Wisdom of Healing

This second week of October, the weather in the northeast began in the mid 60’s, reached the low 80’s, dropped back to the 50’s and the first frost is expected any day now in the early morning hours. I have spoken to several people these last few days that are experiencing the cough and runny nose that accompany the change o’ the season respiratory cold. If you aren’t ready to spend a few draining days of sniffles, coughing, aching and overall exhaustion, there are several powerful herbal and nutritional alternatives to help fight those germs and strengthen your immune system through the changing seasons. Read on.

Some research has implied that exposure to cold, raw weather does not increase the chances of the common cold or flu. Other research, however, indicates that protecting the head, neck, wrists and ankles from exposure to cold, wind, damp and other inclement weather conditions can help to prevent us from getting sick. It sure seems that when cold, damp weather sets in, more people experience coughs, colds, fever, chills and runny noses.

There are many factors that may play into whether or not we get sick as the seasons change, and whether we get sick frequently or not during what has come to be known as the cold and flu season. Excess stress, our activity level, digestion and general immune function all play a role in our ability to stay well as the temperatures rise and fall (sometimes as much as 40 or 50 degrees in a day) during the autumn months.

Long-term burdensome stress can have a debilitating effect on the adrenals and the rest of the endocrine system. The endocrine system is the control panel for the body, controlling and regulating fluids, minerals, chemicals etc for the optimal function of all of the organs and systems. When the endocrine glands are not functioning properly, sending out incorrect information can damage our organs and body systems. Excess stress can come from a variety of factors. One of those factors is the body’s response to changing or inclement weather, especially when we’re exposed for a very long time or not properly dressed for it.

If you are someone that feels buried under an unending load of burdensome stress and you seem to get more colds and bouts of the flu than your peers, you may want to investigate the following herbs and speak to your healthcare provider about a program that could support your immune system’s increased needs.

Holy basil (Ocimum sanctum), Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea) and Eleuthero (Eleutherococcus sinensis) are very powerful adaptogenic, or tonic herbs, meaning that they have a normalizing effect on the entire body, with a particularly calming and regulating effect on the adrenals and other endocrine glands.

Holy basil has been widely used in the Indian subcontinent for more than 8,000 years, believed to slow down the aging process as it helps to increase good health and vitality. Holy basil has been extensively researched for it effects on taxing stress conditions, cardiovascular and immune health. For people who are blue, fearful, nervous, anxious, worry excessively, become easily agitated or irritated by other people or events, Holy basil can seem like a miracle herb, with no known side effects. Holy basil also improves healthy inflammation levels, protects us from radiation poisoning and supports quieting of the mind and increased focus

Unlike the belief many have that herbs will take weeks or months to work, Holy basil may be felt in about fifteen minutes after being consumed. Often, the first thing people notice is that they took a very long, slow deep breath, and that their breathing pattern actually changes (deeper and more relaxed) when using Holy basil.

Don’t be fooled by the many imposters on the market. As always, it is of great importance to choose a high quality product, if your intention is to experience positive results. There are many poor quality herbal products on the market, many of them may not be the correct species of plant and others may be extracted with hexane, acetone, PERC (dry-cleaning fluid), methylene chloride, etc. Somehow, I think that 44 parts per million of dry-cleaning fluid with my herbs every day is not going to do anything constructive for my nervous system! Please read: Quality is Everything! posted to this site on August 28, 2006.

Ashwagandha is an Ayervedic herb that has been used to support and rejuvenate the body for thousands of years. Research has shown that it is comparable to many of the most popular prescription medications used for anxiety and depression, but offers us so much more, all without negative side effects. People who have chosen the use of Ashwagandha for daily stress and agitation have reported sleeping longer and more deeply, without the feelings of sluggishness or brain fog in the morning often associated with sleeping pills. Ashwagandha provides us with strong antioxidant properties, helping to detoxify the free-radicals often associated with heart disease, cancer and premature aging, and it seems to protect our brain health as we age, as well.

Licorice, native to Asia and Europe, is one of the most widely used herbs on Earth, and second only to ginger in use in Chinese medicine. Although its main applications have been related to lung congestion, asthma, bronchitis and sore throats, Licorice is also well-known to support digestion, adrenal exhaustion, sexual vitality (especially for women), liver, kidney and spleen health. Considered to be as effective as codeine, but safer, Licorice is also considered to have anti-inflammatory (cortisol-like), antiallergic, antibacterial, antiviral, anticonvulsive and anticancer properties.

Rhodiola, an adaptogenic herb from the Arctic regions of Siberia, Alaska and the Scandinavian countries, has some powerful clinical research to back up its astounding properties. One study observed 180 military cadets who took either a low or medium dose of Rhodiola extract, a placebo or no pill each evening. They were observed before and after night duty, and the cadets who received low or medium doses scored considerably higher on memory and abstract thought tests than those who got no pill or the placebo.

Other studies with foreign high school students, physicians on night call and medical students during exams have shown Rhodiola to be useful for physical and mental abilities while experiencing stress or anxiousness. It was also shown to help increase energy, heart health, immune defenses, balanced hormones and weight loss. The Vikings were known to have used Rhodiola to improve physical strength and boost endurance levels.

Eleuthero, previously referred to as Siberian ginseng, has been used for more than 2,000 years to strengthen the body and calm the mind. Eleuthero has had a reputation for being a powerful tonic herb to improve overall health, reduce symptoms of excess stress, fatigue, menopause, insomnia and anxiety.

Eleuthero has been used to restore vitality, a good appetite, increased concentration and as an aid in convalescence from illness or surgery. Eleuthero strongly stimulates the immune and circulatory systems, helps the body to regulate blood pressure, promotes balanced blood sugar levels and reduces excess inflammation. Eleuthero has been used by Olympic athletes to improve performance and endurance.

Adding adaptogenic herbs to calm excess stress and take pressure off your entire body’s organs and systems can have significant benefits for your immune health. Less excess stress equals less risk of cold and flu and fewer missed days of work or school.

Regular exercise is well-known to help reduce stress and strengthen the body, especially the immune system. Walking or another non-strenuous activity for 50 minutes every day can help lessen the negative effects of stress and reduce fear, anxiousness and irritability. Excessive exercise may actually hamper the fortification of immune health, however, so don’t overdo it. A gentle or brisk workout every day is what you want to aim for to calm the nerves and protect yourself from cold and flu.

We are all aware that vitamin C supports immune health, but in the last decade, research has confirmed that we will best utilize that vitamin C when it is from real whole food, rather than the purified ascorbic acid that is found in nearly all the vitamin C products on the market. Even when the product says it contains rose hips, orange juice or acerola cherry (added primarily for marketing purposes), most of the vitamin C is coming from the purified chemical form, ascorbic acid. In nature, vitamin C is accompanied by dozens, possibly even hundreds of other nutrients and co-factors to increase its ability to be absorbed and utilized by our cells, including numerous bioflavonoids.
Another interesting fact is that for decades the more health conscious folks have been consuming purified ascorbic acid in large milligram (mg) amounts, often 1000 mgs (1 gram), and sometimes as much as 18,000 or 20,000 mgs (18 or 20 grams)! These large amounts are no longer considered as safe or as necessary as once believed. In fact, excess ascorbic acid has been associated with increased hardening of the arteries, kidney stones and tooth decay. Another fact,; nearly all ascorbic acid is made from corn, and it’s often genetically modified corn. Hardly natural!
The more effective choice is to consume smaller amounts of vitamin C in the complexity of real whole food. Eat organic fruit, including cherries, oranges, lemons and limes, or organic vegetables, including red peppers, tomatoes and broccoli. When it comes to nutritional supplements, there are very few choices, indeed. There are a few, however, including Pure Planet’s Amla-C Plus, New Chapter’s C Food Complex or Tiny ab C and Megafood’s Complex C.
Zinc is also well known to support a healthier immune system. And, once again, it is most beneficial and safest to consume whole food sources. Eating organic foods will usually provide us with higher nutritional content that factory-farmd foods. High zinc fruits include kiwi and blackberries, and vegetables include sweet potatoes, peas, lima beans and summer squash. Tree nuts are also exceptionally high sources of easily utilized zinc. For whole food nutritional supplements, please check out New Chapter’s Zinc Food Complex and Megafood’s Zinc.

Intestinal health is essential for the prevention of illness as the seasons change. And probiotics are essential to intestinal health. Probiotics, the beneficial bacteria that live in symbiosis (harmony) within us, are now known to support us in hundreds of ways, from assisting the digestive process and helping to convert needed nutrients into the forms that our cells can use easily, to the production of other groups of nutrients that are necessary to optimize immune function and for brain, cardiovascular and overall health.

Probiotics also help us prevent cold and flu by directly fighting numerous potential pathogens or preventing them from being able to attach to our cells, assuring that their numbers stay in a low to normal range. Probiotics are well-known to help protect the body from harmful molds, yeasts and bacteria, but recent research shows that probiotics can also help the body inhibit viruses. And probiotics have been shown to protect us from some very dangerous carcinogens (cancer-causing agents), too.

Probiotics are easily damaged by a wide variety of factors that accompany modern living. For this reason, it is important to replenish them regularly by eating live cultured whole foods regularly and using nutritional supplements as needed. Many of the probiotic products on the market are simply not of high enough quality to support the colonization of the intestines with the beneficial strains of probiotics. For additional information, please read: Antibiotics, Are They Really Working For Us? posted to this site on Sept 23, 2006 and the following two articles: Herbal and Nutritional Products: Good, Better and Best Choices and Health, It All Begins In the Gut, posted to this site shortly.

Dietary habits may either help or hinder immune function. To optimize your immune system, you will want to eat with the seasons, just as our ancestors did. Light nourishing salads and fresh fruits are detoxifying and refreshing for the hot summer months, but as the seasons change, it is important to eat more cooked, rich, warm, deeply nourishing foods. Hearty soups with chunks of colorful winter vegetables and spiced with warming herbs such as garlic, ginger, rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil and sage can strengthen the immune system to help prevent illness.

Drinking less milk, eating fewer dairy products and consuming less flour, even whole wheat flour, can support greater immune function. By reducing milk, ice cream, bread, pasta and pastries, foods made with the most common food allergens, the digestion is offered a much needed respite and the body can become stronger. The addition of nourishing cultured (fermented) foods, such as miso, yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, pickled beets, etc can also strengthen the immune system and prevent harmful microorganisms from making us ill.

Astragalus, a Chinese herb used for the deep nourishment of the immune system, is available in powder or dried root form for use in cooking. The dried root looks like a tongue depressor, and may be added whole to soups, stews, rice, stir fries or anything that you may cook. Just remove it before serving. The powdered root may be stirred right into any dish and cooked as usual. It will not significantly change the flavor of your favorite dish. This herb is an excellent preventive, but it is recommended that if you do become ill, discontinue its use until you’re feeling well again.

Periodic detoxification is an excellent form of prevention of the frequent bouts of colds and the flu. Our ancestors from everywhere around the globe used detoxifying herbs and foods to cleanse the blood, organs and cells of toxins to prevent illness and increase longevity. For additional information about cleansing herbs, foods and programs, please read: Detoxification Is a Matter of Health, posted to this site very soon.

Medicinal mushrooms have been the focus of hundreds of scientific studies showing a powerful effect on immune health, inflammation, rebuilding damaged organs and tissues, cancer prevention and treatment and cholesterol, leading to some exciting media coverage. Medicinal mushrooms that have been found to be particularly effective for reinforcing immune function and for the prevention of cold and flu include Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), Shiitake (Lentinula edodes), Cordyceps (Cordyceps sisensis), Chaga (Inonotus obliquus), Maitake (Grifola frondosa) and the Agaricus (Agaricus blazei) mushroom.

Garlic and other alliums, including onions, leeks, chives, shallots and scallions deliver immune-boosting power to enhance long-term health and wellness by building immune system potency and supporting the heart, circulation and the entire cardiovascular system.

Prevention is clearly the best medicine, and is available in a variety of excellent forms. When the seasons are due to change, increasing your protection and immune health through as many avenues as possible will help to prevent the nagging common cold and fatigue producing flu.

The importance of choosing high quality products cannot be overstated. Choose certified organic and well respected companies’ products whenever possible. The reason: The majority of herbal products on the market are manufactured of poorly grown and chemically extracted herbs. Sometimes, when tested by independent laboratories, herbal and nutritional products have been found to contain heavy metals, incorrect plant species or other impurities that may impede good health and wellness. If you haven’t already, please read: Quality is Everything! posted to this site on August 28, 2006 and protect yourself and your family with the best choices possible.

Be well!

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