How to Have a Better Immune System

Seasonal changes are notoriously the time when it is easiest to get sick, "catch a bug". Summer into fall, especially with the kids back at school, is a particularly susceptible time for us all . However, a little prevention and consciousness of the pitfalls can protect us from the usual assortment of cold and flu viruses.

The Mind Body Connection: The work of Norman Cousins, Depock Chopra and others have taught us that the chemicals and hormones sent into the bloodstream under different emotional states have a tremendous affect on our health. A sense of humor and looking at the cup half full actually boost antibodies and white blood cells which favorably help the immune system. Feeling good and fulfilled about ourselves can prevent illness. Relaxation, a sense of humor, purpose in life, sense of community and service, touching and being touched and a spiritual perspective all keep us well.

The Physical Body Connection: Here's some your mother always said. Eat wisely, exercise regularly, get enough rest, restrict drugs and alcohol. All good advice for helping immunity. Here are some others. Sunlight: Sun in moderation is our friend. Full spectrum lighting in our houses are best. Health food stores sell these kind of bulbs. Florescent lights are the worst. They deplete vitamins. High Frequency wires: Living or working near or by high power lines weaken immunity.

Relaxation: Have you ever noticed that when you are the most stressed out you tend to get sick easier? Herbert Benson documented the "Relaxation Response" in the 1950's. When we calm down and stress less, the body responds with a lower blood pressure, slower heart rate and other changes. These relaxation responses increase immune cell production. Factors such not enough rest and exercise, unhealthy diet and polluted air tend to stress out the body as well. This all leads to weaker immunity.

Nutrients: Here's some minimum suggestions to boost immunity. It's hard to get it all from our diets, even if we did have 8 helpings of veges a day. Good daily multivitamin with minerals -This is the number one insurance policy to good health and immune strength as reported in recent studies. Zinc piccinolate or lozenge up to 30 mg a day Vitamin C 500 mg 3 x day Garlic in tablets and eaten in food Acidophilis (keeps yeast in check in the gut)

The above suggestions are the basics of having an illness-free fall and winter. There are also a whole group of herbal remedies which help us fight stress and increase immunity. These will be forthcoming in another article.

In the mean time, get started and stay well this fall!

Become a Habitiual Tea Drinker
and Enjoy Many Health Benefits

I'm sure you've been reading a lot about the merits of tea these days. After water, tea (Camellia sinensis) is the most common beverage consumed on a world-wide basis. This might seem strange to us in our coffee and soft drink-addicted country, but it is nevertheless, true. Tea is also getting more popular, with more kinds and brands available all the time.

Tea is categorized into three types: Green (non-fermented), oolong (partially fermented) and black (fermented). Tea contains several hundred compounds that may affect the body. Some of the most famous ones are the catechins, antioxidants that block the action of harmful free radicals which can cause cell alteration and harm to almost every tissue in the body. This can manifest on the skin as wrinkles or cause cancer almost anywhere. The most powerful antioxidant, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in green tea is 200 times stronger than vitamin E, another antioxidant. Green tea is made from fresh young leaves which are steamed after picking to preserve the catechins and then dried. Black tea contains about half the catechins as green tea because it undergoes more processing before the leaves are dried. Here are some of the many benefits of tea:

Cardiac: Blocks the formation of plaque in the coronary arteries. A four-year study at Harvard Medical School showed that participants who drank 14 cups of green or black tea weekly had a 44% lower death rate after a heart attack than people who did not drink tea.

Cancer: Including cancers of the lung, breast and digestive tract. A University of Minnesota study of 35,000 women over 15 years showed those who drank two or more cups of green or black tea daily had a 10% lower risk of developing any cancer than those who seldom drank tea.

Better Immunity: A Japanese study showed that tea keeps free radical from weakening the immune system. In a flu virus study, the catechins in green tea extract inhibited the growth of the influenza virus.

Digestion: Tea seems to foster the growth of "friendly" bacteria in the gut, thereby helping digestion.

Cavities: "Look, ma, no cavities!" Tea blocks the growth of Streptococcus mutans, bacterium associated with dental plaque. (Sure beats a sugary soda pop.)

Increased Bone Mineral Density: A new study reported in Herbalgram reported a positive correlation between 10 year habitual tea drinkers and bone density of the lumbar spine and hip regions. The protection was attributed to the floride and flavonoid content in the tea. There was no difference between any of the three types, green, black or oolong. So add this to your osteoporosis prevention regeime.

How much tea should I drink? It seems that a few cups a day (4-6) over many years makes the most difference. Therefore, becoming a tea drinker is a lifestyle change, not a fast miracle cure. It could even replace coffee. Drink black, green and oolong. Brew tea for at least 3 minutes to ensure release of antioxidants. Longer steeping brings out more tannins, making it bitter with no added benefit. Iced tea is just as good.

What about caffeine? Tea contains very little caffeine compared to coffee. Unless there is a significant effect in blood pressure or general edginess, it should not be harmful, its benefits outweighing the harm. However, there is also non-caffeinated green tea available these days in the super markets. Green and black teas are sometimes combined with other flavors such as orange spice or peach as well. Your local tea aisle has expanded greatly. Check it out.

Preventing Atheroclerosis or
Hardening of the Arteries
Getting Your LDL Down and Your HDL Up

If you get those numbers back from the lab and your cholesterol panel is abnormal, please don't panic. And above all, don't think that you necessarily have to go on the statin drugs like Lipitor, Lescol, Zocor, Mevacor in order to get bad cholesterol levels down. These drugs and others are very hard on the liver and can cause muscle aches and pains. There are many simple, natural methods to incorporate into your lifestyle that can help and certainly won't hurt to try first. These will also help other aspects of health such as improved immune function, better weight control and less risk of insulin resistance which leads to diabetes.

Remember too, lab numbers are only one indicator of cardiac risk. Inflammation of arterial walls have also been implicated in coronary artery disease. For artery clogging cholesterol to stick to the vessel walls at all, there first must be some damage to them. New research shows that this damage to artery walls is from inflammation. An overall healthy lifestyle is essential to help both of these problems. Suggestions are mentioned below.

The numbers:
Total cholesterol should be less than 200 mm/dL
LDL or low density lipoprotein (the bad one that sticks to the artery walls) should be lower than 100
HDL or high density lipoprotein (the good one that protects the vascular system) should be 60 or above.
Coronary Risk Ratio: 4.9- 6.0

Here's The Fix: Remember that dietary cholesterol is only in animal foods, not plants. So lower dietary cholesterol and EAT YOUR VEGES! Also, try out some other life-style changes mentioned below.

Diet: Have A Low 'Bad' Fat Diet And A High 'Good' Fat Diet
The Oils: Use the "good" oils-Monounsaturated olive oil and canola oil for cooking Eat sources of omega 3 essential fatty acids (EFA's): almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, ground golden flax seeds and cold water marine fish like salmon, tuna, kippers, herring, sardines Avoid high cholesterol animal foods like dairy and non-dairy cream substitutes, red meat, bacon, sausage, burgers. Also avoid coconut and palm oil and hydrogenated fats (hard margarine)

Eat lots of: All kinds of fruits and veges in all colors lots of fiber, whole grains, legumes, garlic and soy foods. Include oat bran, oatmeal and barley. Shitake mushrooms, chili peppers and green tea all help decrease cholesterol. Egg yolks are ok, a few a week

Easy on: Dairy, whole milk, cheese, ice cream. Meat should be lean, if any.

No: Caffeine (this means coffee, especially) No hydrogenated fats (Crisco, margarine) No deep frying. (Grilled, stir fried, sauted is good.)

Life Style: Regular exercise is essential. Yoga, Qi Gong, martial arts are wonderful to explore. Stress less. Meditation, regular walking, listening to music, enjoying friends and family. breath work, guided imagery. Quit smoking and no second hand smoke, either Control high blood pressure Get serious about weight management

Supplements: (Recommended by Dr. Andrew Weil, author of "Self Healing") These include lots of antioxidants to inhibit LDL formation and a liberal dose of the good oils to bring down inflammation of the arteries.

• Fish oils capsules 2 a day
• Ground flax seeds sprinkled on food: 1-2 Tablespoons a day (Grind a little at a time in a coffee grinder and keep refrigerated.)
• Vitamin C 500 mg a day
• Vitamin E 400-800 IU a day (800 IU if you're over 40)
• Selenium 200 mcg a day
• Mixed carotenoids 25,000 IU a day
• B-100 complex containing 400 mcg of folic acid a day

Good luck and stick with it. Lifestyle changes are a process. Do a little at a time and in three months you will have more energy, be healthier and feel better than you have in years!

Berry Time Again

Summer solstice is here and gone. And now, with summer, comes all the colorful, amazing berries, fresh off the bushes and vines. Plant ripened are best, but I say get them any way you can. This also means unsweetened and frozen in off-season. They are beautiful on the table and also healthful for us in more ways than previously imagined.

Berries and other foods get their color from the chemicals within them. Each hue has different antioxidants with their own special claims to fame. In addition to antioxidants, berries are packed with fiber, vitamins, minerals and protective plant chemicals. They are delicious and low in calories.

Blueberries -- A primo food. This is probably THE number one berry from a health standpoint. Of more than 40 fruits and vegetables tested by scientists, blueberries turned out to be the best source of antioxidants thanks to their anthocyanin pigments. They protect the brain and also the eyes from oxidative stress. That means clear thinking and protection from macular degeneration are helped from eating blueberries. They also protect against urinary tract infections (as do cranberries) by preventing bacteria from sticking to the bladder wall.

Blackberries -- These are sweetest when black, not reddish. Like blueberries, they have antioxidant anthocyanin pigments and the seeds are a great source of fiber. They also have vitamin C and salicylates (the active ingredient of aspirin).

Raspberries -- Raspberries are a rich source ellagic acid, a compound found to inhibit cancer growth in animals. They also have Vitamin C and lots of fiber from their seeds. (One cup of berries has more than 8 grams of fiber.) Raspberry leaf tea is a wonderful uterine restorative for pregnant women.

Strawberries -- One cup of strawberries has more vitamin C than a medium sized orange. They are good sources of potassium and anti-cancerous ellagic acid.

What About Grilling?

High heat barbecuing like grilling and broiling creates burned fat and charred protein which changes the chemistry of red meat, poultry and fish. This is closely related to air pollutants generated when we burn gasoline in our cars.

Toxic compounds called heterocyclic amines (HCA's) are created. Long term consumption of HCA's may increase risk of colorectal, breast, stomach and prostate cancers and immune disorders. To make it worse, another set of carcinogens-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are formed when fat from animal food drips onto hot coals and is deposited back onto the food in smoke.

More bad news -- Activation of these compounds effect the liver, making other substances in our diet more toxic.

So now what? Do we have to stop enjoying the flavor and fun of grilling? Not necessarily. But like most things, moderation is the key.

• Here Are Some Things We Can Do To Make Grilling Safer:

Marinate meats and veges before cooking: This reduces the formation of HCA's (heterocyclic amines) possibly because of the protective antioxidants in marinade ingredients like citrus juice, vinegar, olive oil, turmeric, ginger and garlic. Use about a ½ cup marinade per pound. To avoid food poisoning, refrigerate foods while marinating and don't baste with used marinade.

Remove excess fat from the marinated meat: In addition to being bad for your health, fat dripping onto hot coals and deposited back onto the food in smoke contributes to the carcinogen PAH.

Grill more veges and less meat: Try ka-bobs of Large chunks of bell peppers, onions, zucchini, tomatoes and mushrooms with smaller bits of trimmed meat.

Put food high above coals or put foil underneath: This prevents fat-drip-back syndrome.

Gas or electric grills are less toxic and less polluting to the environment: If you use charcoal briquettes avoid charcoal lighting fluid or self-starting briquettes. They both put toxic chemical residues into the food.