Hyvin
A Natural Health and Wellness Blog

Here’s another natural health and wellness tool: writing! There are some very specific research findings relating the practice of journaling with better health for cancer patients. According to HealthDay, “The research suggests that by spending 30 minutes each day for four days to write out their innermost thoughts and feelings, patients can significantly boost mental and physical health. And experts say nearly everyone who tries journal therapy stands to benefit.”

The scientific link between writing and improved health isn’t fully understood, but it’s believed that writing eases stress which improves the immune system. Makes perfect sense to me. I’ve journaled off and on in the past, and recently carried out a commitment to daily journaling (although for five minutes a day only …well, you gotta’ start somewhere). I intend to assess my stress level and see if I notice a difference!

Allergy sufferers know the common triggers: ragweed, grass, and pollens, right? Well, add fruits and veggies to the list!

Yep, you read that right. Believe it or not, proteins found in parts of some fruits and veggies like bananas, cucumbers, melon and zucchini are similar to pollen proteins that are targeted by allergy antibodies. This can cause symptoms such as itchy mouth and throat with mild swelling when these foods are eaten fresh, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) (that’s quite a mouthful, pun intended ).

The HealthDay report of this statement by the AAAAI states that the kinds of fruits and veggies on the trigger list vary in relation to the type of pollen allergy.

What a drag that must be. My vote is to strengthen the immune system as much as possible to avoid the allergic response in the first place! It really is possible.

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!

Schools are being told to prepare for it, Palestinians are on a state of alert over it, and the U.S. expects it this year.

It, of course, is the bird flu, also known as the H5N1 strain of the avian flu. Being faced with the possibility of a widespread virus of this strength, I am reaffirmed in all the things I do to try to maintain the health of my family. I do what I can to ensure that our immune systems are strong, primed and ready to fight: healthy diet, sugar control, supplements, eliminating toxins in the home. I’m so grateful that I was introduced to this approach. Do you feel armed and ready?

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.