H1N1 Protection: Simple Ways With Water

Here are some “water ways” to protect yourself from H1N1 and other forms of flu.  (As always, check with your doctor before doing anything that affects your body.)

First, the source: Dr Vinay Goyal MBBS, MD, DM 
is Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology
Neurosciences Centre at All India Institute of Medical Sciences. His areas of interest are movement disorders and neuro-infectious diseases. Presently, he is heading the Nuclear Medicine Department and Thyroid clinic at Riddhivinayak Cardiac and Critical Centre, Malad (W).

Here is his advice, which dovetails nicely with the water-based therapies already described elsewhere on this blog.

The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it’s almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).

2.  “Hands-off-the-face” approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (except to eat or bathe).

3. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don’t trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected o ne. Don’t underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. *Not everybody may be good at using a Neti pot to clean nasal cavities, but blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population. [Easy instructions for saltwater nose rinses can be found in Health 2 0.]

5. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla [Indian gooseberry]and other citrus fruits [e.g. orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit]. *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

H1N1 Pandemic: Boost Your Immunity

The World Health Organization has determined the H1N1 outbreak is a pandemic.  That in itself is not a measure of the severity of the so-called “swine flu” – just of its dispersion now into Australia, too. I asked Alexa Fleckenstein, M.D., to comment about ways to protect oneself. Here is her advice—which should, of course, never replace a consultation with  your doctor or health care professional. Always check before taking any over-the-counter or herbal supplements to make sure they are right for you. In addition, there are several ways  to use water, including saltwater rinses, to protect yourself from viruses, explained here.

So far, the swine flu has been mild – lethality does not even reach that of “normal” flu outbreaks which kill more than 30,000 people every year. The unfortunate people, who die, usually have underlying diseases which compromise their immune systems. The fear is that this flu might mutate like the 1918/19 flu did, and come down on us the second time around with a vengeance. Normally, mutations are such that the virus dies out–and it would be an extremely rare event that it would mutate into a much stronger strain. Nevertheless, that is the thinking behind taking the swine flu seriously now–mostly to observe it evolve (or perish).
Advice From Dr. Alexa (but always check with your doctor first)
Meanwhile, get enough sleep, take your herbs, eat plenty of vegetables, drink warm water and/or herbal teas. And it is never too late to start challenging your immune system with daily cold showers – unless you are already coming down with something.
Another anti-viral concoction I want to share with you is the Chinese Jian Qiao Jie Du Pian or Isatis 6, also called Honeysuckle-Forsythia Detoxifier. It might be a good idea to have some of those pills at hand when you get sick (get them from a reputable source). During the next H1N1 outbreak – or any seasonal viral disease that might come along.

Swine Flu: Prepare, Protect, Pull Through

I asked integrative physician Alexa Fleckenstein, M.D., how to protect ourselves from swine flu, and what to do if we get it. Here is her response: NOTE: Advice on this blog in no way replaces consultation with a physician. Always consult with your doctor before following online advice.

“So far, I think we are dealing with an epidemic that has not the makings of the pandemic of 1918/19 where young people died in droves, often within the first 24 hours. Still, the elderly and immune-incompetent patients might be at risk. The causes of death in influenza are of two different origins: Older people die of the virus and its consequences like pneumonia; their weakened immune systems cannot fight the virus anymore. Young people succumb to an overreaction of their still-exuberant immune systems. We call this a cytokine storm, usually within the first two days.
“If you get seriously sick, consult a physician.  Officials recommend Tamiflu (oseltamivir, a neuraminidase inhibitor) but there are no good studies for the swine flu and Tamiflu. Against regular influenza A and B, Tamiflu’s performance has been rather disappointing – especially in the elderly, who would be prime targets for the drug. In addition, a tendency to suicide has been reported with Tamiflu in Japan – so bad that its use is discouraged in young people under 19. Furthermore, in case of an epidemic, Tamiflu might be in short supply.

“So, let’s look into some simple natural remedies – this is what I do for myself and my family:
The Three P’s: Prepare, Protect, Pull through.
Prepare: This website is all about owning your good health. If you have used the Five Health Essentials (water, movement, food, herbs, order) you should be in good shape to start with. If not – it is never too late to start cold showers and get plenty of sleep.
For those may be new to the topic, here is a summary of the  Health Essentials:
- End every warm shower or bath with a cold shower. This increases immunity.
- Drink enough fluid, hot or warm water — about seven glasses per day; more if you exercise. Herbal teas are good; juices are not.
- Eat as healthily as you can with vegetables (cooked and raw), mushrooms (never raw!) fruit, nuts, whole grains, legumes (beans, lentils, garbanzos) and fish. Cut down on meats and buy organically whenever possible. Stop eating processed, artificial, canned, micro-waved and fried food. Avoid sugars, white starches and dairy altogether. Only with healthy fare is your immune system able to fight the invaders.
- Exercise moderately. Excess is as detrimental as laziness. If you are still a couch potato, now it is time to change your ways. Start with two minutes a day on any machine that is gathering dust in your basement. Or make it a habit to go for a walk every day for 10 minutes (You may do more — but not less).
- Expose yourself to light daily. Light (not direct sun) is beneficial for your immune system. Against direct sun, wear sunglasses, a hat and long-sleeved garb.
- Get enough sleep. We come down with a cold if we are run down. Don’t set your body up for a catastrophe: Go to bed between 9.30 and 10.30 pm. The body repairs itself during about two hours the time around midnight — if you are asleep then, that is.
- Take tonic herbs like astragalus, ashwaganda and Eleuthero to strengthen your immune system. Rotate them.
- If you are not eating mushrooms often, take a mushroom supplement (shiitake, reishi, maitake — either one is good alone or in combination).

“Protect yourself during an outbreak: Continue your good work from the ‘Prepare’ section and:
- Avoid crowds, public transportation and all unnecessary contact with people. Whenever you meet people, wear a surgical mask or a light cotton cloth over nose and mouth, sprinkled with a drop of essential oil like eucalyptus, oregano, myrrh. Or smear a pea-sized glob of Vick’s on it.
- Don’t hug, kiss or shake hands
- Avoid touching public doorknobs or surfaces with your ungloved hands
- Wear gloves in public; wash them often. Wash hands often with soap and water
- Gargle frequently (hourly) with a mouthwash or a tea made from sage. I like 1 drop of tea tree oil in a glass of lukewarm water.
- Rinse your nose frequently (hourly) with saltwater: 1/4 teaspoon of sugarless salt in one glass of lukewarm water. Snuff the water up from your hand; use a dropper on little children.
- Spice up your food with herbs and spices because they kill microbes (the plants developed the strong-tasting compounds to protect themselves against the invasion of bacteria, viruses and fungi). Pregnant women and little children should go easy on herbs and spices.
- Take a teaspoon of raw honey after exposure. Not for children under two years because of the danger of botulism.
- Nibble on cloves of fresh garlic throughout the day, especially when you are out and about. Use garlic (fresh or dried) freely in your cooking. Same with onions.
- Use an Echinacea throat spray every hour, or swish three drops of Echinacea in your mouth (contraindicated in autoimmune disease).
- Chew on juniper berry. Add one berry every day, up to five, then take one away again every day. This is the formula: 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1. Not recommended in kidney disease.
- Sleep a lot, do meditation, be quiet and do something that lifts your heart – like making music, painting, gardening. Find your center.

“Pull through: If you become infected, go to your doctor and ask about the following suggestions: Continue most of the measures from Prepare and Protect — but stop all exercise. Now is time for bed rest.
- With the first symptoms take the Chinese preparation Yin Qiao (later it is no longer useful ) (three tablets four times a day). After you feel improvement, take one tablet three times a day for another week
- Avoid all contact with others to not spread the disease.
- Continue taking garlic, Echinacea and honey. Add of these herbs (whatever you have at hand: Andrographis paniculata (or any combination preparation that contains it – like GAIA’s Qick Defense), GSE (grape seed extract), ginger (fresh and dried — avoid preparations with sugar), elderberry, licorice (not longer than a week).

- Herbal teas to relieve your symptoms: linden, elderberry flowers (both induce sweating), sage, green or black tea, thyme, ginger, rose hips, mullein, lemon balm, peppermint in all combinations.

-Steam inhalations three times a day with chamomile, thyme, eucalyptus or Vick’s help congestion of sinus and lungs. Horsetail can be added to decrease swelling in your nose.
- Chicken soup and hot lemon are still beneficial.
- Take fish oil (several capsules a day — contraindicated if you take anticoagulants like coumadin). This is the one thing most important in young people as it might be able to douse a raging cytokine storm. Alternatively, or in addition: the anti-inflammatory medication Zyflamend.
- Ginkgo biloba will start repair damaged cells
- Ginseng will help flu symptoms — but do not take it if you tend to have high blood pressure or a racing heart.
- At least twice a day, have somebody wash you down with cold water (non-dripping face cloth), especially chest and back area to make you take in really deep breaths (prevention of pneumonia)
- Against cough: Gan Mao Dan Chinese pills (20 per day in divided doses), or make a tea of peppermint, honeysuckle, ginger, cloves and horehound.
- Other herbs that have been found beneficial in colds and flu: bayberry, boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum), calendula, goldenseal, Oregon grape.

By no means are these all possibilities. But they give you some ideas and some peace of mind in case of an epidemic. Don’t become a victim – work with the three P’s!”

Alexa Fleckenstein, M.D.

Strength and Serenity for Women With Cancer

In what appears to be a perfect union between Western academic medicine and complementary/alternative treatment, a Harvard Medical School oncologist is studying the use of acupuncture to help alleviate the symptoms and side effects of cancer treatment for women. Cancer specialist and surgeon Annekathryn Goodman, MD has added acupuncture certification to her many other credentials and now offers this complementary treatment to her patients undergoing cancer treatment at the Vincent Women’s Care Division of Massachusetts General Hospital.

“My personal vision is to create a center for women with cancer that I am calling ‘Strength and Serenity,’ says Dr. Goodman. “My goal is to use complementary modalities, particularly acupuncture, to alleviate the symptoms and side effects of cancer and its treatment that we have difficulty managing with Western medicine.” She has found the treatment helpful for alleviating neuropathy—pain or burning or numbness in hands and feet, as well as nausea from chemotherapy or radiation or from the cancer itself. “Sometimes I treat women before the chemo, which seems to lessen their suffering,” she says. “Acupuncture also seems to help people who are done with their therapy but still have side effects such as fatigue, depression and anxiety as well as neuropathy. So many people are on antidepressants to help them with their stress. Acupuncture seems to help alleviate symptoms.”

Since 2004, Dr. Goodman has been transforming a sterile  Mass General exam room into a tranquil environment for hour-long sessions of acupuncture, which uses tiny needles to stimulate energy or “qi” (pronounced “chi”) points on the body, based on 5,000-year-old methods from Traditional Chinese Medicine. She uses heat lamps to warm up the needles, replaces harsh fluorescent lights with softly glowing lamps, plays soothing music and adds bamboo shoots and fabrics as decoration. “My focus is to balance the patient’s energy, or life force,” says Dr. Goodman, “This treats the ‘root’ of the problem, which then helps to alleviate the ‘branch’ symptom, whether it is constipation, nausea, headache or depression.” (Please see How Do We Heal for more details of acupuncture.)

In a recent research collaboration among the Mass General Vincent Women’s Care Division, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the Dana Farber Cancer Center, acupuncture was found to create a modest improvement in white blood cell counts among women undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer. (Cancer treatment tends to lower white blood cell counts, which compromises the immune system.) In a review of worldwide data about the use of acupuncture to alleviate side effects of cancer treatment, Dr. Goodman found that the evidence in support of acupuncture was “helpful but the data was mixed.” “It is hard to unify existing data in a scientific way,” she says. “But there is certainly interest around the world in studying the use of acupuncture to alleviate the suffering of cancer patients.” For her part, she hopes to continue the work of the Strength and Serenity Center to conduct education, research and clinical care not only about acupuncture, but also about other forms of complementary care for women with cancer.

FDA and the Cold Shower Remedy

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has written that “It’s not chicken soup. Believe it or not, a much more unorthodox therapy of warm-and-cold showers has recently been proposed–though not proven–for the prevention of the common cold.” The article goes on to identify water therapy researcher Edzard Ernst, M.D., who wrote  about shower therapy: “An efficient, practical and inexpensive prophylaxis [preventive measure] against one of the most frequent (and ‘expensive’) diseases has been identified at last.” In a 1987 research study comparing a “cold shower”group with a control group for 6 months, Ernst found that the cold shower group’s colds were “significantly fewer, significantly milder, and slightly shorter.”

Well, even if not “proven” to the FDA’s satisfaction yet, cold showers are worth considering as flu season looms ever closer, and here is some research evidence. As noted before in this space, however, cold showers may not be for you if you have uncontrolled high blood pressure or a circulation problem, so always check with your doctor first!

A Healthy Pep Talk for the Holiday Season

As the weather gets colder and the stress of the holidays begins, I thought it might be nice to hear a little pep talk about staying healthy through this holiday season and beyond. Here are thoughts from our resident integrative physician, Alexa Fleckenstein, M.D.:

Did you know that you can reverse the aging process with a snap of your finger?
Your body has an amazing ability to heal and to reverse age. Not indefinitely, of course. Experts now think the natural span of life lies somewhere between 120 and 150 years for humans.
Our bodies start healing immediately when we remove things that get in the way – like smoking, unhealthy foods, too much alcohol, negative thoughts. And when we add things that are missing: enough sleep, exercise, water, light, and fresh air – to name a few. This means if you make just one change today, you will feel it tomorrow.
When I have fallen off the wagon – which happens because of traveling, emergency situations, or just pure laziness– I get back on with a day of vegetable broth fasting. After that day, I feel light, my head clears and I am ready for more improvements in my life. I feel good about myself. Then I want to do better. And I do.
The Five Health Essentials (Water, Movement, Food, Herbs, Order) give you a guideline for reversing aging. But the reality is that at any given moment your body tells you what it needs to heal. If only we would listen. Pain is one of the ways our bodies speak to us. Heartburn after eating? Instead of taking a pill, figure out what food item is hurting you – or did you simply eat too much? Feeeling a little sluggish or down? Try a few seconds of a cold shower after your hot one!
Other ways your body sends the alarm that something is amiss are fatigue and depression. Batteries are not replenished, you are running on empty. Maybe you are getting too little sleep, your personal relationships are draining instead of nourishing, your food is junk instead of the stuff of life (veggies, veggies, veggies!), or your systems are rusting because you don’t use them in a healthy work-out (our bodies are made to move!). Sometimes you need a health professional to guide you through this process of listening to your body; often you know quite well what is wrong, and you just need to do something about it.
Pay attention to your body and you will learn what you need to reverse your aging, and how to get fun back into your life. Then make the decision to change one little thing today – and let me know what happens!

Stress and Disease: An Important Connection

I heard a fascinating radio interview today with Dr. Ester Sternberg, a rheumatologist, researcher, and author of “The Balance Within,” a book about the ways in which the brain, mind, and body interact.  I completely agree that our  minds, brains,and bodies are intimately connected: When the mind perceives something as stressful, a cascade of  hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline, are released. This is useful when you need to slam on your brakes to avoid a collision, but harmful if these hormones are not “switched off” when the stressful situation is over. Stress hormones flooding your body for days or weeks at a time depress your immune system, leaving you more open to disease. In the interview, Dr. Sternberg clearly explained the biochemistry underlying the connection between stress and disease.

All the more reason to practice yoga, Tai chi, and meditation and try to reduce the sources of stress in our lives! I must always add, of course, that if one is ill, it is important to recognize that certain diseases are simply beyond our control, and NOT to feel a sense of “failure” about somehow having the “wrong” state of mind. At the same time, there is always hope and the possibility of becoming whole, and living fully in every moment.

This is an excerpt from an article that Dr. Sternberg wrote on the subject with Philip W. Gold.

The brain and the immune system continuously signal each other, often along the same pathways, which may explain how state of mind influences health The belief that the mind plays an important role in physical illness goes back to the earliest days of medicine. From the time of the ancient Greeks to the beginning of the 20th century, it was generally accepted by both physician and patient that the mind can affect the course of illness, and it seemed natural to apply this concept in medical treatments of disease. After the discovery of antibiotics, a new assumption arose that treatment of infectious or inflammatory disease requires only the elimination of the foreign organism or agent that triggers the illness. In the rush to discover antibiotics and drugs that cure specific infections and diseases, the fact that the body’s own responses can influence susceptibility to disease and its course was largely ignored by medical researchers.

Cold Water for Babies?

Rose asks an interesting question about whether to use cold water for babies. Here is an answer from Alexa Fleckenstein, M.D., my cold water expert and the author of Health 2 0:

Dear Rose,
Yes, you can apply cold water to babies. This is done in the tradition of European Natural Medicine to raise strong, robust children.
When my son was four months old, I started him. I filled his little pink tub with cold water, cradled the naked baby in my hands and very quickly dunked him in—but not his head. It took a second or so. For babies, the head always stays outside the water.
He took a deep gasp but never cried. He was so astonished about what had happened and so busy with thinking that he never had time to protest.
Can’t remember when I stopped it – but certainly I would not force a protesting toddler under cold water.
Now that our son is a young man, he follows the family tradition and ends each warm shower with a cold one, and he has become a healthy outdoorsman.

Tell us how your baby likes it!
Alexa Fleckenstein M.D.

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Weeds for Health: Live from Your Garden!

The summer solstice is a wonderful time to harvest nourishment from your garden. I caught up with herbal expert Alexa Fleckentein, M.D., just coming in from her garden with an armful of grapevines (vitis vitifera), considered a bad weed here in the Northeast. “I used to swear and mutter when I pulled them out,” says Dr. Alexa. “Now I delight: A study has shown that grape leaves are even higher than red wine in resveratrol, a phytoalexin known to prolong life and prevent cancer.” The Greeks have been making little dolmades from grape leaves—stuffed with rice, herbs and pine nuts – for thousands of years. Dr. Alexa’s cooking method is simpler: She adds the grape leaves to her vegetable stir-fry (recipes in her book), and freezes them to use all winter long. “Simple, cheap, and healthy,” she says.

If you live in the South, advises Dr. Alexa, you might substitute kudzu (pueraria montana). “Kudzu has some marvelous properties too,” she says. “It is high in vitamins A and C, and also contains calcium. It comes in handy as an anti-inflammatory food (and is a much better source of calcium than inflammatory dairy products). Everybody in the South complains about this obnoxious weed. How about eating it as a revenge?”

And when you are done with your stir-fry, enjoy Dr. Alexa’s famous Garden Tea, described in her book and in this article. “I throw all the other edible weeds in my garden—as well as many plants and flowers—into my daily Garden Tea, which is filled with the healing properties of Nature’s pharmacy,” says Dr. Alexa. “Everything that’s not poisonous can go in there – from kitchen herbs to dandelions, from rose petals to pine needles. But REALLY: You have to know what you are doing and what to avoid. One hundred percent!!” Details are in her book, but she strongly advises taking an herb course to be sure you know what NOT to include!

The first time I made Garden Tea, for example, I proudly threw in a hydrangea flower—it was so pretty! Then I called Dr. Alexa while it was steeping to check on whether this was OK to include. “Throw the whole tea away!” she commanded at once. “Hydrangea leaves and flowers are poisonous.” I was sad to see it go, but I head learned my lesson: When in doubt, throw it out!

Why I Like Tai Chi

The slow, flowing movements look like a dance, but it is what goes on inside the body that makes Tai chi different: During a class recently, I felt as if my body were getting hooked up to a universal “filling station” and being replenished with energy. The result? Better ease of movement, increased flexibility and a sense of peaceful well-being. I do a “short form” almost every morning that takes all of ten minutes, one of the helpful ways I have found to live with Marfan syndrome.

Tai chi originated thousands of years ago as part of the ancient system of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The movements have their origins in martial arts, but are performed slowly, with controlled breathing and an awareness of the flow of energy inside the body. Tai chi has been called “moving meditation.”

Studies have found that Tai chi strengthens the immune system and can help with pain caused by osteoarthritis of the knee. In other research, Tai chi has been found to improve balance and coordination in older people, and reduce falls. It can also help with osteoporisis by  increasing bone density.

All in all, not a bad ten-minute investment of time. Anyone else have Tai chi stories to share?