Health Cariboo Health By Laura Matsuda Protect Yourself from the Flu
Protect Yourself from the Flu
| Health and Fitness |
Important Health News - Protect Yourself from the Flu
About this time of year many people ask me what they can do to prevent the flu or minimize its impact. That has never seemed more relevant than today; so, I will address this with the best science we have available today. I say "today's best science" because we simply don't know everything we need to know about preventing and treating the flu. And we need to remember that not all that long ago "current science" said that the earth was flat and diseases were caused by evils spells or dead ancestors. Many people never get the flu - no matter which strain we are talking about. Do you? When you get the flu, are your symptoms severe? Are there high-risk people living with you? Then your preference for or against preventive measures must take them into consideration. (What if you got it and survived but transmitted it to them and they died? How would you feel?) In any case, 35,000-40,000 people in North America die of the flu each year. It is estimated that this number will double with H1N1.
Flu protection
There are three pathways you need to focus on with flu protection - any variety:
1. Transmission
2. Infection
3. Inflammation
Inflammation
We will begin at the ending: Inflammation from the immune system that incapacitates - even kills - people when they have the flu. MOST IMPORTANT: The flu kills people not by transmission or by infection, but by an inflammatory immune system response called the "cytokine storm."
Our immune system is designed to neutralize and excrete any non-self protein it finds. That includes the influenza virus. The size of the immune response needs to be equivalent to the strength of the invader.
Think of this as a building on fire: small fires are extinguished by local fire fighters. Some fires are so big that fire fighters from other departments have to be called in to help. So, fires are designated as "one-alarm," "two-alarm," "three-alarm," and so on. At a certain point, our immune system pulls all of the alarms and immune system fractions from all over our body rush to put out the fire, so to speak. However, this is a case of fighting fire with fire. Cytokines are inflammatory. They kill viruses and bacteria by creating inflammation.
The cytokine storm is responsible for all of the symptoms we feel: fever, body aches, nausea, diarrhea, etc. It is also responsible for filling the lungs with mucous (pneumonia/pneumonitis) which is often the fatal trigger in influenza, SARS, Hanta virus, bubonic plague, etc.
To survive we must modulate the cytokine storm so that it does its job but doesn't overwork and kill us. We make it work smarter, not harder. So we don't use Vitamin C or Echinacea or anything that "boosts" the immune system. We use immune system modulators so we get exactly the right response. Quercetin, green tea polyphenols and ginseng all balance the immune system and decrease the cytokine storm.
Infection
Prior to the cytokine storm is the infection stage of influenza. The virus infects the cell by matching a cell receptor called Hemagglutinin. Hemagglutinin (the "H" in H1N1) allows the virus to gain entry to the cell and mutate the cell DNA so it can breed an infection. It also allows the newly mutated DNA to be incorporated into surrounding cells and through cell lines. Hemagglutinin describes "infection" with the flu. Two powerful natural inhibitors of Hemagglutinin are green tea polyphenols and ginseng.
Transmission
Neuraminidase describes "transmission" of the flu where the virus disarms the immune system with an enzyme. This is the "N" in H1N1, H5N1. Neuraminidase inhibitors like Tamiflu limit the ability of the virus to transmit its DNA strands. Two strong natural Neuraminidase inhibitors are green tea polyphenols and quercetin. It is likely that green tea polyphenols and quercetin will help your body do what it does best: resist infection. Think of them as the first line of defense to arm your immune system and prevent the flu virus from disarming it.
IMPORTANT NOTE: By the way, the most common route of infection is touching your eyes with contaminated hands! Wash your hands frequently and dry your hands thoroughly to discourage infection. Also, the most common reason why people experience the runaway inflammation of a cytokine storm is poor sleep. Sleeping peacefully now becomes a matter of life and death!
Flat earth?
We don't know all there is to know about flu prevention and treatment. There are endless avenues and processes we simply have not explored. Imagine what we knew about viruses 50 years ago: Do you think we will know more in the next 50 years? Certainly so! Accepting that as truth we know one thing for sure: some people never get the flu.
How can we be one of them?Primarily it is through vigorous application of these .
• Practice deep breathing to reduce your body's acidity and to reduce the impact of stress on your immune system.
• Drink plenty of pure water.
• Wash and thoroughly dry your hands often.
• Get plenty of early-morning sunshine.
• Sleep peacefully every night.
• Eat nutritiously and take the nutrients you need as a solid foundation for health.
• Play daily (enjoy activity) and surround yourself with healthy people you love.
• These are the things that keep healthy people healthy and they can help you, too!
• Wash and dry your hands many times daily.
• Get your rest every night.
• Eat nutritiously and supplement appropriately.
• Avoid sick people for two weeks after they recover.
Great questions folks. Keep them coming!
Next: A comprehensive listing of local sources for Natural Products to aid in arming yourself with ‘Flu-Busters!’
Yours for GREAT HEALTH!
Laura Matsuda
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