Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Protecting Yourself From The Swine Flu

By Jim Sugihara

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) there are some 5,700 "confirmed" cases of H1N1 influenza (swine flu) and eight deaths in the U.S. (as of May 20), but admittedly cannot keep up with testing and now make estimates based on statistical modeling.

The CDC's modeling shows that the outbreak of H1N1 is currently at a pandemic level. Statistics show that the flu will eventually infect 1/3-1/2 of the world. Today, the number of deaths in the northern hemisphere remains relatively low. This is partially due to positive health effects that we get from the sun. The Vitamin D that your body creates from sun exposure is a natural way to boost your immunity to disease. Unfortunately, this is expected to change in the winter. As most of us have experienced, cooler seasons and shorter days are a traditional time for flu outbreaks.

Potentially millions of us may become carriers, mixing H1N1 with other flu strains, causing continual mutations. These mutations will make creating an effective and timely vaccine difficult if not impossible. But with healthy immune systems we can reduce our susceptibility to the disease, as viruses will not multiply in a healthy body. Our best defense is a proactive approach to optimizing our health and immune system.

An easy step that we can all make toward maximizing our own health is through Ionic Detox. Regular sessions can help boost your immune system because they are effectively maintaining a healthy pH balance within the body. Negative ions entering the body work to neutralize acids and heavy metals. This results in an improvement in the body's ability to detoxify itself. According to M. Amin, PhD, Doctor of Natural Medicine, "Ion Detox will strengthen the immune system to fight any invading germs, bacteria or viruses. I am a classic example. I do not take any medication including flu shots since 1989. Do I get the flu? Never! Sometimes I feel my body fighting the attacking viruses. My entire family follows the same lifestyle: Regular ionic detox, high quality supplements, eating properly, exercise, prayer and positive thinking."

A healthy digestive system is key in maintaining a healthy immune system. Each of our bodies contain trillions of bacteria that help us break down and process the food we eat. So long as we have a good supply of digestive bacteria, our bodies will maintain a healthy immune system which will help protect us from toxins, viruses, and attack from parasites. Unfortunately, antibiotics, poor diet, drugs, stress and old age can lead to a reduction in the 'healthy' bacteria in our digestive system. So, in order to prevent loss of this bacteria, it is important to take a good probiotic supplement which provides us with the bacteria we may not be consuming with our food. One of the very best probiotic supplements that we have found is Primal Defense ULTRA by Garden of Life.

Also important for proper digestion is fiber in the diet, where the daily recommended intake for adults is 25-30 grams. Ideally this would all come from our diets, but getting that last bit can be difficult, especially since many of us do not eat enough fiber rich foods (for example one apple has 4-5 grams fiber, now imagine 5-6x per day). DetoxiFiber, also from Garden of Life is an organic supplement that provides 5 grams of soluble and insoluble fiber in a balanced ratio. It consists of 100% certified organically grown flax seed and pea hull fiber, alfalfa and barley grasses, and chia seed.

Also vital to a healthy body is a proper alkaline to acid ratio. We have some 75 trillion cells that are acidic on the inside while surrounded by an alkaline internal sea. The balance must be maintained for normal metabolic processing. Unfortunately the average American diet is decidedly acidic, especially with the high doses of fatty acids and particularly sugar. Other acid increasers include stress and environmental factors like pollution. Improving or maintaining the right balance of alkaline to acid should be done with multiple methods, the most important of which is a balanced diet with a roughly 60/40 ratio of alkaline foods to acid, even higher if the body is too acidic.

Toxins and disease thrive in a thirsty environment. Dehydration seems to be the perfect place for these elements to grow and thrive. Not only can dehydration lead to an increased severity of disease, but it also makes our bodies more vulnerable to attack. The most important thing that we can do to keep our bodies free from harm is to keep properly hydrated. So long as we drink enough water every day, our bodies will be able to keep our immune systems in check. With a strong resistance to disease, we can all correctly fight off attacks from harmful toxins. Along with helping the body eliminate toxins, proper hydration can help the body break down fatty acids as well as facilitate metabolic functions. In addition to the basic practice of hydration, we can all gain from the added benefit of treating our water with an alkalizing additive designed to boost the pH into a higher level. By consuming water which is more alkaline, we can overcome the normally acidic contents of our normal diets and balance our bodies pH levels. Adding the product 'pH Booster' to drinking water is an excellent way to raise the pH level. As an added bonus, it also works to ionize with minerals and oxygenate the water. As our bodies become more balanced we can then boost our mineral intake with a concentrated mineral supplement. 'ConcenTrace' Trace Mineral Drops is a great, natural vegan product which is designed to help maintain a proper mineral balance within the body.

Be careful with what you eat. Environments which are too acidic can cause your body to hold on to heavy metals like Mercury. Certain elements can cause your body stress, leading to chemical conditions that cause your body to produce more acidic elements. It does not take long for a vicious cycle to develop where the acids and metals lead to the stress which creates them. Reducing toxins, increasing alkalinity and reducing acids in the system is a key step towards creating a healthy body.

Let us recap: Steps to a Healthy Body for the Best in Flu Protection

1 - Eat Correctly - Reduce acids (sugar and high fructose sweeteners major offender) and increase level of alkaline foods. Supplement with alkalized water. 2 - Get Enough Sleep - The body does its best healing while sleeping. 3 - Digestion - Take care of the gut and the whole gastrointestinal system with probiotic foods and supplements. 4 - Exercise - Stimulates cleansing blood flow, the lymphatic system and stress-reducing hormones. 5 - Exposure to the Sun - The best source of vitamin D, a natural anti-viral vitamin. 6 - Ionic Foot Detox - Also reduces acid levels and neutralizes toxins, making them easily excreted. - 14130

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