Flu Pandemic

By Marilyn Zink

In the television series Survivor, the person who wins immunity is protected from being voted off the show.

With the latest threats of avian bird flu, West Nile virus, Norwalk virus and other superbugs, wouldn't it be nice to win immunity protection for your health?

A group of leading physicians, immunologists, naturopaths and infectious disease control experts tackled that subject in the Immunity Challenge: Surviving and Thriving with Evidence-Based Natural Approaches to Immune Health, a day long educational event at the University of Toronto in late October.

Three deadly flu pandemics occurred in the 20th century. The Spanish Flu killed 21 million people worldwide in 1918-19, the Asian flu killed about 3 million in 1957 and the Hong Kong Flu of 1968 is estimated to have killed more than a million people.

The headlines can be alarming and the threat is there. Public health officials are warning that we are overdue for another flu pandemic.
"We should all be concerned, but not frightened," says Dr.Neil McKinney, a Victoria naturopath.

But there is much that can be done to pro-actively strength your health, prevent allergies and lessen the annual winter misery of colds and flus.

Herbs and Vitamins
"The things that help the immune system most are Vitamin A, Vitamin C and zinc," says McKinney. He says those are the most fundamental nutrients to nourish the thymus glands. They encourage the body to produce more T-cells and then you have better immune resistance."

A variety of herbal medicines can also support the body during cold and flu season. Some popular herbs are Echinacea, Reishi mushroom, Glycyrrihiza (licorice), garlic, goldenseal and oil of oregano.

Greens in the diet are also an important part of building immunity. Greens such as algae, spirulina and chlorella as well as the dark leafy greens that contain important nutrients to help nourish the body.

McKinney says there isn't an effective vaccine yet for a possible flu pandemic caused by bird flu. "The bird flu is the most dangerous to young people because it causes lung inflammation. It's fatal because of the lung inflammation," says McKinney.

He says elderberry extract has been shown to inhibit the neuraminidase enzyme. This enzyme is "one of the unique features of bird flu. The elderberry blocks that," says McKinney. "Elderberry extract has been shown to inhibit this type of virus so you get a measured response. I now there is solid research with elderberry."

He says the bird flu affects people who have too many T-cells reacting, so they need to balance this immune system with herbs such as the Reishi mushroom and astragalus.

Probiotics
Probiotics such as acidophilus and bifidus can help build the immune system as well.

Most viruses must cross the mucosal membrane to cause an infection. The mucosal membranes of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tract provide the first line of barriers to infection. These barriers function with some degree of "intelligence" and tolerate the presence of beneficial substances but react appropriately to potentially harmful substances.

McKinney says 80% of the body's immune cells are located around the gut, which is known as the Gut Associated Lymphoid Tissue (GALT). The immune cells are located in the lymphatic tissue of the intestines. This might explain why people feel nauseous when they get sick with the cold or flu virus.
"We believe all auto-immune disease starts in the GALT area," says McKinney. "One of the ways to repair this is to take probiotics. Good probiotics restore the flor and fauna in the gut."

A lack of good probiotics in the gut can help explains why some people pick up every virus that goes around.

While we're talking about the gut, people need to consider what they are eating. The North American diet, with its influence on sugar, particularly during holiday times, creates stress on the body and weakens immunity. It literally paralyzes immune cells (see sidebar).

Homeopathy
People in North America aren't as familiar with homeopathy as Europeans, however homeopathic preparations can have amazing effects in supporting the immune system.

Records by homeopathic physicians during the Spanish influenza of 1918 showed dramatic responses. In the 24,000 recorded flu cases treated by conventional physicians in the U.S., the death rate was 28.2%, as compared to the fatality rate of 1.05% for the 26,000 cases using homeopathy.