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The Integrative Medicine Alliance makes no endorsement of any business, organization, practitioner, therapy, or product described within this newsletter, nor is the information contained herein intended to be a substitute for medical advice. The following essays are solely the opinions of our members. We urge you to contact your physician and/or health team before trying any new therapy or healthcare product.  If you do decide to seek treatment from any practitioner or healthcare organization listed on this site, please notify your physician and/or health team so that you and all those caring for your health may work together in harmony.

FLU SEASON:  How to prevent flu without a vaccine

The Flu Shot Phenomenon

Submitted by David Sneikus

Consider yourself lucky if you were unable to get a flu shot. It is not the answer to preventing the flu! It’s easy to think we are killing the bugs, the germs, the viruses with drugs or antibodies. But the current belief that infections are caused by particularly vicious strains of bacteria is backwards. The truth is germs are not the enemy! Furthermore, they have been here for 3.2 billion years and are very adaptable.

Through well-documented experiments, noted chemist, physician, naturalist, and biologist Professor Pierre Jacque Antoine Bechamp found that germs are everywhere! Their behavior depends on the condition of the environment in which they dwell. If one’s body is healthy, it was found that microorganisms or germs act to aid digestion and build tissue. If one’s body is unhealthy, it was found that microorganisms evolve into bacteria that start decomposing matter back to its original elements resulting in dis-ease. They can be thought of as nature’s clean-up crew.

Vicious strains of bacteria are found in the infections of today also because of the environment in which they grow. One of the ways ‘Super Bugs’ have been created is from the mutations that continue after one flu shot tries to kill one strain. Until we understand that it is an unhealthy environment that causes bacteria or viruses, we will continue with our futile efforts of trying to kill the bacteria, (the messenger), which will then only mutate to another form.

We must think differently! Albert Einstein said, “You cannot correct a problem with the same thinking that created it.”

Here is some new thinking from Walene James’ book, IMMUNIZATION, The Reality Behind the Myth. In it, she cites Professor Pierre Jacque Antoine Bechamp who said, “Bodies in which pathogenic bacteria form are not healthy; merely fighting and killing bacteria will not bring health, for the condition that gave rise to the bacteria will do so again.”  Bechamp found that virulent or pathogenic bacteria is generated by decaying matter; that bacteria or super bugs are pleomorphic (form changing) rather than monomorphic (form fixed); that microorganisms become pathogenic as the health of the host organism deteriorates. Hence, the condition of the host organism is the primary causal agent. In other words, it is the result of our unhealthy body tissue that we get sick, not a result of germs!

Think about this!  If germs, bugs, or viruses were the culprits causing the flu, wouldn’t we all get the flu!  We don’t because germs and viruses are not the cause.

The answer then to preventing the condition that gives rise to bacteria or disease is to create healthy tissue in our bodies!!! And of course, the best way to create healthy tissue in our bodies is through what we put into our bodies in the form of food and through exercise.

The Macrobiotic diet is ideal! As we learn to eat well-balanced, high quality, organic foods in harmony with nature and our environments, we learn to create health.

In my opinion, today’s infections are created by the junk (biologically incorrect) food we eat. We have created or are creating in our bodies, in every one of our cells, an environment that super bugs love as a result of the food we eat. This type of food has never been eaten in the quantities that they are being eaten today. And no antibiotic will kill the resulting bacteria. Let us not delude ourselves any longer. The only true answer is to change our thinking about the food we eat and start eating biologically correct food.

I also believe that the cause of the flu is generally from drinking too much liquid, (such as water, juice, soda and alcohol), during the summer months, or taking in too much sugar which changes into liquid, creating millions of expanded body cells. This is called a yin or expanded condition. Then when it gets colder, the body cells shrink a bit (yangizing or contracting) and there are flu symptoms of sneezing and wheezing. A natural adjustment from the changing seasons, not a cause to run for a flu shot! Just like squeezing a wet sponge or knowing that the leaves in fall turn bright and then fall off the tree because of the decreasing water content in them.

In summary, I offer five ways to help prevent the flu. First, follow a Macrobiotic diet using primarily plant-based foods, especially whole grains. Second, use Celtic Sea Salt, Mother Nature’s anti-biotic. A good quality sea salt with all the natural macro and micro nutrients in it has the power to stabilize any germ. Third, exercise for oxygen. With more oxygen, magnesium-centered plant cells will change into strong iron-centered body cells and create a stronger immune system. Fourth, you must not drink so much in the summer! Drink when you are thirsty, yes, but don’t overdo it.  You can tell if you have had too much to drink by noticing how you react when it gets cold. And finally, you can drink more fluids (particularly warm fluids so as to stay warm) in the fall and stay yin or expanded.

If you are interested in learning more about the best foods to eat, give me a call: David Snieckus, Macrobiotic Counselor and Chef, 617-964-2951, or visit my website at www.DavidSnieckus.com

David Snieckus is a graduate of the world renowned Kushi Institute, and has been practicing Macrobiotics since 1977. His passion is to share his knowledge and experience and invoke self awareness in others so that they may experience optimum health and happiness.  He lives in Newton, Massachusetts. For further information, visit his website at www.DavidSnieckus.com.  He can be reached at 617-964-2951 or Email: davidsnieckus@hotmail.com .

Activities I recommend for readers unable to get a flu shot this season

Submitted by Harvey Zarren

Avoid close contact with sick people if possible. Wash hands frequently and thoroughly; even soap and water works! Avoid touching mouth, nose and eyes as much as possible. Don't share cups, straws, utensils. Don't kiss people who are coughing! Get plenty of rest. Stay well hydrated. Exercise routinely - it helps the immune system. Don't smoke or abuse alcohol. Use black elderberry extract for prevention (Sambucol is one good form: 1 tablespoon 2X daily).

If exposed consider using echinacea 400 mgm caps, 2 caps 3X daily and Vitamin C 2 grams daily for up to 10 days and you can increase Sambucol to 2 tablespoons 4X daily.

If you get sick, keep away from others to avoid spread. Cover mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing. Use and promptly discard tissues rather than handkerchiefs. Flu can be infectious from 1 day prior to symptoms, for up to 7 days after fever onset.  If sick, Vitamin C: 3 grams daily, echinacea:  400mgm caps, 2 caps 3X daily for up to 10 days and Sambucol: 2 tablespoons 4X daily. Stay hydrated well and rest.

Harvey Zarren, MD

A Sun Salutation a Day Keeps the Bad Chi Away
Submitted By Karl Berger, ABT, LMT
 
Traditional Chinese Medicine, like conventional medicine, values healthy eating, exercise and rest as preventative measures to avoid illness.  But in comparison to conventional medicine, it places greater emphasis on maintaining strong and healthy lungs.  Healthy lung energy (chi) is seen as a critical defense against external pathogens.  Therefore, exercises such as Qi Gong, t'ai chi, the Sun Salutation in yoga, swimming, winter sports, or going for walks in clean winter air, can help maintain healthy lung energy.  Foods that benefit the lungs include cabbage, radishes, onions, and garlic.

Should this first defense fail and you feel a cold coming on, that can be considered to be the bad chi breaking through the "lung barrier"--but don't give up, you still have a chance to turn things around!  Traditional Chinese Medicine is highly metaphorical, so getting a cold can be seen as just that, an invasion of "Cold."  The best way to counter Cold is through heat, in the form of drinking lots of hot teas, taking hot baths or showers, and eating foods and herbs considered to have warming qualities, such as garlic, parsnips, horseradish, scallions, ginger, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, or nutmeg.

Traditional Chinese Medicine aside, starting the day with an apple also has helped me stay healthy in the winter months--the adage appears to hold for me!


Karlo Berger, ABT LMT

IMA Founder and Coordinator

Shiatsu Therapist, Harvard University Health Services
Integrative Healthcare Consultant
e-mail: KarloBerger@yahoo.com
 

Beyond Echinacea: Confronting Colds and Flu

Submitted by Madelon Hope

If you are unlucky enough to catch a cold or flu, there is help in the botanical world.  In addition to Echinacea, there are other effective herbs that help build immunity, strengthen our lungs and relieve congestion. Many of these herbs are hardy plants that grow in the fields, woods and wetlands in the Boston area.

One of my personal favorites is Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum), an immune stimulating herb originally used by Native Americans for treating colds and flu.  It is known to reduce fevers by encouraging sweating and is particularly useful for flu with chills and aches in the bones.  It is more effective than Echinacea for those upper respiratory illnesses that have progressed to deeper levels and are inclined to relapse. 

The tradition of opening the pores to release excess heat and toxins was part of Native Americanpractice and European folk custom before the introduction of antibiotics.  Elder (Sambucus canadensis) is a diaphoretic herb that helps reduce fever and congestion and is enhanced when combined with Yarrow (Achillea millefolium). They are often mixed with peppermint in a tea but can also be used together in a tincture. Elderflowers are particularly suited for children with acute respiratory infections. Elderberries, of course, are well known for their anti-viral properties.

The botanical world is rich in plants that specifically relieve lung congestion.  Mullein (Verbascum thapsis) is known to relieve dry, harsh coughs and relax vocal chords where there is tightness. Mullein allays bronchial irritation and is also used for those suffering from smoke inhalation. When you feel congestion beginning in your chest, Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) is quite helpful.  A medicinal plant mentioned in the Bible, Hyssop is well known for reducing phlegm and resolving coughs.

For severe congestion, Elecampane (Inula helenium), an attractive sunflower, is one of the most potent lung tonics. It is particularly beneficial for infections that have settled deep in the respiratory tract and it is a strong expectorant.

These herbs have been used by sufferers of colds and flu for hundreds of years, if not millennia. However, it is always a good idea to try out a very small quantity of an herb that you haven’t used before to see how you respond. Contact a healthcare practitioner if you are concerned about an illness. 

Madelon Hope, M.Ed., LMHC is the Director of the Boston School of Herbal
Studies where she teaches a seven month Herbal Apprenticeship program and offers ongoing workshops.  In her private practice in Arlington, MA, she
combines psychotherapy and Herbalism and assists clients in healing from
depression, anxiety, insomnia, food cravings, PMS and menopausal distress. You may contact her at 781-646-6319 or via e-mail at herbstudies@earthlink.net and website: http://bostonherbalstudies.com/home.shtml