One of my sons recently graduated from high school. While driving back from the graduation ceremony he looked at me with all seriousness and said, “Dad, I made it! But I must confess, there was a day when I thought ‘pigs will fly before I graduate from high school!’”. My initial reaction was to consider where I had failed as a parent and to wonder how such a bright, talented, creative kid could have had such a crisis of self-esteem and confidence as to think he wouldn’t be able to make it through high school. But then he proceeded to tell me that he booted up his Internet news this morning and there was the headline… “Swine Flu!” and he knew that it was true that he was really graduating from High School!
In addition to pride that my son was graduating from High School I was certainly amused at my son’s humor. But many throughout the world are not nearly as amused by the current headlines about the serious implications of the H1N1 Influenza A, otherwise known as Swine Flu. For several days now we have been hearing about this disease and its rapid spread throughout the world. I’d like to pass along to the readers of our newsletter some information about this form of Influenza and what you can do to protect yourself against this illness. As history has taught us, an ounce of prevention is always worth a pound of cure. So let’s get proactive about our health and specifically what we need to do to maintain optimal health in the face of what is now classified as a Level 5 pandemic*.
Preventative Action #1: Calm and guard your mind. This may sound a little strange but then again I am trained as a psychologist! I am struck by the amount of panic and fear generated by the media around this event. Now here is what I know to be true about intense emotion: intense emotion generally scatters think, generates irrational and/or short-sighted ideas and behavioral solutions, and screams for immediate, impulsive action. What you must do first hear is turn off the TV! Get your information from reliable sources and tune out the hype generated in most media venues. Remember, media is supported by sponsors and any person in sales will tell you that what sells is….emotion! So the first thing is to remind yourself that this is not the first time there has been an influenza outbreak and it probably won’t be the last. The second thing is to be aware that many, many people have not died from this influenza outbreak and the final point to remind yourself is that millions of people have not contracted the disease at all! The latest figures posted on the World Health Organization website says that 33 countries have reported almost 6500 cases of the swine flu and with the exception of Mexico, there have been relatively few deaths. The US has reported over 3000 cases with 3 deaths, all with apparent other health problems in conjunction with the swine flu. I don’t know about you, but these numbers would certainly appear to call for action but hardly strike fear and panic. To the contrary, it is clear to me that it is the media that is generating much of the emotion surrounding this issue and one can only ask “why?”
Preventative Action #2: Practice Good Hygiene. John Barlett, MD of the Infectious Disease Clinic at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD has released a brief statement via a podcast on MedScape that outlines a few simple practices that help protect you from coming into contact with the virus or if you have symptoms, to lower the risk of spreading it. Quite frankly, they’re not earth shattering steps, but often the small things in life are what make a difference. Here are Dr. Barlett’s tips:
1. Encourage people who are sick to stay at home or go home.
2. Have people cover their mouth when the cough or sneeze.
3. Wash your hands often and certainly whenever you’ve been around a lot of people.
4. Maintain a minimum of 6 feet from anyone you suspect may be infected with the virus.
Again, not particularly earth shattering advice, but if practiced might just keep you healthy!
Preventative Action #3. Build and Support Your Immunity System. The human body is a system designed to move towards health. Any intruders or unwelcomed guests will be addressed with prejudice! Like soldiers standing night watch, foreign bodies are surrounded and isolated until they are extinguished. This system is known as an immunity system and its job is to maintain optimal health and functioning of the human body. The best defense against the swine flu or any other strain of influenza is a strong immunity system. There are several simple things that we can do to not only support, but strengthen our body’s natural defense system.
1st. Exercise regularly. Studies have consistently shown a strong correlation between immunity system strength and regular exercise1,2,3,4. How does exercise cause a boost in your immune system? There are several theories that involving either flushing bacteria and other intruders out of the body through urine/sweat, increasing the flow of antibodies and white blood cells (the soldiers standing watch) which circulate and therefore search out intruders more rapidly, the temporary rise in body temperature which serves to inhibit bacterial growth, and/or the slowing down of stress-related hormones.
2nd. Manage stress & emotional reactions in a healthy way. As previously mentioned, stress triggers the release of hormones that prepares the body for action. In the short term, this is a good thing but prolonged stress responses suppress the release of three substances (interleukin-1, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor) that are all involved in the body’s anti-inflammatory response. Simply put, stress sends these 3 guys to the “break room” allowing viruses and other invaders of the body to run their course. Developing healthy skills to manage stress such as walking, meditating, hugging your spouse, playing games, etc. will all contribute to a healthy immune system and ultimately protect you against invaders such as the swine flu.
3rd. Sleep good. As with exercise, good sleep is an incredible protection against viral invasion and other attacks on the body. According to the National Institute of Health and Dr. Michael Twery, sleep isn’t just “down time” when your body shuts down and your brain shuts off. Sleep allows your body to rejuvenate itself and several critical areas that affect your heart, vascular system, growth and mostly importantly, your immune system. In terms of the immune system, we now know that important infection-fighting cells are released during sleep that allow the body to fight off invasions including influenza A H1N1.
4th. Eat right. Not to belabor a point, but allow common sense to have its way here. Most medical experts advise a balanced diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables. This may be one of the most challenging areas to master, as life and work demands often preclude good nutrition. That’s why #5 is so important. Please read on!
5th. Give your immunity system a boost. Nutrition is incredibly important to building and supporting your immunity system. Because so many of us do not eat as we should, supplementing your diet with a good nutritional supplement is really a must. I will not go into extreme detail but I will list a few critical vitamins, herbs and minerals that are backed by scientific data that demonstrate efficacy to support your immune system.
- Multivitamin. A good multivitamin that contains Vitamins A, C, E and trace minerals such as Selenium, Copper, Iron and particularly Zinc, is a solid overall boost to your immune system. This is the cornerstone of a strong immunity system5.
- Vitamin B. Specifically B6 has been shown to increase white & red blood cells as well as oxygen flow that are vital in strengthen immunity6,7.
- Echinacea. Echinacea is an herb found in the eastern United States. Research has shown that the overall impact of Echinacea on the immunity system is positive. Its role in prevention is still being studied, but the data is strong to suggest that if initiated early onset of symptoms, this powerful herb will reduce both severity and duration of the infection’s symptoms8.
These are a few of the most reliable (in the sense of scientific data supporting their efficacy) nutrients that I have found that support and boost the body’s immunity system. However, anytime that you begin to talk about nutrients you must begin to talk about absorption. I truly believe that one of the biggest problems we have in evaluating scientific data is to understand what form of supplement was used in the study. It is a well-known fact that when trying to get a nutrient to the right place in the body that absorption is everything, i.e, limited absorption = limited results. That is why I personally have chosen to use a liquid form and recommend the liquid form to my patients and others. Biometics is a company that not only has developed a liquid supplement, but has perfected an advanced formulation that maximizes bioavailability (absorption) of nutrients. BioCellular Micellization, or BCM, is a state-of-the-art liquid formulation that delivers a whopping 90% absorption rate vs the standard 20-25% of most standard pill forms. Therefore, I cannot endorse the pill form of supplements and highly recommend the Biometics products. Biometics provides 3 products that easily cover the three areas previously mentioned to boost your immunity system. Those three products are:
- BioFuel. An incredible multivitamin supplying all the nutrients mentioned above and more.
- Get-Go-N Plus. A B-vitamin complex with Tyrosine that will deliver the necessary B6 to boost your immunity system. NOTED SIDE EFFECTS are more energy and cardiovascular health!
- BioImmune. A proprietary blend of herbs built around the main ingredient of Enchinacea is designed specifically to provide optimum care for your immune system.
A Word About Vaccines? I have to add a final thought about something that is very pressing and is currently part of our decision-making process when considering how to best protect ourselves against the swine flu: do I vaccinate? While I am not an authority on vaccines, I do want to weigh in on this issue, as there has been considerable controversy regarding vaccinations in general and specifically vaccinating for the influenza A H1N1 virus. Dr. Russell Blaylock, MD has raised the question for several years about the mercury content in common vaccinations. His concerns focus on the possible impact on the neurological system, particularly for younger children. In addition, Dr. Joseph Mercola has also written about the problems with the vaccinations, even going so far as to point out that in previous outbreaks of the swine flu, “More People Died From the Swine Flu Vaccine than Swine Flu!”. I bring up this point because I know all too well the power of the marriage of media and pharmaceutical companies. Just be aware that there is money to be made from vaccines and as Dr. Blaylock points out in his articles, many times dangerous facts are willing to be ignored in order to make that money. Remember, we are being bombarded right now with plenty of high-emotion information and emotion sells!
A Final Word. I hope this article is useful for you and that you find these simple solutions 4 your immunity system helpful to keep you and your family safe and healthy. I invite you to try the Biometics products to build a strong and healthy immune system. To order yours today visit us at www.mindofhope.com and click on the “Shop Now” button!
Dr. Russell Thomas, PhD
SimpleSolutions4.com
References:
1Ivker RS. Chronic Sinusitis. In: Rakel D. Rakel: Integrative Medicine. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007: chap 19.
2Barrett B. Viral Upper Respiratory Infection. In: Rakel D. Rakel: Integrative Medicine. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007: chap 20.
3Hewitt MJ. Writing an Exercise Prescription. In: Rakel D. Rakel: Integrative Medicine. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007: chap 90.
4Miller A. Recreational Infections. In: Cohen J, Powderly WG, Berkley SF, Calandra T, Clumeck N, Finch RG. Cohen & Powderly: Infectious Diseases. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby; 2004: chap 89.
5Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes: Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Carotenoids. National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 2000.
6Chandra R and Sudhakaran L. Regulation of immune responses by Vitamin B6. NY Acad Sci 1990; 585:404-423.
7Trakatellis A, Dimitriadou A, Trakatelli M. Pyridoxine deficiency: New approaches in immunosuppression and chemotherapy. Postgrad Med J 1997; 73:617-22.
8Schoop R, Klein P, Suter A, et al. Echinacea in the prevention of induced rhinovirus colds: a meta-analysis. Clin Ther 2006;28(2):174-183.
* According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short. From WHO website: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/phase/en/index.html.
