Posted on 11/13/2009 3:00:50 PM PST by STARWISE
Many are conflicted - to get the H1N1 (Swine Flu) shot or not.
Regardless of what you decide for you and your family members, everyone would be wise to work at preventing the flu.
Your best defense against the virus or any other infection is to strengthen your immune system. My naturopathic recommendation is to work on a strong, healthy body, and worry less about the outside bugs. Fear is not a good defense or offense, but just one more stress that we place on ourselves that will not only not protect us from getting the virus - but will probably make us more susceptible to getting sick.
Avoiding H1N1 is no different than avoiding illness in general.
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"
- Vitamin D3: People living in the United Stated get sicker in the winter because bodily stores of vitamin D drop significantly without the sunshine (even in sunny areas like the Sacramento area).
There are two primary Vitamin D action steps you can take: First, to better determine how much Vitamin D to take, I highly recommend that you ask your healthcare practitioner for a Vitamin D 25 OH blood test . The optimal level for the test is: 60-80 ng/dL, NOT 20-100 as listed as the lab reference ranges!
Second, If you don’t do the test, take approximately 5,000 IUs of Vitamin D3 per day (adults and teens), and 2,000 IUs for little children. The cost of a 5,000 IU professional grade supplement is a ridiculously low $3.40 per month - about a dime a day to help protect you from getting seriously sick this coming season, as well as significantly reducing your risk of cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, seasonal affective disorder, autoimmune disease and dozens of other conditions.
- Stress Reduction: Stress-induced illness is certainly a reality. Many studies have clearly demonstrated that stress, personality, attitude and emotion are often causes, or significantly contribute to suppressing the immune system. An individual's reaction to stressful stimuli is entirely individual. Consider: stress reduction techniques, such as humor, laughter, prayer, meditation, yoga, choosing to be optimistic, etc.
- Lifestyle Factors: The following lifestyle practices are associated with higher natural killer cell (NK) activity in the body (the body’s first line of defense against: bacteria, viruses, fungus, parasites, cancer cells, etc.); plant-based diet with increased intake of fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, legumes, and whole grains, minus the gluten (wheat, rye, barley, spelt, kamut, etc.); regular meals ; more than 7 hours of quality sleep every night; regular exercise (too much can also reduce immune system support); proper body weight; not smoking
- Avoid eating sugar and fruit juice: Consuming 75 to 100 grams (about 2 sodas) of sugar: table sugar, honey, fruit juice causes a 50% reduction in the ability of the white blood cells to engulf bacteria, lasting up to 5 hours after ingestion.
- Transfer factor: derived from the colostrum of the first "milk" from all mammals, along with immune-enhancing herbs and other nutrients can raise the level of natural killer activity by an amazing 200-600%!
- Wash your hands at every opportunity.
- Vitamins/minerals: high potency multivitamin and mineral formula; Vitamin C (at least 1000 mg daily) with Bioflavanoids (1000 mg/day); Vitamin A (5,000/day or 10,000 IU beta-carotene; zinc 30 mg/day.
According to the thread article:
“The optimal level for the test is: 60-80 ng/dL, NOT 20-100 as listed as the lab reference ranges!”
vit D info
I thought it was D-3?
According to the NIH, at the latitude of Boston you will make no vitamin D from sunlight for the four months of Nov. through Feb. If that's so then you will make little vitamin D from sunlight for much of the rest of the year.
Vit. D3 is the supplement most professionals
believe everyone should take daily. It’s
what I and many other here take. The research
is compelling.
Read through the research articles above.
The D3 is what I take daily. 2400IU.
I see at least 5,000 is recommended; I’ll start taking more. Thanks for the info. ;o)
The overall theme of this thread seems to imply that mankind was only fit to occupy the most naturally nourishing neighborhoods in the original experiment and original sin was thus simple migration.
Welcome ... ;)
Bookmark
That’s pretty interesting. I always try to get at least 15 minutes in the sun every day that’s sunny. I have started to pay attention and I think there’s really something to this theory. I notice I just feel better when I’ve had plenty of sunshine.
Thanks, but I don’t trust it. The raw ingredients are probably from China.
I’ll just try to get as much sunshine as possible.
Being a Canadian, I’m used to being depressed. ;-)
I learned it’s pretty darn amazing ...
If I was still in FL, I’d still be taking
the supplements, just less if I was actually
getting sunlight on unsunscreened skin for
20 mins/day .. which I never really did.
Global,
The “normal” range on blood tests starts at 20.
Optimum is at least 50, if not 60. Taking 2,000
IU is good, but I doubt it will bump you up
to the optimum range.
best,
ampu
“According to the NIH, at the latitude of Boston you will make no vitamin D from sunlight for the four months of Nov. through Feb. If that’s so then you will make little vitamin D from sunlight for much of the rest of the year.”
I’m in the PA area, but since I get little natural sunlight,
I supplement.
Is that Pennsylvania? Not much further south than Boston.
And it doesn't much matter. According to the NIH, it's somewhere in S. Carolina where you can make D from sunlight year round. But how much? Think about it and even in the southern states it must be a good part of the year when you couldn't make much D from sunlight no matter how much time you spent outdoors. Maybe in southern Florida.
I take 3000 to 5000 IU of Vit D and did not have a cold or flue in 7 years.
I take 4,000 IU’s a day.
I ain't getting that again...much to the disappointment of a couple of H1N1-obsessed FReepers who gleefully adivsed me that people can get it twice.
The clearly don't know me...;-)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.