Have you ever wondered why medicine has been able to achieve such feats as successful organ transplants and laser vision correction, but they still haven't been able to cure the common cold?
We all know that microscopic viruses
are contracted into your body before you catch a cold. But this is
only half the story. Have you ever wondered why sometimes one or two
members of a household won't catch the cold that everyone else came
down with? Certainly everyone in the house was exposed to the virus.
The other half of the equation:
- Why do most people get colds and flus in the winter? It's not
because it's colder. In India, the cold and flu season hits during
the monsoons and it is anything but cold outside. But the one thing
in common with winter in the US and the monsoons in India is that
there is no UVB from the sun reaching the surface to make vitamin D
in people's skin. Vitamin D is needed in high amounts in order for
the immune system to work properly. During the summer months, most
people have enough vitamin D from the sun that they don't get colds.
- Solution: Take enough vitamin D to get your
blood levels of vitamin D up to 60-80 ng/ml. (My office can
order your vitamin D blood test at a cash discount; be sure to check
your levels every spring and fall.) To reach optimal
levels, supplements can range from 2,000 to 20,000 iu of D3 per day.
On average it takes about 8,000 iu daily. It depends on your weight
and body fat percentage. The more you weigh and the more fat you
have, the more vitamin D you will need to take. But the only way to
know for sure is to test your blood. Studies clearly show that ALL
Americans who do not supplement with D are low in it during the
winter. The other option besides taking a D supplement is to
regularly receive light therapy like we have at my clinic.
(Call our office and talk to Erin to schedule a free introductory
light therapy session: 559-930-1034)
- The immune system heavily depends on its front line defense:
mucus. Most cold and flu viruses are transmitted through the
membranes in our lungs, throats, sinuses, eyes, and nose. These
tissues secrete a thin mucus that coats them as a protective barrier
against microbes. The microbes get stuck in the mucus and are either
expelled along with the mucus or are immediately killed by natural
antimicrobial agents in the mucus. One of these antimicrobial agents
is iodine. Iodine insufficiency weakens your front line defense
because you can't produce effective mucus without enough iodine.
- Solution 1: Take extra iodine during cold and flu season. Take between 1.5 and 12 mg of iodine daily. Note: 1 mg = 1000 mcg (Contrary to allopathic belief, iodine is very safe since we just pee out any excess. But, if you have an autoimmune thyroid condition such as Hoshimoto's or Graves disease, then you should be supervised by a health care professional while taking iodine.) Unless you eat seafood three meals a day, 7 days a week, then you need to supplement with iodine. We need so much extra iodine in modern times because our exposure to bromide, chlorine, and fluoride is off the charts and interferes with iodine in the body. The cure for these toxins is to take lots of iodine. Have you noticed that chlorine dries out your skin, eyes, and burns your nose? Dry skin and membranes means there are millions of microscopic cracks for air-born viruses to get into your body. Iodine helps heal these chlorine caused cracks.
- Solution 2: Is there chlorine in your shower water?
Get a shower head filter from the hardware store. They take out 95%
of the chlorine, cost less than $50, and last about 6 months. Refill
filter cartridges can be less than $20.
- Have you ever caught a cold or flu but you weren't even
around anyone who was sick? This is a case of a virus allergy. You
were exposed to a small number of a virus that was left in the air
several minutes after someone who is now gone had sneezed. Normally
such a small amount of a virus would not cause you to get sick, but
in your case, your immune system freaked out. Your immune system
ramped up its huge armies to fight, even though the enemy was the
equivalent of a group of rowdy junior high kids. Too late, you have
to go through the entire cold or flu cycle until your immune system
is satisfied that the coast is clear. The reason for a virus allergy
is an over-active immune system, which is the same reason for any
allergy.
- Solution 1: Omega 3 oil supplement. Omega 3, generally from fish oil, is needed for overall total health. One of its jobs is to keep the immune system from getting out of control. This is why omega 3 supplements can help people with autoimmune and allergy problems so much, because these are conditions of an over-active immune system. Take 600 to 1200 mg of omega 3 daily during the summer and take 1200 to 1800 mg daily during the winter or up to 2400 mg if you think you coming down with a cold.
- Solution 2: Stay away from fried foods (like
french fries), margarine, and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
These are full of something called trans-fats which counter-act
omega 3 oils. Trans-fats actually contribute to allergies (including
virus allergies) and autoimmune issues.
- Don't shoot your immune system in the foot! Eating sugar,
(meaning desserts, candy, soda, fruit juice, and almost all
beverages you find at a mini-mart) can lower your immune system
dramatically for several hours or even days after consuming it. 99%
of the time when a patient of mine gets a cold or flu, when I ask
them if they had a lot of dessert or candy within 5 days of getting
sick, they say yes. Desserts taste really good, but colds and flus
are just not worth it to me. The only time I eat desserts in the
winter is to be polite to the host of a party, and I take a small
piece and eat just a few bites if possible. Then I rave about how
good it is and then when no one is looking I put the rest in the
trash. When asked to have seconds I say that I'd love to but I'm
really full! And I never eat candy. I'll take the candy and say I'm
saving it for later, then throw it out later.
- Solution: Just say no to sugar. Colds and
flus are not worth it. Eat fresh fruit instead.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7403942n
watch this 60 minutes video called “Is sugar toxic?” (Ignore the
drug commercials.)
- A slow bowel is a toxic bowel. Toxins lower the immune system
worse than sugar does. Do whatever it takes to have at least two
bowel movements daily, optimally three.
- Solution: Have regular bowel movements:
Drink plenty of water (45-75 ounces daily). Go easy on the starches:
bread, rice, pasta, and white potato can turn to a sticky glue in
the intestine, feeding yeast, and slowing the bowels. When in a
pinch, take magnesium mineral tablets for a natural laxative. George
Goodhart, the father of Applied Kinesiology and muscle testing in
general, once said that colds and flus are caused by a toxic bowel
and that the cure is an enema!
- Lack of sleep lowers the immune system and allows viruses to
take hold and cause illness much more readily.
- Solution: Get extra sleep. If you know
you've been exposed to a virus, sleep an extra 90 minutes each night
for the next three to five nights. This gives your body the extra
rest it needs to re-cooperate from the stress of having to deal with
the virus quickly before it has a chance to multiply, causing
illness.
- Stress lowers the immune system. Even just hearing bad news
can lower your immune system.
- Solution: Keep a positive attitude and stay
away from negative news and negative people. There is good and bad
to everything. Make sure that at least half your thoughts during the
day are about how good things are in your life. If more than 75% of
your thoughts are about how bad things are right now, then you are
less likely to fight off a virus without getting ill during the
process. I no longer watch the news or read the paper. If something
big happens, someone else is sure to tell me. I also don't watch
rated R movies. The extra violence is very stressful for the little
kid brain inside us that controls our immune system. It's not worth
it. Movies without excessive violence and with happy endings that
make you feel good can actually strengthen the immune system.
For more health related information or to read past newsletters, go to my website or blog:
www.drjohnusa.comhttp://campisechiropractorfresno.blogspot.com/
Dr. Campise
559 930 1034
drc@drjohnusa.com
1100 W. Shaw # 120
Fresno, CA 93711
