Cold & Flu Season is Here, Time to Boost Your Immune System!

Your defense against the flu is only as strong as the state of your immune system. Get all the flu shots you like; but if your immune system isn’t prepared, you’ll still be vulnerable to the flu.

Take every step necessary to strengthen your immune system. Try a natural immune system booster to help you stay well, they can also help you bounce back when you’re laid low.

During this season that puts us in contact with so many people while socializing or shopping, it’s inevitable that many people are going to come down with the flu or another virus that causes colds and digestive “bugs” which are easily passed around.

There are three natural agents: Vitamin C, Grapefruit Seed Extract, and Olive Leaf Extract that might also help provide protection against colds and the flu or be useful as treatments once the virus has set in. At the fist sign of muscle aches, sore throat, coughing or any other symptoms of flu (or cold, or other infections), you should take a large dose of vitamin C 2,500-3,000mg, and then follow that with 1,000 mg (one gram) every hour until symptoms recede.

Sometimes the vitamin C alone will do the trick, but when more is needed, Olive Leaf Extract and Grapefruit Seed Extract may be added. Olive Leaf Extract is simple to work with, as its concentration is not a problem. 500-1000 milligrams every few hours, with or without the Vitamin C, depending on the situation.

Normally, for straight oral use, the Vitamin C and Olive Leaf Extract are a great pair by themselves (the Olive Leaf Extract lowers the needed amount of vitamin C, which can get into very high amounts for a serious flu attack). As for Grapefruit Seed Extract, the full-strength liquid is very bitter and must be diluted. It comes in different forms available, such as throat spray, ear drops, topical, etc. Extensive research has been conducted on the antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and antiparasitic properties of this amazing effects of Grapefruit Seed Extract.

There are also other natural remedies to help increase your immunity and help you fight off colds and the flu. Proteolytic Enzymes may also help with the flu. Adding some acidophilus culture (also called probiotics) to the mix, during and for a few days after the use of Olive Leaf Extract.

Olive Leaf Extract is such a good antibacterial that it can also kill the “good guy” bacteria that we need in our gastrointestinal (GI) tracts. A capsule or so of acidophilus (probiotics) before meals should be adequate insurance for keeping these beneficial organisms established.

With all the rush and deadline pressure that comes with the holidays, we often forget to take the time to maintain optimum immune system health. Please follow the few simple items below to ensure you at your healthiest this Holiday Season:

• Exercise regularly
• Eat nutritious foods (preferably fresh, whole foods)
• Manage stress levels
• Get the right amount of sleep

Click here for more natural immune system booster information.

Rhodiola Rosea: Herbal Adaptogen to Reduce Stress

Rhodiola Rosea or “Golden Root” can help our bodies adapt to stress. It has been used in the traditional medicine of Russia, Scandinavia, and other countries. Between 1748 and 1961 various medicinal applications of Rhodiola Rosea appeared in the scientific literature of Sweden, Norway, France, Germany, the Soviet Union, and Iceland. Since 1961, more than 180 pharmacological, phytochemical and clinical studies have been published.

Although Rhodiola Rosea has been extensively studied as an adaptogen with various health-promoting effects, it’s properties remain largely unknown in the West. This may be partially due to the fact that the bulk of research has been published in Slavic and Scandinavian languages.

Traditional folk medicine used Rhodiola Rosea to increase physical endurance, work productivity, longevity, resistance to high altitude sickness, and to treat fatigue, depression, anemia, impotence, gastrointestinal ailments, infections, and nervous system disorders. In mountain villages of the Republic of Georgia, a bouquet of roots is still given to couples prior to marriage to enhance fertility and assure the birth of healthy children. In Middle Asia, Rhodiola Rosea tea was the most effective treatment for cold and flu during severe Asian winters. Mongolian doctors prescribed it for tuberculosis and cancer. For centuries, only family members knew where to harvest the wild “golden roots” and the methods of extraction. Siberians secretly transported the herb down ancient trails to the Caucasian Mountains where it was traded for Georgian wines, fruits, garlic, and honey. Chinese emperors sent expeditions to Siberia to bring back the “golden root” for medicinal preparations.

Rhodiola Rosea has also been used as an astringent and for the treatment of hernia, leucorrhoea (vaginal discharge), hysteria, and headache. In 1755 Rhodiola Rosea was included in the first Swedish Pharmacopoeia. Vikings used the herb to enhance their physical strength and endurance. German researchers described the benefits of Rhodiola Rosea for pain, headache, scurvy, hemorrhoids, as a stimulant, and as an anti-inflammatory.

There are still more scientific studies being held in which scientists are exploring its diverse physiological effects. Future medical applications are being developed including medicines to treat diseases such as cancer and radiation sickness, and enhancing physical and mental performance.

Click Here for Information on Rhodiola Rosea.

Should Your Child Get the H1N1 Vaccine?

Parents are wondering: Should my child get the H1N1 vaccine?

If you have a young son or daughter in your family, or if you’re a grandparent or relative of a young child, you need to know the H1N1 vaccine details you’re probably not hearing on the evening news – maybe not even from your pediatrician.

Secrets in the details

“The swine flu is complete hype.”

That remarkable statement doesn’t come from an alternative medicine rabble-rouser, or someone in an anti-vaccine group. It comes from a conventional pediatrician.

Recently, my friend Felicia who asked her pediatrician if her 15-year-old son should get the H1N1 vaccine. Not only did her doctor note the hype of H1N1, calling it a “mild flu,” but he also said he believes the vaccine is potentially dangerous.

So where would the danger come in?

For starters, Guillain-Barre syndrome – a paralyzing brain disorder. According to The Daily Mail, a recent letter sent from the UK’s Health Protection Agency to hundreds of neurologists warned the doctors to be watchful for GBS symptoms in patients who receive the H1N1 vaccine. In the mid-70s, several hundred GBS cases were linked to the H1N1 vaccine.

Other dangers are unknown because this new H1N1 vaccine has been rushed into production without benefit of lengthy trials that might reveal dangerous side effects.

While weighing these unknowable areas of vaccine risk, parents might be influenced by the news that about 45 children have already died from H1N1 complications. Without question, we’ll be hearing about this death toll frequently because it’s obviously a powerful motivator for reluctant parents.

But here’s a detail you’re not likely hear unless you do some digging. According to a September issue of the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, about two-thirds of the children who died had at least one high-risk medical condition. And in this group, nearly all had neurodevelopmental conditions such as cerebral palsy.

The death of any child is tragic, but we know the risk H1N1 poses to healthy children is extremely low. As far as the risk the vaccine poses…that remains to be seen.

A sparkling drop of mercury

You may have also heard that two doses of the H1N1 vaccine will be necessary for children under the age of 10. These doses will need to be given about three weeks apart, but Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has a plan for easing that inconvenience.

Dr. Fauci told Reuters Health that children can receive their seasonal flu shot and one of their doses of the H1N1 shot on the same day.

Convenient? Yes. Dangerous? That all depends…

The first available H1N1 vaccines will be in the nasal spray form. Unlike the injectable vaccines, the nasal spray variety will contain a small amount of live attenuated H1N1 influenza virus. As I noted in a previous e-Alert, the nasal spray vaccine is recommended only for people who have healthy immune systems. The reason: If the immune system isn’t up to par, the live virus in the spray may cause the very sickness you’re trying to avoid.

In addition, some of the other H1N1 vaccines (the injectable ones) will contain thimerosal – the controversial preservative that contains mercury, which some believe may be linked with autism risk. The mainstream media has done a masterful job of marginalizing anyone who dares suggest such a risk. Nevertheless, there it is. And it’s also in the seasonal flu shot. So…are you willing to roll the dice?

In lieu of the H1N1 shot, Felicia’s doctor suggested that her son wash his hands frequently and avoid touching his face while at school. He might have added: Get plenty of sleep, get some daily exercise, and eat wholesome foods – no junk.

If kids (and parents) follow those guidelines, they’ll have healthy immune systems, ready to fight off many a nasty bug.

This article was published by http://hsibaltimore.com/ on Tue, 06 Oct 2009. we are sindicating it as we believe its a valuable read. 🙂