6 Ways to Prepare for a Rough Flu Season

Flu season is shaping up to be brutal this year, with many areas reporting influenza cases a month ahead of schedule. Australia, who experiences flu season before the United States and Europe, suffered from a particularly rough season with almost twice as many deaths and more than twice the number of infections in comparison to the previous season. In response the flu vaccine gospel is already being pushed harder than usual, but that’s not going to help much.

Back in September, Dr. Vicky Sheppeard, director of communicable diseases at New South Wales Health in Australia indicated that “the four flu strains in the vaccine are well-matched to circulating viruses…” It turns out that a good match doesn’t really guarantee anything, as the New England Journal of Medicine reports that early vaccine effectiveness estimates found that the vaccine was only ten percent effective in Australia. This is a far cry from the initial overall estimates of 42% effectiveness or the 34% predicted for H3N2, the dominant flu strain in Australia that’s notoriously difficult to match. Flu shots for the United States are essentially the same as the one used in Australia.

How to Win at the Flu Season

None of the debate about the flu shot changes the fact that the flu season is here (early), and if Australia is any indicator, it’s going to suck. It doesn’t have to. You’ve got a heads-up, so use this time to prep. Here are the most effective strategies for avoiding or mitigating the flu this season.

Related: Influenza Vaccine – A Comprehensive Overview of the Potential Dangers and Effectiveness of the Flu Shot

Load Up On Vitamins

Winter is not the best season for vitamin D, but it is critical for flu prevention. A review of 25 studies that included more than 10,000 participants found that vitamin d reduces the likelihood of respiratory infections like the cold and flu. It can be difficult to get all of your vitamin d from diet alone, especially in winter. If you suspect vitamin d deficiency, supplementation has proven to be effective.

Related: Foods with Vitamin D and Vitamin B12 for those with Multiple Sclerosis

Vitamin C is also a critical part of preparing for flu season. One of the most powerful antioxidants available to us, it also boosts immune function. Vitamin C transporter molecules in the membranes of the immune cells actively pump the vitamin into the cells – especially in a stressful situation when the body is more likely to need vitamin C. While there are plenty of vitamin c supplements available, many of them are derived from corn and don’t absorb well in the body. To get the full benefit of vitamin c, whole food sources like berries, colored peppers, broccoli, and dark leafy greens.

Related: Homemade Vitamin C

Gargle

It’s not fun, but gargling apple cider vinegar, fire cider, or even salt water can inhibit harmful microbes trying to take up residency in the throat or sinuses. Some viruses are able to hang on, but that infection will likely be less severe. A fire cider has the added antioxidant benefits of hot peppers.

Related: Mother Earth Organic Root Cider

Hot and Cold

Get hot and sweaty! A fever happens when your body is fighting an infection, and treatments like hot baths, showers, and saunas can trick the body into behaving in that manner. Moving back and forth between hot and cold also provides flu relief, loosening congestion, improving circulation, and boosting the immune system. Always start with hot, and then switch to cold. Switching between very hot and very cold in the shower is the easiest method, but hydrotherapy can also be accomplished with a hot bath and a rubdown with a cold cloth. Also referred to as cold mitten friction, dip a washcloth in 50 to 60 degree water, and rub vigorously.

Related: Hot & Cold Hydrotherapy

Echinacea

In addition to the vitamins, there are plenty of natural remedies for flu prevention. One of the best known and verified of these is echinacea. Echinacea is most effective when it’s taken right before or at the very beginning of a developing case of the flu. Anti-inflammatory and antifungal, a good-quality echinacea tincture gives your mouth a fuzzy feeling, and the herb loses its effectiveness after ten days or so.

Related: Shillington’s Echinacea Plus

Hydrate

Dehydration makes the body more susceptible to harmful invaders, and many early flu symptoms like a runny nose and sweating can increase that. Water is the safe play here, but if you’re looking to improve your all-around health at the same time, reach for the cranberry lemonade. The vitamin c is a proven flu buster, and cranberry keeps the kidney processing things smoothly. Another comforting option is a loose leaf, herbal tea. The tea provides a variation on the hot treatment, though it is important to choose an organic tea from a company you trust.

Related: What’s the Best Water for Detoxifying and For Drinking?

Diet

If you do everything on this list, you’ll likely be able to take on the flu quickly and effectively, but to keep your immune system in tip-top condition, diet comes first. Emerging research has continued to confirm that our microbiome determines how healthy we are. Beneficial bacteria like beneficial food, and feeding them the vegetables and fruit creates a positive cycle the reverberates throughout the entire body. The opposite is true of potentially harmful microbes and viruses like the flu. Refined sugars, refined grains, and processed foods fuel harmful bacteria and can lead to a stressed and overworked immune system, perfect for flu viruses to take advantage of. Check out this salad recipe to get some ideas for loading up on the veggies.

Related: Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included

Always Be Prepared

The boy scout motto seems to be quoted often, but no one is applying it to our health. Then again, that’s what the vaccine is supposed to do. According to experts, this year’s flu vaccine is about as effective as going camping with a sheet instead and hoping it doesn’t rain or get cold. Don’t you want to be the person who actually prepared? It starts with diet.

Recommended: My Supplements & Organic Cider Review & Bullet Proof Immune System
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Vitamin D – The #1 Vitamin You Need: From Treating Depression to Preventing Cancer

Vitamin D is one of the most important vitamins for general health and well-being. It is essential for bone health and a healthy immune system. It helps prevent and fight cancer and is a key factor in preventing depression.

In Europe, papers on diseases linked to vitamin D deficiency were written as early as the 1600s. It took the medical establishment in the U.S. a little longer, but since the 1900s, everyone knew of this vitamin’s importance. Contributions to the original research came from different doctors; many of them were looking for a way to cure rickets, a childhood bone disease. But the word spread far after Adolf Windaus, who won a Noble Price for Chemistry in 1928, spoke of vitamin D in his acceptance speech.

And yet, here we are, almost a full century later, with the media starting to publish about vitamin D’s benefits as if they were just discovered. Moreover, there have a been a lot of lies about vitamin D spread for a few decades, some accidental due to misunderstanding of what vitamin D is, some are very much purposeful to prevent us from using a truly natural way to heal, instead having to rely of pharmaceuticals that in no way can ever produce the same effect.

Sifting through all of the medical chatter, this is what you need to know about vitamin D.

What is Vitamin D, Really?

What confused earlier doctors the most, is that vitamin D is not really a vitamin. Generally speaking, true vitamins, such as vitamins A, and C, are found in food. The human body is not able produce these vitamins. Vitamin D is different; it’s a hormone that’s not common in the foods we eat. Vitamin D naturally occurs in fish and egg yolks and it is produced by the body when our skin comes in contact with the sun, The ultraviolet B energy is converted to vitamin D3, which is transferred to the liver, and later made into vitamin D by the kidneys.

Because vitamin D is mostly acquired from the sunlight, vitamin D deficiency has plagued humanity at different stages. In the case of rickets, the disease was a huge problem for children who lived during the Industrial Revolution, when smog filled the cities preventing sunlight from coming through. Today most people are vitamin D deficient due to our modern lifestyles and because we have been taught to fear of the sun (and sometimes vitamin D in general).

Vitamin D from the Sun is Vital (and Sunscreens Blocks It)

Researchers have noticed that when there is a lack of sunlight, such as during the winter months, there are more illnesses – from a simple cold to cancer. It is extremely important to soak up the sun. But many ask, “Doesn’t the sun lead to skin cancer?”

The sun’s electromagnetic light spectrum is divided into different wavelengths: UVA, UVB, and UVC. Only the first two reach the Earth’s surface. UVC gets blocked by the ozone layer. It is the UVB rays the body uses to create vitamin D. And unfortunately, it is these rays that the sunscreen blocks. The ones that may contribute to cancer are the UVA rays, and they sunscreen does not protect against them (instead most sunscreens contains chemicals such as oxybenzone that actually lead to skin cancer and other cancers). And let’s not forget that even though more people use sunscreen, and with higher SPF value, the rates of skin cancers did not

The ones that may contribute to cancer are the UVA rays, and sunscreen does not protect against them. Instead, most sunscreens contain chemicals such as oxybenzone, that actually lead to skin cancer and other cancers. And let’s not forget that even though more people have been using sunscreen, and with higher SPF value, the rates of skin cancers did not decrease. They actually increased.

It is not the UVB rays that increases your chances of skin cancer, but being sunburned does. There is no such thing as getting too much vitamin D from the sun. As long as you do not get burned, you can get as much sun as you want.

To prevent sunburn, eat a lot of antioxidant-rich foods, especially dark greens, as they help protect the skin from cell damage. If you are planning to stay outside for a long time, wear a hat and clothes that cover your body or  stay in the shade. And if you are sure  you may get too much sun, choose sunscreens that are made with more natural ingredients.

When you soak up the sun, you receive the most vitamin D, and the benefits of it are numerous.

A Long List of Benefits

  • Healthy bones: allows body to assimilate calcium and prevents fractures and osteoporosis
  • Healthy teeth
  • Muscle strength
  • Heart health: prevents heart disease: heart attacks, heart failure, stroke, artery damage, cardiovascular issues, and cardiovascular death and controls blood pressures.
  • Immune system: prevents autoimmune disorders, type 1 diabetes; helps fight the flu, tuberculosis, and the common cold.
  • Nervous system: prevents multiple sclerosis
  • Kidney health
  • Proper calcium absorption
  • Reduces inflammation
  • Prevents obesity
  • Prevents premature death

And perhaps one of the most important benefits of vitamin D in today’s world is cancer prevention.

Vitamin D and Cancer Prevention

What many don’t realize, is that vitamin D is a strong cancer-fighter, and by being exposed to the sun, you are actually lowering your chances of cancer.

Vitamin D helps destroy damaged cells and reduces cancer cell growth. Studies have shown that at least 16 types of cancers can be prevented by a higher vitamin D intake, including breast, lung, and skin cancers.

In the winter months and in places where the natural sunlight is not easily accessible, it is possible to receive some vitamin D from the food, but most often it is important to add a good vitamin D supplement to your daily wellness routine.

Foods With Naturally Occurring Vitamin D

  • Cod liver oil
  • Swordfish
  • Salmon
  • Tuna
  • Sardines
  • Other fish
  • Seafood (clams, crab)
  • Liver (beef, pork, chicken, lamb)
  • Egg yolk

It is also possible to take vitamin D in supplement form. Naturopathic doctors recommend up to 10,000 IU’s per day.

The FDA recommends between 400-600 IU a day, but that number is flawed. When the medical establishment studied vitamin dosage, they used synthetic versions of the vitamin, which can indeed be toxic at higher levels, leading to birth defects, cancers, breathing problems, and mental problems. It is impossible to overdose on Vitamin D acquired from the sun, its few food sources, or naturally derived supplements.

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Beating the Winter Blues – Dealing With Seasonal Affective Disorder Naturally

Seasonal affective disorder, also called the winter blues or SAD, is a type of depression that typically occurs during the fall and winter seasons when days get shorter. The main cause is lack of exposure to sunlight.

This type of depression is more prevalent in latitudes that are farther away from the Equator. Women are three times more likely than men to suffer from it. Stress, of course, can aggravate it and lead to a worsening of symptoms.

When people have less exposure to sunlight, their bodies produce less Vitamin D. Vitamin D is technically a hormone that can only be produced when we are exposed to sunlight. When we do not produce enough vitamin D, our bodies can experience a serious deficiency, which can cause numerous health issues. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to osteoporosis, diabetes, cancer, and depression. During the winter months, low levels of vitamin D can cause seasonal affective disorder. Thankfully, this is easily treatable.

How To Treat Seasonal Affective Disorder

Treatment of seasonal affective disorder is relatively easy and cheap through exercise, light therapy, and diet.

Exercise

Regular exercise can raise serotonin levels in the brain, helping to alleviate one of the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. Go for a brisk walk, lift weights at the gym, do yoga, or find some exercise that you enjoy. Feeling miserable by doing some exercise you don’t enjoy will defeat the purpose. Of course, if you can exercise outside, you get the double benefit of exposure to the sun, which helps your body produce more vitamin D. This in turn helps to alleviate your symptoms of depression.

Light Therapy

Light therapy can help the body produce more vitamin D, the cause behind SAD. Spending time outside as much as possible, even on a cloudy day, can help the body produce more vitamin D. If that’s not feasible, special light boxes that produce UVB light can be purchased. These function similarly to sunlight in helping the body produce vitamin D. Caution should be practiced when using them to not stare directly into the light, just as you wouldn’t stare directly at the sun.

Foods That Fight SAD

Of course, eating a diet high in fresh, raw produce is ideal. It is harder to get a variety of fresh produce during the winter months, but not impossible. There are a number of fruits and vegetables in season during the colder months of the year. Kale, cabbage, collard greens, winter peas, and root vegetables are just a few of the vegetables you will find in season. Fruits in season include cranberries, pomegranates, and apples.

In addition to a diet high in raw produce, there are certain foods that can help alleviate the symptoms of SAD including foods high in antioxidants (specifically anthocyanidin), tryptophan, and omega-3 fatty acids. Dark chocolate, high in cocoa, and bananas, high in tryptophan, can help the body produce dopamine and serotonin. Avocados are high in oleic acid while fatty fish and flaxseed oil are high in omega-3 fatty acids. These two types of fatty acids help the brain by lowering inflammation, which in turn aids in the production of dopamine and serotonin.

Conclusion

You do not need to suffer through winter blues every year. Exercise, light therapy, and diet are the primary methods of treatment. Even aromatherapy can help lift your mood when fighting SAD. If you find that your levels of vitamin D and other vitamins and minerals essential to mental health are severely low and that diet and exercise alone are not fixing things, there are supplements that can help alleviate seasonal affective disorder. Vitamin D and B vitamins can help.

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Foods with Vitamin D and Vitamin B12 for those with Multiple Sclerosis

All nutrients have a role to play in health. When we are found to be deficient in particular vitamins or minerals, it could be that we are not eating enough foods that provide them or our state of health may be such that we are unable to properly metabolize and process them.

Many studies have shown that people with multiple sclerosis have lower levels of specific vitamins and other nutrients, especially vitamin D and vitamin B12.

The Vitamin B12 Connection

Those who have MS have low levels of vitamin B12 in their cerebrospinal fluid, blood serum, or both. A vitamin B12 deficiency is often mistaken for MS.

Studies have shown patients with MS given vitamin B12 supplements have experienced clinical improvements with symptoms. Those with MS are also likely to be low in other B vitamins and should consider a B vitamin complex with extra B12. It is always best to take a complex B rather than taking just one B vitamin for any length of time. B vitamins work together to perform many vital roles in the body.

Foods Rich in Vitamin B 12

Foods rich in vitamin B12 include:

  • Sardines
  • Salmon
  • Tuna
  • Cod
  • Lamb
  • Shrimp
  • Scallops
  • Beef
  • Yogurt
  • Milk

If you are suffering from a digestive disease that inhibits absorption such as celiac disease or you are elderly, vegan, or vegetarian it may be difficult for you to reach your daily requirement of B12 without supplementation.

Even if you are not aware that you have a digestive disorder, chances are you suffer from leaky gut syndrome if you have MS or any other autoimmune disease. Elimination of gluten from your diet, treating Candida overgrowth, and repairing your gut will go a long way toward your recovery from MS.

The Vitamin D Connection

The farther away a person lives from the equator, the greater the risk of developing MS, which suggests vitamin D deficiency may play an important part in the development of this disease.

Study after study shows that when people are chronically ill they either are or they were vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D is a hormone our bodies produce after we are exposed to sunlight.

Vitamin D is stored in fat and released as needed, but this does not work right for particularly toxic people or overweight people and most of us in the modern world do not get nearly enough vitamin D in the summer regardless of our ability to store it. We certainly get enough in our diet to make up for our lack of outdoor life.

If you have MS you will likely feel an immediate improvement by supplementing with vitamin D. Avoid very high doses of vitamin D for long periods of time.

Foods Rich in Vitamin D

We can also get vitamin D from the following foods:

  • Fatty fish
  • Mushrooms
  • Beef liver
  • Cheese
  • Egg yolks

Conclusion

Vitamin D and vitamin B12 deficiencies play a role in MS, but they are not the only causes of this disease. A leaky gut is most certainly a big part of the problem, and diet management is paramount, not only to manage symptoms naturally but also to getting well. To learn more about MS, check out Naturally Treat Multiple Sclerosis – Therapies, Diet, Pain Management, Alternative Medicine.

 

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Issue 12 – Sunlight and Gardening

Sunlight – Letter from the Editor

Sunlight and Vitamin D

Sunscreen Dangers

Keeping Your New Year Resolutions

Carebags Reusable Produce Bags

Sun Therapy for Seasonal Affective Disorder

Why Grow Your Own Organic Food?

Urban Gardening

Planning Your Organic Garden

Raw Food Diet

Health or Pills

Spices

MJ’s Herbals Salves Review



Sunlight – Letter from the Editor

I don’t tend to wear sunglasses, and I never wear sunscreen. I do burn easily if I have not taken the time to acclimate myself to the sun, so I will either wear long sleeve shirts and a hat, limit my exposure until my skin builds tolerance, or, more often than not, I’ll just burn.

I’m not recommending you go out and get sunburned, but I don’t think people should be so afraid of it. Sunlight is so important. It’s better to get burned a few times a year than to not get enough sunlight.

I work at my computer a lot. Sometimes I realize that I have gone more than a week without any significant sun exposure. Other times, I notice I am feeling depressed or I’m having trouble sleeping, or I’m irritable. My prescription: light sunbathing. I feel so much better after I spend some time soaking in the rays.

Dr. Holick wants us to get some sunlight and then put on sunscreen. I respectfully disagree. I don’t want to put toxic creams on my skin only to cook the ingredients in the sun. This seems like a recipe for skin cancer to me.

Sunlight is natural. When in doubt, go with what’s natural. It’s what we humans are programmed for. Almost every time, the natural choice is the healthy choice.

 

Michael Edwards

Signature

Editor in Chief



Sunlight and Vitamin D

For years we’ve been told to stop sunbathing, to stay out of the sun. We slather sunscreen on our children. We buy make-up, lip balm, and hair care products that contain SPF 15 protection. And what is the result of this anti UV ray vigilance? Skin cancer is on the rise.

SPF 15 works very well. It blocks 99% of the UV rays. The problem is that we need UV rays in order to make vitamin D. Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, strengthens and builds bones, wards off multiple sclerosis, diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, and periodontal disease. It regulates cell growth, and protects against lymphomas and cancers of the colon, prostate, lung, and skin.

Yes, Vitamin D, gained through exposure to the sun, helps prevent skin cancer!

“There are two types of skin cancer,” says Dr. Michael Holick, one of the world’s leading authorities on vitamin D and vitamin D deficiency. “There’s what’s called non-melanoma skin cancer and there is no question that excessive exposure to sunlight and sunburns will damage the DNA and induce skin cells to become cancerous. That is non-melanoma squamous and basal cell cancers. They are typically easy to detect, easy to treat. They’re not lethal, for the most part.

Melanoma is a different story. Most melanomas occur on the least sun exposed areas. Occupational sun exposure decreases your risk of malignant melanoma. We believe that if you have a large number of moles, a number of sun burning experiences, bad genetics, and red hair color—that is very light skin—they will markedly increase your risk of malignant melanoma, and that’s deadly. About 8,000 people die a year of malignant melanoma. But there is no evidence in my opinion that sensible sun exposure increases your risk of that deadly disease. In fact there is good evidence that it decreases your risk.”

Where you live and the color of your skin are significant factors in determining your risk for Vitamin D deficiency and correlating diseases. So is your weight. Though vitamin D is stored in fat cells, obesity inhibits its release. If you live at a latitude above 33 degrees (north of Atlanta, Georgia), you cannot get enough UV rays in the winter months to make vitamin D. And the darker your skin, the more sun exposure you require, no matter the season. Geographical and racial statistics do correlate to higher incidences of all diseases linked to Vitamin D deficiencies.

Unfortunately, not all medical doctors are aware of these links. Dr. Holick is finding many of his patients who come to him with a prior diagnosis of fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome with symptoms of muscle weakness and throbbing, aching bone pain are actually suffering from osteomalacia, a bone disease directly caused by vitamin D deficiency. The good news is treatment with vitamin D supplements and/or sunlight exposure quickly reverses this disease.

Vitamin D is not, in fact, a vitamin. It’s a hormone. “By definition a vitamin means that it has to come from an external source,” Dr. Holick explains, “but when you’re exposed to sunlight, you make it. So by definition, it’s not a vitamin. And more importantly, once vitamin D is made in your skin it goes to your liver and kidneys to get activated. And so again by definition, it’s being generated in one organ system and going to a different place to have a biologic effect and by definition, that’s a hormone.” Dr. Holick suggests using sunscreen in moderation. “People need to be aware that a sunscreen SPF of 15 reduces your ability to make vitamin D in your skin by 99%. So if you’re putting a sunscreen on all the time before going outside, you are definitely going to put yourself at risk forVitamin D deficiency.”

He suggests you start with 5 or 10 or 15 minutes of sun exposure depending upon time of day, season of the year and the latitude, 3 to 4 times a week. Remember, the darker your skin, the more exposure you need. The opposite is also true. The lighter your skin, and redheads know this from experience, the more likely you are to burn.

Sunburn can damage your skin, and does put you at higher risk of skin cancer. So Dr. Holick suggests that if you go to the beach for an hour or two, put on sunscreen after 15 or 20 minutes. “Take advantage of the beneficial effect,” he says. “Then prevent the damaging effects due to excessive exposure.”

Start off slow and don’t expose your skin for too long. Our bodies do have built in protection; we tan. Most of us do, anyway. When it’s time to get out of the sun, put on a hat, get under an umbrella, find some shade, or cover up if you want to avoid sunscreen all together. But don’t avoid the sun. It’s summertime. Go out and make some Vitamin D.