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The Holistic Mystic: |
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Boost Your Immune
System Naturally
by Lonny Brown, Ph.D. |
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The human immune system is a highly intelligent and efficient defense mechanism built into the blood stream. It consists of billions of amoebae-like white blood cells and special "killer" cells that specialize in recognizing, immobilizing and removing foreign invaders such as bacteria and viruses, plus defective cells that might cause cancer. This ingenious system normally automatically prevents us from getting colds, allergies, infectious diseases and tumors, but it can be impaired by toxins, stress and fatigue, or overwhelmed by allergens. At such times, medical doctors usually prescribe antibiotics, vaccines and chemical stimulants, but there are also many remedies for enhancing the immune system that are natural, safe, and inexpensive.
Prevention first.
The first best strategy to protect the immune system is to limit consumption of substances that compromise it, such as refined white sugar, artificial additives, preservatives, alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine. These "anti-nutrients" impair the body's own defenses against unhealthful pathogens.
Animal fat appears to reduce white cell production, reducing beneficial T-cell activity, plus it impairs the lymphatic system, making the body more vulnerable to infection and disease.
Conversely, many foods naturally support immune functions. Fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, mushrooms, herbs, teas, omega-3 fatty acids, complex carbohydrates, yogurt, and seaweed are believed to increase the activity of protective "T cells" and promote the proliferation of antibodies. Leafy vegetables, carrots, sweet potatoes and yams, apricots, cantaloupe melons, broccoli and squash all contain cancer-fighting carotenes.
Dr. Keith Block, of the University of Illinois focuses on nutrition as a means of reducing cancer risk. His work emphasizes vegetarian diets and fat reduction, coupled with stress reduction and other complementary medicine therapies, all of which he believes combine to strengthen the immune system. Science has also proven that the traditional home remedy, chicken soup "really works" because it contains the anti-viral ingredient cysteine.
Take Your Vitamins
Vitamin A is anti-viral; it stimulates natural killer cell activity and antibody responses, and promotes thymus growth - essential to immunity. It helps fight pneumonia and tuberculosis.
"Vitamin C is also anti viral, and good for bronchitis, colds, flu, cancer, bacterial infections," says natural health consultant Gayle Eversole, Director of the Creating Health Institute in Moscow, Idaho (USA). Vitamin C improves host resistance through white blood cell activity, increases disease-fighting interferon, and thymic hormones. Since it cannot be manufactured or stored in the body, it is recommended to take 500 mg every two hours during illness. Other nutrients vital to immunity include Zinc (especially recommended for children with upper respiratory infections), vitamin B-6, and iron.
Garden Variety Medicines
Echinacea (purple cone flower) is excellent for sore throat, flu and cold symptoms. It is available in health food stores in liquid tincture, capsule or tablet form. "The key is to take it early, and in high amounts ( 30-50 drops 3 to 5 times a day)," says Ms Eversole, who's holistic approach includes herbs (www.LeafLady.org).
In a study of patients with bronchitis, a congestive lung disease, ginseng appeared to enhance the function of certain immune components in the bronchi, the main airways in the lungs. Goldenseal and Liquorice are well-documented natural immune boosters that fight bacteria, virus, fungi, and tumor cells. Other naturally-occurring plants that enhance immunity include astragalus, garlic, shiitake mushroom, rishi, and milk thistle.
Green tea effectively kills almost every bacteria which causes food poisoning, along with the toxins produced by those bacteria. A study at the Saitama Cancer Research Center in Japan shows that people who drink green tea have 4 times lower chance of developing cancer than those who do not. Immune-positive herbal teas include peppermint, catmint, yarrow, and sage.
Therapeutic fasting, particularly during the first 36 to 60 hours of an acute infectious illness results in a significant increase (up to 50 percent) of protective white blood cells. This may be due to energy conservation and less strain on the eliminative system. When fasting, drink plenty of water, diluted vegetable juices, soups, and herbal teas.
Nature's Way
Probiotics are naturally beneficial micro-organisms such as Lactobacillus bulgaricus found in cultured "live" foods, particularly yogurt. Recently, researchers at Tufts University concluded that "increased yogurt consumption, particularly in immunocompromised populations such as the elderly, may enhance the immune response, which would in turn increase resistance to immune-related diseases."
Inoculation is a method of introducing micro-doses of substances that stimulate the body's own defenses. Polio and smallpox vaccines are examples, but the principle of inoculation works in nature too. Eating flower pollens collected by honeybees can naturally treat hay fever and other allergies. The same mechanism operates when extremely minute amounts of strong homeopathic remedies are taken to "kick-start" the body's own healing response. Homeopathic remedies for the immune system include aconite, allium cepa, gelsinium, mercurius, and nux vom.
Mind/Body Approaches
Stress, isolation and depression also depress the immune system, making psychology just as important as nutrition in fighting illness. Getting sufficient rest, recreation, and social support are all immune boosters. Dr. Fawzy Fawzy, a California psychiatrist, has documented enhanced immune cell function after regular support group meetings for people with melanoma, a malignant skin cancer.
Since regular exercise stimulates circulation, metabolism, detoxification and waste removal, it can significantly help immunological efficiency. Even walking can improve resistance to disease.
And meditation and visualization can strengthen our protective blood factors, as evidenced in the emerging new science of psychoneuroimmunology. Patients trained to relax and imagine their white blood cells massing and defeating harmful invaders often show measurably higher counts. This brings full circle the holistic connection between mind, brain, and blood. We've always known that systemic pollution can cause disease and despair. Now we also know that the mental factor of optimism reverses the process and actually has a cleansing effect on a cellular level. This is empowering information for those that might otherwise feel victimized by their ailments.
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Lonny Brown,
Ph.D.
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Lonny J. Brown, Ph.D. is the author of "Self-Actuated Healing" (Naturegraph, Publ.), and "Enlightenment In Our Time," (BookLocker.com/
LonnyBrown).
His writings on holistic health have appeared on AOL's Alternative Medicine Forum and in Alternative Health Practitioner, Yoga Journal, and many other progressive publications.
Dr. Brown teaches holistic health, mind/body healing, and stress reduction courses at hospitals, schools and businesses throughout the US. His Web site also features essays, tapes, books, and links to a variety of integrative health sources.
Lonny J. Brown, Ph.D. is also the author of " ENLIGHTENMENT ONLINE - The Newsletter for Spiritual Cyberspace.
holistic.com/lonny
lonny@holistic.com
lonnybrown@aol.com
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