| Revive Wellness Center Newsletter |
Natural Flu Prevention
May 2009 |
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| in this issue |
| :: How to increase your natural immunity against the swine flu |
| :: Spring into Health Fair! |
 Greetings!,
Spring has brought with it fears and worries about the swine flu in addition to, bird songs and lovely flowers. In this issue learn how to protect yourself and your family against the hype and viruses.
We are looking forward to seeing you, your friends, and family at our annual health fair. It is a perfect opportunity for a loved one to come try our services and start on the road to health. There is no better investment that you can make than taking care of yourself.
Blessing for a happy and healthy spring!
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How to Increase Your Naturally Immunity Against The Swine Flu
There has been widespread fear and dread concerning the swine flu pandemic and many of us are wondering why and what we can do about it. The reason why the swine flu has attained such infamy is because it is the "trickiest" flu since the early 1900s, it has shown up internationally, and conventional medicine has not yet come up with a vaccine or medicine to treat the flu effectively. Is this, like many other media obsessions, worth the attention and face masks? Fear and worry will only serve to dampen our immune systems and make us sick, therefore, instead of worrying here are some things to consider and natural ways to increase your immune system's resistance against the swine flu and viruses like the swine flu.
Flu Symptoms- the big picture
Many people will get the flu over the course of their lifetime, similar to the common cold, with no adverse effects other than a few days off of work, cough, headache, runny nose, body aches, respiratory symptoms, chills, and fever. Some adults get vomiting and diarrhea or dizziness with flu-like symptoms. Many health care workers caring for those with swine flu often have antibodies to the virus, which means they are protected against further infection, and have experienced mild symptoms.
Most of the 985 or so people in 20 countries internationally that have had the swine flu, including all but one of the 226 or so cases in the US, have had mild flu-like symptoms and have survived the symptoms with little discomfort. For daily updates on numbers go to cdc.gov. Traditional Chinese Medicine will take all of your individual symptoms into account when treating the flu with Acupuncture and/or herbal medicine which is our version of creating an effective match for illness.
Lack of Treatment- Anything new?
In order for flu vaccines to be effective they must match up perfectly to the particular strain of flu virus that is around. Every year different strains show up, including the flu swine strain, called H1N1, which actually has been around for years in early form. From 2005 through January 2009, there were 12 reported swine flu cases in the U.S. None of them caused deaths. The swine flu is a mutation of the Spanish flu of the 1900s and cause the last great flu epidemic. This particular strain of the swine flu seems to be a naturally-occurring cross breed of the human flu, an avian flu, and 2 types of the swine flu. The swine flu is a concern because it could set off a harmful immune overreaction in the body, called a "cytokine storm", unlike other strains. However, we have been fighting off the swine flu for years in the US with little concern.
In previous years a small percentage of the flu strains that were around during flu season included the swine flu, however, it did not obtain epidemic status until now. Viruses are difficult to keep up with, there have been 381 strains of the H1N1 mapped out so far. After the flu season is over we truly see how well vaccines help to prevent the flu. Last year the flu vaccine's effectiveness for the three most popular strains were 69%, 21%, and only 3% effective. If we haven't been successful in the past about treatments for flu vaccines in the past what makes this strain so different? According to the CDC (www.CDC.gov/swineflu)
· There is currently no vaccine for humans for the swine flu. There is one for pigs.
· The current common flu vaccine used in humans does NOT protect against the swine flu.
Influenza antiviral drugs only work against influenza viruses -- they will not help treat or prevent symptoms caused by infection from other viruses that can cause symptoms similar to the flu.
· There are anti-viral medications for anyone with a confirmed case available for children age 1 year and older, and adults: oseltamivir (11% ineffective) and Zanamivir.
When considering vaccination, let us also learn from the past. In the 1970s there was another major scare of the swine flu reaching pandemic proportions for which a vaccinated was created in a hurry. More people died of the swine flu vaccine in 1976 then died of the swine flu. Again, the death toll for the hyped-up swine flu of 1976 was 1 for people actually dying of the swine flu in the US.
International Porportions- How much is the US?
The highest percentages of viral strains that are the swine virus are not found in the US. Norway at the top leads the pack with 66% of their H1N1. France has over 40%. The USA came in - at least when the graph was made at 10.5%. And - but a number of European countries were around the same range according to the CDC.
Do the numbers add up to the hype?
Dr. Richard Besser, acting head of the CDC states even with seasonal flu, there are always some people who can't resist it very well, especially children under 5 years old are particularly vulnerable to flu and its complications, and every year children die from seasonal flu. According to the CDC, more than 20,000 children younger than age 5 are hospitalized every year because of seasonal flu. The number of children that died from the swine flu, thus far is 1 compared to 53 seasonal flu-related deaths in children for our current "regular" flu season and 86 children nationwide died from flu complications in 2007-2008. Mexico had 25 deaths for it's 590 cases, which is still much less than the numbers of people who die of the "regular' flu.
Current death toll for swine flu in US: 1
Death toll for children during "regular" flu season in US: 86
Death toll in 20 European countries with 985 cases as of May 4th: 0
According to Dr. Gupta, in comparing the swine flu to previous pandemics, the SARS pandemic of 2000-2003 had 774 deaths. That's about 10 percent of those who were infected with the virus. Most of the cases were in China, with fewer than 10 in the United States.
There is major fear that the swine flu could turn into a situation like the 1918 Spanish Flu that killed about 50 million people around the world. What has changed since 1918 to protect us from such a pandemic?
Health conditions in 1918 were such that most people only bathed one a month, washing your hands was not know to be an important part of public hygiene that prevents spreading of illness, outhouses were used rather than toilets, and the theory of germs was barely developed. The first antibiotic was invented in 1943, streptomycin, and was replaced by the safer form of antibiotics that were invented in 1945. This and many other hygiene and modern healthcare technologies will protect us from a repeat of the 1918 pandemic.
Should I avoid public events and locations until the virus is contained?
Right now, the CDC is not recommending this since the likelihood of being infected is slim and even if you caught the swine flu you are most likely to experience mild temporary symptoms. Also, going out and doing things that you enjoy and that improve your health and will give you the best chance of staying healthy, just remember to wash your hands.
How to prevent spreading and catching the "flu":
1. Stay healthy
2. Wash you hands with soap and water after being in contact with anyone who is sick or touching possibly infected surfaces.
Note: Purell and other hand sanitizers have not been shown to be as effective as good 'ol soap and water at killing viruses and bacteria and it dries out your skin which reduces your body's natural protecting oils at the skin's surface.
3. Use a Neti pot or nasal rinse to prevent viruses, bacteria, and allergens from "taking hold" of your nasal and respiratory system.
Ways to improve your natural immunity to the swine flu
1. Diet- Avoid sugar because it suppresses the immune system. Eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein or vegetable protein, such as, nuts and beans.
Foods that have natural antiviral and antibacterial activity:
Garlic, ginger, shitake mushrooms, onions.
2. Sleep- Getting enough sleep boosts your immune system, 6-9 hours a night including REM sleep.
3. Sunshine & Vitamin D. Vitamin D helps to decrease duration of flu at high doses.
4. Stress Reduction. Stress depletes your immune system, therefore, trade the fear and worry for fun and relaxation.
5. Natural Supplements
Probiotics- the "good" bugs of your digestive system protect against pathogens and improve immune system function by supporting your Gut Associated Lymphoid Tissue (GALT). Consult with your Naturopathic Physician to see which strains of probiotics will be most helpful for you.
B complex
Vitamin C
6. Herbal medicine
There are numerous herbal medicines, herbs were the original pharmaceutical drugs, that have anti-viral properties. The benefit of using herbal medicine in some cases over pharmaceutical drugs is that they do not become "resistant" as easily because herbs and plants are constantly mutating themselves to keep up with our shared environment and they have multiple function's which can help co-infections as well as primary disease. Consult with your Naturopathic physician or herbalist before using an herbal remedy.
Astragalus- huang qi- supports the immune system, has a "normalizing" effect, antioxidant, and broad-spectrum antibiotic activity.
Eleutherococcus senticosus is an adaptogen that helps the body deal with stress and has antiviral properties. Some clinical research shows that taking a specific combination product containing Siberian ginseng plus andrographis (Kan Jang, Swedish Herbal Institute) orally significantly improves symptoms of the common cold when started within 72 hours of symptom onset. Some symptoms can improve after 2 days of treatment. It typically takes 4-5 days of treatment before there is maximal symptom relief. Some research suggests this combination of Eleutherococcus and andrographis relieves cold symptoms better than Echinacea or placebo in children. Also effective against reducing the severity, frequency, and duration of the Herpes Simplex-2 that causes cold sores. Eleutherococcus also increases lymphocyte counts and phagocyte activity, inhibits RNA-type viruses including human rhinovirus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and influenza A virus. Polysaccharide derivatives of Eleutherococcus appear to inhibit growth of the tuberculosis bacterium.
Ginger- Decreases fevers, decreases pain, decreases congestion, anti-inflammatory, sedative, antibiotic, antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral properties.
Garlic- Effective antibacterial, antifungal, anti-parasitic, antiviral, antispasmodic, diaphoretic, expectorant, and immunostimulant. Mildly decreases cholesterol, blood pressure, and prevents blood clots.
St. John's Wort- St. John's wort and its constituents, hypericin and pseudohypericin, have activity against viruses and bacteria, including influenza virus, herpes simplex virus types I and II, Sindbis virus, poliovirus, retrovirus, murine cytomegalovirus (CMV), hepatitis C, and Gram negative and Gram positive bacteria. Hyperforin can inhibit growth of penicillin- and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and other Gram positive organisms, but not Gram negative organisms. Caution- has antidepressant activity- consult with your ND if you are on antidepressant medication and may decrease the effectiveness by birth control pills by 15%.
Licorice- antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, laxative, and soothing properties. It shows activity against hepatitis B and C in humans. In vitro data suggests that glycyrrhizin suppresses the production and expression of hepatitis B surface antigen (HbS-Ag). Preliminary evidence suggests that glycyrrhizin may inhibit the growth of the coronavirus, which is associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The exact mechanism of the antiviral effect of glycyrrhizin is not known. Caution if you have high blood pressure, may increase blood pressure if taken long term- discuss with your Naturopath.
Lemon balm- sedative, antioxidant, and antiviral effects.
Shitake and Reishi mushrooms- immune supportive.
For those of you that are looking for a natural way to protect and relieve flu symptoms we have created a combination using many of the antiviral herbs listed above that can be individualized for your constitution that we call, Herbal Defense. It will be available by request at Revive Wellness Center for our patients.
7. Essential oils with antiviral activity:
Tea tree, cinnamon, thyme, oregano, lemon, myrrh, ravensara, eucalyptus, peppermint, lemon balm, elemi, palma rosa, Helichrysum italicum, black pepper. Add a few drops to a diffuser to "purify" the air or make a spray with a few drops in water to clean surfaces.
8. Acupuncture
9. Exercise
Co-infections
Another thing that makes the swine flu or any flu more dangerous is the risk for co-infections. Co-infections are other viruses, bacteria, yeast, or other pathogens that further weaken your immune system and decrease your chance of survival. Naturopathic medicine and Chinese medicine take the high risk of co-infections with any illness into account by addressing individualized needs and the "vital force" or immune system of each patient. See you Primary Care Physician if you are having flu-like symptoms for a nasal swab test for the particular virus strain. Take natural medicine precautions outlined above and specifically recommended by your Naturopathic Physician to shorten the duration and severity of flu-like symptoms.
References & Resources:
There is a resource by Jayney Goddard, President of The Complementary Medical Association (The CMA) that has written about the 'epidemic' with the bird flu, which is one of the genetic influences in the swine flu, in her book "The Survivor's Guide to Bird Flu: The Complementary Medical Approach".
www.cdc.gov
www.naturaldatabase.com
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| ANNUAL SPRING INTO HEALTH FAIR
Saturday May 9th
FREE ADMISSION
During Art Walk in Westville- fun for the whole family
DISCOUNTED TREATMENTS:
ACUPUNCTURE- $25 for 1/2 hour
MASSAGE- $1 per minute
ENERGY HEALING- $25 for 1/2 hour
ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE- $10 for 10 minutes
NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE- FREE 15 minute consult for new patients
Call 203-387-1540 or email
GRATITUTUE COLLECTION JEWELERY
GLUTEN-FREE BAKERY
HAND-KNIT BABY WEAR
BACK SUPPORT TOOLS
BELLY DANCE CLASS PERFORMANCE at 1pm - Free.
THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO TRY A HOLISTIC HEALTH THERAPY!
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Thank you for choosing Revive Wellness Center for your healthcare needs. It is a pleasure and an honor to be of service to you and your family.
Sincerely,
Dr. Artemis Morris, ND LAc, Medical Director &
Revive Wellness Center team |
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Save $5 |
On Herbal Defense, our anti-viral tincture. It can be customized for each individual patient. Normally $20 for 2 oz. |
| Offer Expires: June 1st 2009. |
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