Hyvin
A Natural Health and Wellness Blog

The American College of Clinical Pharmacology recently heard that the use of the herb echinacea reduces the incidence by more than a half and the duration by almost two full days of the common cold, according to the Reuters Health report of the news. This effectiveness of echinacea is recorded when the herb is used before the onset of full-blown symptoms. So, when the throat first begins to tickle, or you feel the first twinge of ache or the nasal passages just start to seem full.

Now, the manufacture and production of over-the-counter herbal supplements is not subject to the same regulations as drugs, even if we purchase them from the pharmacist or at a drug store. What that means to us, as consumers, is that we have to be able to rely on the company offering the product. Believe it or not, what it says on the label is NOT always what’s in the bottle. There may be more or less of the active herbal ingredient that produces the desired effect. There may be extra contaminants that came along for the ride when the herbs were imported. I look for a company that guarantees 100% purity, potency, and label truth.

Have you heard the rule of thumb that a cold with clear discharge (aka snot) is viral and there’s no point in going to the doctor, but if the snot is yellow or green, you’ve got a bacterial infection that needs antibiotics?

Well, it’s time to rethink the rule.

I’ve always been a proponent of letting the body develop immunity to things such as colds, even when bacterial, whenever possible. Taking antibiotics does kill the bacteria, but does not give the immune system a chance to develop its own antibodies to the bacteria for future immune strength.

Now there’s an “official” statement on the issue: yellow snot is not an automatic pass for antibiotics. A new study from the British Medical Journal suggests that antibiotics didn’t help most severe head colds, and there can be harmful side effects, particularly gastrointestinal complaints.

According to the HealthDay News report of this research:

Their finding was based on data from seven carefully controlled trials comparing results when antibiotics were or were not given to people with severe head colds.

The gastrointestinal side effects of the antibiotics could very likely be due to the fact that, along with the bad bacteria, the good bacteria that is supposed to be in our guts gets destroyed. It is SO important to replace those good bacteria whenever we do have to resort to antibiotics with a guaranteed supplement.

And the best defense against any head cold is a strong healthy immune system. You can do a lot to naturally support your immune system!

I came across an article recently about the cleanliness (or lack thereof) of purse bottoms. That’s right: the bottoms of ladies’ purses, which are placed on all kinds of unsavory surfaces.

The results are about what you might expect: gross!

Microbiologist Amy Karren of Nelson Laboratories in Salt Lake discovered that the average purse bottom had all kinds of harmful bacteria, from e-coli to staph infection to (you guessed it) human feces.

I try to hang my purse from hooks in restrooms, set it on seats at restaurants instead of the floor, and keep it on a shelf at home. I also watch where I put my purse, but I’m sure it’s been on my desk top at least once .

I’ve never before, though, cleaned the bottom of my purse. Not sure why I haven’t thought of it … I have a spray disinfectant that I really like that will kill all those bugs – and it’s non-toxic. You can even add a little to the wash for cloth purse cleaning. So that’s what I’ll do. How about you?

An antibiotic specifically designed for mild to moderate respiratory tract infections, has been linked to a growing number of reports of liver failure, including four deaths! You can read the full report here.

While the implications of this happening despite FDA oversight are troubling, what really hits home for me is the importance of individual responsibility for health. Are there times when antibiotics are needed? Of course. But many of us rely on antibiotics at the first sign of infection. It seems to me that we would be better served by trying to support our body’s own fight of infectious invaders…with a variety of natural health and wellness measures. Not only do we then avoid the potentially serious side-effects of antibiotics, but we allow our bodies to develop its own natural immunity to the bacteria at issue.

You may have heard before about the role of calcium in reducing the risk of colon cancer. New research reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition this month affirms this role, concluding that “the risk of colon cancer from all regions of the colon and rectum decreased according to increased total dairy food consumption.”

Researchers also noted the need to consider the potential beneficial effect of other nutrients in dairy products. That is so true… nutrients do not occur in nature in isolation, do they? There is a whole complement of compounds in any natural food source, some of which we have not yet even identified!

That’s why, when we’re using supplements to provide the nutritional support that our current food supply can’t provide, it is SO important to be sure that the supplements we use include and preserve these additional compounds as found in nature. Presumably because of the expense and scientific prowess required to do so, many supplement manufacturers, unfortunately, do not.

Ever wonder what the cartoon version of a viral attack on our bodies would look like? Can’t you just picture those “bad guy” virus cells, the “good guy” destroyers, the messengers, the explosions! Oh, my boys would love this. Here’s a great explanation of what really goes on, courtesy of Dr. Bruce B. Miller, DDS, CNS.

What happens (the mechanism) on a cellular level when a virus invades your body

The immune system’s actions are obviously much more complicated than my explanation. This is the “made simple outline version” — just hitting the main points.

A virus (any virus) cannot duplicate outside of a cell. When a cell is invaded, the virus takes over its duplication machinery and begins to replicate itself. Thus when a virus invades the body it heads for a cell.

When a virus enters a cell the cell releases a chemical messenger called interferon.

Interferon does two things:

1. It tells other cells how to defend against this virus.
2. It stimulates cells called macrophages to multiply and get active.

Meanwhile the virus is multiplying in the invaded cell. When the cell gets loaded with new viral particles, it explodes, releasing more particles into the body to invade other cells.

The newly released viral particles are in for a two surprises.

1. The exploding infected cell is surrounded by macrophages which “eat” up viral particles.
2. Other cells in the area are more resistant to viral invasion.

Most of the time a viral infection can be stopped at this stage.

What if a cell is low in interferon when the invasion occurs?

• The interferon output is low, weak and there is a time lag.
  1. There is a delay and a weak signal telling the other cells how to defend against the virus.
  2. The macrophages receive a late and feeble signal.
• During the time lag the virus is replicating rapidly in the infected cell.
  1. The infected cell bursts releasing millions of new viral particles.
  2. Macrophages are few and weak and many particles escape.
  3. The other cells fall to invasion because they do not know how to defend against this virus.
  4. This is a chain reaction.
  5. You become ill.

If a cell has a “full tank” of interferon, it is better able to battle a viral invasion.

And guess what things negatively affect the immune response? (including the production of interferon): stress, not getting enough sleep, not enough exercise, and not getting the right balance of immune supporting nutrients. Any of those sound familiar?

For more information about what interferon is and how it works, check out www.immunityfacts.com. You can even see the above description in video format.

To naturally boost our bodys’ interferon production, my family is using the only herbal supplement that can do this.

Did you know that your computer can be harboring viruses that are harmful to your health? Even the usual computer virus (that makes your system crash) can make you feel sick!, but this is about the kind that can really make you sick. According to a study by the University of Arizona, desks often have 400 times more germs than a toilet seat. The biggest offenders are telephones, with 25,127 microbes per square inch; keyboards, with 3,295; and computer mice, with 1,676. Without cleaning, a small area on your desk or phone can be harboring millions of bacteria that can cause illness.

OK, this is pretty convincing motivation to clean, even for a non-cleaning freak like me. Using a non-toxic disinfectant makes it easier on the eyes, nose, and lungs. You can read more about the study at BBC News.