Natural defenses for the Flu Season.

It seems that with each change in the season, and especially as we enter Autumn, the C.D.C. and Departments of Health issue their warnings about the potential for a flu epidemic. This year is proving to be no different, and with the incidence of the H1N1 or Swine flu everyone is encouraged and, shockingly reports are filtering through that we may be mandated, to get the latest flu vaccine.

Cause for concern for many are the constituents of this vaccine; formaldehyde, aluminium, egg protein, and especially the use of Squalene, as an adjuvant. Adjuvants are pharmacological or immunological agents that modify the effect of other agents (e.g., drugs, vaccines) while having few if any direct effects (see discussion that follows), when given by themselves. (Definition from Wikipedia). In the case of a vaccine the adjuvant is added to raise the effect of the vaccine, so that it has a quicker more potent effect. One can think of it as turbo charging the vaccine.
Squalene in and of itself is a naturally occurring substance within the body, but when introduced by the foreign route of injection provokes the immune response. The effect is that the body registers this as a foreign substance and goes after it by destroying it. Even destroying it in areas where it is vital to the health of the Nervous System resulting in inflammatory syndromes.


A link between Gulf War Syndrome and Gulf War veterans who received Squalene containing vaccines has received much attention but has been questionably debunked by both the World Health Organization and the Department of Defense.


So where do we go from here if we want to boost and aid the immune system from a natural standpoint? I have decided to break the recommendations down into two parts. In this post I will address immune strengthening through the use of natural supplements and in Part Two will talk about how chiropractic affords a superlative means of engaging the immune system.


The main thrust of any supplemental regimen is to boost the immune system so that it becomes more effective and more fortified in launching a precise response.


Echinacea:  Modulates the immune response by interaction of alkylamides (functional constituent) with CB2 receptors.  Boosts white blood cell count, especially natural killer cells. 
Andrographis Complex: Supports and enhances immune reponse following stress, sudden weather changes or temperature. Supports healthy respiratory system function.
Euphrasia Complex:  Supports healthy mucous membranes especially those of the nose and sinuses. Assists in maintaining healthy breathing passages to support free and clear breathing.  Maintains normal respiratory tract function through normal mucus secretion.
Garlic:  Enhances immune system response and promotes healthy lung function.
Vitamin D: helps regulate cell growth, immunity and metabolism.  Vitamin D acts as a substrate for multiple gene regulated functions in the body, one of which is the ability to fight infections.  It produces over 200 anti-microbial peptides through this action, one of which is cathelicidin - a naturally occuring broad-spectrum antibiotic.   
Calcium Lactate: promotes the uptake of Vitamin D, and modulates the amount of tissue and blood calcium.    

It is imperative that the supplements taken are from a wholefood base and are not synthectically derived.  Your body no more knows what to do with these as it does with a bunch of chemicals or parts of the whole. Hence, avoid fractionated neutraceuticals.  You will be able to differentiate whether the supplement is of this ilk if on the doasge chart they come in mega dosages e.g. 1000% ,or if it refers to the vitamin as something, e.g. Vitamin C as ascorbic acid.

Tired of living in Pain - what are my options?

Daily in my practice I hear, " I just want to get rid of the pain", and yes this is a very strong motivator, and something that obviously needs to be addressed. But my contention is that pain in and of itself is a very poor indicator of someone's health status. Pain generally is the last thing to show up, but the first thing to go. Think of the cancer patient. Did their cancer just show up because they now have pain? Generally this just isn't the case. And once the pain is gone, are they cancer free? Consider a broken bone - once it has been splinted and the pain goes away - has the bone healed? Pain is used by the body as a signal to indicate or bring to our attention that something is wrong, much like the engine light on a car dashboard warns us that something is wrong with the inner workings of our car. We would be foolish to simply remove the fuse to the light and switch off this warning sign and continue driving, assuming that all is well. Well, this is generally what we do when we reach for the bottle of Tylenol. Sure it will get rid of the pain, but won't necessarily address the cause of the pain. In our fast paced society we are driven to find a quick and immediate fix, and just don't have the patience to allow the body to heal itself. However, when we mask the pain or simply treat the symptom, what we may essentially be doing is setting ourselves up for disaster. Consider the scenario of chest pain which may be a sign of an imminent heart attack. Wouldn't it make more sense then to look for the cause of the pain, and rather deal with this. Sure, it may take longer for the results to show up but they will be much more deeper and longer lasting. Chiropractic was founded on the principle of looking to the cause of the disease, and acknowledging the healing and restorative power of the body. Under the control of the nervous sytem the body recognizes right from wrong and has the ability to heal itself. Pain in this sense reflects that the system is working correctly. It is revealing that something is wrong - and as such shouldn't be negated. Imagine if the body never registered pain! If we were to suffer interference into this system - the nervous system, then this could ultimately be the consequence. Chiropractic looks to determining whether their is indeed interference and removing this so that messages may be sent and interpreted by the brain and that the body should function as it should. If you would like to find out more about how Chiropractic can go beyond just treating pain please send me your comments. I would be delighted to respond.