Strong Defense: Our Own Immune System

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Strong Defense: Our Own Immune System

JoAnn Guest

Dec 16, 2003 13:59 PST

 

Strong Defense: Our Own Immune System

(Part I)

 

 

Given the climate of the times, with rumors of devious terrorist

tactics, and the recent announcement that the flu vaccines are going

to be limited again, this year more than ever, we need to

do all we can to be ready for Fall and Winter with a strong immune

system.

 

As a Naturopathic doctor, I know we have many ways to prevent

disease, whether it is bacterial or viral of origin.

 

Everything from prevention, to strong anti-viral botanical medicine,

to

disease-

fighting nutrients and diet, to hydrotherapy, to immune-boosting

detoxification programs can be utilized to strengthen our immune

systems.

Each of these therapies offer assistance to staying

healthy, helping to fend off colds and flus, and lending assistance

in the effort to stay strong during times of physical and emotional

times.

 

It is our immune system that defends us against disease-causing

microorganisms and that supports the healing process.

 

And it has been said that the process of aging is connected more to

the

immune system that that of the passing of time.

 

Weakening of the immune system results in greater susceptibility to

virtually all illnesses.

 

Some of the common signs of a depleted, or compromised, immune

system

are: fatigue, frequent illness, allergic reactions, slow wound

healing,

skin eruptions, vaginal yeast nfections, and chronic diarrhea.

 

 

 

Many factors contribute to a less than perfect immune system. A

toxic environment and an unhealthy diet are on the top of the list.

 

The more toxic load our system has to " throw off, " the less

capability it has to handle the normal day-to-day infectious

encounters. That means that dirty hands, a sneeze in a crowded room,

or a brisk chill on the neck can become more of a health threat than

it normally is.

 

Other immune depressing contributors include:

 

chronic stress, smoking cigarettes, a change in the weather,

decreased

hormone levels, lack of exercise, depressed state of mind, and

consuming

white refined and sugary foods.

 

According to James F. Balch, MD, author of Prescription for

Nutritional

Healing, stress results in a sequence of biochemical events that

ultimately suppresses the normal activity of white blood cells and

places undue demands on the

endocrine system, as well as depleting the body of needed nutrients.

 

This is the greatest source of depletion for many people, and one

that we especially need to protect ourselves against during these

very trying days.

 

Hippocrates said, " Let your food be your medicine and your medicine

be your food. "

So, before trying to supplement yourself back to health, look at a

few

simple health choices in your diet that will give your system a

natural

boost.

 

Food with antiviral activity are very important, of course, since

drug

medicines have little to offer against viruses.

 

As both an antiviral and an antibacterial, garlic is one of the

strongest medicine foods on Earth.

It kills, on contact, all types of bacteria, making it a broad-

spectrum

antibiotic (known as " Russian Penicillin " ).

 

Garlic has also been shown to be powerful enough to destroy various

viruses that cause upper respiratory infections and influenza. Keep

garlic on hand and ready to eat raw at the first sign of illness.

 

Other antiviral foods include apples, ginger, grapes, sage, and

those

with glutathione (asparagus, avocado, oranges, and melon).

 

Foods that are rich in beta-carotene boost immune function. These

are the orange and dark green pigmented ones such as (in order of

most to least) dried apricots, cooked sweet potatoes, carrots,

collard greens, kale, spinach, pumpkin, and cantaloupe.

 

(Beta-carotene is not destroyed by cooking, according to USDA

tests.)

 

Most of the foods mentioned here have an abundance of vitamin C,

too,

another food component important in stimulating immunity. Others

high on the vitamin C content list (in order of most to least) are

guava, red sweet pepper, cantaloupe, sweet green pepper, papaya,

grapefruit juice, and orange juice.

 

For the best immune system function avoid processed foods, soda,

coffee, and sugar. Sugar feeds cancer cells, plus yeast, bacteria,

and parasites.

 

A diet high in refined sugar does not feed you; it feeds disease.

Sugar

depletes the very white blood cells we need to

fight disease, leaving us more vulnerable to disease.

 

It won't take much to stay well this Fall. Specific food choices,

support from natural therapeutics (that you will read about next

week), and some common sense will go a long way in keeping our

immune system up and running.

 

http://www.drccyerby.com/Article/Strong%20Defense%20Part%20I.htm

_________________

Post subject: The Immune System And Cancer -

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********************************************

 

 

Nobel prize winner Dr. Linus Pauling noted in his book " Vitamin C " --

 

The Common Cold and Flu " , that autopsies performed on people who

had never suffered from cancer, revealed evidence that they had as

many as three cases of cancer during their lives and never knew it.

 

He credited a healthy immune system for automatically dealing with

the disease -- an observation that underlines the importance of the

immune system in eradicating cancer or any other disease that

afflicts humans.

 

Simply stated, the immune system rests with the white blood cells

that

are produced in the thymus gland which is

centered behind the upper chest plate, and the bone marrow.

 

The National Cancer Institute, established in 1953, is dedicated to

enlarging our understanding of the vital connection between cancer

and the immune system and states that

" medical science looks forward to the day when immunological methods

will be a standard means of

diagnosing, treating and ultimately preventing cancer and other

diseases.

 

An unhealthy diet, stress and emotions such as anger and grief can

be

destructive to the immune

system, so there is much a person can do to bolster it and keep it

up to strength.

 

The simplest methods relate to healthy eating and exercise and

shelves

are awash with books on these subjects.

 

One of the more popular volumes is " Fit For Life II --Living Health "

by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond. And then there are herbs and other

supplements that also promise to bolster the immune system.

 

One of these is the famous herbal tea ESSIAC. Canadian Nurse Rene

Caisse discovered it in 1922, and used it over the next 50 years to

treat

terminally ill cancer patients with remarkable results.

 

Sheila Snow, author of the book " ESSENCE of ESSIAC " , was an admiring

friend of Ms. Caisse and is the person most responsible for bringing

ESSIAC to enlarged public awareness, beginning in the late 1970's.

 

In her book, Ms. Snow lists some 30 potentially promising

therapeutic activities likely to be found in the tea.

 

They include the elimination of metals and other toxins in the body

and

increasing the production of antibodies like lymphocytes and T-cells

in the thymus gland.

 

So while most users of ESSIAC tend to be cancer patients, the tea

promises to be beneficial for many other conditions. And since it

does bolster the immune system, more and more people are now using

it as a preventative measure.

 

The story of ESSIAC and Rene Caisse, plus the full list of promising

therapeutic activities can be found under the heading

" What ESSIAC Promises To Do "

 

http://comboweb.com/essiac/immune2.htm

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

DietaryTi-

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