Antibiotics and Vaccines Articles
Natural options to boost immunity during flu season
Flu season is quickly approaching, and concern is mounting! How do we keep our immune systems strong, maintain a healthy lifestyle, and avoid the germs that permeate the air and our environment? And what kinds of natural approaches can we take?
Great questions…and ones that deserve answers. But, let’s first discuss what our immune system is all about, and what is this thing called ‘flu?’[
First of all, what is our immune system, and why is it important?
The immune system is a complex network of molecules and specialized cells that work in close cooperation to fight infection. We rely upon our immune system to defend us from attack by foreign invaders, such as bacteria or viruses.
For our bodies, the first line of defense against invasion by germs is made up of an intact skin and the mucous membranes (for example, those that line the nose and the throat). Our skin acts as an important physical barrier. Many of the billions of germs that we have on our skin surfaces are eliminated when they are shed with the outer layers of skin.
The mucous membranes are not as tough as skin, but they contain natural substances that fight germs like those found in tears, saliva, and sweat. Our greatest ally is the cells that fight to defend the body, and they are known as leukocytes, or white blood cells or WBCs.
So, we now know that we have an innate defense mechanism, but what exactly is the flu?
Influenza, or flu, is a viral infection in the nose, throat and lungs. About 10% to 20% of Americans get the flu each year; some of them get very sick, and many of them are hospitalized and/or die as a result of complications. The flu may cause fever, cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, headache, muscle aches and overall tiredness. Most people feel better after 1 or 2 weeks, but others do not. They may have a higher risk of complications, like pneumonia, and include:
• All children aged 6 months up to 19 years
• All adults aged 50 years and older
• All women who are or will be pregnant during the flu season
• People who are living in nursing homes or long-term care facilities
• Individuals who have long-term health problems
• Health care workers who have direct contact with patients
• Caregivers and household contacts of children less than 6 months of age
There are vaccines available, and while most people can take the vaccine without complications, others should discuss the vaccine with their healthcare providers, including:
• People who have had an allergic reaction to a flu shot in the past
• People with an allergy to eggs
• People who previously developed Guillain-Barré Syndrome (a reversible reaction that causes partial or complete loss of movement of muscles, weakness or a tingling sensation in the body) within 6 weeks of getting a flu shot
• Children younger than 6 months of age
• People who have a moderate or severe illness with a fever
Your role in boosting your immune system:
The general recommendations for a healthy lifestyle, such as eating regular balanced meals and exercising daily, will go a long way towards boosting your immune system. In addition, there are steps that you personally can take to ensure good health. Our next post will discuss specific natural immunity boosters you can use to remain healthy throughout flu season.
Antibiotics are effective towards bacteria infections. However, over-use of antibiotics becomes a major factor causing yeast overgrowth in the body. It suggests that for servere cases antibiotics should still be prescribed, while for milder cases some alternatives should be considered. What is considered to be an alternative to antibiotics?
First of all, preventative approach should be mentioned. Many infections are caused by weak immune functions and stressed healing abilities. Addressing the root issue becomes the major preventative therapy for infections. For example, frequent sinus and ear infections are often caused by virus, allergies and intestinal problems. Many urinary track infections start with yeast overgrowth. In both cases bacterial infection is the consequences of other factors. Without solving the root issue, antibiotics only ease the symptoms and cause more allergies and intestinal issues. Frequent use of antibiotics creates a vicious circle leading to yeast overgrowth and more sinus, ear and urinary track infection in the future.
In the beginning of an infection, alternative approach has to be used as early as possible. If the infection becomes too bad, antibiotics are unavoidable. Here are some natural alternatives to antibiotics:
Herbal remedies are very useful to fight for bacteria and virus. In the beginning of a respiratory or urinary track infection, herbal remedies are very effective to stop the symptoms and prevent further bacterial infection. Common herbs include Aloe Vera, Burdock root, Cat’s claw, Cayenne, Cranberry, Echinacea, Garlic, Golden Seal, Green Tea, Juniper berry, Licorice, Oregano leaf, Pau d’ Arco, Red clover etc. Most of the herbs are available over the counter. Traditional Chinese medicine also provides strong herbal formulas for bacteria and viral infections. But you have to find a specialist to prescribe those herbs.
Homeopathic remedies are another alternative to antibiotics. Homeopathic remedies induce the body’s own ability to fight pathogens. Most of modern homeopathic remedies such as the Rescue Remedy come in a form of formula and are available over the counter. You can combine herbal and homeopathic remedies to increase their efficacy.
Digestive enzymes are often used to treat infections, especially protease. High dosage of protease in an empty stomach helps the immune system to fight for the infection. Many nutritional supplements come in a form of formula containing herbs, vitamins and protease. You can find them in any health food store. In the mean time, reducing stress of the body, drinking more water, sleeping more and eating less sugar and rich foods also are also necessary to help the body fight infection.
by Dr. Mayer Eisenstein, M.D.
In 1976, when I just started in my medical practice, one of the great experiments in “modern” medicine took place. The Center for Disease Control predicted a devastating flu epidemic, the “Swine Flu” epidemic. They predicted that thousands of people would die from this strain of flu just as in the flu epidemic of 1918 which caused the deaths of millions of Americans. In order to “protect” the American people from this “certain death” the government made the Swine Flu vaccine available free of charge to the public and began administering it at “government vaccine centers”. I asked my professor, the late Dr. Robert Mendelsohn, “what should I recommend to my patients, if the government makes this vaccine mandatory?” His response was, “Tell your patients to line up at the back of the line and pray that they run out of vaccine material before your patients reach the front of the line.” After just a few weeks, almost 100 people died shortly after being injected with the Swine Flu vaccine and more than 500 people developed Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) (see explanation following). The government immediately abandoned the Swine Flu vaccine program. As for the prediction that thousands of people would die from the flu, the total number of cases of Swine Flu was less than 10. This is not the first time that the government and our medical establishment have tried to scare the public into accepting unproven medical treatments. The argument is always the same, the medical establishment says, “If you do not follow my advice, very bad things will happen to you. Trust me, I am your doctor.” The time has come to say, “show me the evidence, show me that the treatment is safer than the disease.”
It is my interpretation, according to medical statistics, that the flu vaccine of today is no safer than the Swine Flu vaccine of 1976. The only difference is that in 1976 the flu vaccine was administered to thousands of individuals at government vaccine centers and the data relating to the side effects was readily available. Today, the vaccine is administered in thousands and thousands of doctors offices, work places, drug stores, and grocery stores, with no uniform methodology for reporting accountability or follow up data easily available.
Last year the same scare tactic of massive death rates was used with the alleged coming of the “bird flu” epidemic. Just like the “swine flu” epidemic, the “bird flu” epidemic has still not come.
Why would anyone in their right mind (or wrong mind) take a flu vaccine when the latest studies published September 24th, 2007 in the journal, Lancet Infectious Diseases found that ……
§ Influenza vaccinations don’t reduce flu-related mortality rates in elderly adults in the United States, and prior reports of the vaccine’s efficacy in this population have been exaggerated,…
§ Although flu vaccination rates in the United States have increased from 15% to 65% since 1980, recent mortality studies cannot confirm any decrease in flu-related deaths in adults aged 70 years and older, wrote Lone Simonsen, Ph.D. and colleagues, of George Washington University, Washington,(Lancet Infect. Dis. 2007.)
The great increase in flu vaccination rates can only be explained by the gullibility of the American public. However, more and more parents are questioning and refusing to vaccinate their children. At the same time the government is increasing its efforts to force vaccinations of children by prosecuting parents who refuse to vaccinate their children, as is currently happening in Maryland.
Effective Alternative to the Flu Vaccine
Probiotics
Probiotics are living microorganisms (bacterial or yeast) which, upon ingestion in certain numbers, exert health benefits beyond inherent basic nutrition.
There is a long history of health claims concerning living microorganisms in food, particularly lactic acid bacteria (lactobacillus). In a Persian version of the Old Testament Genesis 18:8, “and he (Abraham) took curd and milk,” Abraham may have owed his longevity to the consumption of sour milk. In 76 BC the Roman historian, Plinius, recommended the administration of fermented milk products for the treatment of gastroenteritis.
We know that the intestine, besides being a digestive organ, affects the immune system. The over 500 trillion friendly bacteria that live in our intestine communicate with each other, modulating many of the functions of our body. A decrease in the number of these bacteria, either because of antibiotic use (antibiotics will destroy healthy bacteria as well as pathogenic bacteria) or from lack of food containing healthy bacteria (all processed food is sterilized and pasteurized, killing all bacteria including friendly bacteria).
In the past, food preservation was accomplished through fermentation, a process that adds a host of beneficial microorganisms to food. However, fermentation is an inconsistent process; therefore, commercial food processors developed techniques like pasteurization (which kills all microorganisms), to help standardize more consistent yields.
Scientific studies have demonstrated that a lack of healthy bacteria can be one of the causes of a weak immune system that can lead to medical problems such as: food allergies, bacterial vaginosis of pregnancy, irritable bowel syndrome, urinary tract infections, yeast infections, intestinal infections, allergy, asthma, genital infections, elevated blood pressure, (all lactobacilli have ace inhibitor properties, thereby lowering blood pressure), elevated cholesterol levels, recurrent ear and bladder infections, antibiotic associated diarrhea, and protection of the newborn against atopic disease. The scientific literature has documented that many of these problems can be reversed with the use of probiotics.
Therefore, by strengthening your immune system by taking probiotics you can lower your probability of getting flu and if you get the flu it will lower the serious side effects.
(Updated: November/December 2009)
What is in the H1N1 vaccines?
Back in June, when manufacture of the H1N1 vaccine was being discussed, there was some concern that it might contain adjuvants (substances that increase immune response, and may be toxic to some people); or the mercury-based preservative thimerosal, which has been removed from nearly all routine vaccinations for children. The vaccine manufacturers all made the decision to omit adjuvants. There are three forms of vaccine being manufactured—a nasal form, a single dose injection, and a multi-dose vial. Unfortunately there is thimerosal in the multi-dose vials of the H1N1 vaccine. I am recommending the nasal form of the vaccine and the single-dose injection, but because of the thimerosal, I am not recommending vaccination from the multi-dose vials at this time.
Nov 16 vaccine update: The fifth vaccine, produced by Glaxo-Smith-Kline has just been approved by the FDA—however, it is also a multi-dose vial which contains thimerosal, with 25 micrograms of mercury in each 0.5 ml dose. The PDF of the GSK “Highlights of Prescribing Information” states, “Safety and effectiveness of Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine have not been established in pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children.”http://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/UCM190377.pdf
Who is at risk for H1N1 flu?
The H1N1 flu virus (swine flu) is different from the seasonal flu–seasonal flu tends to attack the very young and the elderly. H1N1 attacks pregnant women and children. According to an October 20 CDC meeting, more than half of the hospitalizations from 2009 H1N1 flu reported by 27 states from September 1st and October 10th were people age 24 and younger. About 23 percent of the deaths reported from 28 states during this period were in this age group. In addition, about 90 percent of the hospitalizations and deaths from the 2009 H1N1 flu are in people age 64 and younger. We have already had one death of a 14 year old in the Chicago area. There were 26 pediatric deaths from H1N1 virus in the second week of November.
Who needs to get vaccinated?
First, it is really important to deal with fears about H1N1 vaccination, and to state once again that two forms of it–the nasal form, and the single dose injectable form, are safe, and contain no mercury preservatives or adjuvants. (It is grown on eggs, so people with egg allergies should consult their doctor about getting the vaccine.) Some batches of the vaccine being prepared by Novartis will not include eggs in their production, but will use a cell-culture process that does not use eggs in any step of the process.
That said, here are the people most in need of vaccination, according to the CDC:
Pregnant women, Household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months of age (the vaccine is not recommended for children under 6 months, so vaccinating household members helps to protect them), Healthcare and emergency personnel, All people from 6 months through 24 years of age. For more information see www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu
What are the signs that a person with the flu needs emergency medical care?
Difficulty breathing or chest pain; purple or blue discoloration of the lips; vomiting and inability to keep fluids down; signs of dehydration such as dizziness when standing; absence of urination; or in infants, no tears when they cry; seizures.
What about prevention and natural remedies?
Prevention and a strong immune system are important, especially since there is a shortage of the vaccines. Frequent hand washing or using hand sanitizers (two good, nontoxic hand cleaners are CleanWell and Clean George are both available online); keeping hands away from eyes and nose; not sharing food or drinks; and keeping surfaces like computer keyboards clean, and staying home if you get sick are still some of the most important forms of prevention.
Building immunity is crucial. There is no “quick fix” for the immune system, but here are some ways to give it a boost:
- Vitamin C, 500 mg two to four times a day.
- Vitamin D, 800 to 2000 IU per day
- Essential Fatty Acids (fish oil), with at least 300 mg of EPA/DHA
- Probiotics: Yogurt contains Lactobacillus acidophilus to help fight off fungal infections. You can get the same power from acidophilus supplements. A good one is PB 8, which comes in both dairy and non dairy varieties, take one to two capsules a day.
- Flavonoids found in plants—especially oats, apples, broccoli, strawberries, cranberries, red wine and nonherbal teas—help your immune system remember the viruses, bacteria or fungus that it is supposed to attack.
- Ginger and curcumin (a component of turmeric, a spice found in curries and some yellow mustards) help prevent inflammation and infection.
- Healthy food: Mediterranean diet, avoid junk food, sugar, additives and dyes
- Exercise
- Sleep
- De stressers such as yoga, meditation
- N-acetyl cysteine 600 mg. twice a day (adult dose) has been shown to prevent seasonal flu in a study involving people over 60
Natural flu remedies
Elderberry, oscillococcinum, and Chinese herbs (consult your practitioner) are some of the best known natural flu remedies.
Original H1N1 Information
What is in the H1N1 vaccines?
Back in June, when manufacture of the H1N1 vaccine was being discussed, there was some concern that it might contain adjuvants (substances that increase immune response, and may be toxic to some people); or the mercury-based preservative thimoserol, which has been removed from nearly all routine vaccinations for children. The vaccine manufacturers all made the decision to omit adjuvants. There are three forms of vaccine being manufactured—a nasal form, a single dose injection, and a multi-dose vial. Unfortunately there is thimoserol in the multi-dose vials of the H1N1 vaccine. I am recommending the nasal form of the vaccine and the single-dose injection, but because of the thimoserol, I am not recommending vaccination from the multi-dose vials at this time.
Who is at risk for H1N1 flu?
The H1N1 flu virus (swine flu) is different from the seasonal flu–seasonal flu tends to attack the very young and the elderly. H1N1 attacks pregnant women and children. According to an October 20 CDC meeting, more than half of the hospitalizations from 2009 H1N1 flu reported by 27 states from September 1st and October 10th were people age 24 and younger. About 23 percent of the deaths reported from 28 states during this period were in this age group. In addition, about 90 percent of the hospitalizations and deaths from the 2009 H1N1 flu are in people age 64 and younger. We have already had one death of a 14 year old in the Chicago area.
Who needs to get vaccinated?
First, it is really important to deal with fears about H1N1 vaccination, and to state once again that two forms of it–the nasal form, and the single dose injectable form, are safe, and contain no mercury preservatives or adjuvants. (It is grown on eggs, so people with egg allergies should consult their doctor about getting the vaccine. Some batches of the vaccine being prepared by Novartis will not include eggs in their production, but will use a cell-culture process that does not use eggs in any step of the process.
That said, here are the people most in need of vaccination, according to the CDC:
Pregnant women, Household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months of age (the vaccine is not recommended for children under 6 months, so vaccinating household members helps to protect them), Healthcare and emergency personnel, All people from 6 months through 24 years of age. For more information see H1N1 Flu Information
What are the signs that a person with the flu needs emergency medical care?
Difficulty breathing or chest pain; purple or blue discoloration of the lips; vomiting and inability to keep fluids down; signs of dehydration such as dizziness when standing; absence of urination; or in infants, no tears when they cry; seizures.
What about prevention and natural remedies?
Vaccination is not the only answer! Prevention and a strong immune system are equally important, especially since there is a shortage of the vaccines. Frequent hand washing or using hand sanitizers (two good, nontoxic hand cleaners are CleanWell and Clean George are both available online); keeping hands away from eyes and nose; not sharing food or drinks; and keeping surfaces like computer keyboards clean, and staying home if you get sick are still some of the most important forms of prevention. . Building immunity is crucial. There is no “quick fix” for the immune system. The best immune strengtheners are proper diet (whole foods, avoid processed foods as much as possible, no high fructose corn syrup, food dyes or additives); exercise, sleep, and de-stressing activities. The supplement N-acetyl cysteine has also been studied as a flu preventive.
Natural flu remedies: elderberry, oscillococcinum, and Chinese herbs (consult your practitioner) are some of the best known natural flu remedies.
Natural options to boost immunity during flu season: Part 1 – bySharon M. Weinstein, MS, RN
H1N1 Update – by Dr Martha Howard, MD
Flu Vaccine – by Dr. Mayer Eisenstein, M.D.
Alternatives To Antibiotics – by Dr Harry Hong, PhD, OMD