H1n1

[zeppelin6601]

Ok so I am 21 and the swine flu has just hit my campus (it went from 1 case on Monday to 12 today). I have had a seasonal flu shot, but nothing for the H1N1 (this is due to the fact that they have been going like crazy). I was curious if my diet could have any sort of significant impact on protecting me from this nasty little bug.

Obviously I know that the beer and pizza diet would be harmful (and I consume neither by the way), but what about vegetables? I know one women who has been drinking shredded wheatgrass (or something like that) for about 5 years, and she claims that she has never been sick during this allotted time. Is this a worthy investment, or should I just stick to the squash, zucchini, and carrots that I normally consume on a daily basis?

[matt maher]

from mercola.com:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/ar...Swine-Flu.aspx


How to Protect Yourself Without Dangerous Drugs and Vaccinations

For now, my point is that there are always going to be threats of flu pandemics, real or created, and there will always be potentially toxic vaccines that are peddled as the solution. But you can break free of that whole drug-solution trap by following some natural health principles.

I have not caught a flu in over two decades, and you can avoid it too, without getting vaccinated, by following these simple guidelines, which will keep your immune system in optimal working order so that you're far less likely to acquire the infection to begin with.

• Optimize your vitamin D levels. As I've previously reported, optimizing your vitamin D levels is one of the absolute best strategies for avoiding infections of ALL kinds, and vitamin D deficiency is likely the TRUE culprit behind the seasonality of the flu -- not the flu virus itself.

This is probably the single most important and least expensive action you can take. I would STRONGLY urge you to have your vitamin D level monitored to confirm your levels are therapeutic at 50-70 ng.ml and done by a reliable vitamin D lab like Lab Corp.
For those of you in the US we hope to launch a vitamin D testing service through Lab Corp that allows you to have your vitamin D levels checked at your local blood drawing facility, and relatively inexpensively. We hope to offer this service by June 2009.

If you are coming down with flu like symptoms and have not been on vitamin D you can take doses of 50,000 units a day for three days to treat the acute infection. Some researchers like Dr. Cannell, believe the dose could even be as high as 1000 units per pound of body weight for three days.
However, most of Dr. Cannell's work was with seasonal and not pandemic flu. If your body has never been exposed to the antigens there is chance that the vitamin D might not work. However the best bet is to maintain healthy levels of vitamin D around 60 ng/ml.
BUT to keep this in perspective the regular flu, not the swine flu, has killed 13,000 in the US since January. But there is strong support that these types of figures are grossly exaggerated to increase vaccine sales. However, the fact remains that the regular flu at this point in time is FAR more dangerous than the swine flu and were you worried about the regular flu before the media started talking this up?

• Avoid Sugar and Processed Foods. Sugar decreases the function of your immune system almost immediately, and as you likely know, a strong immune system is key to fighting off viruses and other illness. Be aware that sugar is present in foods you may not suspect, like ketchup and fruit juice.
• Get Enough Rest. Just like it becomes harder for you to get your daily tasks done if you're tired, if your body is overly fatigued it will be harder for it to fight the flu. Be sure to check out my article Guide to a Good Night's Sleep for some great tips to help you get quality rest.
• Have Effective Tools to Address Stress . We all face some stress every day, but if stress becomes overwhelming then your body will be less able to fight off the flu and other illness.
  
  If you feel that stress is taking a toll on your health, consider using an energy psychology tool such as the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), which is remarkably effective in relieving stress associated with all kinds of events, from work to family to trauma. You can check out my free, 25-page EFT manual for some guidelines on how to perform EFT.
• Exercise. When you exercise, you increase your circulation and your blood flow throughout your body. The components of your immune system are also better circulated, which means your immune system has a better chance of finding an illness before it spreads. You can review my exercise guidelines for some great tips on how to get started.
• Take a good source of animal based omega-3 fats like Krill Oil. Increase your intake of healthy and essential fats like the omega-3 found in krill oil, which is crucial for maintaining health. It is also vitally important to avoid damaged omega-6 oils that are trans fats and in processed foods as it will seriously damage your immune response.
• Wash Your Hands. Washing your hands will decrease your likelihood of spreading a virus to your nose, mouth or other people. Be sure you don't use antibacterial soap for this -- antibacterial soaps are completely unnecessary, and they cause far more harm than good. Instead, identify a simple chemical-free soap that you can switch your family to.
• Eat Garlic Regularly. Garlic works like a broad-spectrum antibiotic against bacteria, virus, and protozoa in the body. And unlike with antibiotics, no resistance can be built up so it is an absolutely safe product to use. However, if you are allergic or don't enjoy garlic it would be best to avoid as it will likely cause more harm than good.
• Avoid Hospitals and Vaccines In this particular case, I'd also recommend you stay away from hospitals unless you're having an emergency, as hospitals are prime breeding grounds for infections of all kinds, and could be one of the likeliest places you could be exposed to this new bug. Vaccines will not be available for six months at the minimum but when available they will be ineffective and can lead to crippling paralysis like Guillain-Barré Syndrome just as it did in the 70s

hope that helps.

[rickbuzz]

I havnt read anything good about any vaccinations ever.

And I believe things like swine flu are just government scare tactics or somebody trying to make a buck off the vaccinations.

Never had the flu of any kind in my life though and havnt been vaccinated for anything since I was like 5. My advice is just simple health and well being stuff, get enough exercise, drink lots of water, eat some veggies or a salad each day, healthy fats too (omega 3s and such), get 8 hours of sleep each night, stay regular, etc...

There are others but you get the idea think healthy or be sick.

[rickbuzz]

Also if your interested this stuff Colloidal Silver - MesoSilver® Brand Colloidal Silver is like a secret weapon against all types of infections, take a couple tablespoons at first signs of a cold or anything else and a couple more for the next day or so.

[rickbuzz]

BTW any green juice will be a powerful health elixir, if you dont want to grow wheatgrass just juice some spinach regularly buy organic if you can.

I usually dont juice though its messy and expensive for me.

[Semonides]

I hope everyone else is well.

I am fine. I never get the flu shot. I do not care if it is swine flu, or bird flu, or dog flu, or llama flu. The flu is the flu. You get it, take some tylenol, and get back to life in a few days.

I work at a university and the students are dropping like flies, but I am okay. I do many of the things that Dr. Mercola, in the previous post to this thread, advocates.

I follow a vegan eating regimen and eat plenty of omega-3 fats (about 20 grams a day). I have been taking vitamin D to test out its supposed anabolic effects, but now I learn it also has profound impact on your immune system.

I do not use garlic because it causes bloating, but it sounds like a good supplement.

Anyway, that is my input to the thread. Good luck and stay healthy. Even if you cannot, do not have a cow; it is, after all, just the flu.

[ctfoster84]

Originally Posted by Semonides

I am fine. I never get the flu shot. I do not care if it is swine flu, or bird flu, or dog flu, or llama flu. The flu is the flu. You get it, take some tylenol, and get back to life in a few days.

Anyway, that is my input to the thread. Good luck and stay healthy. Even if you cannot, do not have a cow; it is, after all, just the flu.

Spot on, I know, because I caught it early last month. The worst part was the fever (around 104 for me), and the accompanying headaches, which is where the tylenol comes in.

[RyanH]

I definitely agree with the Vitamin D. I have 2 little kids and my wife is a teacher, so I am exposed to germs frequently. I started taking Vitamin D 2 months ago 5,000 IU/day and just upped it a 2 weeks ago to 10,000 for the winter. My wife and daughter both caught the swine flu (daughter- confirmed, wife had same symptoms, so assumed) along with sinus/upper resp. infections. I was in close contact with both (sleeping in same bed, taking care of, etc.) and didn't catch anything. It may only be coincidence, but I believe the Vit. D made the difference because in the past, I also would have gotten sick.

If you decide to take it, make sure it is Vit D3 and in softgel or oil form, not tablets or dry. I would take at least 5,000 IU/day, but not more than 10,000.

[Big Mike]

Originally Posted by RyanH

If you decide to take it, make sure it is Vit D3 and in softgel or oil form, not tablets or dry. I would take at least 5,000 IU/day, but not more than 10,000.

Curious as to why you suggest that the D3 be taken in gel/oil for?. Is there some proven benefit to uptake? I take extra D via tablet and any Vit. D related info I've read hasn't specified form.
Thanks

[matt maher]

these both contain some info on why many oral supplements may be inferior:

BEWARE of Most Prescription Vitamin D Supplements!

How Much Vitamin D Do You Really Need to Take?