Immune System Turbo Boost

By: Michael Sanders

Swine flu, Bird flu
Dog flu, Cat flu,

Here flu, There flu
Scare flu, Where flu?

Red flu, Blue flu
Old flu, New flu

Mo’ flu, Yo’ flu?
Go flu…No flu!

Happy Autumn Equinox! I love you Fall! But chances are someone around me is going to be sick this season. We can’t get away from it. Even when we care for ourselves, our families and loved ones with great vigilance, we are hard pressed to guard against people at work, school or the grocery store (You know, when their grimy, sneezed on hands used the cart you’re about to use now?).

We are going to be exposed.

Yet last year, when my wife and four of my children got sick, I didn’t. Now, I know I was exposed. I did not hold back hugs and kisses when my little ones felt bad. So what made the difference? Somehow, my immune system was in a position where it could handle the added stress of a virus. Boosting your immune system is your best bet to fend off the nasty, scary flu.

Here are some ways to turbo boost your immune system naturally.

1. Get a Chiropractic Adjustment. During the 1918 flu epidemic in the United States, where many people died, chiropractic care was shown to save lives…literally. The state of Iowa reported that allopathic medical doctors treating influenza and pneumonia patients lost 1 in 15 to the illness. Compare this to the loss of 1 in 789 for those treated with chiropractic! This difference was so dramatic that, in fact, in Oklahoma there is “a clear record showing that chiropractors were called in 233 cases where medical doctors had cared for the patients and finally gave them up as lost. The chiropractors saved all these lost cases but 25.” (These numbers and this quote are from Walter R. Rhodes, D.C.’s article The Official History of Chiropractic in Texas.)
   
   
2. Get Therapeutic Bodywork, a Massage, or Acupuncture. I read an article from September 9^th of this year in Science Daily that reports that a recent study showed that adults demonstrated a modified immune response after receiving a massage. The researchers took blood samples at various intervals before and after treatment. They noticed significant changes in the activity and number of natural killer cells and T cells in the blood and a decrease in the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol at high levels can suppress the immune system.
   
   
3. Exercise moderately and regularly. A great article by Kevin Conley, a reporter for the Tribune-Review February 2, 2003 summarizes some of the reasons why exercise is so good for the immune system. Among these are increased lung activity which can rid the lungs of certain airborne bacteria and viruses and increased blood flow which can more quickly circulate antibodies and white blood cells needed to fight infection. Remember that more is not necessarily better, though. High intensity exercise may actually suppress the immune system for short periods of time leaving you vulnerable to infection.
   
   
4. Eat the way Andrea wants you to. And make it the way you want too. And like it! As she says, lower your sugar intake and eat raw vegetables with each meal and in-between meals. (See her previous blog entry)
   
   
5. Breathe! The authors of the textbook, Mind Body Health: The Effects of Attitudes, Emotions, and Relationships (I highly recommend this book, by the way) write, “Does stress cause infection? Researchers don’t think so. They are convinced, however, that stress compromises the immune system enough for infection to take hold…stress can delay and sometimes even prevent acquired immunity, leaving you susceptible to another bout of the cold or flu you just got over. (pg.49)” In dealing with the various stress in our lives my favorite place to start is good breathing. Breathe with your belly, expanding it like a balloon as you inhale and allowing it to relax completely as you exhale. A few minutes of mindful belly breathing can lower your body’s stress response.
   
   
6. Get your Nutrition evaluated by Dr. Brimhall or Dr. Martinsen. Taking a product like Virx or Immugen is always a good start.
   
   
7. Come in for a Spectra-Scan. The Spectra-Vision is a non-cognitive bio-feedback device that uses principles of acupuncture combined with homeopathy. We use it to test the energy of your body against the energy of another substance like a virus or bacteria. We then balance your body’s response to that substance using a natural homeopathic remedy imprinted according to your specific scan results. If this is something that interests you, my recommendations are as follows:

1. If you feel well:
   i. Get full scan each quarter with the changing of the seasons.
   ii. OR get a Virus and Bacteria Scan with Virx or Immugen imprint every 6-8 weeks or as you run out of the remedy.
   

2. If you are sick:
   i. Get a Virus and Bacteria scan with Virx, Immugen or MucRx with imprint for acute symptoms.
   ii. OR come in and buy a non-imprinted product. Better than nothing!

I do love this season when the weather starts to cool down. Here in AZ it is soooo welcome. My hope is that we all can get the immune boost we need so we can enjoy it fully with our families and loved ones.

Peace,
Michael