Immunity Boosting
By Ken Adachi
http://educate-yourself.org/immunboosting/ Forbidden Cures | Supplements | Peace & Relaxation | ExerciseThe body's own immune system, if sufficiently strengthened and boosted by natural means, can resist or surmount an attack by any natural biological organism. Other deadly organisms exist today which are not natural in origin, but rather have been bioengineered in genetic engineering laboratories located mostly in the United States. These pathogens were intentionally designed to circumvent and cripple the body's immune system and ensure the lethality of the disease. Two well known bioengineered diseases are AIDS and Ebola. There are some new 'mystery' diseases which have recently made their appearance and yet other virulent bioengineered diseases which are waiting in the wings for the 'right time' (see Population Control under New World Order ). Bioengineered organisms require special consideration and technologies to defeat them, but they are defeatable.
The main focus of our organization is the promotion of non-pharmaceutical medicine. We all possess the innate ability to protect ourselves from disease. This wondrous disease prevention system is the immune system, which has been, much like the value of proper nutrition, largely forgotten and ignored. Proper nutrition is one of the easiest ways to boost the immune system.
The overuse of pharmaceutical drugs, and the lack of information concerning immunity boosting has left the average American's immune system efficiency level at 40% or 50%, at best. Some countries, like Japan, have a traditional diet that creates a stronger immune system and consequently Japanese people (who embrace the traditional diet) usually live a longer lifespan. It's no coincidence that Japanese women are among the longest living people on the planet.
Forbidden Cures
The health innovations discussed on our Forbidden Cures page all provide remarkable ways to heal yourself of a wide variety of conditions, and boost your immune system. The following are a few alternative therapies that we currently offer information on (the "Forbidden Cures" page will be greatly expanded in the near future):
Their respective sections
* Colloidal Silver * Oxygen Therapies * Electro Medicine * Nutritional Therapies
Supplements
[Flax Seed Oil | Sodium Ascorbate | Cayenne Pepper]There is so much to be said about supplements that we will not even attempt to cover everything, as there are already a number of organizations who have constructed websites with a wealth of information on this topic (many of these can be found on our links page). However, we will provide you with information on a few of the more extraordinary supplements that we have found to be especially effective for general immunity boosting, as well as treatment of specific ailments:
Flax Seed Oil
Over-consumption of "bad" highly saturated fats, low in essential fatty acids (EFA's) results in fat deposition causing obesity and fatty degeneration. When "good" unsaturated fats rich in EFA's are added to the diet, food utilization and energy production are enhanced and less fat is deposited. The richest source of Omega 3 fatty acids is flax seed oil with 55-65% Omega 3 and 15-25% Omega 6 fatty acids. Omega 6 fatty acids are essential but are less likely to be deficient in the American diet.EFA's and their derivatives serve a number of vital functions including transport and metabolism of both cholesterol and triglycerides, normal brain development and function, required in the structure of cell membranes, increase metabolic rate, oxygen uptake and energy production, slow down growth of cancer cells, candida and other anaerobic organisms, production of prostaglandins and replenish skin oils to combat dryness and wrinkling.
Conditions associated with fatty degeneration include cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes, arthritis, rheumatism, acne and other skin conditions, multiple sclerosis, cystic fibrosis, glandular atrophy, asthma, kidney, liver and gall bladder problems. In addition to general immunity boosting, flax seed oil has proven to be effective in the following conditions: Cardiovascular disease, Cancer, tumors, Obesity, Diabetes, Hypoglycemia, Skin conditions, Glandular atrophy, Liver and gall bladder, Kidney problems, etc.
Our reccomended dosage is one or two teaspoons daily. Although taking flax seed oil by swigging it down or by the spoonful is not very palatable, so you may wish to add it to foods. Here are some suggestions: dip your bread into it, add it to your hot or cold cereal, or spray it over your popcorn. Here is a simple salad dressing featuring flax seed oil:
Flax Seed Oil Basic Salad Dressing
4 tablespoons organic flax seed oil
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 medium garlic clove, crushed
Pinch of seasoned salt or salt-free seasoning
Fresh ground pepper to tasteJazz up this basic recipe to your own personal taste by using your favorite herbs and spices. Place all ingredients into a bowl and whisk together until smooth and creamy. This recipe is quick and delicious!
Sodium Ascorbate (Vitamin C)
Sodium Ascorbate powder is a non-acidic form of Vitamin C. Vitamin C has intrinsic antiviral and antibacterial activity though its main effect is improvement in host resistance. Sodium Ascorbate (Vitamin C Powder) may be beneficial in: General immunity boosting, helping to ward off or prevent colds & flu, assisting the healing of wounds, aiding the body in fighting infection, etc.Unlike most animals that produce their own Vitamin C, the human body does not synthesize any. Whether for general immunity boosting or for the treatment of a specific condition, one requires more Vitamin C than our contemporary diet supplies. The amount of vitamin C you take daily determines its effectiveness. 60 mg per day is the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance for adults). This is easily obtained from fresh fruits and vegetables. 500 mg to 5 gm (grams) per day has proven to be beneficial in the prevention of colds, and general immunity boosting. However, Vitamin C dosage of over 1 gm can realistically only be obtained through supplements.
Sodium Ascorbate provides, on average, between 4 and 5 gm of Vitamin C per teaspoon. Our recommendation for general immunity boosting is one teaspoon (approximately 4.5 gm) daily. If you are experiencing cold symptoms, we suggest a dosage of 4 to 5 gm (usually one teaspoon) per hour. If this treatment is started in the early stages of a cold, it will often fail to develop. If the cold has already developed, this treatment will usually lessen the effect of the cold, and speed recovery. Dissolving the powder in water (or juice, if you find the taste especially unpleasant) is the preferred method of consumption.
Sodium Ascorbate appears to be the most well-known Vitamin C supplement, although there are a number of others available. They are as follows:
* Calcium Ascorbate
* This seems to be nearly as well-known as Sodium Ascorbate. If you cannot find Sodium Ascorbate, this will perform virtually the same effect. The proponents of calcium ascorbate claim that calcium in this form of vitamin C is well utilized.
* Magnesium Ascorbate
* Magnesium is essential for calcium utilization.
* Potassium Ascorbate
* The addition of potassium may lower blood pressure.
* Zinc Ascorbate
* The zinc may give an added boost to the immune system.
* Manganese Ascorbate
* Chromium AscorbateCayenne Pepper (Capsicum)
Perhaps the single most wonderful and most beneficial herb in the entire herbal kingdom is Capsicum, or Cayenne Red Pepper. Many herbalists have said that if they could have only one herb to work with, they would choose Capsicum.Cayenne is a pepper well known for its benefits to the circulatory system. It aids the body to balance pressure levels and resist abnormal bleeding. Cayenne is also used as an overall digestive aid: It stimulates the production of gastric juices, improves metabolism, and even helps relieve gas. It appears to have a beneficial effect on blood fats as well. This plant assists in the body's utilization of other herbs, when used in an herbal combination. When applied topically, it helps relieve minor discomfort.
According to a 1987 study published in the Journal of Bioscience, rats fed a diet high in cayenne experienced a significant reduction in blood triglycerides and low density lipoproteins (LDL), or "bad" cholesterol. Capsaicin, a compound found in cayenne that gives the spice its "kick," is an antiinflammatory. Recently, cayenne has been used successfully to treat patients with cluster headaches, a particularly painful type of headache. Used externally, cayenne liniment can soothe the stiffness and pain of rheumatism and arthritis.
Cayenne will work nicely as a general immune booster, or as an addition to treatment of almost any ailment. Our reccomended dosage is as follows 1/4 to 1 teaspoon 3 times a day, taken with plenty of water or juice at mealtime, unless instructed otherwise. If using Cayenne capsules, take 2-3 three times a day with with a large glass of water, unless instructed otherwise.
Peace & Relaxation
[Meditation | Yoga | Tai Chi]One of the best ways to lower your immune system and make yourself sick is stress. Similarly, negative emotions like worry and anger will also lower your immune system. So as you might expect, one good way to boost your immune system, as well as to improve the general quality of your life, is to eliminate these negative emotions.
The following are methods of doing this which we have found to be effective:
Meditation
[General Meditation | Focused Breathing | Visualization | Transcendental Meditation]
Meditation has become increasingly popular in the western world. It provides a simple way to relax yourself, relieve stress, boost your immune system, and create more well-being and happiness in your life. The method of meditation you choose is not so important as achieving the desired result--a quiet mind, which promotes inner peace and relaxation. There are many different types of meditation, and our suggestion to you is to choose whatever you enjoy and feels right. If you're not very familiar with meditation, here are a few techniques we reccomend:General Meditation:
"There's nothing to it!" is something I often hear when someone is describing general meditation, and frankly, it's absolutely true. General meditation is as simple as quieting your mind. Find a quiet place and time when you won't be disturbed, close your eyes, and clear your mind of any thoughts. Sit like this, attempting to eliminate all thoughts and experience total peace, for whatever period of time feels comfortable. Often beginners find it difficult to meditate for more than five or ten minutes. If you find yourself in such a situation, don't despair. You will find yourself able to sit for longer and longer intervals as time progresses. If you have never meditated before, consider starting your meditations in intervals of five minutes. When you feel comfortable, increase your intervals to ten minutes. When you feel comfortable with that, try to move to fifteen minutes, and continue like this until you feel a length of time that suits you. Many experienced meditators, including Deepak Chopra, meditate for thirty minutes in the morning and at night, as well as for thirty minutes in the afternoon if they feel stressed.Focused Breathing:
Focused breathing is another very popular, yet tremendously simple, meditation. As in general meditation, find a quiet time and place where you won't be disturbed, close your eyes, and clear you mind of any thoughts. From there, focus on your breathing. Focus on the in-breath, and the out-breath. This is also commonly known as conscious breathing, because as opposed to our normal breathing which we do not focus on or attempt to control, "focused breathing" is consciously monitored and controlled. You simply "watch" yourself breath, so to speak, and attempt to bring your breaths to a slow, rhythmic pace (whatever pace feels comfortable to you). By focusing on your breath, you draw your attention to that, and eliminate random thoughts, which creates a feeling of inner peace. To help focus on their breath, people will often draw their attention to the air entering their nostrils, and the air leaving their mouth. You may also wish to draw your attention to the rising and falling of your chest. Use whatever method with which you feel comfortable. As for controlling the pace of your breath, some people count a certain number of seconds between each breath and attempt to maintain this slow, rhythmic, controlled pace. Others prefer not to count. Others use different techniques still. We suggest you use whatever feels comfortable to you.Visualization:
Visualization can be used to achieve a variety of results. One simple visualization for general well-being and stress-reduction is to first quiet yourself and begin as you would in general meditation or focused breathing, then visualize yourself inhaling golden or white light/energy, and exhaling gray, stale, old energy. The white or golden light represents new, fresh, rejuvenating energy, while the gray energy represents any stress, unhappiness, worries, anger, or other negative emotions you may be holding inside you. This visualization is a great way to release the stress and tension of the day, and give yourself more energy. If you have a specific ailment you are trying to relieve yourself of, visualize the same white or golden energy surrounding the area of your body which is in need of healing. Focus on that white or golden light/energy healing and energizing that area of your body. Continue focusing this healing energy on the afflicted area of your body for whatever time period feels comfortable to you. Try to repeat this procedure daily or multiple times daily if you feel compelled to do so. As always, do what feels right for you.Transcendental Meditation:
There is much to be said about Transcendental meditation, but I will just cover it briefly here, as there are many sources of information on this topic. Transcendental meditation uses a "mantra"--a word or phrase which is repeated throughout the duration of the meditation--to focus oneself on that one word or phrase, thereby allowing all random throughts to be released. To begin, prepare yourself as you would doing any of the other meditations listed here, then find a mantra which feels good to you (you should be able to find many of these if you do a little searching) and repeat it either aloud or silently for whatever period of time feels comfortable to you. The following are two well-known mantras which you may care to experiment with:* "ON-NAMA SHIVA YA" (OHN NAH MA SHE VAH YAH)
* "OM MANI PADME UM" (OHM MAH NEE PAHD MEH UM)Of course because these are traditional they are not English mantras, so you may or may not wish to use them. If you can think of an English word or phrase, such as "Love" or "Peace" or "God," which feels good to you, by all means, don't hesitate to use it.
Yoga
Yoga Means Union. Although many people think this term refers to union between body and mind or body, mind and spirit, the traditional acceptance is union between the Jivatman and Paramatman, that is between one's individual consciousness and the Universal Consciousness. Therefore, Yoga refers to a certain state of consciousness as well as to methods that help one reach that goal or state of union with the divine.
Yoga increases strength and flexibility, improves circulation, promotes well-being, and provides relief for common postural and chronic pain problems. Anyone can practice Yoga. You don't have to be young, fit, or supple. You start from where you are at this moment. Each individual works within her/his own level of comfort listening to their own body's messages.
Yoga is completely non competitive. Each person is coming to Yoga for their own health and well being. There is pressure on us to be competitive in all sorts of areas, and it is a great relief and pleasure to find a style of exercise that is loving and nuturing, that connects us to a source of stability and peace within, that truely gives us a "time out," a break from the cares of the day, time to just be ourselves. One comes away from practice feeling energized, but calm and ready to deal situations on any level.
If you would like more information Yoga, please see the links page.
Tai Chi
Tai chi is a Chinese martial art that is primarily practiced for its health benefits, including a means for dealing with tension and stress. Among the martial arts, there are two basic types: the "hard" martial arts and the "soft" martial arts. The latter are also called internal arts. Examples of the hard martial arts are karate and kung fu (or wushu). Examples of the soft martial arts are ba gua and tai chi.
Tai chi emphasizes complete relaxation, and is essentially a form of meditation, or what has been called "meditation in motion." Unlike the hard martial arts, tai chi is characterized by soft, slow, flowing movements that emphasize force, rather than brute strength. Though it is soft, slow, and flowing, the movements are executed precisely.
There are several organizations and individuals who have constructed wonderfully detailed websites on this topic. Rather than duplicate their efforts, please see their websites for more information on this topic:
* The Patience T'ai Chi Association
* Yang Style Tai Chi Homepage
* Qi - The Journal of Traditional Eastern Health & Fitness
* Knud Erik Andersens Tai Chi Chuan Institute HomepageFor more information on meditation, Yoga, or tai chi, please see our links page.
Exercise
Exercise stimulates circulation, improves muscle tone, improves cardiac function and boosts immunity. It is also a way to eliminate toxins from the body. Exercise is a critical component in the elimination of "poisons"--such as myriad toxins that build up in the body as a result of regular bodily processes in addition to man-made chemicals--from the body for three simple reasons. First, when we exercise we breathe more deeply, more forcefully, and more often. In doing so, we release toxic by-products through the lungs. Second, when we exercise we also perspire. Perspiration is another means to eliminate metabolic waste material from the body. Finally, muscular activity is the only way to move waste material through the lymphatic vessels. If we don't perspire, don't breathe heavily, and don't move our muscles, these toxins must find another way out. Unfortunately, they usually remain in the body, only to foul the biochemical machinery that makes our immune system operate efficiently. The result: susceptibility to illness.
An article published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine illustrates the effect exercise can have on infections. In this study, only 45 minutes of brisk walking per day was shown to lower the incidence of upper respiratory symptoms, cut the duration of illness in half and increase natural killer-cell activity in people prone to upper respiratory tract infections.
The exercise credo of the eighties, "no pain, no gain," has fortunately given way to a more realistic notion that moderate exercise confers as many health benefits as strenuous exercise. Moderate exercisers have the added benefit of suffering fewer injuries as well. In fact, highly strenuous training can temporarily weaken immune function. While such intensive training is what some prefer, rest assured that something as simple as a daily walk will provide your body with health and immune benefits. If you enjoy sports, or other physical pastimes such as dancing or hiking, that will provide a more than adequate way to get the exercise your body needs. The key is, no matter how you get your exercise, to do it regularly and make sure it's fun! (If you have an existing medical condition, see your doctor before embarking on any exercise plan.)