Strengthening one's Immune System

[ALCapshaw2]

Someone I know is recovering from Pneumonia and has asked if I know of any medical / herbal / dietary means of strengthening the immune system. The patient is diabetic and has other complicating medical issues.

Anyone have any suggestions / references?

Thanks in advance.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[Christina]

How to avoid the flu and strengthen your Immune System.

How to avoid the flu and strengthen your Immune System.

I just received this yesterday.
The products can be bought through a professional at www.standardprocess.com

Today, our immune system is under high pressure from stress, environmental pollution, poor eating habits, and lack of sleep/exercise. There are many ways to protect our immune system from seasonal challenges and diseases, including the flu. One of those ways is through nutrition. Support your immune system and conquer colds and flu by following these simple steps:
SLEEP
When you?re tired, it becomes harder for you to accomplish your daily tasks. The same is true if your body is overly fatigued. The body?s immune system has more difficulties fighting the flu. Regular rest will keep you strong and ensure that your body has the strength to fight off any potential invaders. Everyone needs a minimum of 6-8 hours of sleep daily! If your immune system is depleted, REST! After all, we cannot think clearly and function 100% without proper rest.
GARLIC Garlic is a triple-whammy: it?s antibacterial, antiviral and anti-fungal. Garlic is one food that you should be eating every day. You may choose to eat, ?drink?, or take a quality garlic supplement (Standard Process whole clove Garlic: 1-3 tablets daily).
When eating, it is important to note that the garlic must be fresh to give you optimal health benefits. The active ingredient is destroyed within one hour of pressing the garlic. Compress it with a spoon or garlic press, just prior to swallowing it, or put it through your juicer to add to your vegetable juice. If you swallow the clove intact you will not convert the active ingredient, Allicin, to its active form.
STRESS .
We all face some stress everyday. The greater the stress, the chance of flu and other illnesses increase. Our immune systems cannot efficiently function under high levels of Cortisol, the ?stress? hormone. It has been estimated that up to 90 percent of illness and disease is stress-related. If you feel that stress is taking a toll on your health, consider ?deep breathing? and other relaxing techniques (yoga, meditation, aromatherapy baths, etc).
EXERCISE.
Exercise increases circulation and blood flow throughout your body. The components of your immune system are also better circulated, which means your immune system is more efficient at finding an illness before it spreads. Also, sweating assists our bodies in detoxification. In a sense, exercising helps your immune system to be more efficient in flushing out viruses and diseases.
WASH YOUR HANDS
Washing your hands decreases the likelihood of spreading viruses/gerns to your nose, mouth or other people. If your immune system is strong, it should fight off the virus. However, washing your hands does provide extra protection. Instead of antibacterial soap, identify a simple chemical-free soap that you can use. Local health food stores typically carry a variety of natural soaps.
AVOID DAIRY. If you or your family member show signs of runny nose, cough, congestion, sneezing; eliminate all dairy products for a few days. Dairy products increase the production of mucus and can actually CREATE more congestion, and amplify the feeding ground for bacteria and viruses. To be safe, eliminate any milk, cheese, yogurt, etc. for about 5-7 days while boosting your immune system and building back your energy reserves.
AVOID SUGAR Sugar decreases the function of your immune system almost immediately. As you likely know, a strong immune system is vital to fighting off viruses (flu) and other illnesses. It is especially imperative to avoid sugar if you start showing symptoms like sneezing, coughing, or runny nose. Keeping sugar out of your diet for the long haul will do wonders for your health and make your body stronger. The stronger your immune system, the less likely it will be weaken by the flu. Be aware that sugar is present in foods you may not suspect like ketchup, salad dressings, and fruit juice.

STRENGTHEN YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM
Prevention: (All recommendations are in Adult Dosages- 150 lb. person; adjust accordingly)
 Immuplex 3-6 daily
 Congaplex 3-6 daily
 Echinacea-C 3-6 daily
 MediHerb Echinacea Premium 1-2 tablets, or 1-2 teaspoons liquid daily
Acute Illness: (upon onset)
 Continue Immuplex, Congaplex, and add in the following:
 Echinacea Premium: increased dosage to 3-4 tablets daily (or 1 tablet every 2 hours during acute symptoms
 Andrographis Complex: 2 tablets- 3 times daily
 St. John?s Wort (anti-viral): 2 tablets- 3 times daily
 Maintain the increased dosage for 2-3 days following depletion of symptoms in order to regain the immune system reserves.
SUMMARY
The bottom line is: LEAD a healthy lifestyle and set positive examples for others. This includes eating right, exercising, getting adequate sleep, and addressing/eliminating stressors every day. If you incorporate these things into your daily regime, chances are you?ll AVOID the flu.

?The Doctor of the Future will give no medicine, but will teach his patients on the cause and prevention of disease.?
Thomas Edison

 

[KathyH]

Al, I see you got some good advise above, but I would be careful with the herbs if your friend has complicated medical issues. Alot of people thing herbs are natural and harmless, but that is not true. Many herbs interact with medications and can cause more harm than good. I would not add any herbal treatment without checking on interactions with the dr.
Kathy H

 

[Christina L]

Christina,

Christina,

Your post is right on!! All the things you suggest are the best things you can do to support your immune system.

A great thing to do with the garlic is to make a chicken noodle soup (especially when you have a cold) - use good chicken broth stock and of course chicken, put in some egg noodles and RIGHT BEFORE you eat/drink the soup, use a garlic press and put some fresh garlic in the soup - you are right -you don't want to cook the garlic at all - it will destroy its healing properties.

Also, another thing I have read is to mince the garlic and let it sit for 10 minutes before ingesting it or putting it in food - don't know why - but supposely it becomes more potent that way.

P.S. I do the same thing with garlic and my spaghetti sauce - adding it in right before eating.

From one Christina to another - again, great advice!!

 

[Harpoon]

You might want to try this or pass it along...When I am feeling rundown (like now for example), I crush garlic and boil it in water with minced ginger....I let it simmer awhile, then add fresh lemon juice and honey....

seem to be very helpful!

At the very least that would clear your sinuses some! =)

I've got a few "varieties" of ginger, minced, crushed, and the actual root laying around, Might have to try that some night.



Garlic soup (kinda sorta stolen/borrowed from Gazzaniga's cookbook for low sodium diets)


One big onion (or two if you'd like) chopped into quarters.
14 (or more, I always go for more) cloves of garlic
One stalk celery, chopped into 1 inch pieces
One carrot, same as the celery
4 cups very low sodium chicken or beef broth or, if you dare, white wine (I've wanted to try it with red but haven't yet, each wine would give you a slightly different flavor but it's still probably good and the alcohol, I use "virgin" wine, would be cooked off before the soup was done)


Toss everything into a big pot and bring to a boil for a few minutes then let simmer on medium to low heat for at least 3 hours give or take.

You can either disgard the veggies or keep them (either puried or as is, though chop up the onion into finer junks for eating before cooking everything)

I usually toss the onion and serve at LEAST the garlic cloves on the side. They're really good either cooled or reheated in the microwave... Could serve the carrots as a side dish probably. VERY mellowed out flavors.

This stuff is GREAT for anyone fighting a cold or other winter illness. Also easy on sour tummies and it fills the house with a wonderful aroma...


I've been known to toss in rice and cooked, diced chicken about an hour before the soup is ready to serve... Also tried it with noodles but that didn't work out too well...

Wonder how it would go with tofu cubes.... Hmmmmm....

 

[Christina]

For KathyH.

For KathyH.

The supplements recommended in my post are all grown in special nutrient rich soil and derived from organic foods. Read up on the history. They have been in business since 1929. (www.standardprocess.com) These are not synthetic supplements. There is a difference. There are only a couple of organically grown food supplement companies in this country, Standard Process is one.
I have been taking supplements from this company for going on two years and have not experienced any side effects because there are none when they are really natural.
What I have experienced since I have strengtened my immune system is that I no longer get the crud each spring and by that I mean, bronchitis, sinusitis and laryngitis. At times I would not be able to get any sound out for going on 3 months. Not fun when you are trying to run a business and you're the one having to answer the calls that come in.

Stay ahead of the doctors and prevent sickness.
This is your life and you are in charge.

 

[bethanne]

I had good results with this product line. Specifically the Immune Defense and Heart Factor have been the most beneficial.

http://www.nuchoiceint.com/products/nutrition.shtml