Take flu prevention seriously This is a repeat of an article I wrote a couple of months ago, and for good reason. Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has recently said we could have a flu season that is more severe than most with more hospitalizations and more deaths. The agency has advised this years flu vaccine is not as effective because the current strain of the virus has mutated. However, CDC states it offers some protection and still recommends getting the vaccine. When asked if people should be concerned, Dr. Lisa Thebner, a pediatrician in New York City, matter of factly said, people should always be concerned about the flu. Its bad, and you want to do anything you can to prevent getting it and to prevent giving it to other people. There are very good and effective measures you can take to do just that, which is what this article is about. I hope you read them and then put them into practice starting today! 1. Develop a habit of keeping your hands away from your mouth and nose. Wash them frequently and thoroughly (it would not be possible to emphasize this enough!), especially after touching hot spots like doorknobs and handles (especially ones in public establishments), telephones, computer keyboards, etc. It may sound anti-social but when possible, try to avoid shaking hands. When out, do your best to avoid crowds and always wash your hands immediately when you get home. Keep a pocket-size hand sanitizer with you always for those times when soap and water (still the best!) arent available. 2. Do whatever it takes to get enough rest. When youre physically run down, your immune system is run down and thats not something you want when exposure to nasty strains of influenza is likely. Take your sleep and nap time seriously! 3. Keep high-sugar foods to a minimum. Too much sugar can dramatically suppress the immune system for several hours after ingestion. And folks, thats all the time it takes for an opportunistic virus you may be harboring to take hold. 4. Discuss the currently available flu vaccine with your doctor. 5. Daily use of the right dose of a high-quality vitamin C product The late Linus Pauling, Ph.D., a brilliant biochemist who was heavily involved in the discovery of the molecular structure of DNA and two-time unshared Nobel Prize winner, was certainly the most well known advocate for the use of doses of vitamin C for the common cold and the flu. While Paulings ideas were (and occasionally still are) ridiculed by certain authorities in the medical community, Ive got to point out that the only scientist ever to win two unshared Nobel Prizes hardly qualifies as the village idiot. As a matter of fact, no less a person than the late Robert Good, M.D., Ph.D., past President and Director of Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research, and widely known as the father of modern immunology, had this to say about Dr. Pauling: Linus Pauling was one of the greatest geniuses of the 20th century. He saw scientific problems and their solutions clearly when most of us could not see what he was talking about. Pauling recommended several grams (1 gram = 1,000 mg.) daily along with other measures to help prevent or mitigate the cold or flu. To many folks that seems like a lot but for over 33 years Ive noticed doctors who have long-term clinical experience with the therapeutic or preventative application of vitamin C all recommend a good amount. Theres an old saying: You dont send a boy in to do a mans job. In other words, dont count on your morning glass of orange juice or an occasional vitamin C tablet to do much more than keep you from getting Scurvy (vitamin C deficiency disease) . For the average individual in good health 500-1,000 mg. taken morning and again evening (with your doctors approval, of course) would be a reasonable preventive dose, if combined with the other measures listed above. But...if youre ill or feel youre becoming that way, you may want to consider taking more. As with so many things, results with vitamin C depend in large part on the dose being used. Please read carefully: without a doubt cheap products which contain low-grade excipients (tableting agents) are responsible for most of the annoyances associated with vitamin C. These problems are virtually always gastrointestinal and may consist of upset or acid stomach, gas and sometimes mild diarrhea. I rarely see any of this but if it does happen, simply reduce the dose a little. However, a better alternative would be to spend a couple of extra bucks on a premium product. Since 1982, for overall disease prevention and anti-aging purposes, Ive followed Paulings advice and not only recommended but personally use several grams (1 gram = 1,000 mg.) of high-quality vitamin C every single day. I do find with people prone to acid reflux that buffered (non-acid) products such as calcium ascorbate are much better tolerated. Within the field of nutrition Vitamin C, when dosed properly, is by far the most powerful immune-enhancing and overall health-promoting agent we have with an almost non-existent toxicity. A quote: I strongly believe that a proper use of ascorbate (Vitamin C) can profoundly change our vital statistics, including those for cancer. -Dr. Albert Szent-Gyorgyi 1937 Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine for work with Vitamin C READ CAREFULLY : My personal opinion is that Vitamin C, when dosed properly and combined with other health-promoting measures, MAY (key word) assist in keeping you from getting a cold or the flu. What it will do for a significant percentage of people is reduce severity of symptoms and shorten the duration of illness. That being said, the information and dosages in this article are not prescriptive and are not to be construed as such. If you feel youre becoming ill, always consult your doctor before beginning the use of vitamin C or any other nutritional supplement. Rusty Improta, B.S. Nutritional Consultant Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 00:42:45 +0000
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