7th April, 2005

NICK HODGSON

It's approaching that time of year when every second person appears to be stricken with an infectious disease of one sort or another. This and all the advertising warning us of the dangers of bacteria and the need to destroy them with a host of nicely colored, highly toxic chemicals, makes us think that we are living in a war zone. "Us" versus "them" microbes.

At the same time we have the medical profession, backed by the huge pharmaceutical "cartels" and government-funded advertising campaigns, insisting that we need to call in mercenary help to defeat the invaders: vaccines to artificially inseminate our immunity, and antibiotics to blow-up the unwanted guests.

PICTURE: istockphoto.com "Most of us are acutely aware of the massive problems we have created for ourselves by the overuse and abuse of antibiotics. We seem to have played into the hands of our enemies; the very thing designed to destroy them has lead to their increase in adaptability and strength - they are now more resistant to our attacks than ever."

But knowledge of the limitations and longer term negative implications of calling in the hired soldiers, and chemical warfare, is starting to spread out of the scientific journals into the popular media. The population that apparently need flu vaccines the most (the frail and elderly) are the least likely to benefit from flu shots and the most likely to suffer side-effects: you might reduce your risk of flu this year, but in a few short years you are ten times more likely to be demented. Plus we always seem to be one step behind this year's bugs, with the latest vaccines not providing the degree of coverage that we would like. Most of us are acutely aware of the massive problems we have created for ourselves by the overuse and abuse of antibiotics. We seem to have played into the hands of our enemies; the very thing designed to destroy them has lead to their increase in adaptability and strength - they are now more resistant to our attacks than ever.

So, are we defenceless against a stronger foe? Or, can we get back to the basics of germ warfare to win the battle? Here are some strategies for a successful immunity campaign:

1) Man the barricades
The first line of defence that we have against the invasion of micro-organisms is our mucous membranes: our skin, which includes the walls inside our airways and intestines. You may not realise, but we have millions of foot soldiers guarding the exterior of these walls. These are known as "normal flora". Millions of friendly bacteria that need to be pushed out of the way if any invaders are to get through. We can continuously replenish our troop numbers by taking a good brand of acidophillus and bifidobacteria. You can get these in some yoghurts, yokult drinks, capsules, powdered or probiotic superfood forms. The bottom line here is: the more of the good guys, the less chance the bad guys will get through the lines of defence - ground warfare is a numbers game after all. Don't forget that a course of antibiotics will wipe out these important allies as well as killing the targeted invaders. After every script of antibiotics that you succumb to always take large doses of acidophillus. Otherwise you usually end up with a secondary invasion by another foe - candida or other unwanted opportunistic guests.

2) Strengthen the walls
If the invaders can get past your normal flora, they still have to break through the walls of your body - the mucous membranes that we mentioned before. So what is the main building block of these walls? Lipoproteins are made largely from essential fatty acids (EFAs). Many of us remember being forced to swallow a spoonful of cod liver oil when young? Cod liver oil is one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids. How did they know that this stuff was so good for our bodies’ way back then? I can still taste that disgusting fishy burp as it regurgitated for the next few hours. Other sources of EFAs are flaxseed oil, algae, deep-sea fish, some sprouts, and some nuts. Even if you feel the need to have a low-fat diet, you need to make sure you are getting plenty of these fatty building blocks to have strong walls of defence against infection.

3) Increase your arsenal
If the attacker does get through into your blood stream and intercellular spaces, then let's hope your immune system has enough bullets to shoot down the enemy. So here's the question, what types of weaponry does our immune system use? The fastest response units are fairly non-specific in their action. That is, they don't care who the enemy is. Once he has been detected and located, they try to swallow and/or blow him up with the same types of weapon. This type of white blood cells use up lots and lots of antioxidants as "bullets". So make sure you buy and supply lots of bullets to increase the arsenal of your immune soldiers. Vitamins C, E and A, among other antioxidants are all needed in large quantities for a successful battle. You can get these in tablet form, in a superfood mix, or by eating masses of fresh vegetables and fruits.

4) Take aim
To defeat an enemy you must first know he's there. Then you need to know exactly where he is hiding. Then you need to know enough information about his weaknesses and tactics to set winning battle plans. This process is dependent on a brilliant reconnaissance troupe. This is provided by a healthy and fully functional nervous system. The best way I know of to maximise the performance of your nervous system, is to get a regular chiropractic spinal adjustment. I'm always disappointed when people cancel their appointment with me because they have an infection. This is when you most need an adjustment! Research has shown rapid boosts in immune responses following adjustments. And by keeping up a schedule of regular check-ups it has been shown that your defence (prevention) and response (treatment) to infection is improved. Oh, our poor nervous system: our culture abuses and suppresses it so much that it's no wonder that when we actually need it to do some work, it's sluggish and ineffective (a bit like a soldier on dope). We have a pill to suppress every sensation that our culture has decided are unnecessary hindrances to our busy lifestyle. In fact most of these sensations are supposed to be listened to. They are the language of your nervous system. Some of us need to learn this seemingly foreign language, the rest of us just have to get rid of our selective deafness. So, don’t forget to maximise the senses of your inborn intelligence agency with regular chiropractic.

PICTURE: istockphoto.com "We have managed to convert most childhood illnesses into threats to the mass population’s chances of survival. But ask any immunologist and you will find that the best immunity is natural immunity - do we really want our kids to go through life without a single runny and snotty nose, high fever, rash, or immune battle?"

4) Fire!
I've got a few extra weapons that I keep in my arsenal (pantry actually), that I pull out of retirement in the event that the war is really hotting up: colloidal silver is one of the original substances used as an anti-microbial and is an excellent natural ally - you can gargle it for overrun throats, swallow it to arm the internal defences, bathe wounds to protect a breach in the fortress walls. Echinacea is always handy to have in the fridge (I keep it in a liquid form). This is good to be taken orally when the battle is being waged in the lungs. At the first sign of a skirmish put some liquid zinc on the tongue. If you can taste it then you can leave it in the fridge. If you can't taste it then start dosing up on it. This has been proven to be able to cut off a small-scale invasion in its tracks. And when the "trench runs" hit? Whey is fantastic for drying up and killing many of the most common enemies that can cause diarrhoea. Eucalyptus, aloe vera and tea tree oils are good ointments for "wounds". Arnica works well if applied on battle bruises.

5) Battle harden the troops
We are a culture that demands short cuts, quick answers and instant solutions to our trials and suffering. If we have a pain we take a pill to stop us from feeling it; if we have a fever we have a tablet to force it back down again; if we don’t feel happy we look for a chemical to “start the heart”; and in terms of our immunity we expect it to be delivered via a needle. We have managed to convert most childhood illnesses into threats to the mass population’s chances of survival. But ask any immunologist and you will find that the best immunity is natural immunity - do we really want our kids to go through life without a single runny and snotty nose, high fever, rash, or immune battle? There is evidence to suggest that this approach will lead to soft soldiers - weak immune systems and underdeveloped neurological resources. Should we instead be seeing the majority of childhood illnesses as an integral part of their growth and development? Can one learn to walk without falling over, ride a bike without first wobbling, read a book before you’ve learnt the alphabet? Why would we want our children’s immune system to be guarded from the very encounters that prepare them for future larger scale battles?

6) Take some R&R
We seem to be living in a highly stressful manner - emotionally, physically, spiritually, mentally and socially. And when the troops have been under a sustained siege, any good general knows that it is time for some “rec leave”. So, why do we insist on attempting to soldier on when all the indicators of our body suggest that we are approaching surrender? We immerse ourselves in any number of over the counter “crutches” that are just effective enough to allow us to be able to ignore all bodily symptoms. What is your body telling you right now? Many of us couldn’t answer because we don’t recognise our own body’s language. Is it time for you to be more proactive in participating in some recuperative behaviours? Rest, sleep, exercise, relaxation, watching a sunset, prayer, meditation, fun, enjoyment, relationships, healing - isn’t it time to make some space between yourself and the battles of life? If you can get a new perspective from a distance you might even discover that there aren’t too many enemies on the planet anyway, just lots of symbiotic organisms, experiences and opportunities.

May the best organism win!

The information contained is this article is of a general nature only. For advice on your specific situation, please consult your medical professional.

© Nick Hodgson

Dr Nick Hodgson is a chiropractor.
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