Don’t Succumb to the Common Cold

The winter season may be a time of comfort: a slower pace, inner focus, and reflection, but it is also the time of year that many people will battle against cold and flu season. The viruses that cause cold and flu symptoms, technically respiratory infections, reliably spring to life between November and March in the Northern Hemisphere, with most American adults getting an average of between two to four colds per year. 

While being exposed to cold winter weather won’t necessarily mean you’ll “catch a cold,” transmission rates are highest in cold, dry air. Cold and flu viruses thrive when the temperatures plunge. Research suggests that these viruses are most virulent at temperatures near 40 degrees Fahrenheit or colder, and they do not transmit at all at temperatures around 85 degrees. This may be due to the virus’ outer lipid membrane, which is fortified by cold weather, forming a rubbery gel-like consistency that enables the virus to survive longer outside a host. Once the virus enters the respiratory tract, the outer membrane melts, and the virus is able to infect host cells and replicate.

However, in warmer temperatures, that membrane is more likely to have a liquidly consistency, effectively weakening the virus so that it loses the ability to spread readily between hosts. 

Luckily, there are many ways to reduce the risk for the common cold and flu, as well as strategies to shorten the duration and lessen the severity of any cold or flu infection that does take hold. Time-honored lifestyle strategies that help keep the immune system robust and resilient include: Eating a healthful diet that includes a wide variety of colorful fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices to help bolster the immune system, getting adequate sleep, exercising daily, managing stress, maintaining healthy vitamin D levels, washing hands often and supplementing with appropriate vitamins, herbs, and other medicinal plants.

Wisdom Wednesday: Cold and Flu Season

So it dawns upon you upon awakening one morning that you might be “coming down” with something. Your first response is “it’s just allergies” – big mistake. The sooner you attack this infection, the quicker you will recover.

My first recommendation is colloidal silver. Please read one of my early blogs “The Blue Man Group” posted October 18, 2013. I keep colloidal silver in the bathroom medicine cabinet. If I wake up in the middle of the night with a sore throat, I gargle with colloidal silver for 30 seconds and then swallow it. By morning the sore throat is gone. However, if I have forgotten about that sore throat and don’t follow up with a few more doses of colloidal silver, the infection may rise again.

My second recommendation is the herb andrographis. It has excellent infection fighting benefits. I used it with good success against the H1N1 virus a couple of years ago when the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) had physicians confirming suspected cases of H1N1.

I am also a big fan of the Netti pot for irrigating the sinuses. You can purchase a Netti pot at any drug store. I prefer to use a little colloidal silver in lieu of the kosher salt. You must use distilled water with this device. Tap water contains nematodes that can breed in your sinus cavities then migrate into the brain causing death. (I keep telling you not to drink that tap water)

Winter colds and flues peak in my office about this time every year. The event is not as pronounced in South Florida with its warmer climate, but the snowbirds bring us our share of infections. Please review my blog “The Flu Can Infect many Without Causing Symptoms” posted on March 31, 2014.

The best preventative is echinacea. Although it is the most popular herb in America, it is seldom used properly. Many people start taking echinacea at the first sign of a cold. That’s really too late. Echinacea takes two weeks of daily supplementation to reach peak levels in your body. I recommend taking a daily dose all through the flu season as a preventative.

Widsom Wednesday: GERD

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease or GERD is a condition where food is regurgitated from the stomach into the throat. In QA evaluation, we test the GERD reflex for a variety of digestive issues. Although GERD testing follows the endocrine system in the QA format, it can be tested accurately out of sequence. I frequently with test the GERD reflex immediately after inflammation is addressed.

First, we look for mechanical issues in the stomach, ileo-cecal valve (ICV), and Valves of Houston. Each of these structures must function independently and together to promote healthy digestion. The symptoms of GERD can often be relieved immediately just by treating the stomach reflex. Diarrhea and constipation associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can also be relieved with treatment of the ICV and/or Valves of Houston.

After the mechanical issues are addressed, we look for chemical imbalances with the stomach, small and large intestine, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas. Often it is a communication issue between two or more of these digestive organs.

Proton-pump inhibitors (PPI) are frequently prescribed for the treatment of GERD. In fact, if you complain to your physician that you burp, Prilosec or some other PPI will often be prescribed. Although these drugs can provide short term relief, they actually inhibit digestion by preventing the production of hydrochloric acid (HCl) in the stomach. Several studies have linked the long term use of PPIs to osteoporosis, anemia, and other nutritional deficiency states.

The concept behind PPIs is to reduce the heartburn by reducing the acid in the stomach. However, as we age, most of us produce too little HCl not too much. The lack of HCl allows the formation of organic acids in the stomach that produces the heartburn associated with acid reflux.

Reduction of gut inflammation is typically the first step in resolving digestive issues. Then we must support repair of the gut lining.

The lining of the digestive tract is epithelium, just like our skin. However, the digestive lining is only one cell thick, while the skin has five layers of cells. The entire lining of the digestive tract is replaced every 24 to 48 hours. (By comparison, you replace every cell in the liver every 7 years.) If new epithelial cell production lags, then the integrity of the gut wall is lost and partially digested food, bacteria, and viral particles can “leak” into the blood stream. This creates an immune response that is the cause of most autoimmune disease.

When your immune system attacks these particles, commonly carbohydrates or proteins, it then may attack tissues in the body whose structure is similar to that of the offending particle. For example, if that protein particle has the same amino acid sequence as the myelin sheath of the nervous system, the immune system may attack that sheath causing Multiple Sclerosis. This process is call molecular mimicry.

We support the digestive tract with L-glutamine and Slippery Elm Bark to reduce inflammation. Folic acid stimulates new cell production. We may have to reduce unfriendly bowel flora with Oil of Oregano, Oil of Anise, and Andrographis or other products. Probiotics and/or prebiotics may be needed along with HCl for the stomach, beets for the gallbladder, and/or digestive enzymes for the small intestine. The process is quite involved and must be implemented in a step-wise fashion to be successful.

Fifty percent of my new patients list digestive issues as their primary complaint. Of the remaining 50%, half of those have digestive issues as the driving force behind their heath issues. However, on entry, neither of us have are aware of the root cause of their illness.

THE BOTTOM LINE:
Digestive issues are behind a majority of our health issues. If you have digestive complaints, do not ignore them or just treat the symptoms. Seek help from a qualified nutritionist and begin to reclaim your health.