that mother knows best
If I ever needed evidence to support the claim that "mother knows best", I certainly got it this week. Having suffered from a lingering sore throat and unsuccessfully self-medicated a cold for the past 10 days - it was somewhat fortuitous that I should be commissioned to write a piece about alternative flu remedies.
Interviewee after interviewee extolled the virtues of herbal medicine, an organic diet and plenty of exercise for a long and healthy life. They also claimed an abstinence from antibiotics ensured their swift recovery from illness and maintained a robust immune system.
I remained a sceptic, struggling to rationalise how a gnarled root of ginger and diced onion were able to trump the mighty force of Amoxycillin. Nevertheless, in the name of research, I gave it a go and duly stocked up on honey, herbal teas, probiotics, local veggies and an entire alphabet of supplements.
With my regime underway and my morning kick-started with a mug of hot water and lemon, the dots started to connect. Long have female members of my family been drinking this breakfast brew and raising eyebrows in restaurants by ordering fresh mint tea rather than coffee after a meal. Could there really be something in it?
More pennies dropped throughout the week as updating my food diary became something of a 20km run down memory lane. And tucking into a packets of nuts and dried fruit (instead of my habitual afternoon chocolate bar) suddenly took me back to prep-school.
Lunch time was never something I looked forward to as a child, for I knew only too well what my bright yellow tuck box contained. Precisely no tuck at all.
Lentils, rice and brown bread sandwiches made up the weekly menu and, "as a treat", sachets of sunflower seed and raisins would often be hiding inside a piece of kitchen roll. Far from taste being the problem, it was the giggles from my fellow diners who chomped merrily on Cheesy Wotsits and ruler-long Curly Wurly bars that made my cheeks flush.
How I longed for an additive-packed box of Um Bungo juice or a humble Proustian madeleine. But alas, it was not to be. Now, of course, I think my mother was light years ahead of her time and I can't thank her enough for force feeding me all the goodness the health-food chain Holland & Barrett had to offer. She's rarely ill so I guess there's a lot to be said for feeding your body the right fuel. Shame it took me 30 years to come around to her way of thinking. So look out for me in the organic section of your local supermarket. I'll be the flu-free evangelist eager to compare notes on the perfect sprouted adzuki-bean and kale salad. Sounds delicious, doesn't it?
rduane@thenational.ae
Anti-Aging Cereal boosts immunity
Oats and Barley cereal is a great way to start your morning. These grains contain beta-glucan, a type of fibre with antimicrobial and antioxidant capabilities more potent than echinacea, reports a Norwegian study. When animals eat this compound, they're less likely to contract influenza, herpes, even anthrax; in humans, it boosts immunity, speeds wound healing, and may help antibiotics work better.
These grains contain beta-glucan, a type of fibre with antimicrobial and antioxidant capacity higher than echinacea, says a recent Norwegian study.
When animals consume these compounds are protected from cold, herpes and anthrax. In humans, oats and barley improve the immune system and help speed up wound healing.
Anti-influenza virus effect of aqueous extracts from dandelion
Human influenza is a seasonal disease associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Anti-flu Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has played a signicant role in fighting the virus pandemic.
In TCM, dandelion is a commonly used ingredient in many therapeutic remedies, either alone or in conjunction with other natural substances. Evidence suggests that dandelion is associated with a variety of pharmacological activities.
In this study, we evaluated anti-influenza virus activity of an aqueous extract from dandelion, which was tested for in vitro antiviral activity against influenza virus type A, human A/PR/8/34 and WSN (H1N1).
Results: Results obstained using antiviral assays , minigenome assay and real-time reverse transcription-PCR analysis showed that 0.625-5 mg/ml of dandelion extracts inhibited infections in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells or Human lung adenocarcinoma cell line ( A549) of PR8 or WSN viruses, as well as inhibited polymerase activity and reduced virus nucleoprotein (NP) RNA level. The plant extract did not exhibit any apparent negative effects on cell viability, metabolism or proliferation at the effective dose.
This result is consistent with the added advantage of lacking any reported complications of the plant's utility in traditional medicine over several centuries.
Conclusion: The antiviral activity of dandelion extracts indicates that a component or components of these extracts possess anti-influenza virus properties. Mechanisms of reduction of viral growth in MDCK or A549 cells by dandelion involve inhibition on virus replication .
Author: Wen HeHuamin HanWei WangBin Gao
Credits/Source: Virology Journal 2011, 8:538
Natural Health from A to Z
Cold, dreary weather and flu season have a lot in common. I recommend building immunity during this time.My first tip during weather like this is up your intake of vitamin D. It always seems like the worst cold and flu bugs circulate around the school after one of these spells.Build your immune system by taking extra vitamin C, zinc (if you tend to be deficient) and something that keeps viruses from taking over the body – I recommend a very high quality olive leaf, elderberry or a grapefruitseed extract combination called Defense Plus.I also recommend keeping your body on the more alkaline side since viruses such as the flu will thrive in an acid environment.
Here is a short summary on acid/alkaline.
Good – or alkalizing includes vegetables and fruits (raw being the most alkaline), raw vegetable juices, kombucha tea, coral calcium, green supplements, enzymes, raw lemon juice, raw apple cider vinegar and raw almonds.
Bad – or acid forming foods include sodas (diet sodas are the worst), tea, coffee, chocolate, smoking, and foods made with white flour and/or white sugar. Meat and dairy products are also acid forming. I do not recommend avoiding meat and dairy, but do keep the portions you eat balanced with plenty of vegetables.
Alkalizing really works. It is one of the main tenets of natural health. Alkalizing helps any disease condition. If you want to know if you are alkaline or acid, measure the pH of your first morning urine using special pH paper.Olive leaf has terrific anti-viral properties. I recommend taking one 500 mg olive leaf capsule per day to stay well. Dosage can be increased when you feel “flu-like”. Many rely on olive for its immune building properties and take it throughout flu season and never get sick.
The form of olive leaf is very important – it must have at least 18% oleuropein content, or it will not be effective. Read the label. Cheaper olive leaf is not the same and is a waste of money. I also like elderberry for immune building. It is a natural fruit extract that keeps viruses from reproducing. My favorite is Elderberry Defense – which also contains 2000 IU of vitamin D. My son has a great attendance record at school on this product.
There are also homeopathic formulas. The biggest benefit of the homeopathic formulas is that they do not interact with prescription medications and are generally safe for all ages. The single best selling flu product in America is a homeopathic called Oscillococcinum. Oscillo speeds recovery from flu symptoms to within 48 hours when taken at first sign of cold or flu – this is backed by clinical trials.
Remember that diseases such as the flu are opportunistic. If the host is full of acid waste and other toxins, then the flu will love their body and thrive. If the host is healthy and alkaline, then the flu will have a hard time and will move on.
Stress and the typical American diet tend to make us good homes for viruses because they make our pH acid and deplete our vitamins and minerals. We are also inundated with chemicals that are bodies cannot break down and eliminate. To stay in balance, alkalize your diet, use herbal cleanses periodically to get rid of excess toxins, and take good high quality supplements that help keep you balanced.
Margaret Durst owns The Green House, a vitamin, herb and health food store in Mason, Texas. www.naturalcowgirl.wordpress.com
Fight back naturally
There are many things we do not know about perfect health. But we are assured of one unchallenged fact—that nature holds the answers. All we need to do is to discover its secrets. Here are a few of them.
The sun cures
Vital to human health, the sun can heal. If you do not spend any time under the sun, you will be sick, according to Kevin Trudeau in his book, “More Natural Cures Revealed.”
For example, if you are sick now, one of the most important things you should do is to go out in the sun. Able to cure just about any disease, the sun is needed by practically every living thing (with rare exceptions). Thus every living creature needs the sun to survive. Without light, the human body cannot function at optimum levels. And without sunlight, physical abnormalities become prevalent.
Zero sunlight causes depression, weight gain, poor sleep, indigestion, constipation, bad breath, cancer, high blood pressure, arthritis, diabetes, colds/flu, male erectile dysfunction, high cholesterol. The much-asked question is, will the sun cause wrinkles? No. On the contrary, it draws out the internal toxins. The reason why people have cardboard skin after prolonged hours under the sun is because they do not hydrate and are overexposed.
However, if you are nutrient-deficient and don’t get enough of your ABCs, excessive exposure to the sun will cause problems.
Protect your facial complexion. If you are pale and have not had direct sun exposure for years, take in the sun gradually. A drastic four-hour exposure could damage your skin.
Sunbathe for 15 minutes in the early morning, within the first four hours after sunrise, and in the last four hours before sunset. However, with the excessively hot tropical sun, better make that the first three and the last three hours. A natural breakthrough attested to by many is the therapy called sun gazing.
You may want to refer to their website www.sungazing.com. It seems incredible, if not crazy, but many swear that by gazing directly at the sunrise and sunset, their major health challenges have been eased, if not cured.
According to Mason Dwinell, the optimum level of sun gazing is 44 minutes. There is no need to exceed this dosage, as your therapy is complete. Without shoes, stand on bare earth, sand, or gravel, but not on grass, as it absorbs solar energy. Only gaze when the sun’s ultraviolet radiation is at its lowest, at sunrise and sunset. If it burns your eyes, don’t stare at it. According to this source, the sunrise packs in more energy and nutrients than the sunset.
Standing or seated, stare for 10 seconds (blink if you must) at the sun. Do not squint your eyes. Relax. Take in its energetic goodness. Add five seconds more of gazing time each day. After completing 44 minutes, it is said you are fully recharged. Benefits include complete energizing and recharging of the system, increased inspiration, and relaxation of the senses to combat stress.
Vitamin E saves
Numerous studies have been made on vitamin E, and up to now there still rages a controversy over its effectiveness. The public is confuse. It appears that the Natural Source Vitamin E Association in the USA states that natural vitamin E can only exist in a chemically altered esterified form. This form of vitamin E is known to have no antioxidant function in the human body.
According to natural medicine, the best and most active form of vitamin E is the un-esterified, all-natural mixed tocopherol form, made up of alpha, beta gamma, and delta tocopherols. Vitamin E, to this day, is considered by naturopaths as a major player in the fight against heart disease. As a fat soluble antioxidant, it has the ability to stop the production of reactive oxygen species formed when fatty foods undergo oxidation within the body.
Make your diet healthier. It’s the best way to take in vitamin E. Natural sources include leafy vegetables, spinach, sugar beet, wheat germ oil, sunflower and safflower oils, avocados, broccoli, asparagus, pumpkin, sweet potato, mangos, papayas and almonds.
Acid reflux salvo
Have you ever considered why there are so many people today who are plagued with acid reflux? Healthy lifestyle experts maintain it’s because of the lack of natural enzymes in the modern-day diet. This is especially true for processed foods. The best way to raise the enzyme levels in the body is to consume fresh, raw, natural (especially organic) foods.
This is the reason for the popularity of raw foods. Over-eating by taking super-sized portions of food beyond the stomach’s limit can over-burden the digestive system. The rule is to control and/or limit your portions, and to eat more frequently instead of relying on your three-meal binges.
Alcohol bingeing is another reason. Taking antibiotics with the support of probiotics (natural bacteria like acidophilus, bifidus, etc.) can create an unhealthy intestinal flora. For maintenance, take two capsules of probiotic capsules daily. Natural sources are yogurt with live culture, kefir. Unmanaged stress can cause problems as well, causing an upheaval on your stomach.
The next time you have acid reflux, take a cup of warm water mixed with 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar or old-fashioned natural provincial vinegar. It will restore the natural acid balance of your stomach. In fact, as a daily natural practice, take this apple cider before breakfast. Besides, it’s a great tip for weight loss. If you are brave, take it pure before meals. One tbsp of raw organic apple cider vinegar ensures perfect digestion and prevents heartburn or acid reflux.
Affirm today: “I shine like the sun!”
Love and Light!
Herbal medicine: can natural remedies really see off winter colds and flus?
Although controversial amongst advocates of mainstream medicine, herbs and spices can help keep us healthy, says Sophie Laggan
The common cold results in a stuffy nose, sore throat and husky voice along the lines of Barry White’s. The symptoms aren’t the least bit attractive and leave you feeling decidedly woeful. Although not directly caused by the drop in temperature, the increased use of public transport during the winter helps to spread the virus, which makes it pretty hard to avoid. So how can you boost your immune system and fend off colds this winter, without resorting to pharmaceuticals?
Along with reducing sugar and refined carbohydrate intake, swap defence-diminishing coffee for immune boosting green tea. Getting a good night’s sleep helps the body repair and drinking warm water and lemon on a daily basis creates an alkaline environment where bacteria and fungus can’t replicate themselves. But the key to preventing a cold is to maintain a healthy immune system through diet and lifestyle choices. Herbal supplements have also been shown to have significant immune boosting properties and unlike over the counter medication, they actively combat infection and don’t simply suppress symptoms. ‘The medicine we usually buy can in fact tax the body and its detoxification pathways thus prolonging your condition,’ says UnBEElievable Health nutritional therapist, Erin McCann.
Labelling is still very unclear on most medication and although many Western drugs have their origins in herbal extracts, most are now made with synthetic alternatives. But can herbal remedies really see off the flu? The technical term is ‘phytotherapy’ - Greek for ‘plant care’ – and can include anything from eating more garlic to using a mustard poultice. Here are some to try:
Elderflower: Can help relieve colds and influenza, along with catarrh of the upper respiratory tract. It is traditionally used for feverish conditions. Combined with peppermint and yarrow, it works best as an infusion.
Echinacea: Boasting anti-microbial properties that can help fight infection anywhere in the body, its one of the most widely used natural remedies.
Horseradish: Increases blood flow to the skin and all tissues; helping to relieve chilblains. It has anti-microbial properties and can help reduce the intensity of flu.
Mustard: Combats feverishness, cold and flu and can be made into a tea, if you can handle the taste, or the powder can sprinkled onto food.
Cinnamon: Has antimicrobial properties and has been in use since the Middle Ages. Often used in mainstream medicine in sore throat and cough remedies.
Sage: Herbalist Jackie Day recommends mixing an infusion of sage leaves (one teaspoon dried herb to a mug of boiling water), with some honey and a cider vinegar to create an effective gargle for sore throats.
Leafy vegetables: Brussel sprouts might be the marmite of the vegetable kingdom but they contain zinc and antioxidants that support immune cell function.
Garlic: Its volatile oil has expectorant properties that help promote a productive cough, and have a disinfectant effect on the lungs and bronchi. Considered to be one of the most effective anti-microbial plants.
Eat well to have a healthy winter
Despite the warmer temperatures, the UAE is not immune to the cold and flu season that sweeps across the northern hemisphere between October and April.
"There is definitely a rise in the number of cases of seasonal cold and influenza throughout the winter months in the United Arab Emirates," says Dr Richard Stangier, a consultant internal medicine and diabetologist at Al Rawdah German Medical Center in Abu Dhabi.
He attributes the influx of illness "to the continuous use of air-conditioning throughout these months, the inhalation of dust particles and unsuitable winter clothing".
A growing body of research suggests those hoping to avoid a case of the sniffles, sneezes and aches this winter may want to reconsider the contents of their refrigerator rather than medicine cabinet.
According to Rania Al Halawani, a dietitian at MedGate Centre in Dubai, a balanced diet is vital to staying healthy and avoiding seasonal colds and flu. "To keep colds away, or at least to shorten the period of illness, you should eat a colourful, healthy and balanced diet to ensure your body gets all the vitamins and minerals it needs to build a healthy immune system," she says.
While nothing can replace effective hygiene measures to avoid infection such as proper hand-washing, certain nutrients and herbs may be able to give your immune system an extra boost to keep you healthy.
Vitamin D
The UAE has plenty of one of the immune-boosting vitamins that many other countries in the northern hemisphere lack during the darker winter months: vitamin D. Vitamin D, which is produced in the skin when exposed to sunlight, is well known for its link to lower rates of cancer and multiple sclerosis. But new study findings are shedding light on how this fat-soluble vitamin may also be able to keep the immune system in top form. Findings published last year in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a daily vitamin D supplement could significantly reduce the number of colds in children.
Researchers randomly assigned a group of children to receive a daily supplement containing 1,200 international units of vitamin D or a placebo during the height of cold and flu season between December and March. At the end of the study, researchers found that children taking the vitamin D supplements were approximately 40 per cent less likely to get sick from influenza A, a common cause of seasonal colds and flu.
Another major study on the subject, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 2009, examined data on more than 18,000 adults and found that people with the lowest levels of vitamin D in their blood were significantly more likely to report having a recent upper respiratory tract infection.
The best source of vitamin D, aside from supplements, is sun exposure. Those at risk from vitamin D deficiency include anyone who is over the age of 65, with dark skin, who spends little time outdoors or wears clothing that covers most of their body. For these individuals, many health organisations, including the Canadian Cancer Society and the Department of Health in the UK, recommend a daily vitamin D supplement.
Vitamin C
According to Al Halawani, vitamin C is another nutrient worth stocking up on to help ward off colds and flu this winter.
One of the largest studies on the subject, published in the Cochrane Library in 2010, found that vitamin C could reduce the duration of cold symptoms by 10 per cent in adults and 14 per cent in children. Researchers also found that vitamin C could protect against the onset of illness in people under short periods of physical stress. In fact, researchers found that in marathon runners and skiers, a daily dose of vitamin C reduced the risk of catching a cold by half.
Al Halawani says food is the best source of vitamin C, including citrus fruits, berries, red peppers, leafy green vegetables and broccoli.
Garlic
Garlic may be small, but it is mighty when it comes to fighting off colds and flu. The protective effect is thought to be a result of natural sulphur compounds that have both antibacterial and anti-fungal properties.
In one study, published in 2001 in the journal Advances in Therapy, researchers randomly assigned 146 healthy adults to receive a daily garlic supplement or placebo for 12 weeks between November and February. At the end of the study, researchers found that the group taking the garlic supplement came down with 63 per cent fewer colds, and when they did get sick, had symptoms for just two days, compared with five days in the placebo group.
Chopping or crushing garlic activates an enzyme that helps produce the healthy sulphur compounds found in garlic. To reap the most health benefits, let garlic stand for 10 to 15 minutes after chopping or crushing it, to allow for this chemical reaction to take place.
Probiotics
Probiotics, the healthy bacteria found in many types of yogurt and some supplements, are well-known for their link to gut health, but research shows they may also help ward off the common cold.
One of the first studies to shed light on just how effective probiotics could be at boosting the immune system was published in the journal Pediatrics in 2009. Researchers assigned more than 300 children to one of three groups; one group was given a daily dose of the probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus, another group received the same organism mixed with an additional probiotic called Bifidobacterium animalis, and a third group received a placebo. After being treated twice daily for six months, researchers found that children receiving the probiotics had considerably fewer colds.
The protective effect was most prominent in children receiving both strains of probiotics. Researchers found they experienced 73 per cent fewer fevers, 62 per cent fewer coughs and a 59 per cent drop in runny noses than children receiving the placebo.
The benefits did not end there: researchers also found that children receiving probiotics required 84 per cent less antibiotics than the placebo group.
Al Halawani recommends two ways to get a daily probiotic boost. "These friendly bugs are available in yogurt products and you can get them in pills from natural health stores." She warns that products containing probiotics should always be refrigerated to help maintain the healthy bacteria counts.
Cruciferous vegetables
Need another reason to eat your greens? New research findings published last month in the journal Cell found that cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage and broccoli, help maintain special immune cells in the skin and gut that are vital to fighting off infection.
To investigate, researchers fed healthy mice a diet low in vegetables for two to three weeks, and found that during this time the number of protective immune cells had declined by up to 80 per cent, making the mice more susceptible to injury and illness.
Many of the health benefits of cruciferous vegetables, including their protective effect against stroke, heart disease and cancers of the breast, prostate, lung and bladder are thought to be a result of their high content of phytochemicals called glucosinolates. The cruciferous family of vegetables varies pretty widely in terms of shape, size, colour and taste and goes beyond broccoli and cabbage. Other vegetables that belong to this family include bok choy, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, rutabaga, kale and turnip.
Get moving
According to Stangier, a healthy diet isn't the only way to sidestep those pesky winter colds. "Partaking in regular sport and exercise has been proven by trials to strengthen the immune system," he says.
A study published last year in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that people who worked out for at least 20 minutes five times a week were almost half as likely to catch a cold compared to people who worked out less than one day per week.
Michelle Gelok is a member of the Dietitians of Canada and holds a BSc in Food and Nutrition. She lives in Abu Dhabi.
Expert Advice for Cold and Flu Season
We spoke with Dr. Zak Zarbock about what parents can do to effectively prevent and treat colds and flus in their little one this season. Find out what Dr. Zarbock suggests, below.
New Parent: Is it true that there’s a cold and flu “season.” If so, why are children more prone to catch a cold or flu during this time?
Dr. Zak Zarbock: Yes, there is a “cold and flu season.” True, the cold and flu can hit anyone at any time of the year, but research suggests that the cold and flu viruses are more prevalent in the winter. Cold and flu viruses thrive off of colder, drier weather and are less rampant in warmer, more humid conditions.
Children are more prone than adults to catch a cold or flu, in both the on and off season. They can get between 6-12 colds a year. Kids are more susceptible because their immune systems are still developing, they get more exposure to other children and objects that carry the virus, and they are less aware of germs (and personal hygiene) than adults.
What’s the easiest way for children catch colds/flus?
Exposure to other sick children and objects (such as toys, handlebars, stair rails, etc.) is how children contract viruses more quickly and more commonly than adults. Although we all are exposed to numerous germs in a day, children’s immune systems—especially infants–aren’t developed enough to fight off a virus as easily.
What’s the best way to prevent them?
Washing your hands regularly is the single most important thing you can do to prevent germs from spreading. Although you can’t be protected from every germ this way, frequent hand washing (for at least twenty seconds) has been known to decrease contracting and spreading viruses. This can be a challenge with children, but try and make it a practice. You can even make it fun by creating a game or competition. If you’re out and about and hand washing is impossible, hand sanitizer can be used. You don’t need to go overboard, but just being a little more aware during the cold and flu season can really help. Also, on the top of the list of prevention techniques is making sure you’re family is taking vitamins, such as Vitamin C and Zinc. And don’t forget the importance of proper nutrition, such as fruits and veggies that are naturally rich in vitamins and minerals.
As a doctor, what do you think is the best thing a parent can do to treat their child’s cold or flu?
Throughout my career as a pediatrician, I have counseled thousands of parents on how to treat their child’s cold or flu. What I have discovered is that the safest and most effective way to treat your child is using natural remedies. Avoid using drug-based cold and flu medicine. They contain chemicals that can be harmful to children’s bodies, and they are often ineffective. Instead, use natural remedies to soothe coughs and sore throats, and supplement that with liquids, vitamins, and a healthy dose of rest. And, as always, prevention is the best remedy.
About Dr. Zak Zarbock
Zak Zarbock, M.D. is one of the country’s top pediatricians and the Founder and President of Zarbee’s, an all-natural children’s cough and cold treatment line.
As one of the nation’s leading experts on treating coughs and colds in children, Dr. Zak, as he is known, was invited to participate in the September 2010 FDA hearing on Capitol Hill and speak about the potential dangers of cough syrup. Dr. Zak is also a regular guest on TV and radio shows and serves as a resource for reporters writing stories about pediatric issues.
A member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Zak practices medicine at Families First Pediatrics in South Jordan, Utah.
Thyme to let nature help
Herbalists offer some advice on the natural ways you can combat illness. Keeping spring ills in check does not have to mean loading up on vaccinations and antibiotics. Herbalists say natural remedies are effective for boosting the body's immune system.
If you feel an illness coming on, give your body a good dose of vitamin C - as much as 1000mg up to four times a day. Herbalist Ginny Clayton says parsley is a good, easy-to-grow source and is full of vitamin C, trace elements and minerals. Cut down on sugar, which competes for the receptor sites on white blood cells, making it harder for the vitamin C to be effective.
Eat lots of fresh, colourful fruit and vegetables to get a good range of antioxidants, vitamins (especially vitamin D), and minerals to help your body resist infection.
Clayton and Linda McDonald, of Herbs NZ, regard sage as an important weapon in the anti-flu arsenal. They gargle with sage or drink sage tea. Adding herb robert to tea is effective for a lot of people, she says. Clayton recommends adding some thyme to your sage tea. Thyme is an antiseptic that also helps with chest infections.
"Use them together and add a bit of lemon." Other teas worth trying are ginger and black pepper and tulsi with honey.
Linda swears by olive leaf at the first sign of sickness. You can pull a leaf straight from the plant but she warns that they taste awful - tablets are far more palatable.
"It's antibacterial and antiviral but you have to hit it hard to knock the illness out right at the beginning." She says olive leaf has been shown to be effective in about 80 per cent of people. Garlic is useful when you feel a cold coming on - take one or two whole cloves a day to shorten the illness. Raw garlic cloves cut in half can be taken like tablets so they do not taste too bad. Alternatively, take a big dose of garlic supplements at the first sign of sniffles. If you are already sick, natural remedies can tackle the symptoms and help your body fight an illness.
Eucalyptus and camomile are very soothing. Pick a few leaves of either plant, pour boiling water over them, and breathe the vapour to clear a blocked nose and soothe a chest infection.
Clayton says echinacea is a centuries-old treatment for immune systems. It is easy to grow, but is dormant in winter. It should be dried in summer and kept for cooler months. The whole plant can be used in tinctures and teas. McDonald says echinacea should not be taken over a long period of time because it is most effective when used in short bursts.
In your garden:
* Sage is a perennial herb that can grow big and bushy in the right place. It prefers a dry spot - it is probably best to grow it in container or raised beds.
* Thyme is not as affected by the rain and can be grown in any vegetable bed, although it prefers a lot of sun. It can last up to four years. Both the leaves and the flowers can be eaten.
* Echinacea is common in many gardens because of its pretty flowers. Use for a sunny, well-drained spot.
Celery herb prefers well-drained soil and full sun. The stems taste like celery and the leaves like parsley.
Enjoy the health benefits of cinnamon
(NaturalNews) Most people tend to associate cinnamon with holiday foods such as pumpkin pie or eggnog. The truth is that cinnamon can be used all year round in a wide variety of foods and dishes. It contains many vitamins and minerals and therefore comes with a great deal of health benefits, ranging from being an all-natural anti inflammatory to being able to assist with lowering blood sugar levels.
True cinnamon (also known as Ceylon cinnamon) originated in Sri Lanka and has a more delicate taste than most cinnamon which is sold today. The most popular variety being sold today is known as Chinese Cinnamon or Cassia. This version has been used successfully in Chinese medicine for many centuries.
A single teaspoon of cinnamon is loaded with nutrients: among them iron, manganese, calcium, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and approximately one gram of fibre. This list may look small, but the health benefits that they offer in the form of cinnamon are enormous. It has been used as a traditional medicinal treatment for other ailments such as upset stomachs, bloating, diarrhoea and indigestion.
For centuries, cinnamon has been used as a food preservative. In ancient Egypt, it was used when embalming and preserving dead bodies. It possesses anti-fungal properties, making it an excellent option for those suffering from yeast infections. Its antiparasitic properties result in it being able to help eliminate head lice without the need for chemical based products.
Those suffering from stomach ulcers can benefit from consuming cinnamon, owing to the fact that it possesses anti-inflammatory properties. This also results in cinnamon being beneficial in fighting against heart disease, strokes and heart attacks. Diabetics can benefit from using this wonder spice, as it is able to lower blood sugar levels and help increase insulin resistance naturally. It also has a natural anti-clotting effect on the blood.
A study done in 2003 using cinnamon showed that people, who consumed just a single gram of cinnamon each day over a 40 day period, experienced a substantial decrease in their blood sugar levels. Decreases in LDL cholesterol triglycerides and total cholesterol levels were also reported. Other studies have shown that cinnamon has been able to stop yeast infections, which were previously resistant to medication treatments. Yet another published study showed that taking half a teaspoon of cinnamon combined with a tablespoon of honey significantly reduced pain in those suffering from arthritis after just one week.
The next time you stop to enjoy your cinnamon based treats and foods, you can do so knowing that you can literally have your treat and eat it (and enjoy it).
The Amazing Avocado
Last month when the movie Green Lantern was released, Subway outlets in the US decided to add a special ingredient, avocado, to commemorate the event. And while one should not expect to gain superhuman powers after eating the popular fruit, avocados do offer a source of vital minerals that are guaranteed to improve one's well-being.
In Port of Spain, avocados go from as low as $15 to as much as $30, depending on the size of the fruit and the type. One Charlotte Street vendor said the fruits usually come into season around mid-June, and a crop is available until the end of September.
One of the more popular varieties is the Pollock, which is "buttery" in texture and has a relatively small seed in comparison to the fruit. There is also a darker fruit which, for some "zaboca aficionados", is not as tasty.
Early civilisations knew the health benefits of avocados, and other peoples soon grew to love and find varied uses for what has been also called the "alligator pear".
The ahuacate—the Aztec word for testicle, named for its shape and reputation as an aphrodisiac —had been a staple food in Mexico, and Central and South America since 500 BC. In the 16th century, Spanish conquistadors fell in love with the fruit after observing its prized status among the Aztecs. In 1915, a cadre of California, USA, farmers, in an effort to make the fruit more marketable, came up with a new name: avocado. They informed dictionary publishers of the change and that the plural was spelled "avocados", not "avocadoes". Today, California accounts for nearly 90 per cent of all avocados grown in the United States.
Like most fruit, the avocado ripens once plucked from the tree. But its flesh is unlike any other: buttery, not sweet; somewhat nutty and oily in flavour; firm enough to be sliced or diced, yet pliable enough to be mashed into a paste or puree.
There are more than 400 varieties of avocado, but Hass has become the most popular in the United States. Named after postal worker Rudolph Hass who purchased the seedling in 1926 from a California farmer, the distinctive purplish-black fruit has a thicker skin and smaller body than other varieties. Farmers found the Hass easier to cultivate, and its higher oil content and good nutty flavour appealed to consumers.
Avocados present a mouth-watering array of serving options. They can be sliced and served with apples, nuts and cheese. In their most popular form, guacamole, they are mashed with salt, lime, garlic, cilantro, chiles and tomatoes, depending on the recipe. A friend feeds her infant spoonfuls of avocado straight from the skin: the perfect baby health food. Indonesians blend them into drinks with sweet condensed milk. Brazilians add it to ice cream. Californians put it in their maki (sushi rolls).
Grilled corn kernels, diced red onions and mango elbow each other for attention until chunks of avocado mediate and mellow the mix into a tasty salsa—an unstable structure turned stable. An ordinary salad of greens, tomatoes and raw veggies turns almost decadent with slices of avocado.
The fat in an avocado gets a bad rap. While it does contain saturated fat—a little more than one gramme per quarter-segment— the fruit is high in fibre and has more potassium than bananas. Of all fruits, the avocado is highest in protein. As a bonus, the natural oils of the fruit are good for your skin and provide a refreshing alternative to over-the-counter facial products.
The average avocado contains 300 calories and 30 grammes of healthy polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat. One avocado contains 81 mcg (microgrammes) of lutein, an important nutrient for healthy eyes. They are also a source of Omega 3 fatty acids, which offer many health benefits, including increasing calcium absorption and deposition. They contain a good helping of several foundation supplements essential for bone health:
• vitamin K—which works in synergy with vitamin D to help regulate osteoclast production (osteoclasts remove old bone to make way for new bone deposits)
• vitamin D—which, among many other important functions, plays a crucial role in preventing falls and fractures.
• vitamin C—a potent antioxidant that's crucial for the production of collagen, a protein that maintains, among other things, healthy bones and cartilage.
• boron—a trace mineral involved in bone metabolism and vitamin D activity that reduces the amount of urinary calcium and magnesium excretion.
• copper—a multi-tasking mineral present in an enzyme that produces collagen and elastin.
• folate (folic acid)—one of the B vitamins.
Avocados are plentiful in the markets and from roadside vendors. Make as much use of this fantastic fruit while it is available.
The beneficial bulb
Raw and cooked onions (Allium cepa L.) are a common ingredient in salads and meat dishes and contain carotene, calcium, phosphorous and iron, among other goodies. It’s a cheap vegetable that can be eaten to treat cardiovascular disease, reduce cholesterol in the blood, and treat depression, nervous breakdown, flatulence, genital decline, diabetes and influenza.
There are many ways of eating onions for their medicinal benefits. The first two come courtesy of Dr Vu Ngoc Anh.
- Peel some sizeable onions and soak them in vinegar for four days. Eat half a pickled onion every day for one to two months to lower cholesterol, treat the coronary artery, clear blocked blood vessels in the brain, combat arteriosclerosis, reduce blood pressure, ease a headache, counter urinary retention, lose weight and treat pre-menopausal ailments.
- Put two sliced onions, 15g of scallion heads and 100g of rice powder in a pot, cover with water and simmer until it thickens like porridge. Eat twice daily.
Herbalist Duong Tan Hung offers a delicious dish to nourish the kidneys, blood and liver, and ease urinary retention.
- Put 50g of hà thủ ô (multiflorous knotweed), four chicken eggs, 2g sliced old ginger, 10g sliced củ riềng (galingales), and 5g onion in a pot with five liters of water and boil until the water has reduced to 200ml. Turn off the heat and allow the food to cool slowly. The food is now ready to eat.
Hung’s herbalist colleague Dinh Cong Bay recommends quite a few remedies featuring the humble onion.
- To ward off influenza in winter, shake hot oil over some sliced onions and eat as is.
- For a fever or headache, cut an onion into small pieces, put them in a pot, cover with water and bring slowly to the boil. Drink the liquid while it’s still hot, with or without the onion pieces.
- To aid digestion and warm the stomach, thinly slice one onion, leave the slices to dry out for a bit, then cook them in water to make a beneficial drink.
- For high blood pressure, put a handful of onion skin in two bowls of water and boil until the water is reduced by half. Drink the onion water hot. As an alternative, cut two or three onions into thin pieces and mix with sugar to eat.
- To relieve rheumatism, cut three onions into thin pieces and put them in a pot. Cover with one liter of water and simmer for 15 minutes. Drink one glass of the water in the morning and one in the evening on an empty stomach.
- To stimulate hair growth, crush 30g onion, squeeze out the juice and rub it into the scalp.
- To clear a stuffed nose, hold a slice of onion close to the nostrils. Dinh Cong Bay reckons this is more effective than certain proprietary medicines.
- Married men who want to keep the love light shining in their wives’ eyes might care to try Bay’s kidney and onion dish. Begin by cleaning, scoring and quartering two pig’s kidneys. Then dip them in hot water mixed with a little salt and white rice alcohol and repeat until the meat starts to come out of the shallow cuts. Leave them to dry. Now take an onion and cut it lengthwise into thin pieces. Leave them aside for the moment and put a little garlic in a pan of hot oil and heat over a medium flame until the garlic releases its fragrance. Leave that aside too, and mix some oyster oil, salt and sugar to make a sauce. Now, mix the kidney and onion on a plate and pour on the sauce. Decorate the plate with sliced spring onion, chili, thin pieces of ginger, and fried spring onion, and don’t forget the garlic. The dish is ready for eating, with or without rice.
Cabbage, yogurt foods to fight off flu this season
Hardly will you turn a direction whether at home or workplace without seeing someone with common cold or flu, an indication that the flu season is here and people are better off boosting their body immunity to stay free.
The common cold is a viral infection primarily caused by rhinoviruses. It is the most common infectious disease in humans, and responsible for millions of illnesses every year. Various studies have looked at the potential of “immune-building foods” such as yogurt and cabbage to reduce the incidence or severity of the common cold.
In a research done in Spain, experts reported that daily consumption of yogurt may boost the immune function, even if they have a weakened defense system. People with weakened defense system include those with anorexia nervosa, eating disorder that compromise immune system, due to the poor diet and erroneous eating habits.
According to new findings published in the European Journal of Nutrition, daily consumption of a yogurt containing Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus during a re-feeding programme may boost the immune system of anorexics.
The researchers reported that the immune boosting benefits of the dairy product were not observed when milk was fed in place of yogurt, an observation that points to the influence of the bacterial strains in the yogurt.
Interestingly, conventional, not ‘probiotic’, yogurt that is fermented by L. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus can also boost body immunity as suggested by this study which involved 30 anorexic and 33 health adolescents. The anorexic adolescents were randomly assigned to receive either the yogurt or semi-skimmed milk as part of their refeeding diet, while the health adolescents were also assigned to receive either the yogurt or the milk for 10 weeks.
The researchers looked at the ratio of CD4+ lymphocytes to CD8+ lymphocytes, a well established diagnostic measure of immune system functioning.
Lymphocytes are white blood cells that play a key role in immune response. A low ratio of CD4+ to CD8+ is indicative of a suppressed immune system.
Certainly, yogurt is not the only healthy food choice that could prevent reduction in body immunity. Other “Immune-building foods” include garlic, milk fortified with vitamin D and vegetables like cabbage. Citrus fruits are also on the list for their vitamin C content, and chicken, meat and peanuts because of their zinc content.
Interestingly, daily intake of a Korean dish (kimchi) made with fermented cabbage and spices surged in 2005 after scientists found that a lactic acid bacteria in the dish helped poultry fight bird flu.
Studies have also shown that concentrates of fruit and vegetables taken as capsules may reduce the symptoms of common cold by 20 per cent. The 2010 findings published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that a micronutrient-dense concentrate of a range of fruits and vegetables including cherry, apple, broccoli, cranberry, orange, pineapple, spinach, and tomato was found to reduce the symptoms for moderate and severe common cold.
Two-hundred and sixty three people were assigned to receive daily supplements of the fruit and vegetable concentrate, while 266 people received a placebo for eight months. Participants of the randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial had an average age of 39.9 and 80 per cent were women.
Results showed no significant differences between the groups regarding the total number of days with any common cold symptoms. However, people receiving the fruit and vegetable concentrate had an average of 7.6 days with moderate or severe common cold symptoms, compared with 9.5 days in the placebo group.
Meanwhile, the high antioxidant content of the supplement, including vitamins C and E, as well as nutrients such as beta-carotene and folate that have been linked to improved immune function via increased numbers of T cells (white blood cells with a key role in immune health). Nonetheless, the myriads of health benefits of daily consumption of cabbage and other vegetables from the same family such as broccoli include protection against lung and prostate cancer. As with many cancers, experts suggested that turning towards nutrition for prevention or slowing down the “beast” is helpful because of the safety and cancer-targeting ability of sulforaphane present in cabbage and other vegetables in the same family on selectively target cancer cells.
The research, published in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, reported for the first time that sulforaphane – one of the primary phytochemicals in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables target cancer cells through multiple chemopreventive (cancer preventing) mechanisms.
Many of the factors that are associated with prostate cancer like ageing, imbalance of androgens, antioxidant system, dietary fat, and some pre malignant conditions may be linked to oxidative stress.
In addition, researchers who gave participants a food questionnaire to fill in and assessed their genetic status from a blood sample found that weekly consumption of cruciferous vegetables had a 33 per cent protective effect against lung cancer in people who had a particular genetic make-up (GSTM1 gene).
Meanwhile, beverage makers have become increasingly aware that functional beverages that contain beneficial microbes (probiotics) that improve human health may also help to boost immune functions. Traditionally, probiotics are used in dairy products such as yoghurts or fermented drinks.
Summer's High Time to Sample Onions and Garlic
You might not necessarily think of onions and garlic as being in season right now, but I’m here to tell you, it’s so. Within the last few weeks, many local growers have harvested vast quantities of these alliums, and while the garlic, if cured properly, can be stored for many months, the onions won’t fare as well.
We planted over 3,000 onions in early February (which, believe it or not, is modest compared to a lot of farms) so are now scrambling to get them all stored, sold, or eaten before the humidity ruins them. A friend just reminded me, however, that I could chop and freeze onions for up to a year.
If I use my old food processor, I expect I could easily chop enough in an hour or so to last me through winter. I’m imagining the time it will save since I start so many meals (and virtually all my soups) by sautéing chopped onion.
We’re all familiar with the sweet Vidalia variety, and though I think it’s safe to say that for us, they’re pretty local, several of the ones grown a bit closer to home rival the Vidalia’s flavor. The yellow “Granex” (which is, in fact, the Vidalia variety), “Candy,” and “Texas Supersweet” are all worthy substitutes. There are also some sweet reds available right now. And while you wouldn’t know it from shopping at Kroger, there are many, many types of garlic to choose from, with varying degrees of heat.
Most anything you might want to can this summer will be enhanced by the addition of garlic and onions, such as relishes, tomato sauce, salsas, and pickles of all sorts. Because we always have garlic, we’ve gotten into the habit of using it most every day in some form or fashion. It gives just enough kick to salad dressings, and roasted, it makes a healthy, flavorful spread for bread. (“Chesnok” and “Inchelium” reds are particularly good for roasting.)
Once cold and flu season rolls around, it’s good to have plenty of garlic on hand, as it’s a natural antiviral, antibacterial, and immune-boosting food. At the first sign of a sniffle, I crush a garlic clove and steep it in hot water for a few minutes, drink the “tea,” and consume the clove (which isn’t so pungent after steeping in hot water). I honestly can’t say when I last had a cold.
So, now's the time to try some new varieties of onions and garlic while they’re plentiful. You’ll be surprised by how different one onion, or bulb of garlic, can taste from another. You might even be inspired to grow some of your own, just be sure to mark your calendar. In Athens, garlic does best when planted in the fall, ahead of the first frost.
Here are simple instructions for roasting garlic:
Peel away the papery skin of a few large heads of garlic and arrange, root side down, in a baking dish or on a sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil, cover (or seal the foil) and bake at 400 degrees. Check after 20 minutes or so. When done, the garlic will be soft and easy to squeeze from its skin.
About this column: Lisa and her husband Geoff own and operate Dancing Sprout Farm on the Eastside of Athens.
Home remedies for common ills
Want to avoid taking drugs for your maladies because you don’t like the side effects, or you just don’t like taking medicines? Men’s Health has some DIY suggestions for all sorts of common problems like insomnia and headaches. Some of the proposed fixes, found in the April issue, are below. They mostly seem harmless. Let us know if they work:
+Instead of cough syrup, use honey: Take 2 teaspoons of buckwheat honey, the darker kind with more antioxidants, to coats the throat. It should relieve irritation that causes coughing. And it should help avoid dizziness that can come with DM, cough medicine’s active ingredient.
+Instead of NSAIDs or acetaminophen for lower back pain, use the Warrior Pose: Yoga poses can be therapeutic as well as strengthening. The poses can decrease or eliminate the need for pain meds, which can cause liver and gastrointestinal troubles.
+Instead of painkillers for frequent headaches, get more sleep: Avoid multiple active ingredients and decrease use of pain pills that can cause overuse headaches. Instead get consistent sleep can desensitize the areas of the brain associated with cranial pain.
+Instead of antidepressants for mild depression, try retraining your brain: Try a technique that is focused on controlling your negative reactions to thoughts and emotions by viewing them objectively. It’s called mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. It shifts awareness back on your body and its emotions.
+Instead of sleeping pills for insomnia, try staying awake a little later: Sleep medicines lose their effectiveness over time, so try going to bed later. To get back on track, push up bedtime in 20 minutes increments.
+Instead of laxatives, try drinking more water: Drinking two glasses of water before breakfast fills your colon with fluid and makes movements easier. Also try eating apples and bananas for more fiber that will stimulate bowel movements.
+Instead of daily asthma and allergy medicines, use an air filter: A filter will remove irritants that cause wheezing, chest tightness and coughing. If a whole-house air filtration system isn’t possible, buy a portable unit.
+Instead of antiviral influenza medications, use a humidifier: The flu virus likes drier air, so increasing humidity can reduce the virus’ survival. Use a humidifier in your bedroom set at 50 percent.
What food has potential super hero powers?
Ginger is power-packed with all kinds of health possibilities. Ginger is a triple threat in the food world. Eat it as a food, because it tastes so good, spice up your dishes with it to add nutrients and flavor, or use it medicinally to heal what ails you and keep your body strong.
“Healthy foods” don’t always sound appealing, but with spices such as garlic, turmeric, ginger and many others, these foods can turn into the best meals of your life. Whether you’re just beginning to start eating healthier, or you’ve been doing it for a while, ginger is one of those perfect gifts to the world of food.
Ginger was known in Arab countries as far back as 650 A.D. It was originally cultivated in South Asia, and now is mostly sourced from India, China, the Caribbean and East Africa. A perennial creeping plant that can grow from 1 to 3 feet tall, it requires a tropical climate with both a heavy rain season and a hot dry season. These nutritional powerhouse plants are harvested after nine to ten months, and then sent to local grocery stores.
This week, I wanted to share what I know about ginger, because it is one of my absolute favorite foods. Why? One, because I love the spicy, refreshing taste so much that it puts a huge zing in my step. And two, because of it’s amazing health properties or what I like to call "super powers." I don’t know about you, but when I’m eating great, taking in tons of nutrient dense foods and living an active life style, I almost feel like a super hero. The minute sugar creeps into my system, I want to become a couch potato. This is why I became a Wellness Hunter in the first place.
I used to be sick all the time and never knew just how unhealthy I was until I started changing what I consumed. Dr. Nick Barnes from 212 Degrees of Wellness in Wildwood has said: “We often can only feel 10 percent of what is really going on below the surface of the body, and sometimes we feel nothing bad at all.” For this reason alone, it’s important to power up your body with the fuel it needs to be on the road to super hero stardom. Ginger is one of the best foods out there that can help whip you back on the path to health. How you say?
This strong antixoidant and anti-inflammatory plant is high in potassium and is a good source of magnesium, copper, silicon, manganese and vitamin B6. The root contains many health benefiting essential oils such as gingerol, farnesene, shogaol, zingerone, and small amounts of β-phelladrene, cineol, and citral. These unique oils offer many of gingers healing properties.
Scientific research has shown how incredibly beneficial ginger is to our health. It can help:
* improve digestion
* reduce inflammation associated with arthritis, rheumatism and muscle spasms
* with treatment of asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory problems
* pain relief, such as migraines and menstrual cramping
* normalize cholesterol levels
* prevent arteriosclerosis
* prevent internal blood clots
* stimulate circulation of the blood, cleansing the bowels and kidneys
* remove toxins from the body
* treat nausea and vomiting due to motion sickness, morning sickness and chemotherapy
* relieve indigestion and stomach cramping
* as a strong decongestant
* ease joint stiffness and pain
* nourish the skin
* reduce anxiety
Common ways to put ginger to use:
* The suggested amount is 1/3 tsp. ground ginger, 1 tsp. fresh ginger root, up to three times daily or a daily supplement.
* Use as in immune tonic, helping to relieve symptoms of colds and flu, or to keep your system strong.
* Drink ginger tea after a bath or shower as it encourages sweating allowing toxins to be released through the pores of your skin.
* Chew a piece of candied ginger for a sore throat or to prevent motion sickness.
* Add ground, peeled and sliced or grated ginger to veggies, sauces and meats.
* Juice in a juicer to add to smoothies, juices and water. It may be kept refrigerated in a sealed container up to three, days.
Here's some tasty food recipes to try, and as far as drinks go, below are two of my ultimate favorites. Enjoy!
Editor's Note:
* Do not overuse ginger in early pregnancy or with peptic ulceration.
* Ginger may interact with some medications, including the anti-coagulant drug warfarin, which can cause severe bleeding.
* Ginger is not recommended for people suffering from gallstones, as it promotes the production of bile.
* As always, please consult your doctor with any questions before use.
Elderberry extract inhibits flu & respiratory tract infections
news medical - 03/18/2011
Historically, black elderberries were among the most regarded folk remedies for coughs, colds, and flu. Now modern science has authenticated these therapeutic properties. In February 2011, researchers at Justus-Liebig University in Geissen, Germany reported that a concentrated liquid extract of black elderberries (Sambucus nigra L.), commercially available as Rubini® - Elderberry Extract 3.2%, inhibited the growth of influenza A and B viruses and bacteria associated with upper respiratory tract infections. Artemis International, Inc.—the nation's experts in dark berry ingredients—has been actively supplying the U.S. with this elderberry extract for the past 16 years for its immune health benefits.
Antibacterial activity of the extract was demonstrated in liquid-cultured strains of pathogenic bacteria often found in association with upper respiratory tract infections. Depending on the concentration, the extract inhibited their growth by 70% to over 99%.
Studies on the antiviral activity of the extract were conducted and results showed that a low concentration of extract that would be safe to normal cells, significantly inhibited the growth of a highly contagious avian type A influenza virus and slower mutating type B influenza virus. Further tests showed cells pre-exposed to the extract had diminished levels of virus production of about 30% and 25% for type A and B influenza virus, respectively. These results suggest that the extract inhibits cell factors which allow the viruses to propagate.
Researchers commented that "Rubini elderberry extract is active against human pathogenic bacteria as well as influenza viruses. In addition, bacterial super-infection during ongoing influenza virus infections complicates the situation for the patient. It would therefore be useful to simultaneously target both. The activities shown by the elderberry extract suggest that alternative approaches to influenza infections might be provided by natural products."
Results of the collaborative efforts of researchers at the Institute for Medical Virology and the Institute for Medical Microbiology at Justus-Liebig University in Geissen, Germany were published February 25th, 2011 in the journal, BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
In 1644, one of the first books devoted to the medicinal uses of black elderberry, Anatomia Sambuci, was published in Latin by German-born physician, Martin Blochwich. An English translation was published in 2010 as The Anatomy of the Elder.
Source: Justus-Liebig University
Zinc cold remedy is not to be sneezed at
CAPE TOWN — Zinc supplements help ward off colds and lessen the severity of the illness should it strike, says a new review from the Oxford-based Cochrane Centre.
The research is exciting as it is the first concrete evidence of anything that might ameliorate the common cold, Prof Guy Richards, director of intensive care at Johannesburg’s Charlotte Maxeke Hospital , said yesterday.
Research on the effects of popular cold remedies such as vitamin C and echinacea had found no evidence to support their use, he said.
Zinc supplements have been a popular, if unproven, remedy for colds for many years. The idea that zinc might combat the common cold goes back to a study in 1984 which showed zinc lozenges shortened the duration of symptoms.
But since then further trials have produced conflicting results, leaving consumers unsure whether they were wasting their money on the supplements.
"The number of missed work days, and days when people feel grim, is enormous, so if you could reduce the incidence (of the common cold) it would be fantastic," Prof Richards said.
Unlike influenza, which can be prevented with a vaccine, there are no shots available for the common cold, which is caused by more than 100 viruses, said Dr Diana Hardie , a virologist at the University of Cape Town.
Infants typically suffer from 10 - 15 colds or respiratory tract infections a year, and in the US the common cold is estimated to be responsible for up to 40% of the days people take off work.
It had a similar effect in SA, Dr Hardie said.
The Cochrane review analysed 15 studies involving 1360 people, which investigated zinc’s effect on the common cold, dating back to the year 1984.
The review found that zinc syrup, lozenges or tablets taken within a day of the onset of cold symptoms reduced the severity and length of illness.
After a week, more of the patients who took zinc were symptom-free compared with those who took a placebo .
The research also found children who took zinc syrup or lozenges to prevent infection caught fewer colds and took less time off school than those who did not .
Zinc also reduced antibiotic use in children, because those taking the supplement were less likely to develop respiratory tract infections such as bronchitis or sinusitis.
There is little that can be done to avoid infections like colds because the viruses responsible are so common.
Cold viruses pass from person to person not only by coughs and sneezes, but also by touching contaminated surfaces such as door handles.
There is no proven treatment for the common cold, but experts believe zinc medications may help prevent and lessen infections by coating the common cold viruses and stopping them from entering the body through the thin lining of the nose. However, the researchers cautioned that the studies in the review varied so widely in the formulation of zinc used that it was impossible to guide consumers on what dose to take. More research was needed to guide patients and doctors, particularly as some forms of zinc supplements, particularly lozenges, caused side-effects such as diarrhoea and left a bad taste in the mouth in some patients.
"Our review only looked at zinc supplementation in healthy people," said Meenu Singh of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India .
"But it would be interesting to find out whether zinc supplementation could help asthmatics, whose asthma symptoms tend to get worse when they catch a cold."
Prof Richards agreed that more research was needed, but said it was unlikely to deter the manufacturers of zinc supplements from marketing their products with more vigour.
Boost Immune System with Natural Remedies
It’s still flu season in the US, although parts of the country are beginning to warm up. Even if you decided to get a flu shot, you might still catch something – a strain of the influenza virus that’s not covered in this year’s shot; a cold; or, if you’re a parent, whatever germs your kids bring home from school or daycare.
While there’s no way to assure you won’t get the sniffles this winter, there are natural remedies you can use to boost your immune system, thus lessening the likelihood of succumbing to the germs and viruses going around.
Essential oils may help to ward off colds. Mix oregano oil with olive oil and dab it on your shoulders, back, and the bottoms of your feet. You can do the same with cinnamon oil – put it on the bottoms of your feet, or hold it to your nose and breathe in the smell.
Add fresh lemon or a few drops of lemon oil to a glass of water. The acidity of lemon is said to help rebalance your body’s pH to a level in which healthy bacteria can thrive, while unhealthy bacteria will perish. You can also help rebalance your pH by adding apple cider vinegar to drinking water, putting it in salad dressing, or using it to marinate meat.
You can use homeopathy to strengthen your immune system. Interestingly, according to homeopaths, the remedy that’s best for you depends on your disposition. If you’re a Type A go-getter, nux vomica will shore up your immune defenses. Arsenicum album helps perfectionists who obsess about every detail, including their health. People who are passionate but not practical will do better with sulphur. Pulsatilla will fortify shy, quiet people who prefer to follow rather than lead the way.
There are a number of natural supplements you can take to boost your immune system. Traditional medical practitioners are still skeptical about the effectiveness of these substances; there is ongoing scientific research into whether they really heighten your ability to fight off disease. These supplements include aloe vera, Echinacea, garlic, ginseng, and licorice root. Of the five, garlic is turning up the most promising results: it appears to have a link to cancer prevention, although more research needs to be done before this can be confirmed.
If you’re allergic to ragweed, don’t take Echinacea: it’s possible you could go into anaphylactic shock. Astragalus is another immune-system-boosting supplement you’ll want to talk to a doctor before taking, as it can have dangerous side effects. It’s generally not safe for people with immune-system disorders like Crohn’s disease, lupus, multiple sclerosis or rheumatoid arthritis. Also, if you’re taking prednisone or other corticosteroids, or immunosuppressant medication, don’t take astralagus.
In addition to these remedies, it almost goes without saying that getting enough sleep, drinking plenty of water, taking a daily multivitamin, and eating a balanced diet will also help boost your immune system.
Originally published at GrannyMed
Flu season has some turning to Chinese remedies
HONG KONG — "Big Snake Mak" has a secret weapon to fend off the threat of flu -- it wriggles and hisses in a basket at his side. Snakes have been used in China for thousands of years to cure a host of ailments -- snake-fermented wine for arthritis, snake genitals for the kidneys and male sex drive, snake gall bladder for bronchitis. And snake, says "Big Snake Mak" -- otherwise known as serpent salesman Mak Tai-kwong -- is a proven flu fighter.
"Those that eat snake bile four to five times every year will have a stronger body and will have much lower chances of contracting the flu," Mak told AFP as he pulled a king cobra from his basket that he will kill, cook up and sell.
"Look at me, I'm over 80 but I rarely have the flu. It's because I eat snake regularly."
While not everyone would be inclined to follow Mak's lead, some in the teeming city of seven million are turning away from the traditional flu jab in favour of Chinese herbal treatments.
Freelance photographer Vincent Du used Chinese medicine for chronic asthma as a child and reckons that herbal remedies keep the flu bug at bay -- and ward off long-term illness.
"Western medicine takes effect faster but often has a lot of side effects," he said.
Bian Zhao Xiang, director of the Chinese medicine clinic at Hong Kong's Baptist University, said the number of flu patients at the clinic increased by 37 percent in the latter part of last year compared to the same period in 2009.
The university plans to build a HK$800 million ($100 million) teaching hospital that would provide the city's first in-patient Chinese medicine treatment.
"Chinese medicine is by far a better treatment for seasonal flu (compared to Western medicine), in terms of its effectiveness, side effects and symptom control," he said.
"In Chinese medicine, every patient will receive a personalised, tailor-made set of treatments specific to their body type."
Hong Kong is particularly nervous about infectious diseases, with at least 12 lives lost since the end of January to the deadly swine flu strain of the disease.
Dozens have been admitted to intensive care units with flu of some kind this year.
Officials from the city, which has some of the most densely packed neighbourhoods in the world, have been nervous since the 2003 SARS virus outbreak which killed 300 people in Hong Kong and another 500 around the world.
There is little concrete evidence of Chinese medicine's effectiveness as a flu killer, but many in the city and across China swear it works.
Chinese treatments involve using herbs such as powdered honeysuckle and forsythia, to keep the body?s Han (cold) and Re (hot) energies in harmony -- in addition to a healthy diet and acupuncture treatments.
Traditional remedies have been a crucial part of healthcare in China for thousands of years, and used for everything from disease prevention and treatment for diseases to relieving pain and soothing restlessness.
Hong Kong and China's central government have both urged citizens to use different herbal concoctions to beat the flu, and other ailments.
Even everyday foods like garlic, ginger, spring onion and vinegar can help ward off influenza, some say. However, like some Western medicines, the Chinese variety have drawn criticism with questions swirling about the production facilities and manufacturing standards in Hong Kong.
Even the industry concedes about half the Chinese medicine sold in Hong Kong had not been tested for the presence of toxic materials such as heavy metals and pesticide residues.
In response, the city's government introduced new legislation in December, banning all unregistered proprietary Chinese medicine with a maximum fine of HK$10,000 and two years in jail.
The move sparked anger among many Chinese medicine practitioners, but there seems little doubt Hong Kong residents will keep using traditional remedies despite the new regulations.
"Many youngsters nowadays turn to Chinese medicine," said Qiu Hong-zhen, a shopkeeper at a pharmacy that sells both Chinese and Western medicine.
"Western medicines are mostly for those looking for a quick fix, but it does not get to the root of the problem -- Chinese medicine is a thorough solution."
Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved.
Home Remedies: Which Work, Which Not So Hot
(CBS) NEW YORK -- If your mom gave you honey and lemon for a sore throat , you're not alone. And we've all heard chicken soup "can't hurt" -- but does it actually help?
What about other homemade treatments? Which home remedies are more myth than medicine, and which can actually help relieve symptoms?
On "The Early Show on Saturday Morning," registered dietician Samantha Heller shed light on the ones that can be effective, and which are nothing - to write home about:
Vitamin C
Research has not supported Linus Pauling's claims from the 1970s that mega doses of vitamin C would reduce the incidence of colds by 45 percent. A large clinical review found that taking vitamin C could be justified in persons exposed to brief periods of severe physical exercise and/or cold environments such as athletes. Also, those taking vitamin C as a preventative measure may experience a decrease in the duration of respiratory infections. One study found that when taken daily, vitamin C very slightly shorted cold duration -- by 8 percent in adults and by 14 percent in children. That said, vitamin C in important in many functions in the body and can be easily obtained from fruits and vegetables.
Humidifiers
Studies suggest they are helpful for the common cold. Also good for bronchitis, may help relieve symptoms. The CDC says humidifiers can help relieve symptoms of upper-respiratory infections, sore throats and coughs. Humidifiers work by moisturizing nasal and respiratory passages, which helps them fight off infection.
Chicken soup
Generations of parents have spooned chicken soup into their sick children. Now scientists have put chicken soup to the test, discovering that it does have effects that might help relieve cold and flu symptoms in two ways. First, it acts as an anti-inflammatory by inhibiting the movement of neutrophils - immune system cells that participate in the body's inflammatory response. Second, it temporarily speeds up the movement of mucus, possibly helping relieve congestion and limiting the amount of time viruses are in contact with the nose lining. Inhaling the warm steam from soup or tea raises the temperature of the respiratory passages and may help loosen thickened secretions.
Honey
One study found that honey eased the symptoms of coughing due to an upper respiratory tract infection in children better than OTC medicines. Honey has antiviral and antibacterial properties. Besides, it tastes good and soothes sore throats.
Honey dressings are used to treat pressure sores, skin ulcers, boils, surgical wounds and burns. Experts say that honey has numerous beneficial actions in the healing process, the most important of which is the suppression of inflammation through its antibacterial activity. Honey's unique healing abilities stem from its composition, which includes glucose, fructose, and glucose oxidase. The sugar content keeps microorganisms from growing and glucose oxidase produces hydrogen peroxide that provides direct antibacterial protection. But don't try this at home. Experts recommend having a qualified medical practitioner apply wound dressings with honey.
Lemon
It has been suggested lemon juice can cut mucus though there are no scientific studies to support that. However, lemons are high in vitamin C and may have antiviral and antibacterial properties.
Starve and Feed
Your body needs energy to fight off invading microbes. Restricting food intake can deplete your body's energy reserves and make it more vulnerable to infection. In addition by not eating or drinking you can become dehydrated which impairs the body's natural defense systems. Over feeding contributes to weight gain. Depending upon what you eat you may be lowering your resistance by internal inflammation which would make you susceptible to infections.
Elderberry Stops Influenza A & B Fast!
In a double blind clinical trial on patients infected with the influenza virus, 90 percent of the group taking Elderberry extract recovered completely from the fever, chills, body aches, and cough twice as fast as the group receiving the placebo (within 3 days rather than 7).
Elderberry disarms viruses by binding to them and preventing them from getting into the body. Flavonoids found in the berries are thought to coat the virus and inhibit the action of an enzyme called neuraminidase that otherwise would break down the cell wall membrane and allow the virus to spread. Elderberry also enhances immunity by increasing the production of special white blood cells that fight viruses and acts as a potent antioxidant.
Herbal remedies offer cold and flu relief
Herbal specialists offer basic ways to boost the immune system during winter's cold and flu season.
The first step is a healthy lifestyle. Exercise and adequate hydration are vital. The water in juices is harder for the body to process. Just drink water.
That’s what Gene Ridley, a naturopath and naprapath with Natural Herbal Solutions in Chicago, recommends to fight colds and flu this winter.
And Seanna Tully, clinical services manager of the Apothecary at WholeHealth Chicago, said foods like vegetables, soups and stews are high in nutrients and good for the immune system during winter.
Other foods can actually lower the immune system’s ability to function, said Tully. People should avoid phlegm-producing diets - those high in fried foods, dairy or sugar. Even large amounts of soda, which is high in sugar, can lower the immune system’s ability to function.
Certainly people shouldn’t avoid fruit. Try for two to three servings per day. “Fruit is an excellent source of vitamin C, so you don’t want to blow that off,” said Tully.
Herbal practitioners agree that vitamins and minerals, especially C, D and zinc, are important in strengthening the immune system. Another immune booster is mushrooms.
“Mushrooms can be so effective in supporting the immune system,” said Tully, but she emphasized that button mushrooms can be harmful to some people with a yeast sensitivity. Instead, they should eat shiitake and maitake mushrooms.
When influenza or colds hit, the important steps to recovery are still rest and hydration. Drinking fluids helps to thin mucus, making it easier for the body to expel.
Elizabeth Heinz, an acupuncturist, herbalist and specialist in Chinese medicine at The Healing Point in Chicago, said, “Ginger is one of the best things you can take.”
Ginger tea can be made by slicing raw ginger root and boiling it for 20 minutes. Sip it until it causes sweating, which, in Chinese medicine, opens up the pores and releases trapped pathogens from the skin, Heinz said.
Ridley said different kinds of colds require different remedies. For example, lingering colds centered in the chest can benefit from herbs that break up phlegm, such as horehound, colt’s foot and pleurisy root.
Various herbal treatments speed up recovery if people dose at the onset, Ridley and Tully noted. Echinacea can be effective, but is best when taken in a liquid form, said Tully. The liquid stimulates the surface area of the throat and the immune system, and is metabolized by the body faster than when it’s in a capsule.
Heinz and Tully agreed that Umcka, made from a South African geranium root, is a consistently good treatment. Usually taken as a liquid - it comes in a packet like Theraflu - it shortens the duration of the sickness if taken within the first 48 hours of feeling sick. There are a number of herbal decongestants and cough syrups on the market.
Gargling salt water a few times a day - about 30 minutes apart - relieves a sore throat. Salt and baking soda help kill bacteria and stop the growth of yeast and fungi. Ridley suggested a half teaspoon each of salt and baking soda to a half to a full cup of water.
In addition to herbal remedies, practitioners suggest keeping the nasal membranes moist. Ridley suggested keeping a bowl of water - warm or cold - to improve winter humidity while sleeping. This makes for a better night’s sleep in general and also helps lubricate the nasal membranes.
Humidifiers provide another source of moisture.
A saline nasal spray - homemade or store-bought - moistens nasal membranes as well. The salt also pulls liquids to it, helping flush out mucus.
The more salt in the solution, the greater the decongesting effect, said Tully: one-quarter to one-eighth teaspoon of salt, with maybe a pinch of baking soda, for each cup of water. But non-iodized salt is best, she said, because iodine feels like it burns the nasal passages.
Demulcent herbs - such as marshmallow and plantain leaf, both of which are available in capsules - are one option to improve the quality of mucus in the body. They moisten the body so it can expel pathogenic mucus.
For relief, eucalyptus and menthol are decongestants that open the nasal membranes. Both are available as nasal inhalers and lozenges.
Dressing warmly and washing hands, just like Mother said, is the best preventative medicine.
Before trying alternative remedies, always check with your doctor about whether it conflicts with any medications you are already taking.
Ancient herbs and spices to rejuvenate and heal (Part 1)
When discussing herbs, aromatic seeds, and spices, it is difficult to cite one without citing the others. Because different ones contain particular cleansing, digestive, energizing, balancing, rejuvenating, healing, anti-inflammatory, or antimicrobial properties, they give better results when combined.
The spice and herb shopkeeper (attar) was once the pharmacist and healer of the Arab village. During the times of the Pharoahs, Egyptian healers performed miracles with simple natural plant-based remedies that were kept under great secrecy among them. Because the antidotes produced miraculous effects and cures, such healers were once called witch doctors.
It is also of no wonder that in current and ancient China, natural pharmacies come in huge sizes, containing alleys of thousands of boxes of endless varieties of healing seeds, roots, dried leaves, shrubs, gum, berries, bark, twigs, nuts, and other parts of plants, cultivated or grown in the wild. For millenniums in many cultures, fresh or dried plants or their decoctions have been known to heal and protect the human body, especially if they are used in the correct manner by specialized natural healers.
Healing with plants was not only an art but also a science. Centuries ago, great Muslim scholars, scientists, alchemists, and doctors (tabeeb, or hakeem) like Ibn Seena (Avicenne), Ibn Arushd, and others wrote books and compiled encyclopedias about thousands of medicinal herbs and their effects on different parts of the body.
Professor of pharmacology and herbalist, Jabbar Al-Qahtani at King Saud University, Riyadh, wrote an updated encyclopedia about the many varieties of herbs, seeds, and spices grown around the globe, their uses, doses, and healing benefits on different diseases.
I sometimes wonder why modern medicine and allopathic doctors reject the simple idea of using plants for healing and restoring health and energy. Is it because natural remedies cannot be patented and the financial rewards are not big enough for the drug industry? Then, why doesn’t the pharmaceutical industry announce that ‘red rice yeast’ is an active ingredient in certain patented statins to reduce cholesterol or that ‘aged star anise’ is the main compound that protects against the swine flu virus in Tamiflu vaccine? The answer to such questions is no big mystery. I shall leave that for you to figure out while I probe into a drop of the ocean of healing herbs, seeds, and spices.
Ginger is a digestive root that comes with a pungent flavor. It has many healing characteristics. It helps decongest the sinuses. The chopped root can be added to infusions such as chamomile or rosemary leaves three times daily to relieve sinus congestion.
Ginger relieves nausea and indigestion. The juice of one lime and a spoon of ginger juice should be added to a glass of sparkling water to ease both discomforts. The root not only has digestive and nausea-soothing qualities, but also detoxifies the intestines, protecting against food poisoning. Japanese delicacies like sushi and sashimi are always served with pickled ginger and wasabi (like horse-radish) to prevent food poisoning from raw fish.
Ginger also has significant effects in the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease (cholesterol) and cancer due to its potent anti-inflammatory and detoxifying properties. According to a study at the University of Michigan, the root has compounds that trigger “cancer cells to self-destruct (a process known as ‘apoptosis’).”
A very recent research has found that turmeric mixed with black pepper produced an inhibiting effect on the propagation of breast cancer cells as well as the growth of colon and lung tumors in animals. In combination with gingerroot, it delivered similar actions.
Turmeric is another root that has a healing orange-yellow pigment, rich in detoxifying antioxidants. It is the basic ingredient in the Indian curry powder. Studies have shown the anti-inflammatory effects of turmeric on cardiovascular system, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer. In other studies, turmeric’s antioxidant potency also demonstrated effectiveness by delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and preventing vascular disorders, resulting from cholesterol buildup.
The active compound curcumin, also found in mustard and cumin seeds, suppresses inflammation-causing enzymes provoked by bruises, fractures, and swelling. The Indians add turmeric powder to milk or yogurt to reduce inflammation and speed the healing of bone fractures and bruises.
Garlic’s sulfur compounds are very powerful. They have antioxidant effects that bolster the immune responses against bacteria, yeast, and disease. Garlic has similar active compounds to broccoli, which act on breast cancer cells. Chemicals in the pungent bulb fight the oxidation of cholesterol in blood vessels. Researchers have demonstrated the benefits of garlic on heart and cardiovascular health. Aged-garlic supplements lowered cholesterol levels and high blood pressure in un-medicated sufferers. An Australian study found that patients who took four capsules of garlic extract capsules managed their blood pressure better than those who took placebo. Garlic has anticoagulant agents that prevent platelet aggregation, reducing risk of blood clots and stroke.
Garlic’s potent properties treat acidic and yeast conditions. The condiment also has antioxidant characteristics that counteract free radical damage.
An old remedy of garlic-pickled olive oil relieves ear aches and infections by instilling a couple of warm drops in affected ears. Clear chicken stock, made with a head of garlic, four onions, ginger, and black peppers, relieves influenza patients by decreasing the symptoms of the cold and flu and shortening their duration.
Red peppers and cayenne powder have a pungency that enhances the flavor of food as well as a potency that is detoxifying and antimicrobial. Their powerful compound capsaicin causes the release of endorphins that alleviate pain and dilate blood vessels, thus lowering arterial pressure and increasing blood flow to the heart and brain. The pungent compound has potent anti-inflammatory and anti-clotting effects and produces heat that energizes the circulation of the blood, thus lowering the occurrence of stroke and blood clotting. Certain healers recommend it to prevent fatal heart attacks.
Capsaicin, in studies, appeared to suppress the prevalence of cancer cells by destroying them. Obesity and diabetes can be helped with the addition of hot peppers to the daily diet. They stimulate the metabolism, increase energy, and inhibit the growth of fat cells. In ancient cultures, peppers were used to treat heartburn and lower fever.
Cayenne powder acts as a catalyst when mixed with other herbs. It enhances their effectiveness through stimulating the circulation, thus speeding the digestion, delivery, and absorption of the medicinal plant in the body. In ancient cultures, peppers were used to treat heartburn and lower fever. The piquancy of capsaicin is sometimes more than one can handle; a sip of milk or a spoon of yogurt soothes the burning sensation in the mouth.
Cayenne’s nutritional analysis is very interesting. The condiment, or vegetable, contains a variety of nutrients. It is rich in vitamins A and C, essential minerals like calcium, zinc, selenium, and magnesium, and both insoluble fiber for the digestion, and soluble fiber for heart hygiene. It also offers an important compound for the heart and cardiovascular health, nitro-glycerin, which acts as a blood vessel dilator, preventing fatal cardiac attacks.
The Middle Eastern and Indian kitchens pride in the endless varieties of herbs and spices they contain. Each kind offers flavoring culinary uses as well as multiple therapeutic benefits in so many different ways. They can be added to salads, soups, sauces, stews, roasts, and bakery; infused in hot drinks; or blended into medicinal formula. They are also found in supplement forms in health stores. Because of their multifaceted aspects and different utilization, they are important to keep in your pantry for health use.
The list of herbs and spices has grown too long for one article; hence I decided to break it in two parts in order to give you the time to contemplate and fully absorb the above-cited ones. So, until next week for the remainder of the series!
N.B.: Individuals with medical conditions or on medication should consult their physicians when they decide to introduce anything new in their diet even if it is natural.
Immune Health: Botanicals
Fruits and vegetables represent classic plant-based delivery of numerous nutrients and a fitting entry into plant-based ingredients for immune health. A 2010 report in the British Journal of Nutrition showed regular intake of a supplement made from fruit and vegetables (Juice Plus+®) resulted in a 20-percent reduction of moderate or severe common cold symptom days in health care professionals, particularly those with regular patient contact.1 The trial involved mainly nursing staff (18 to 65 years old, n=529) from a university hospital who were randomly assigned to take either 4 capsules daily of Juice Plus+ or placebo capsules for eight months. Based on self-reporting, researchers calculated the mean number of days with moderate-to-severe common cold symptoms was 7.6 days in the Juice Plus+ group and 9.5 days in placebo group. There were no differences between the groups on number of days with any common cold symptoms.
Another supplement with roots in the produce aisle is garlic, which has long been used against bacterial, viral and parasitic infections.2 Prior studies on aged garlic extract (AGE)—as Kyolic®, from Wakunaga—showed the supplement can increase the number and activity of NK cells, especially in patients with inoperable cancer or AIDS,3 as well as stimulate proliferation of splenocytes, cytokine release and macrophage activity.4 Also, chronic administration of AGE may help improve age-related immune response deterioration.5
Most recently, a 2010 in vitro investigation into the effects of immunomodulatory proteins from raw garlic on certain immune cells (lymphocytes, mast cells and basophils) revealed mitogenic (promotes cell duplication).6 Of three garlic proteins studied, QR-2 was found most potent at stimulating mitosis of human peripheral blood lymphocytes, murine spenlocytes and thymocytes, as well as inducing a two-fold higher histamine release from leukocytes. In the end, researchers concluded both QR-1 and -2 contribute to garlic’s immunomodulatory actions with characteristics similar to Allium sativum agglutinins I and II, respectively.
Pomegranate has demonstrated usefulness in cases of cerebral malaria, an infection by Plasmodium falciparum that is driven by inflammatory cytokines, and is marked by up-regulation and activities of metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and TNF production.7 Researchers studied the effect of an anti-malarial formulation featuring pomegranate ellagitannins in T helper (Thp-1) cells stimulated with haemozoin (parasitic by-product) or TNF, finding the tannin preparation inhibited MMP-9 secretion and promoter activities, as well as NFkappaB-driven transcription.
Fruits like pomegranates are popularly consumed as beverages, which is a viable delivery form for the many plant compounds deemed beneficial to immune function. German researchers published results in 2010 of a study wherein a polyphenol-rich beverage showed immune-modulating effects by reducing symptoms of the common cold.8 In the trial, 98 patients with common cold symptoms (beginning no longer than 24 hours before the study intervention) were randomly assigned to consume either the polyphenolic beverage or a placebo twice per day for 10 days, after which researchers assessed severity of the disease as the total score of five cold symptoms: general feeling of sickness, headache and/or joint aches, sore throat and/or difficulty swallowing, hoarseness and/or cough and stuffy nose/sniffle. In the treatment group, this total score decreased from 10.2 points at baseline to 2.1 at the trial’s end, while the scores in the placebo group decreased only from 10.5 to 6.3 during the same period. Further, more patients in the treatment group than in the placebo group were complaint-free at the study’s end. Physical examinations confirmed the significant differences between the group’s symptom changes.
From the popular beverage green tea comes L-theanine, which has been studied alongside with fellow amino acid cysteine on immune challenges in endurance athletes—intense exercise is associated with increased blood neutrophil counts and decreased lymphocyte counts, and can lead to inflammation and immunosuppression. A Japanese study reported in 2010 compared combined supplementation (700 mg/d cystine + 280 mg/d theanine) with placebo in long-distance runners for a week prior to and nine days during training.9 In those taking the combined supplement, changes in neutrophil count on the first day of training were less pronounced, but there was no such effect observed at the end of training. Similarly, the decline in lymphocyte count was less drastic in the supplement group on the first day of training, but not the last.
Botanicals have native defense systems, the components of which are considered potentially useful to human immune systems. While numerous herbal remedies have been employed for immune health over the centuries, one of the most well-known today is Echinacea, which was used traditionally by Native Americans for its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.
A 2003 review of Echinacea purpea studies by Bruce Barrett, MD, Ph.D., from University of Wisconsin, Madison, noted purpea extracts demonstrate significant immunomodulatory activities, the most convincing of which is macrophage activation.10 Activation of leukocytes and NK cells had been reasonably demonstrated, according to Barrett’s review, whereas alterations of T- and B-cell activities were less certain. In the end, he concluded despite the existence of some good-quality data, the effectiveness and application of E. purpurea in immune health had not been proven beyond reasonable doubt.
Barrett’s subsequent randomized trials on Echinacea in treatment of common cold and upper respiratory infections (URIs) yielded non-convincing results. However, he found decreased frequency of a second cold among Echinacea subjects in his trial on URIs in children.11 However, the 2010 randomized trial on the common cold in 719 patients aged 12 to 80 years found only a half-day benefit in illness duration among those taking Echinacea.12 Still, Indena reports its proprietary studies on Polinacea™ standardized extract of Echinacea angustifolia root (>2 percent echinoside) show effectiveness in reducing mortality from C. albicans infection in an animal model. The company said the key may be in removing lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which can produce a nonspecific immune response, from the extract. LPS-free Polinacea dose dependently stimulated CD3-treated isolated T lymphocytes to produce and release interferon gamma.
Fellow longtime immunomodulatory herb astragalus also impacts T-cell-mediated immunity. Past studies have shown astragalus influences TNFa production, in addition to enhancing macrophage phagocytic activity and lymphocyte response in cases of immunosuppression.13,14 In 2010, Chinese researchers reported on their laboratory investigation of astragalus polysaccharides on dendritic cells and subsequent T cell activation, noting results showed the intervention can differentiate splenic dendritic cells and enhance T lymphocyte immune function via shifting Th2 to Th1 cells.15 Other Chinese research published in 2010 showed astragalus induced apoptosis in nasopharyngeal (upper part of pharynx) carcinoma cells;16 and astralagus polysaccharides stimulate expression of a gene (TLR4) that have been found to convey antimicrobial activities on bladder epithelial cells, in addition to secreting IL-6 and IL-8, and inhibiting bladder epithelial cell bacterial invasion (E. coli).17
Astragalus and fellow Traditional Chinese herb Andrographis paniculata were among several immunomodulatory botanical extracts —including elderberry—found to induce genes involved in immune cell activation and inflammatory cytokine response.18 Researchers treated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PMBCs)—which are rich in T-cells, B-cells, NK cells, monocytes, macrophages and dendritic cells—and found astragalus treatment induced expression of several hundred cellular genes, as did elderberry; andrographis expressed fewer genes. They noted the presence of LPS in the extracts, but some evidence showed the beneficial actions charted were not just due to LPS.
Other research published in 2010 indicated andrographis extract and isolate andrographolide administered to animal metastatic tumor cells both enhanced antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity, compared to no treatment; the treatments also increased serum IL-2 and TIMP-1 (tissue inhibitor of MMPs) , while reducing levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines including Il-1B, IL-6 and TNFa.19
Controlling inflammation is also a specialty of curcumin, which has demonstrated modulation of inflammation in several studies, according to a 2010 review.20 Other 2010 study reports indicated curcumin inhibits TLR gene expression and function in human monocytes and neutrophils;21 interferes with colonic inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) by inhibiting chemokine expression and neutrophil chemotaxis and chemokinesis;22 enhances T cells ability to kill cancer cells;23 and regulates intestinal inflammation by down-regulating Th1-type immune responses and preventing bacterial translocation in the gut.24
Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis), a uni-cellular microalgae, is brimming with nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, enzymes, protein/amino acids, carotenoids and fatty acids such as gamma linolenic acid (GLA). In a 2010 review of spirulina research, Bob Capeilli and Gerald Cysewski, both of Cyanotech Corp., not only explained this richness of nutrients, but also detailed the various proposed mechanisms of action for this ingredient on infection.25 They reported spirulina increases resistance to infections and stimulates production of cytokines and antibodies, in addition to activating macrophages, T cells and B cells. Spirulina extracts have shown efficacy against various infections, including herpes virus, cytomegalovirus and influenza virus. They further noted Japanese scientists studying hot water spirulina extracts on cancer and viral infections reported supplementation increased NK cell gamma interferon and IL-12p40, in addition to possibly affecting signal responses via toll-like receptors (TLRs) important to the innate immune response.
The review also noted Danish in vitro and human clinical studies on spirulina (as Immunlina, from Scandinavian Clinical) found the extract strongly inhibited TT and Candida albicans infection, and enhanced several immune markers including TNFa, interferon gamma and IL-6. Phycocyanin, a highly antioxidative pigment in spirulina, also increases resistance to disease, in addition to positively impacting IgE antibodies, according to the review.
A 2010 Taiwanese in vitro trial confirmed some of these spirulina benefits, as a hot water extract of spirulina administered to shrimp enhanced innate immunity and increased resistance to Vibrio alginolyticus infection, which can cause ear infections or inflammation or wound infection.26 Both shrimp injected with various doses of spirulina and those dropped into seawater containing various levels of spirulina had increased survival rates, compared to control shrimp—phagocytic activity toward V. alginolyticus bacteria increased in the spirulina groups.
REFERENCES:
1. Roll S et al. “Reduction of common cold symptoms by encapsulated juice powder concentrate of fruits and vegetables: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.” Br J Nutr. 2011 Jan;105(1):118-22.
2. Goncagul G and Ayaz E. “Antimicrobial effect of garlic (Allium sativum).” Recent Pat Antiinfect Drug Discov. 2010 Jan 1;5(1):91-3.
3. Abdullah T et al. Onkologie. 1989;21:52-3.
4. Kyo E et al. Phytomedicine. 1998. 5(4):259-67.
5. Zhang Y et al. “Nutraceuticals: Designer Foods III Garlic, Soy and Licorice.” Food & Nutrition Press, Trumbell Conn. 1997. pp. 117-29
6. Clement F et al. “Identity of the immunomodulatory proteins from garlic (Allium sativum) with the major garlic lectins or agglutinins.” Int Immunopharmacol. 2010 Mar;10(3):316-24.
7. Dell’Agli M et al. “Ellagitannins of the fruit rind of pomegranate (Punica granatum) antagonize in vitro the host inflammatory response mechanisms involved in the onset of malaria.” Malar J. 2010 Jul 19;9:208.
8. Shutz K et al. “Immune-modulating efficacy of a polyphenol-rich beverage on symptoms associated with the common cold: a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, multi-centric clinical study.” British J Nutr. 2010;104: 1156-1164.
9. Murakami S et al. “Suppression of exercise-induced neutrophilia and lymphopenia in athletes by cystine/theanine intake: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.” J Intl Soc Sports Nutr. 2010;7:23.
10. Barrett B. “Medicinal properties of Echinacea: a critical review.” Phytomedicine. 2003 Jan;10(1):66-86.
11. Barrett B et al. “Efficacy and safety of echinacea in treating upper respiratory tract infections in children: a randomized controlled trial.” J Pediatr. 2004 Jul;145(1):135-6.
12. Barrett B et al. “Echinacea for treating the common cold: a randomized trial.” Ann Intern Med. 2010 Dec 21;153(12):769-77.
13. Cho WC, Leung KN. “In vitro and in vivo immunomodulating and immunorestorative effects of Astragalus membranaceus.” J Ethnopharmacol. 2007 Aug 15;113(1):132-41.
14. Clement-Kruzel S et al. “Immune modulation of macrophage pro-inflammatory response by goldenseal and Astragalus extracts.” J Med Food. 2008 Sep;11(3):493-8.
15. Liu QY et al. “Astragalus polysaccharides regulate T cell-mediated immunity via CD11c(high)CD45RB(low) DCs in vitro.” J Ethnopharmacol. 2010; Published online ahead of print on July 8, 2010.
16. Song Y et al. “Antitumor and immunoregulatory effects of astragalus on nasopharyngeal carcinoma In Vivo and In Vitro.” Phytother Res. 2010 Dec 14. doi: 10.1002/ptr.3354.
17. Yin X et al. “Enhancement of the innate immune response of bladder epithelial cells by Astragalus polysaccharides through upregulation of TLR4 expression.” Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2010 Jun 25;397(2):232-8.
18. Chao Ww et al. “The production of nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2 in peritoneal macrophages is inhibited by Andrographis paniculata, Angelica sinensis and Morus alba ethyl acetate fractions.” J Ethnopharmacol. 2009 Feb 25;122(1):68-75.
19. Sheeja K and Kuttan G. “Andrographis paniculata downregulates proinflammatory cytokine production and augments cell mediated immune response in metastatic tumor-bearing mice.” Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2010;11(3):723-9.
20. Svrivastava RM et al. “Immunomodulatory and therapeutic activity of curcumin.” Int Immunopharmacol. 2010; Published online ahead of print Sept. 8.
21. Shuto T et al. “Curcumin decreases toll-like receptor-2 gene expression and function in human monocytes and neutrophils.” Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2010 Aug 6;398(4):647-52.
22. Larmonier CB et al. “Modulation of neutrophil motility by curcumin: Implications for inflammatory bowel disease.” Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2011 Feb;17(2):503-15.
23. Bhattacharyya S et al. “Curcumin reverses T cell-mediated adaptive immune dysfunctions in tumor-bearing hosts.” Cell Mol Immunol. 2010 Jul;7(4):306-15.
24. Bereswill S et al. “Anti-inflammatory effects of resveratrol, curcumin and simvastatin in acute small intestinal inflammation.” PLoS One. 2010 Dec 3;5(12):e15099.
25. Capelli B and Cysewski G. “Potential Health Benefits of Spirulina Microalgae: A review of Existing Literature.” NUTRA foods. 2010;9(2):19-26.
26. Tayag CM et al. “Administration of the hot-water extract of Spirulina platensis enhanced the immune response of white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei and its resistance against Vibrio alginolyticus.” Fish Shellfish Immunol. 2010;28(5-6):764-73
Remedies for a runny nose
It's a common thing to suffer from a runny nose especially since it is the cold and flu season right now; however, if you are one of those people who are easily prone to allergies, chances are that you might be suffering from a runny nose all twelve months of the year. Whatever may be the reason for you having a runny nose, you cannot take it lightly and must take proper precautions to combat it.
Here are some remedies to help you curb that runny nose:
- Drink lots of water. It is important to keep yourself hydrated to keep the sinuses moist and less prone to infection.
- Stay in a warm environment. Being in an air-conditioned environment will aggravates your cold and runny nose, making you prone to headaches too. It will also dry and thicken the mucus present.
- You need to increase the intake of vitamin C in your body. Eat fruits that are rich in vitamin C like oranges, strawberries and other citrus fruits. Alternatively, you can take vitamin C tablets.
- Using saline nasal sprays is another option. These help to rinse and thin the mucus, and gets rid of the irritants present.
- Chewing ginger will help curb runny nose. Chew some finely sliced raw ginger, thrice a day. This is a highly effective natural home remedy.
- Blow your nose gently and avoid swallowing the mucus.
Fight Cold and Flu with Natural Diet and Super Nutrients
When given the opportunity our body has the amazing capacity to thwart many diseases and illnesses including the common cold and influenza. When we provide our immune system with the necessary tools to fight bacteria and viruses, vibrant health will always be the natural result.
The typical processed food diet is void of the nutrients we require to fuel our immune system and we become a magnet for a host of circulating pathogens that cause suffering for millions each year. Proper diet and targeted natural immune nutrients will help you and your family to prevent cold and flu by boosting your innate immune response.
Eat Natural Foods, Avoid Sugar to Boost Immunity
Diet is the single most important lifestyle process that is within your control to help your immune system. Simply put, sugar suppresses our immune system by inhibiting the ability of white blood cells to engulf bacterial and viral invaders.
The result of a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) demonstrates that the amount of sugar in two sweetened beverages lowers immune response by 50% for up to five hours after drinking or eating. A diet filled with complex carbohydrates has no detrimental effect on immunity and the high nutritional content of fresh vegetables, nuts and seeds provide the building blocks required to mount a healthy attack as needed.
Vitamin D Activates Killer T Cells
Health conscious individuals who ensure proper blood levels of vitamin D appear to have the ultimate defense against the cold and flu. The journal Nature Immunology provides details of the synergy between the sunshine vitamin and our adaptive immune killer T cells. Vitamin D is shown to provide the activation key that stimulates T cells into action when invaders are detected.
Virtually every cell in our body has a vitamin D receptor that is only filled when sufficient amounts are circulating in the blood. A deficiency in this essential compound leaves the cellular receptor open and available for viral hijacking. A separate AJCN study shows that vitamin D is far superior to vaccines at preventing the flu. Maintain your vitamin D blood levels between 50 and 70 ng/ml for optimal protection.
Vitamin C Prepares Immune Cells for Action
Vitamin C has been shown to increase the number of infection-fighting white blood cells and stimulates the production of interferon. Interferon provides a protective coating to the surface of cells that prevents penetration by viruses. Research published in the Journal of Immunology explains that up to 5 grams of vitamin C are needed daily to activate the production of interferon for general health and up to 1 gram every hour should be used when fighting a cold or the flu.
The importance of a strong immune response cannot be underestimated. Elimination of sugar and processed carbohydrates from your diet should be the first step in boosting your front line response. Adding natural nutrients including vitamins C and D have proven effective in providing top notch protection against the common cold and flu virus.
Obesity boosts, vitamin D cuts swine flu death risk
Being obese, particularly extremely or morbidly obese boosts risk of death from viruses and viral diseases like H1n1 or swine flu infection, a new study in the Feb 1, 2011 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases.
The study led by Janice K. Louie and colleagues of California Department of Public Health in Richmond, California showed about 50 percent of Californians aged 20 or older who died from H1N1 or were hospitalized for the infection in 2009 were obese. A person with his body mass index of greater than 30 or 40 kilos per meter squared is by definition obese or extremely obese respectively. For the study, the researchers looked at 534 adult cases of 2009 pandemic influenza A or H1N1 infection and observed that 43 percent of patients were aged 50 years or older and 72 percent had influenza-related high risk conditions recognized by the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice. Fifty-one percent of H1N1 patients had a BMI of greater than 30. Among those who died, 61 percent had a BMI of greater than 30 and 30 percent had a BMI of greater than 40 or were extremely obese.
Being obese (BMI greater than 30) or extremely obese (BMI greater than 45) was correlated with 200 or 300 percent increased risk of death from H1N1 virus, respectively.
The researchers concluded "Half of Californians ≥20 years of age hospitalized with 2009 H1N1 infection were obese. Extreme obesity was associated with increased odds of death. Obese adults with 2009 H1N1 infection should be treated promptly and considered in prioritization of vaccine and antiviral medications during shortages."
"They (extremely obese persons) should also see their health provider early if symptoms of influenza develop, so that they can get diagnosed and treated as quickly as possible. This is especially important if the influenza virus is known to be circulating in the community and causing illness," Dr. Louie said.
Dr. Louie also said more research is needed to help understand why extremely obese people are more likely to die from the 2009 H1N1 influenza infection.
The fact that extremely obese people are at higher risk of death from H1N1 infection may have something to do with their low vitamin D status, a health observer suggested.
According to Dr. John Cannell, a vitamin D expert and director of Vitamin D Council, two physicians, one in Wisconsin and the other in George reported evidence that suggests taking high doses of vitamin D prevented H1N1 infection.
And Fish E. and colleagues of University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health reported in the Dec 2010 issue of the Journal of Surgical Research that 84 percent of morbidly obese patients were vitamin D deficient.
The researchers suggested that elevated BMI and increasing degrees of obesity may be risk factors for vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D has been known to be involved in innate immunity against viruses and viral diseases like swine flu or H1N1.
Doctors say seaweed can be effective at beating swine flu as Tamiflu
SCIENTISTS believe they may have tracked down a vital weapon against killer swine flu - seaweed.
Research has shown that an extract of red seaweed - widely found around Scotland's coast - could be as effective at blocking the deadly H1N1 virus as current drug Tamiflu.
German doctor Andreas Grassauer said: "Influenza viruses still represent a substantial threat to public health on a global scale.
"And with increasing viral resistance to Tamiflu the need for alternatives has never been greater."
Researchers at Vienna University found that seaweed extract carrageenan helped create a barrier inside the nose and blocked cold and flu viruses, including swine flu.
Dr Grassauer said: "This confirms that carrageenan can be used as an alternative and should be further tested for prevention and treatment of influenza in clinical trials in humans."
News of the breakthrough came as mum Ashleigh Morrision continued to fight for her life in Crosshouse Hospital, Kilmarnock. She is one of three pregnant woman battling swine flu at the Ayrshire hospital. The other two women were in the early stages of pregnancy when they were diagnosed with the virus and were treated with powerful antibiotics in a atempt to blitz it.
Swine flu killed 69 people in Scotland last year.
Sunday Mail doc Gareth Smith said: "Tamiflu can cause side effects which leaves people feeling pretty grotty.
"And viruses are smart and can evolve - one tiny change can be enough to make current treatments ineffective.
"Over the next two or three years, there will be more and more strains of flu virus which may be resistant to Tamiflu. "There have not been any new antibiotics for the last 15 years or so.
"But if you can snort something up your nose that stops the virus getting into the body, that is very effective."
Avoid colds and flu by eliminating sugar and enlisting the natural duo
(NaturalNews) When given the opportunity our body has the amazing capacity to thwart many diseases and illnesses including the common cold and influenza. When we provide our immune system with the necessary tools to fight bacteria and viruses, vibrant health will always be the natural result. The typical processed food diet is void of the nutrients we require to fuel our immune system, and we become a magnet for a host of circulating pathogens that cause suffering for millions each year. Proper diet and targeted natural immune nutrients will help you and your family prevent cold and flu by boosting your innate immune responses.
Eat Natural Foods, Avoid Sugar to Boost Immunity
Diet is the single most important lifestyle process that is within your control to help your immune system. Simply put, sugar suppresses our immune system by inhibiting the ability of white blood cells to engulf bacterial and viral invaders.
The results of a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) demonstrates that the amount of sugar in two sweetened beverages lowers immune response by 50% for up to five hours after drinking or eating. A diet filled with complex carbohydrates has no detrimental effect on immunity and the high nutritional content of fresh vegetables, nuts and seeds provide the building blocks required to mount a healthy attack as needed.
Vitamin D Activates Killer T Cells
Health conscious individuals who ensure proper blood levels of vitamin D appear to have the ultimate defense against the cold and flu. The journal Nature Immunology provides details of the synergy between the sunshine vitamin and our adaptive immune killer T cells. Vitamin D is shown to provide the activation key that stimulates T cells into action when invaders are detected.
Virtually every cell in our body has a vitamin D receptor that is only filled when sufficient amounts are circulating in the blood. A deficiency in this essential compound leaves the cellular receptor open and available for viral hijacking. A separate AJCN study shows that vitamin D is far superior to vaccines at preventing the flu. Maintain your vitamin D blood levels between 50 and 70 ng/ml for optimal protection.
Vitamin C Prepares Immune Cells for Action
Vitamin C has been shown to increase the number of infection-fighting white blood cells and to stimulate the production of interferon. Interferon provides a protective coating to the surface of cells that prevents penetration by viruses. Research published in the Journal of Immunology explains that up to 5 grams of vitamin C are needed daily to activate the production of interferon for general health and up to 1 gram every hour should be used when fighting a cold or the flu.
The importance of a strong immune response cannot be underestimated. Elimination of sugar and processed carbohydrates from your diet should be the first step in boosting your front line response. Adding natural nutrients including vitamins C and D have proven effective in providing top notch protection against the common cold and flu virus.
Article References:
About the author: John Phillip is a Health Researcher and Author who writes regularly on the cutting edge use of diet, lifestyle modifications and targeted supplementation to enhance and improve the quality and length of life. John is the author of 'Your Healthy Weight Loss Plan', a comprehensive EBook explaining how to use Diet, Exercise, Mind and Targeted Supplementation to achieve your weight loss goal. Visit My Optimal Health Resource to continue reading the latest health news updates, and to download your Free 48 page copy of 'Your Healthy Weight Loss Plan'.
Vitamin C Mega Dosing - Big Pharma suppresses an inexpensive powerful cure
(NaturalNews) A recently publicized dramatic recovery from virtual death using IV high dose vitamin C created a strong impression in New Zealand and Australia. The highly publicized event down under brought to light a marginalized existing therapy that is inexpensive, safe, and effective.
Despite the abundance of stubborn medical naysayers, there is a growing group of MDs who are practicing orthomolecular medicine and psychiatry. Orthomolecular medicine and psychiatry specialize in mega-dose supplementation for a variety of conditions.
Alan Smith: Rescued from Death by Vitamin C
This story was featured in New Zealand/Australia TV`s version of "60 Minutes". Alan Smith was lying near death in a coma and on life support in a New Zealand hospital with complications from last year`s Swine Flu. The doctors had decided to pull the plug on his life support system since there was no hope for Alan`s survival. Alan`s family disagreed and insisted on the hospital`s administering IV high dose vitamin C as a last resort.
Despite having nothing to lose with a hopeless patient for whom they were about to take off life support, every hospital MD refused to administer IV mega dose C. The family had to enlist an attorney to coerce the hospital into following their request. It took several weeks of urging and referrals for available practitioners from American MD Thomas Levy before vitamin C therapy was reluctantly administered.
After 13 days of mega dose IV vitamin C administration, Alan Smith walked out of the hospital. He had been in a coma for nine weeks! The scurvy condition that exacerbated his Swine Flu may have been part of his leukemia. Less publicized but even more impressive is that he is now leukemia-free a year after his coma recovery.
Mega dose IV vitamin C has been used to cure cancer before, although the orthomolecular physicians prefer to keep a low profile about this. They prefer to promote it as a useful adjunct to other forms of cancer treatments. This appears to be partly a strategy for keeping the Medical Mafia off their backs.
Beyond Anecdotal
Mainstream medicine tends to dismiss this type of incident as anecdotal. But orthodox medicine also dismisses reams of research papers and case studies of other successful vitamin C recovery cases from orthomolecular physicians. Instead, medical profession authorities focus on poorly conducted or biased studies by mainstream institutions.
Dr. Levy is among several doctors in the USA and Australia who have used IV high dose vitamin C to cure extreme cases of infectious disease in thousands of cases. And there are cancer cases that have benefited as well. Thousands of successful orthomolecular case studies exist, yet the Medical Mafia claims there is no documentation proving vitamin C`s efficacy.
Important Caveats
The mega doses of vitamin C are well beyond bowel tolerance of ingested vitamin C. So they have to be administered by IV to bypass the digestive system. The resultant high blood levels of vitamin C flips this antioxidant into an oxidizing mode. Cellular oxidation eliminates bacteria, viruses, and even cancer cells.
Dr. Riordon`s protocol requires a check for G6PD enzyme deficiencies. Though this deficiency is very rare, ensuring it`s not there is important. This enzyme is needed to maintain membrane blood cell integrity. If lacking, the high oxidation from mega dose C can cause hemolysis, which ruptures blood cells and empties their contents.
It is also important to maintain sufficient blood levels of copper while mega dosing IV vitamin C. Mega doses of IV Vitamin C depletes this mineral, which may lead to serious complications for someone already in bad shape.
-Paul Fassa has managed to survive the Standard American Diet (SAD) and his youthful folly by deprogramming gradually from mainstream health ideology and studying holistic health matters informally with his wife while incorporating them into his lifestyle as a vegetarian. He also practices Chi-Lel Chi Gong, and he is trained as a polarity therapy practitioner. He is dedicated to warning others about the current corruption of food and medicine and guiding others toward a better direction for health. You can visit his blog at http://healthmaven.blogspot.com
Canadians turn to natural supplements instead of flu shots
It’s that time of year again, when anyone coughing in the subway sparks a round of dirty looks.
As Canadians get ready to fight the cold and flu season, more people are turning to vitamins and minerals, instead of flu shots, to banish a runny nose.
In fact, two thirds of us are taking natural supplements, while only 12 per cent opt for the jab, according to an Ipsos Reid poll.
Natural supplements are a $3.5 billion industry in Canada, with some natural health retailers reporting spikes of 25 per cent in supplement sales when the cold weather hits.
Catherine Deslippe of Nutrition House says she has noticed more customers requesting products that boost overall immunity this flu season instead of cures for those already spluttering on their morning commute.
The most popular selling products include vitamin C, Boiron Oscillococcinum (a.k.a Oscillo), oil of oregano, Echinacea, and Golden seal, according to the Canadian Health Food Association.
So, why are more Canadians turning towards purported natural cures?
“Some of my clients say that even when they got the flu shot they still got the flu,” says naturopathic doctor Natasha Turner of the Clear Medicine clinic and author of The Hormone Diet. “Other people are worried about adverse reactions or preservatives,” she adds.
Over the last two years Dr. Turner has noticed a growing number of emails in her inbox asking about alternatives to the flu shot. She attributes them to a heightened awareness surrounding flu prevention after last year’s H1N1 outbreak and the growing amount of research on the immune boosting powers of vitamin D.
To ward off colds Dr. Turner recommends taking daily doses of 2,000-5,000 iu of vitamin D and probiotics in the morning. As soon as you feel flu symptoms coming on she suggests boosting your vitamin intake to 10,000 iu for three days and adding the Indian herb andrographis to your routine.
Ipsos Reid poll attributes the one third of Canadians who avoid natural supplements to their high cost. Despite this they expect a 17 per cent increase in the number of Canadians using vitamins, minerals and supplements over the next year.
As the numbers of Canadians taking natural products climbs, the Health Canada website warns that “natural health products, like drugs, may have potentially serious side effects. Any substance, whether natural or synthetic, that has an effect on the body, has the potential to be a risk to health.”
The website suggests keeping your doctor informed of any natural supplements you might be taking, using products that are Health Canada approved (you can tell by the DIN, NPN or DIN-HM on the label), being skeptical of any health-related claims for potentially serious conditions and staying aware of any reaction or interactions with other drugs you are taking.
This year 106 natural health products have been recalled from the Canadian market by Health Canada.
Some Bacteria are Good for Our Kids
It’s easy for parents to get obsessed with keeping their kids away from bacteria, especially in cold and flu season. But not all bacteria are bad for children. The same probiotic bacteria that have become a popular adult remedy for stomach and digestive concerns may have limited benefits for certain illnesses in children according to new studies.
The data isn’t strong enough yet for anyone to be advocating adding probiotics to infant formulas or giving them to seriously ill children or pregnant women, but, they do seem to be helpful in preventing diarrhea due to viral infections and may shorten the illness in healthy kids.
This finding is outlined in a new American Academy of Pediatrics report that summarizes the findings from several scientific studies on the active ingredients in the various probiotic pills, yogurts, milks and juices that have hit the market of late. The report was published Monday in the journal, Pediatrics.
Probiotics may also help prevent diarrhea in kids who are taking antibiotics, great news for parents with infection prone kids. The AAP says, however, that they need more evidence before they can recommend the treatment for more serious conditions like constipation, irritable bowel syndrome or Crohn’s disease.
They also warn that children with compromised immune systems or who use intravenous catheters should not receive probiotics because serious infections have been reported.
Good for the gut
BACTERIA generally get bad press. After all, aren't they the cause of many diseases? But like most things in life, bacteria can be divided into the good and the bad. As a matter of fact, did you know that the number of bacterial cells in our body outnumber our cells by about 10 to one?
Most of these bacteria are obviously not harmful to us, and indeed, some actually help our body to function better. One example of this would be the bacteria in our digestive system, which forms the largest bacterial community within our body.
These microorganisms help our body to resist invasion by other foreign, potentially harmful microorganisms, regulate the immune system, and perform metabolic activities, among others. And it is these functions that are the basis behind probiotics.
Probiotics, as defined by the World Health Organisation, are "live microorganisms, which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host".
After all, if some bacteria are good for our body, wouldn't more of the same be better?
Dr Sampo Lahtinen would probably say yes. The Health and Nutrition R & D (research and development) group manager for Danisco Finland - an international Danish company that specialises in food ingredients, enzymes and bio-based solutions - was in Kuala Lumpur this week in conjunction with the launch of the company's latest probiotic product, Kordel's Protect.
"When we think of the immune system, one of the major systems is the gut. Many immune defences are in the gut. And they are doing this together with the bacteria in the gut," he told reporters at a group interview. Probiotics, he said, have different effects on the immune system.
"In some cases when the immune system is low, probiotics can help boost it. In some cases, the immune system is too high and overreacting.
"In these cases, we can use probiotics to suppress the immune system - for example, in the case of allergies.
"So, in this way, we can use probiotics to maintain the balance of the immune system," he said.
According to Dr Lahtinen, our gut bacteria (and also the bacteria in probiotics) does this through a combination of various mechanisms that are still being researched.
"The bacteria can stop pathogens (disease-causing microorganisms) from attaching to the gut wall because they are already attached there.
"They also trigger production of anti-bacterial defence cells from the body's immune system," he said, explaining that the presence of these non-harmful bacteria puts the immune system on "alert", but does not trigger the full-on defence system of the body.
A study on children
Dr Lahtinen said that a prospective, randomised, double-blind study involving 326 children aged three to five years old from a day-care centre in Shanghai, China, was conducted by his colleague from Danisco US.
The study, which was published in the print version of the Pediatric journal last August, was conducted during the winter and flu season from Nov 2005 to May 2006.
The children were randomly divided into three groups. One group took a placebo, another group took just Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, and the last group took a combination of L. acidophilus NCFM and Bifidobacterium animalis (subspecies lactis Bi-07). Both groups taking the bacteria products showed a significant decrease in the number of times they had fevers, coughs and were prescribed antibiotics as compared to the group on placebos. This was particularly obvious for antibiotic prescription, which showed a 77% significant risk reduction for children taking the combination of bacteria, as compared to those on the placebo.
The same group also showed a significant decrease in the number of times the children had runny noses, compared to the placebo group. However, while the group on the product showed a larger decrease than those taking just L. acidophilus NCFM for all the symptoms, statistically speaking, both groups did not show any significant difference when compared to one another. This means that taking just L. acidophilus NCFM seemed to work just as well as taking both bacteria.
The same results were seen when the researchers compared the number of days the children experienced their symptoms. There was a significant decrease in the number of sick days the children in both bacteria groups had, as compared to the placebo group, but no significant difference between the two bacteria groups.
Dr Lahtinen said: "The study showed that we do get good effects with Lactobacillus, but better with the combination." He added that the probiotics can also be taken by adults, especially the elderly, who need the boost to their immune system.
"It is taken in a single dose a day, and the first effects will happen quite soon. You will see a reaction within a couple of weeks," he said. On the duration of the effects, he said that "the benefit is as long as you take it". He added that people tend to take probiotics at certain times, like when it is flu season or if they are going to travel a lot, and also during potentially stressful periods, like exam time.
