On Swine Flu (H1N1) and Immune Systems

Over the past month and a half, I have had countless people ask my thoughts on the Swine Flu. Meanwhile, I continue to hear of more incidents where someone in a nearby school, a local church, or a nearby neighborhood has contracted the virus. It hits close to home, literally, when you know families who have it!


So what is a mother to do? That's the question I keep hearing. And I do have some thoughts I would like to share with you. But keep in mind, I'm speaking mother to mother... not medical professional to patient... I have no medical credentials! For the record, I hold a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with a minor (lacking six hours to be a major) in Fine Arts. Health is our lifestyle and my hobby.


You'll read from many credible sources, even the CDC, that Swine Flu is not a severe threat to those with strong immune systems. Of course, the flipside is also true: any flu is a threat to any person with a weakened immune system.


And what about vaccines? Once a vaccine is developed and released, it will protect against the particular strain of flu it was developed for (along with side effects), but it offers no help against mutations or newly developed strains. A healthy immune system will offer up a defense no matter what strain of flu attacks. It is my belief that a person with a strong immune system, when confronted with any flu or virus, will have reduced symptoms and a shorter duration of sickness.


Avoiding contact with infected persons may not be within our control. Honestly, if the Swine Flu spreads as the CDC predicts, we will come into contact with infected persons -- probably BEFORE they know they are infected. Our family was in contact with the swine flu recently. But we didn't know it until the next day!


Bottom line: We need to do what we can to build up our immune systems for the viruses we will most likely encounter this fall and winter -- H1N1 or any other invading pathogen.

This leads to the question: "What can I do to make sure that my family has strengthened immune systems?"

1. Did you know that your body's first line of defense is your skin? So it only makes sense to follow the ubiquitous advice and "Wash Your Hands."

2. If an invader breaks through your first barrier, your body will defend itself with its patrolling scavenger cells. A strong, healthy immune system will have plenty of these cells. Remember, it takes building materials to build immune cells, so take a daily multivitamin and mineral supplement. Make sure yours includes a substantial amount of Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Zinc and B Vitamins. Each of these (plus others!) play a big role in supporting a functional immune system.

It is very, very rare that a person could consume adequate amounts of these vitamins through diet alone. (Click the links at the top left of this blog for my "What Is Health Anyway?" series. In those three posts, I offer a more complete discussion of this topic.) Balanced, real supplements supply your body with the building materials it requires to build an army of scavenger cells. This is my choice for myself and for my children.

3. Those pathogens that make it through the skin barrier AND get passed the patrol guard, infect individual cells. Once a cell is infected, it will secrete Interferon. "Interferon is an immune system regulator that is extremely active in cell defense due to its antiviral and immune stimulating effects. When produced by cells infected by viruses, interferon communicates with uninfected cells to trigger an antibody response to the virus. Interferon can also activate natural killer cell activity, macrophage activity, and trigger the release of powerful cytotoxic chemicals designed to neutralize immune system invaders."


If you didn't get all that, just know that interferon is your friend and you need plenty of it to fight the good fight. Nutriferon is the only natural supplement I know of that boosts your body's own interferon without any negative side effects. It can be taken without pause, unlike other immune boosters, because it's efficacy does not diminish over time. In my opinion, a daily dose of Nutriferon would prepare your body for H1N1's friends and mutations better than any specific vaccine that can only defend against a particular strain.


4. Supplement your supplements with probiotics. Current research shows that the intestines are an important line of defense for the immune system. Prolific friendly bacteria in the gut will inhibit the growth of invading pathogens, so it is vital to keep a stong colony ready for action. My vitamins already contain probiotics, but I give this additional product to my children.


5. Finally, when you feel the slightest tinge of fever or other symptoms coming on, act right away with Garlic, Echinacea and Elderberry and Vitamin C around the clock. See yesterday's post for how I did this with Spiderman.

Keep in mind that if you or your children are just now beginning your health journey, it may take a while to build up your immune system. Eating whole foods, supplementing regularly, getting as much sunshine as possible, getting adequate rest and exercise... all of these things contribute to healthy immune function. Whatever you do, don't let yourself be discouraged about how far you have to go. Just get started! Your body will thank you, whether it's fighting Swine Flu or just living well.

There is so much more to be said about H1N1, vaccinations, immune systems, etc. I am trying to keep this brief. Just know that:

• We will most likely come into contact with some sort of potent viruses in the years to come.
• We may not be able to avoid sickness.
• But, we can protect ourselves from devastating effects of sickness.
• We are all at God's mercy, which is the very best place to be.

I welcome your comments on this topic. Please post your thoughts.

Do My Children Ever Get Sick?

I've been asked this question several times. Do my children ever get sick? Well, not very frequently. But, yes. In today's world it would be totally impossible and even unreasonable to protect my children from any and all contact with germs.


However, as moms we are not left at the mercy of a host of viruses and bacteria. God's mercy, yes. But germs, no.


Our children are going to encounter sickness. What we can do is boost their immunities so that they will be able to fight off the invading germs in as quick a time as possible. Children with strengthened immune systems will have lesser symptoms and a shorter duration of sickness. So, there is definitely something we can do.


Today I want to share an example from our week... tomorrow I am posting specifically about the Swine Flu (H1N1) and what we can do to boost our immune systems for the season ahead. Please come back to read that post tomorrow!


Tuesday morning Spiderman woke up with a 101° fever. He told me that his whole body ached and that his head was going to explode. I sent him back to bed and checked his temperature again in an hour. It had escalated to 102°... and it just kept going up. Clearly his body was fighting something.


Having been recently exposed to H1N1, I didn't want to take any chances. We quarantined him and I let him watch Moody Science Videos and nap all day. For Spiderman to stay in bed all day was a huge clue that something big was amiss. He doesn't sit still for fifteen minutes, must less settle into bed for the whole day.

My son already has a strong immune system because of the daily supplements that we give him on top of our whole foods diet, limited sugar, plenty of outdoor exercise, and adequate sleep. (His daily supplements have a good measure of Vitamin D and other immune boosters in them.) But when I saw his fever go up, I knew that he could use an extra boost. Fever is a sign that there is increased activity in the body... that there is war going on.


So, practically speaking, here's what I gave him:

• Nutriferon, which is, in my opinion, the very best natural Immune Booster available. I gave him one tablet immediately and will continue to give him one daily until I am sure he is well past it. I am also giving my girls Nutriferon because no matter how much we wash our hands, they might need a boost too.
• Probiotics. I gave him both a probiotic and a prebiotic. I did this one for the girls too.
• Two Garlic Tablets, which he can swallow, but I would skip for my littles who couldn't. Garlic can be crushed or made into a poultice for a young child, but I usually wait to see the severity of what I'm dealing with before I go to such smelly measures. I gave him garlic again Wednesday, even though the fever had broken, but I didn't today since his symptoms and fever have been gone for over 24 hours.
• Increased daily multi-vitamin. His normal dosage is two per day, I gave him an extra tablet at lunch.
• Echinacea, Zinc and Elderberry. I gave him four immediately and then two at each meal until he returned to normal.
• Vitamin C. I like to give this in the inbetweens, since his multi has a good bit of Vitamin C in it. So I gave him two between each meal and before bed until he returned to normal.

By Wednesday morning, his fever had broken and he was his usual energetic self again. Thursday morning marked 24 hours past the fever and symptoms. I can't say what bug he was fighting, but he fought the good fight. It might have been just a short-lived germ, but he just might have conquered something even greater. I'll never know.


Stay tuned for tomorrow's post on Swine Flu... it's one I've been thinking over for quite some time.

See you then,


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Sugar Fasting

Have you ever taken a Sugar Fast? After all the company and celebrating of the holidays, I took the opportunity to go on a week long Sugar Fast. This isn't my first or my longest. But, I still consider it a very useful exercise. Here are a couple of reasons why:

1. Sugar is a toxin. Our body doesn't see it as food. It must deal with it as a poison and use all its detoxification mechanisms to rid itself of the substance. It is nice to give your hardworking body a break.
2. Sugar is an immune suppressor. Performance of white blood cells is diminished after consuming sugar or artificial sugar substitutes. It is estimated that your white blood cells decrease by 30% after 6 tsp. of sugar and by 65% after 12 tsp. of sugar. Did you know that a 12 oz can of soda can contain 10-12 tsp. of sugar! Considering that it is cold/flu season, it is good to give your body a chance to rebuild its forces.
3. Sugar is empty calories. It simply adds calories without adding nutritive value to our daily diet. So, after a season when most of us put on a couple of pounds, it is helpful to let your body drop the extra caloric intake.
4. Sugar can be addictive. Yes, it really can. The book Sugar Blues, cites several studies in support of this fact. (I've put it in my Amazon Store so you can reference it conveniently.) It is beneficial to break even small addictions so that we are free from compulsory eating.
5. Sugar is hidden everywhere! Most of us don't realize just how often we feed our bodies sugar. It is in spaghetti sauce, regular peanut butter, even most packaged crackers! Taking a Sugar Fast enables us to check just how often we are eating sugar. It is an eye-opening exercise, even if we normally eat well and just lighten our discipline for the holiday season.
6. Sugar takes our body's glucose levels on a roller coaster ride. This wreaks havoc on our pancreas and other regulatory agencies. They can get worn out too! So breaking our sugar intake gives our body a chance to stay on an even keel.

My body is happier and healthier for the break from sugar. So, here's my challenge: take a Sugar Fast. Even if it is only for a week, you'll strengthen your discipline, become aware of just how much sugar your family consumes, and give your body a healthy boost. When your fast is over, you'll have the chance to cautiously reintroduce sugar, and maybe you'll even make a sugar reduction habit for life!

Disclaimer: While I have gleaned useful information from Sugar Blues, I cannot endorse all of the author's comments.

What do You Give Your Kids... Addendum

After talking with a friend on Friday afternoon, I wanted to post this thought. For children who have taken several rounds of antibiotics or who frequently take over-the-counter symptom relievers, response time to immune builders may be slower. This is because their immune systems have atrophied, in a sense. Their systems will need to be rebuilt in order to function efficiently. Don't give up! It may take longer for them to respond, but if their health is not critical, consider letting their own immune systems do the work they were designed for.

NOTE: I am not a medical professional : ) This is my mother-to-mother suggestion for the long term health of our children.

What do you do when your kids get sick?

As the week is closing, I am very thankful to say that we all made it through our respiratory bug in good time. We all seem to be very much ourselves here in the end of the week! And, so I want to answer the question I've heard from a variety of voices: "What do you do when your kids get sick?"

Since I'm answering a specific question, I want to give specific answers, which will include specific product recommendations. In light of my previous two posts about contaminants in supplements, I make my recommendations in perfect conscience. This company holds to the most rigorous and thorough quality testing for raw materials, manufacturing processes, and end products.


First, there is an underlying concept that guides my decisions about how to nurse sick ones back to health. When my family gets sick, I want to do everything I can to boost their own inherent ability to fight sickness. The main reason I am very slow to give over-the-counter remedies and antibiotics is that they undermine the body's natural response, which in turn prevents the body from developing antibodies and strengthening its defenses. A secondary reason is that the remedies and medications are tainted with all manner of dangerous ingredients. For all you moms out there who want an easy-to-understand yet informative presentation on how the immune system was created to function, please watch this.

When we first heard Witzy coughing, we added this to her daily supplement:
1. probiotics each morning
2. echinacea/elderberry three times daily
3. an herbal immune booster twice a day
4. Vitamin C every few hours.

We extended this regimen to the other three children, knowing that their immune systems would need fortification. It is impossible to keep my children separate!

My children passed through the cold/cough much quicker than they would without the immune system strengtheners. If I had taken them to our pediatrician and had him prescribe an antibiotic, they would have felt better in about the same time. But, because I didn't interfere with their bodies' own mechanisms, they are better prepared to fight the good fight the next time they are exposed to a bug -- which will happen, we all know!

Another thing to note: we bought the kids Bolthouse Farms C-Boost juice as well. This is simply a cherry, mango juice with added vitamins. I don't know if it had any effect on the kids' recovery. But I woke up one night with a very painful earache. I took the above regimen plus drank a quart of the juice and within 24 hours had no more earache.

So that's my answer to the famous question. You can email me (ae at healthbeginswithmom dot com) if you have specific questions.