By Frank Lipman, MD on November 11, 2011
Flu season is headed our way and in a few weeks many will suffer, but you don’t have to be one of them if you start boosting immunity now. Here are 10 simple ways to prep your body so it’s strong enough to repel viral invaders all winter long:
1) Do your D’s.
Adequate levels of Vitamin D are essential for our immune systems to function the way it is designed to. Unfortunately, there are no significant dietary sources of Vitamin D – most of our intake comes from exposure to sunlight. To optimize your vitamin D levels, you’ll need to take a Vitamin D3 supplement daily. This is the most important step you can take to prevent the flu!! To find out how much vitamin D you’ll need, get your 25 hydroxy Vitamin D level checked by your doctor. If that’s not an option, you can self-test your level with ZRT labs. For optimal health, you’ll want your level to be between 50 and 70ng/ml. It may require several months of taking 5,000 to 10,000 IU of Vit D3 daily (especially during winter) under a doctor’s supervision to achieve this – but it will be well worth the effort. Monitor your 25 hydroxy vitamin D status every 3 months until you are in the desired 50 and 70ng/ml range, then cut back to a maintenance dose of at least 2,000 IU a day.
2) Do take a probiotic daily.
A strong immune system relies heavily on having a healthy, well-functioning gut – and probiotics help keep your gut engine humming. A recent study confirmed that probiotics could help fight off colds. Look for a probiotic with 10-20 billion organisms and take one every day.
3) Do stock up on antiviral herbal supplements.
Immunity –boosting antiviral herbs contain thousands of medicinal compounds that attack viruses with a full spectrum of synergistic substances – and without creating resistant viral strains. Four great antivirals are andrographis, olive leaf extract, grapefruit seed extract and elderberry extract. Use one or several in combination as a prophylactic measure, particularly if you spend time in high-traffic areas such as airports, offices, theaters, etc.
4) Don’t eat crap.
In other words, avoid sugar and processed foods. Sugar is a poison which, among other things, dramatically decreases immune function – so lay off the stuff. And processed foods? Virtually all of the nutrients get processed right out of them so they do nothing to strengthen immunity. Talk about empty calories!
5) Do get your greens.
Colorful salads and dark greens are loaded with flu-fighting phytonutrients, so pile your plate high.
6) Do garlic.
Not only does garlic repel vampires, it also has anti-viral properties and is a known immunity booster. My advice? Dig in!
7) Don’t skimp on sleep.
One key to a strong immune system? Sleep! Get plenty of it to allow the body to restore and repair itself while you rest. Shoot for at least 7 hours a night and try taking a 20-minute catnap if you’re falling short.
8 ) Do break a sweat.
Adequate exercise helps keep your immune system healthy and robust, so keep moving throughout the winter.
9) Do chill out.
Reduce stress, particularly during flu season. Do breathing exercises, yoga or simply things you enjoy, to help boost immunity, relieve tension and enhance physical and mental resilience.
10) Don’t wash with antibacterial soap.
Instead, wash hands frequently with good, old-fashioned hot water and chemical-free soap. Skip the antibacterials as they are loaded with toxins and increase the risk of creating resistant bacteria. They also over-dry and crack the skin, making transmission of viruses that much easier.
Best wishes for a flu-free winter!
For more information on how to optimize your health, visit DrFrankLipman.com.
Photo credit: justplainhope
Read More By Kris Carr on November 1, 2011
Health Ambassadors,
Last week I decided to totally hijack the entire prevention movement and throw all chronic disease, shit pickles, emotional BS and dis-ease into one month of self-care awareness. We’re calling November “National Prevention Month” – for everything! I wrote about it in Friday’s newsletter, so check your inboxes and spam folders if you missed it.
In 1971 – the year I was born – President Nixon and Congress declared war on cancer. So what’s happened in the 40 years since? Not much. Today, the United States has the seventh highest cancer rate in the world. While heart disease is on a slight decline in the U.S., the cost to treat it is expected to triple by 2030. Around the globe, diabetes deaths will double between 2005-2030. By 2030, almost 23.6 million people will die from from heart disease and stroke. These are expected to remain the single leading causes of death.
Here’s the download that most of us missed: The majority of chronic diseases, including many cancers, are caused by diet, lifestyle choices, and environmental factors. Not just genetics. Actually, poor ole genetics often gets a bad rap. Enter … drumroll … epigenetics! The sexy science that teaches us that our genes are not always our destiny. We can actually have a predispostion for something and still avoid the trigger. And catch this, we can even change our DNA. Um, yeah, we’re that powerful.
What can you do to stack the odds in your favor to hopefully avoid an unwanted medical condition? Remember this very important snugget: Keep you inner eco-system as clean as possible. That’s right, you have rivers and lakes and sky on the inside. When you smoke and shout, eat dead foods and refuse to wean, finger your remote, cry on the inside, junk out on sugary crack, and slather chemicals on and around your body – you’re polluting the pristine environment that is you. If you’re a swamp on the inside, it’s time to cleanse the waters and get them moving again. Here’s how …
Eat LOTS of plants, less animals, real food, nothing fake, move your assets, dial down stress, breeeathe, don’t smoke (it will rob your beauty and your life), build a contemplative practice, love more than you hate, forgive (yourself), pray like you give a damn, take fun seriously, burn your to-do list, say no to other peoples “you-do” lists, dump stuff, make memories, poop, poop, poop, drink your holy green juice, take supplements based on what your blood work suggests ya need, pet your pet, smile like a child, live like it’s the first day of the rest of your life and it’s so delish that you can’t wait for another!
There is only one lasting cure … and it’s prevention. And it’s up to us to set an example, teach our children, and lead the way to health, spiritual wealth, and happiness through personal action. Prevention rocks!
If you’re on board, then join me and spend the next 30 days focusing on self-care. Do it for yourself, do it for the broken sickcare system and do it for the next generation. This is a movement, my friends. We need numbers. We need you. Share this post with your friends. Talk about it on Facebook and twitter. Make prevention trend! Wanna? Use the hashtag #preventionrocks
And if you haven’t signed up for my newsletter yet, get on it! From here on out, I’ll be writing a lot more about my personal thoughts and reflections there.
xo
Kris
Photo credit: Peggy Dyer
Read More By Gabriel Cousens MD on May 14, 2010
A new threat, using another level of security scare, is being used to expose the flying population to either excessive ionizing radiation or ultra high frequency radiation. Thanks to the attempted airliner bombing on Christmas 2009, TSA Security Laboratory Director Susan Hallowell recently announced the agency’s intent to use back-scatter X-ray machines for passenger surveillance.
Obviously we need to refine our screening techniques to provide maximum safety for our air travel. However, these X-ray machines penetrate a few centimeters into the skin and reflect back a naked body image. While some will view this as a privacy violation, this is not the immediate problem. Thomas Wiggins, a radiation company engineer, admits that before 9/11, proposing such a system would be like ordering his own death sentence. He has changed his mind and now states that they could “scan a pregnant woman 200 times without a health risk.” This is a scientifically fallacious statement.
Those implementing this near-sighted agenda have deliberately ignored the outstanding research of Dr. John Gofman (Professor Emeritus of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley) showing that THERE IS NO SAFE DOSE OF IONIZED RADIATION. This statement is based on years of serious unbiased research. Ionizing radiation in the X-ray spectrum damages and mutates both chromosomal DNA and structural proteins in human cells. If this damage is not repaired, it can lead to cancer. X-rays also damage the interior walls of the arteries. These cells are then unable to process lipoproteins correctly, resulting in atherosclerotic plaques and mini tumors in the arteries, stimulating atherosclerosis and heart disease. Dr. Gofman’s studies indicate that radiation from medical diagnostics and treatment is a causal co-factor in 50% of America’s cancers and 60% of our ischemic (blood flow blockage) heart disease. He stresses that the frequency with which Americans are medically X-rayed “makes for a significant radiological impact.” The more people are exposed to these higher doses of radiation, the greater their risk of real, life-threatening cancer and heart disease.
A report in the British medical journal Lancet noted that after breast mammograms were introduced in 1983, the incidence of ductal carcinoma (12% of breast cancer) increased by 328%, of which 200% was due to the use of mammography itself. A Lawrence Berkeley National Lab study has demonstrated that breast tissue is extremely susceptible to radiation-induced cancer, confirming warnings by numerous experts that mammograms can initiate the very cancers they may later identify. Dr. Gofman believes that medical radiation is a co-factor in 75% of breast cancer cases. With this information, it would not be very intelligent to expose your breasts to radiation from X-ray machines at airports. This is an explicit danger to American women. (Infrared mammography is a far safer diagnostic tool.)
Yes, we should improve security, but these procedures must not introduce a scientifically proven, life-threatening hazard to our health. America’s cancer rates are already rising in every category. Airline pilots and cabin crews suffer more skin and breast cancer due to higher levels of radiation while flying. Dr. Abram Petkau has uncovered significant statistical research showing that a pregnant woman flying in an airplane in her first trimester exposes her baby to enough radiation to increase its risk of leukemia sixteen times.
The other source of surveillance being considered is ultra high frequency radio waves. There are scanners available that produce a frequency 1000 times higher than is healthfully advisable. Some examples include radar, producing a wide variety of radiations and causing cancer and neurological problems; microwaves, which are also noted to cause cancer; and even ultrasound: Swedish research on the use of ultrasound technologies on fetuses indicate that it may cause subtle brain damage and be associated with delayed development and learning disorders.
The attempted terrorist attacks are cause for concern, but we need to think about appropriate security without creating a screening system lethal to our population. In addition to effectively enforcing those systems already in place, there are many other forms of security screening that could work.
I am urging you to start expressing your concern now. We must strongly protest to convince authorities that this is a dangerous and thoughtless approach, which will increase the risk of cancer, atherosclerosis, heart disease, and brain damage to our population. The risk/benefit analysis does not justify these measures, which are at best foolish and at worst genocidal.
Blessings to your health and spiritual wellbeing.
Gabriel Cousens, M.D.
Read More By Joel Fuhrman MD on February 8, 2010Check out today’s blog to learn about the powerful anti-cancer effects of certain green veggies that might be on your plate this Meatless Monday. Don’t miss Dr. Fuhrman’s delicious recipe at the end of the blog!
Nutrition scientists have shown over and over that people who eat more natural plant foods—vegetables, fruits, legumes—are less likely to be diagnosed with cancer. But are all vegetables equally protective? If we wanted to design an anti-cancer diet, we would want to know which foods have the most powerful anti-cancer effects. Then, we could eat plenty of these foods each day, flooding our bodies with the protective substances contained within them.
So, which foods have the most powerful anti-cancer effects? Cruciferous vegetables.
This family of vegetables includes green vegetables like kale, cabbage, collards, and broccoli, plus some others like cauliflower and turnips (see the full list at the bottom of this post). They are named for their flowers, having four equally spaced petals in the shape of a cross, from the Latin word ‘crucifer’ meaning ‘cross-bearer.’
All vegetables contain protective micronutrients and phytochemicals, but cruciferous vegetables have a unique chemical composition: they have sulfur-containing compounds which are responsible for their pungent or bitter flavors. When cell walls are broken by blending or chopping, a chemical reaction occurs that converts these sulfur-containing compounds to isothiocyanates (ITCs)—compounds with proven anti-cancer activities.
Over 120 ITCs have been identified, and the various ITCs have different mechanisms of action. Because different ITCs can work in different locations in the cell and on different molecules, they can have combined additive effects, working synergistically to remove carcinogens and kill cancer cells. Some ITCs have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, or even immunologic effects. Some ITCs can inhibit angiogenesis, the process by which a tumor establishes a blood supply.
Some ITCs detoxify and/or remove carcinogenic compounds; the combined consumption of broccoli and Brussels sprouts (rich sources of the ITC sulforaphane) increases the excretion of certain dietary carcinogens. (1) Some ITCs inhibit cancer cell growth or induce cancer cell death: cruciferous vegetable juice, containing a variety of ITCs, has been shown to induce apoptosis, or programmed cell death, in breast cancer cells. (2)
Some ITCs can prevent carcinogens from binding to DNA and initiating cancerous changes in the cell. Sulforaphane activates enzymes that protect cells from DNA damage by carcinogens. (3) But if DNA does indeed become damaged, the growth of the damaged cell can be stopped to allow for DNA repair, or the cell can be programmed for cell death. These processes can control this damage. Several ITCs, including sulforaphane, indole-3-carbinol (I3C), and diindolmethane (DIM) stop growth or induce death in cultured cancer cells. (3) Sulforaphane blocks tumor formation and induces programmed cell death in colon cancer cells. (4) Allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), present in several cruciferous vegetables, inhibits proliferation and induces cell death in bladder cancer cells. (5)
Indole-3-carbinol and its metabolite DIM may be especially protective against hormone-sensitive cancers; they help the body transform estrogen and other hormones into forms that are more easily excreted from the body. (6-7)
These observations in cell culture and animal studies have been confirmed by epidemiological studies drawing connections between cruciferous vegetable intake and cancer incidence. Inverse associations between cruciferous vegetable intake and breast, lung, prostate, and colorectal cancers have been reported. Similar associations exist for total vegetable intake, but cruciferous vegetables are far more potent:
• Cruciferous vegetables are twice as powerful as other plant foods. In population studies, a 20% increase in plant food intake generally corresponds to a 20% decrease in cancer rates, but a 20% increase in cruciferous vegetable intake corresponds to a 40% decrease in cancer rates. (8)
• 28 servings of vegetables per week decreased prostate cancer risk by 33%, but just 3 servings of cruciferous vegetables per week decreased prostate cancer risk by 41%. (9)
• 1 or more servings of cabbage per week reduces risk of pancreatic cancer by 38%. (10)
How can we maximize the ITC benefit of our cruciferous vegetables? Methods of preparation and cooking can affect the availability of ITCs to be digested and absorbed. Chopping, chewing, blending, or juicing allows for production of ITCs. Some ITC benefit may be lost with boiling or steaming, so we get the maximum benefit from eating cruciferous vegetables raw; however, some production of ITC in cooked cruciferous vegetables may occur in the gut once the vegetables have been ingested.
Cruciferous vegetables are not only the most powerful anti-cancer foods in existence, they are also the most nutrient-dense of all vegetables. Although the National Cancer Institute recommends 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day for cancer prevention, they have not yet established specific recommendations for cruciferous vegetables. I recommend 6 fresh fruits and 8 total servings of vegetables per day, including 2 servings of cruciferous vegetables, one raw and one cooked. Consuming a large variety of these ITC-rich cruciferous vegetables within an overall nutrient-dense diet can provide us with a profound level of protection against cancer.
List of cruciferous vegetables:
• Arugula
• Bok choy
• Broccoli
• Broccoli rabe
• Broccolini
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Collards
• Horseradish
• Kale
• Kohlrabi
• Mache
• Mustard greens
• Radish
• Red cabbage
• Rutabaga
• Turnips
• Turnip greens
• Watercress
Recipe: Braised Bok Choy
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
• 8 baby bok choy or 3 regular bok choy
• 1 teaspoon Bragg Liquid Aminos or low sodium soy sauce
• 2 cups coarsely chopped shiitake mushrooms
• 2 large cloves garlic, chopped (optional)
• 1 tablespoon unhulled sesame seeds, lightly toasted*
*Lightly toast sesame seeds in a pan over medium heat for 3 minutes, shaking pan frequently.
Instructions:
1. Cover bottom of large skillet with 1/2 inch water. Add bok choy (cut baby bok choy in half lengthwise or cut regular bok choy into chunks).
2. Drizzle with liquid aminos. Cover and cook on high heat until bok choy is tender, about 6 minutes.
3. Remove bok choy; add mushrooms and garlic to the liquid in the pan.
4. Simmer liquid until reduced to a glaze. Pour over bok choy. Top with toasted sesame seeds.
For an extensive collection of green vegetable recipes like these, visit Dr. Fuhrman’s website and check out his most recent book, Eat for Health.
References:
1. Walters DG, Young PJ, Agus C, Knize MG, Boobis AR, Gooderham NJ, et al. Cruciferous vegetable consumption alters the metabolism of the dietary carcinogen 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo [4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) in humans. Carcinogenesis 2004;25:1659–69.
2. Brandi G et al. Mechanisms of action and antiproliferative properties of Brassica oleracea juice in human breast cancer cell lines. J Nutr 2005;135(6):1503-9
3. Higdon JV et al. Cruciferous Vegetables and Human Cancer Risk: Epidemiologic
Evidence and Mechanistic Basis. Pharmacol Res. 2007 March ; 55(3): 224–236
4. Gamet-Payrastre I et al. Sulforaphane, a naturally occurring isothiocyanate induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in HT29 human colon cancer cells. Cancer Res 2000;60:1426-1433
5. Bhattacharya A et al. Inhibition of Bladder Cancer Development by Allyl Isothiocyanate.
Carcinogenesis. 2009 Dec 2. [Epub ahead of print]
6. Yuan F et al. Anti-estrogenic activities of indole-3-carbinol in cervical cells: implication for prevention of cervical cancer. Anticancer Res. 1999 May-Jun;19(3A):1673-80.
7. Dalessandri KM, Firestone GL, Fitch MD, Bradlow HL, Bjeldanes LF. Pilot study: effect of 3,3?-diindolylmethane supplements on urinary hormone metabolites in postmenopausal women with a history of early-stage breast cancer. Nutr Cancer 2004;50:161–7.
8. Michaud DS et al. Frut and vegetable intake and incidence of bladder cancer in a male prospective cohort. J Natl Cancer Inst 1999; 91(7):605-13
9. Cohen JH et al. Fruit and vegetable intake and prostate cancer risk. J Natl Cancer Inst 2000;92(1):61-68
10. Larsson SC, Hakansson N, Naslund I, Bergkvist L, Wolk A. Fruit and vegetable consumption in relation to pancreatic cancer: a prospective study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006;15:301–305.
Read More By Stacy Malkan on February 3, 2010
The biggest ad in the Walgreens cosmetics aisle these days isn’t the airbrushed model hawking L’Oreal, but the huge cardboard archway with the Axe logo leading like a beacon to an aisle stuffed with flashy cans of body spray. This is where the boys come to be cool, to man up, to make the ladies swoon at their feet – or so the ads make them believe.
As the New York Times reported, male body products are all the rage among teenagers and even the pre-teen crowd. One mom counted 18 different products in the bathroom of her 13- and 14-year old boys – the body washes, exfoliators, body hydrators, body sprays, deodorant, shaving cream and hair products they think they can’t live without.
This is the beauty industry’s wet dream: to finally have the other 50% of adolescents churning with anxiety, desperate to own products that promise to make them attractive and acceptable (but always fall short). The marketing machine is selling such anxieties in a myriad of subtle ways – book tie-ins, gaming sites, endorsements from hip-hop stars and extreme athletes. A Kardashian sister was reportedly paid six figures to tweet about loving the smell of Axe. (In reality, most girls are holding their noses behind the guy’s back.)
The irony of this story, which the Times missed entirely, is that the ads promise virility and masculinity, yet the products may have the exact opposite effect on the bodies of developing boys. Most fragranced products contain diethyl phthalate, a chemical that has been linked to sperm damage and feminized genitals. Many of the products, from body spray to shampoo, also contain parabens, a chemical that acts like estrogen in the body.
In all, the 18 body-care products used by the above-mentioned teenagers contain roughly 200 synthetic chemicals that the boys are putting on their bodies each day before breakfast. This daily dose includes dozens of chemicals linked to cancer, skin problems, allergies and hormone disruption, according to an analysis of a typical suite of these products on the Skin Deep database.
How’s that for an ick factor?
By this point in the story, you may be shaking your head in disbelief. But the ugly truth is that companies are allowed to put nearly any chemical into beauty products in unlimited amounts, without conducting safety assessments and without listing all the chemicals on labels. Toxic products are often marketed as “pure,” “gentle,” “hypo-allergenic” and even “organic,” since there are no legal standards for these terms on personal care products.
The beauty industry is in desperate need of a safety makeover. The broken regulatory system keeps consumers in the dark about what they’re really buying and holds the industry back from innovating the next generation of non-toxic products. Why make safer products if they don’t have to? To help change the laws, join the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics at www.safecosmetics.org.
In the meantime, what’s the parent or girlfriend of an over-anxious body-spraying teenage boy to do? Showing him a Skin Deep analysis of his products, along with information about how phthalates may be impacting masculinity, may make a lasting impression. (Keep in mind that phthalates aren’t listed on product labels; avoid them by avoiding products with fragrance.)
Some honest feedback about what it’s like to smell them coming also wouldn’t hurt. As Stephenie Mullen, the mom quoted in the NYT story, wrote on her blog: “being in a car with my Axe covered boys (is) like going for a jog behind a mosquito truck.”
As it turns out, that image of the noxious spray cloud isn’t far off the mark from what’s happening in the bathroom each morning.
Read More 
