Maintain a Strong Immune System
Immune health depends on eating right, getting enough sleep, exercising, and avoiding environmental toxins and stress.
It’s nearly impossible to avoid environmental toxins because plastics, automobile emissions, and the overuse of insecticides and pesticides—just to name a few—are so prevalent in our society.
However, there are some habits and lifestyle choices that you make daily that directly contribute to your low immune system. These include:
- Stress
- Poor diet and nutrition
- Sugar intake
- Alcohol consumption
- Loss of sleep
- Insufficient exercise
- Being overweight
Daily nutritional supplementation is your best bet for making sure your nutritional needs are met, as well as supporting your immune health
As he traveled to places like Africa, New Zealand, and the Andes Mountains 60 years ago, researcher Weston Price, D.D.S. observed a high level of immunity among native cultures.
FACT: these indigenous cultures were virtually free of tuberculosis, cancer, dental disease, and arthritis.
Dr. Price also noticed that the two things these peoples had in common were a diet of whole, unprocessed foods and an active lifestyle. Scientific research has since confirmed Price’s observations.
In our culture of bad-for-you fast, processed and preserved food, daily nutritional supplementation is your best bet for making sure your nutritional needs are met, as well as supporting your immune health.
During cold and flu season, it’s important to take even more aggressive measures. And the medical community’s vaccines do not work!
Western medicine promotes vaccines, which contain dead or weakened bacteria, viruses and other materials such as inactive toxins, to stimulate the production of antibodies to fight against a specific pathogen.
But as we well know, these vaccines can upset the immune system’s balance and produce side effects—which can sometimes be uncomfortable and dangerous.
Fortunately, there are a number of safe herbs that enhance overall immunity by stimulating or strengthening the body’s own defense mechanisms, without adding stress to your system.
But before we tell you about them, you must understand …
The truth behind vaccines
Vaccines are big business. Sales are increasing and it seems the sky is the limit as to how high sales will go.
Global revenues from the sale of vaccines, which was once primarily a commodity market, reached nearly $10 billion in 2008, up from $5.4 billion in 2001.
Recently, the U.S. government agreed to stockpile $100 million worth of a still-experimental vaccine against the deadly avian flu virus. But are flu vaccines safe? … And do they work?
Not if 63,000 people a year are still dying, despite these vaccines. And not when the vaccines themselves create illness and disease in those who take them.
Consider some of the toxins that are typically used in vaccines:
- Thimerosal (a mercury disinfectant/preservative) has been implicated as a possible cause of the rising epidemic of autism in American children. Although it has been eliminated from most vaccinations in the US, it is still included in the flu shot. And according to the World Health Organization, it is still widely used in developing countries. Let’s be clear: It’s in the flu shot given to your children!
- Ethylene glycol (antifreeze!) … Yes, the stuff in your car!
- Phenol, also known as carbolic acid (this is used as a disinfectant, and/or dye).
- Formaldehyde (a known carcinogenic) … Yes, the stuff that preserves dead bodies!
- Aluminum (associated with seizures and found carcinogenic in laboratory mice). It is used as an additive to promote antibody response.
Vaccines are also grown and strained through animal or human tissues like monkey kidney tissue, chicken embryo, embryonic guinea pig cells, calf serum, and human diploid cells (the dissected organs of aborted human fetuses as in the case of rubella, hepatitis A, and chickenpox vaccines).
Today, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 21 shots before age 2, the first (for hepatitis B) coming within hours of birth.
Boyd Haley, a professor of chemistry at the University of Kentucky, contends that if a child in the 1990s got all of the shots, he or she would be exposed to mercury levels of more than 100 times those deemed safe by the EPA.
Let me repeat this: Our children have been exposed to levels of mercury over 100 times that deemed safe by the Environmental Protection Agency!
That’s not the half of it. What’s worse is that …
The flu is drug resistant!
According to an on-line report in the British medical journal, The Lancet, (Sept. 22) worldwide resistance to drugs used to treat influenza has increased to 12% since the mid-1990s.
Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) in Atlanta screened 7,000 influenza A samples for gene mutations known to build drug resistance. This is what they found:
- Drug resistance increased from 0.4% in 1994–95 to 12.3% in 2003–04
- 61% of resistant viruses isolated since 2003 were from people in Asia
- Some Asian countries had drug resistance frequencies exceeding 70%
The authors of the study are concerned that rising rates of resistance will cause Amantadine and Rimantadine—the drugs typically used to prevent and treat influenza type A—to be ineffective in the event of an influenza pandemic.
This will render the $100 million government stockpiles useless.
The Lancet also warns that circulating human flu bugs are very quickly becoming resistant to two older-type flu drugs: Symmetrel and Flumadine.
The findings “raise concerns” about the widespread use of these drugs, notes Rick Bright, PhD, research scientist at the CDC’s National Center for Infectious Diseases, and colleagues.
Tom Jefferson, MD, and colleagues at Cochrane Vaccines Field in Alessandria, Italy, conducted a second study published in the same issue raised by The Lancet. They concluded that flu vaccines are only mildly effective in the elderly …” What’s more, they say the vaccine doesn’t work.
In other words: The flu vaccine is ineffective.
Dr. Jefferson further states: “Vaccines are being used as an ideological weapon. What you see every year as the flu is caused by 200 or 300 different agents with a vaccine against two of them. That is simply nonsense.”
Not only are the vaccines largely ineffective, there is also a shortage of them.
During the 2004-05 influenza vaccination campaign manufacturers distributed approximately 57.1 million doses of vaccine, substantially less than the estimated 83.1 million during the 2003-04 season.
Although drug manufacturers are working hard to produce a vaccine to ward off an avian flu pandemic, we can only guess as to whether the experimental new vaccines will work … and whether there will actually be enough of them to go around.
But there is something you personally can do to naturally protect yourself. And that is to …
Arm Yourself NOW with 5 proven immune-enhancing herbs
You must take control of your own health. Don’t leave it in the hands of the government and Big Pharma. Do everything you can NOW to strengthen your immune system with potent, yet gentle, herbs that have a proven track record and scientific studies to back them up.
There are 5 proven herbal extracts that can get you through the winter without getting a cold or flu:
- Andrographis paniculata
- Astragalus root
- Olive Leaf extract
- Elderberry extract
- Echinacea
Let’s look at each extract in detail.
1. Andrographis
Andrographis paniculata is an herb used in traditional Chinese and Indian medicine to support healthy digestive, cardiovascular, and urinary systems. In Sweden, andrographis has been used for more than 10 years as a primary herb to combat flu and upper respiratory infections.
In scientific studies, andrographis has demonstrated significant success in fighting:
- Common cold
- Influenza virus
- Upper respiratory infections
- Streptococcus
- Digestive disorders
- Cardiovascular disorders
- Urinary tract disorders
Active constituents
The most significant compounds in andrographis are diterpene lactones, known as andrographolides, which produce significant antimicrobial activity.
Scientific studies
Several double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel group clinical trials investigated the effect of andrographis extract on uncomplicated upper-respiratory tract infections. In all of them there was significant improvement in the symptoms of subjects who took the herbal extract versus those who took placebo.
In one study (at the School of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago) a group of 158 adult patients was divided in two. One group took the herbal extract and the other group took a placebo. The patients then self-evaluated their symptoms of headache, tiredness, sore throat, sleeplessness, nasal secretion, phlegm, and intensity of cough. Here’s what happened:
By the second day, the group that took andrographis showed a significant decrease in the intensity of these symptoms when compared to the placebo group.
By the fourth day, the andrographis group exhibited a significant decrease in the intensity of all symptoms.
The researchers concluded that andrographis has a high degree of effectiveness in reducing the prevalence and intensity of the symptoms in uncomplicated common cold beginning at day two of treatment.
No adverse effects were observed or reported.
Another study took place at the Erebuni Medical Centre, Yerevan, Armenia. Ninety-five patients took andrographis, and 90 took the placebo. The results?
After five days, the individuals who took the herbal extract showed great improvement in the symptoms of malaise, sore throat, nasal secretion, and headache (while eye and cough symptoms didn’t differ much between the two groups).
Temperature was also slightly lowered in the andrographis group.
The researchers concluded that andrographis, in addition to having a positive effect on upper respiratory infections, also helps reduce the inflammatory symptoms of sinusitis.
A meta-analysis (a statistical analysis that summarizes the results of many studies) of andrographis found it to be superior to placebo in alleviating the subjective symptoms of uncomplicated upper respiratory tract infection. There is also preliminary evidence that andrographis produces a preventative effect.
Researchers at the Department of Pharmacology, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, found that andrographis inhibits the adherence of Streptococcus mutants to a surface.
Is it safe?
Studies have found very few adverse reactions to andrographis. Those that did occur were rare and mild. Overall, andrographis has been found to be a safe and efficacious treatment for relieving symptoms of uncomplicated upper respiratory tract infection.
2. Astragalus Root
Astragalus root is native to Mongolia and China, and has been used for thousands of years to ward off illness, strengthen the immune system, and promote chi—the building block of all spiritual and physical energy. While over 2,000 types of astragalus exist worldwide, the Chinese version has been extensively tested, both chemically and pharmacologically.
Astragalus enhances immune function by:
- Increasing the activity of certain white blood cells
- Increasing the production of antibodies
- Increasing the production of interferon (an anti-viral, anti-tumor agent)
- Stimulating natural killer cells
Astragalus has antibacterial, adaptogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral effects.
According to James Duke, Ph.D., a leading authority on healing herbs, astragalus increases production of the body’s own antiviral compounds alpha- and gamma-interferon, which generally protect against viral invasion.
Astragalus also enhances T-cell production and stimulates macrophages, which in turn help other immune cells fight bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi, toxins, and diseased cells.
Active constituents
Astragalus contains numerous components, including polysaccharides, flavonoids, triterpene glycosides, amino acids, and trace minerals. It owes most of its immune-enhancing effects to polysaccharides, a group of complex sugars responsible for initiating the immune response. Polysaccharides work with other key components to build a strong immune system.
Scientific studies
In a small Chinese study, 10 people whose heart muscles were infected with Coxsackie B virus—the cause of myocarditis or heart inflammation—received injections of astragalus extract for three to four months. The activity of their natural killer cells raised 11–45%.
European studies suggest that many of the immune-stimulating compounds in astragalus are active when taken orally.
Another Chinese study found that astragalus increased immune function in patients with congestive heart failure.
A recent Japanese study tested the effect of astragalus (and two other root extracts) on laboratory animals and found that it did in fact stimulate immune response.
Is it safe?
Astragalus is safe to take on a regular basis and has no known side effects when used as recommended.
3. Olive Leaf Extract (Olea europaea L.)
The olive tree, a small evergreen native to Mediterranean regions, has been revered throughout history for its contribution to the culinary and healing arts. It has been used for thousands of years as a folk remedy for treating fevers, wounds, infection, and for skin rashes and boils.
Current scientific research has shown that the active ingredients in olive leaves do indeed have vast healing powers. Olive leaf extract has been used effectively against:
- Viruses
- Retroviruses
- Bacterium
- Parasites
- Yeasts
- Protozoans
- Fungi
- Molds
- Other microbes and diseases in laboratory testing
Researchers also believe that the natural antioxidants found in olive leaves prevent cardiovascular disease by inhibiting the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) the “bad” cholesterol. This slows the formation of atherosclerotic plaques.
Olive leaf extract also plays a role in supporting normal blood pressure and in reducing the risks associated with stroke, by inhibiting the production of thromboxane—a factor in blood clotting.
Active constituents
Olive leaf has a variety of active constituents including several types of flavonoids (apigenin, luteolin, chrysoeriol, hesperidin, rutin, quercetin, and kaempferol). Its most abundant active ingredient, called oleuropein, has proved to be a powerful antioxidant and antimicrobial.
Scientific studies
The components of olive leaf extract inactivated every cold and flu virus they were tested against!
In other words: nothing could beat it!
Oleuropein may also have antibacterial properties. When unheated olives are brined in order to preserve them, oleuropein is converted into another chemical called elenolic acid. Elenolic acid has shown antibacterial actions against Lactobacilli and Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilus in a test tube study.
An in-vitro study revealed that oleuropein and its derivative hydroxytyrosol act as natural antibiotics against a range of bacteria. Most impressively, these two components of olive leaf inhibited Staphylococcus aureus, the bacteria responsible for many hospital-acquired infections.
Staphylococcus aureus is notorious for its ability to mutate against antibiotics.
In other studies, oleuropein was found to be effective against dozens of different viruses, such as Staphylococcus, Haemorrhagic septicaemia, and HIV-1 infection.
Is it safe?
Olive leaf extract has been demonstrated to be safe and effective in animal experiments and by the hundreds of health practitioners around the country who have used it to treat their patients with remarkable results.
4. Elderberry Extract
Elderberry extract has traditionally been used to ease cold and flu symptoms, sinus problems, fevers, and muscle pain. In the 1980s, virologist Madeline Mumcuoglu, Ph.D, researched how elderberry fights the flu.
According to Mumcuoglu, flu viruses are covered by tiny protein spikes of hemagglutinin, which they use to attach to and infect healthy human cells.
Elderberry extract contains active substances that are able to prevent viral hemagglutinin, or the process of the invading cells using their spike-like projections to introduce its enzyme into healthy cell membranes. She further noted that the viral enzyme is also neutralized in the presence of elderberry extract.
Active constituents
Elderberry contains rutin and quercertin (flavonoids), vitamin C (anti-oxidant), and anthocyanins.
Scientific research
In 1993, a team of Israeli scientists studied the effect of elderberry on flu patients. During a flu epidemic at an Israeli Kibbutz, half of the flu patients were given elderberry syrup, the other half a placebo.
Within only two days, 90% of the group treated with elderberry extract had a complete recovery, whereas it took six days for 91.7% of the control group to recover.
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study, scientists assessed the effect of elderberry extract on the healthy immune system—namely, its effect on cytokine production. (Cytokines are small secreted proteins which mediate and regulate immunity and inflammation.) The production of inflammatory cytokines was tested using blood-derived monocytes from 12 healthy human donors.
The results: Production of inflammatory cytokines was significantly increased, leading the researchers to conclude that elderberry extract might be beneficial to the immune system activation and in the inflammatory process in healthy individuals or in patients with various diseases.
Elderberry extract could also have an immunoprotective or immunostimulatory effect when administered to cancer or AIDS patients, in conjunction with chemotherapeutic or other treatments.
Is it safe?
Elderberry is very safe for adults and children. No adverse effects have been reported.
5. Echinacea
Echinacea purpurea is a perennial herb native to the Midwestern and southeastern United States. Native Americans used it more than any other plant for treating illness and injury, including wounds, snakebites, burns, toothache, and joint pains.
Although echinacea’s popularity waned with the advent of antibiotics, it became respected among herbal practitioner’s clinical applications. Researchers have discovered that the herb contains a diverse range of active components affecting different aspects of immune function.
Echinacea’s polysaccharide and phytosterol constituents support the immune system by activating white blood cells (lymphocytes and macrophages).
Echinacea also promotes nonspecific T-cell activation, a type of white blood cell important in providing resistance to mold like bacteria, yeast, fungi, parasites, and viruses (including herpes simplex, Epstein-Barr, and viruses that cause hepatitis).
The T-cells then increase the production of interferon, an important part of the body’s response to viral infections.
In addition, echinacea contains several components including the glycoside echinacoside and the polysaccharide echinacin, which have mild antibiotic and antifungal activity.
The polysaccharide constituents of echinacea roots have been shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory properties, which promote tissue repair—which is why echinacea has a long history of use for the external treatment of wounds, burns, eczema, and other conditions.
Scientific studies
Several double-blind studies have confirmed the benefit of echinacea for treating colds and flu.
Vast amounts of positive outcome clinical studies support the use of echinacea for preventing and treating cold and flu, preventing and treating upper respiratory infections, and increasing general immune system function.
What about the brouhaha over the study published in the July 28, 2005, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine?
In case you didn’t read about it, it concluded that certain extracts of echinacea were statistically ineffective in lowering rates of infection or severity of symptoms of an induced cold virus in a group of 399 college students. And the media did a fantastic job of smearing echinacea as a reliable herb with powerful benefits.
It’s important to understand that the study was flawed. Although a majority of the scientific community acknowledges that the study was performed in a scientific manner by a reputable institute, Wayne Silverman, Chief Administrative Officer for the American Botanical Council, pointed out three main flaws of the study:
First, the extracts used in the study were made in a university lab, and they were not comparable to any echinacea products currently sold.
Even in the published discussion of the study, researchers said, “Given the great variety of echinacea preparations, it will be difficult to provide conclusive evidence that echinacea has no role in the treatment of the common cold.”
The second problem was the dosage administered. Silverman said, “We believe that with more frequent and higher dosage, the results might have been different. The dosage used in the study was probably one-third of what it should have been.”
The real problem is that all echinacea products are not equal. The right active constituents must be identified and standardized. Researchers make a huge mistake when they test an echinacea product without these qualifications.
The third problem was that using a group of college students in a sequestered environment would not likely produce the same results as using subjects with weaker immune systems, such as the elderly.
“Unfortunately,” said Silverman, “the results [of this study] have been extrapolated to mean echinacea is not effective, period. This study should not be used as a reason to think echinacea is not effective at all.”
Additionally, some health care professionals believe that coverage of the study was biased, since media sources positioned such a poorly designed study as front-page news.
The question that comes up, then, is why does the media ignore news pieces on well-designed studies such as the study that appeared in The Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics in 2004?
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study on standardized echinacea preparation [Echinilin], a commercially produced echinacea preparation, clinically proved that echinacea significantly reduced the severity and duration of the common cold.
The 282 subjects aged 18-65 years with a history of two or more colds in the previous year, but otherwise in good health, received either echinacea or placebo. They were instructed to start the echinacea or placebo at the onset of the first symptom related to a cold, consuming 10 doses the first day and four doses per day on subsequent days for 7 days.
The severity of the symptoms and dosing were recorded daily, and a nurse examined the subjects on the mornings of days 3 and 8 of their cold.
128 of the subjects got a common cold; 59 took echinacea and 69 took a placebo. The total daily symptom scores were found to be 23.1% lower in the echinacea group. Throughout the treatment period, the response rate to treatments was greater in the echinacea group.
The researchers concluded that early intervention with a standardized formulation of echinacea resulted in reduced symptom severity in subjects with naturally acquired upper respiratory tract infection.
Is it safe?
Most of the studies of echinacea have shown it to be a safe herb with very limited side effects.
Conclusion
You now have the information you need to protect yourself and your family from getting sick this winter. Stock up on the immune-enhancing herbs, cut down on sugar and alcohol consumption, get plenty of rest, and use common sense. If there’s a flu epidemic in your neck of the woods, go to the grocery store when there’s less likely to be a crowd. Don’t go to the movies. Instead, rent videos. Wash your hands frequently.