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Personal
Growth
Managing Colds and Flu
Diet/Supplements for Viruses
Herbs Against Colds and Flu
Ask Dr. J: Gout
In the Health News
Diet and Disease
Recipe of the Month: Mushroom
Barley Soup
References
When I was in my late teens and twenties, I
read beautiful, enlightening, and personally
liberating novels, literature, and philosophy.
Oscar Wilde, Dostoevsky, Nietzsche, Balzac,
Steinbeck, Rilke, Shelley, Aldous Huxley, and
others influenced my life and thought, and in
some ways liberated my mind.
I was frequently told by more “experienced”
elders that while these might be enjoyable,
they are not “real” life, but I
think that the situations, characters, thoughts,
and experiences that these artists created were
as real in their painting of life as any actual
everyday experience, and far more educational.
In short, I found them spiritually uplifting,
and philosophically enlightening, and I can
still feel the deep influence they had on my
life and thought.
Now, whenever I sit down to write, I find the
latest news and begin reporting the latest from
the USDA, the AMA, FDA, NCI, AHA, and other
acronyms that make me feel far removed from
any spiritual and personal growth. But personal
growth and development are as essential to long
term health and fulfillment as any specific
physical health practices.
Maintaining aesthetic and cultural activities,
and adding new interests and challenges to the
mind and spirit are valuable ways to ensure
not simply longer life, but later years that
are richly rewarding and filled with new learning.
Some animal evidence suggests that exercise
enhances brain circulation, but learning enhances
neuronal health. Other studies show that participation
in cultural events (art exhibits, museums, concerts,
theater, and reading), may enhance longevity,
but more importantly, they have a positive influence
on a person’s perception of their health.
However, I don’t need scientific studies
to confirm this for me, as I see it all the
time: those who participate actively in cultural
development are never bored, they have a vibrant
sense of enjoyment and vitality, and they are
wonderful friends with interesting stories and
delightful senses of humor. While passive participation
is valuable, it is more important to learn new
skills and crafts. My own interests are in playing
early music (recorder for 30 years, and recently
violin), doing pottery and photography, writing,
and graphic design (with others waiting in the
wings).
Varied interests, arts and crafts lead to personal
and spiritual growth, and help you to maintain
friendships. A supportive circle of friends
is a wonderful asset in later years. Both the
interests and the friends help you maintain
your senses of beauty, humor, wonder, joy, and
adventure that I wrote about last January. While
it is important to take care of yourself with
physical and health practices, such as diet,
exercise, relaxation, and dietary supplements,
it is at least as valuable, and makes life all
the more rewarding if you fulfill your potential
by taking care of your personal growth needs.
As a result of varied and cold weather, closed
rooms, poor ventilation, dry heat, and increasing
exposure to many people with viruses in the
winter, it is almost certain that you will be
at risk for colds or flu. Colds cause significant
discomfort and loss of productivity. However,
it is not inevitable that you will become ill,
and if you do, many natural treatments can relieve
your symptoms and shorten the duration of your
infection.
Rhinoviruses are the most common pathogens
that cause colds. These viruses are often transmitted
by hand contact with others, and they are then
introduced into the body through the eyes or
nose. One of the most effective ways to prevent
colds is frequent hand washing, and using one
of the new alcohol-based hand cleansers that
contain some skin softeners. (Flu viruses are
mainly transmitted by airborne droplets from
coughing and sneezing.)
Because viruses are also transferred by contact
with contaminated surfaces, such as doorknobs,
light switches, toilet handles, faucets, or
phones, it is important to clean these surfaces,
and to clean your hands after touching them.
Cold viruses in the throat attach to cells and
replicate, leading to symptoms within 10 to
16 hours.
Keep your home humidified to prevent drying
of the membranes lining the nose, sinuses, and
throat. One way to do this is by keeping a large
pot of water warming on the stove. Don’t
turn it up so high that the walls become wet,
as increased mold growth can increase colds,
and don’t let it run dry and become a
fire hazard. You do not need to keep it on while
you are out, as it works fairly quickly to humidify
the house (assuming you have enough circulation
of air to move it through all the rooms).
Regular aerobic exercise enhances immune function
and helps to prevent infectious illnesses. If
you get a cold or flu, don’t overdo the
physical activity, as you need extra rest to
recover. Stress reduction and adequate rest
are also essential for a strong immune system.
You can enhance your immune function by choosing
healthy foods. Refined sugar is one of the most
likely foods to inhibit immunity. Eating as
little as five teaspoons, the amount in a candy
bar, can reduce white blood cell function by
25 percent, and higher amounts are worse. Margarine
and other hydrogenated oils inhibit normal regulatory
substances called prostaglandins, and alter
normal immune function.
A whole foods diet with lots of fruits and
vegetables will provide vitamin C, flavonoids,
and other nutrients, but it is still a good
idea to take supplements that help prevent colds
and to reduce the symptoms and the duration
of colds if you do become ill. The medical cliché
is that an untreated cold will last for a week,
but with proper treatment it will be gone in
seven days, but this ignores all the research
on dietary supplements that can help you feel
better faster.
Thirty years ago, Linus Pauling wrote Vitamin
C, The Common Cold, and The Flu, reviewing
the research showing that high doses of vitamin
C could both prevent and treat colds. It is
still true that vitamin C can help immune function
and reduce the frequency of colds, and it also
lessens the intensity and duration of the illness,
but it is not a miracle that eliminates symptoms
in a day.
I often recommend up to 8 to 10 gms a day for
colds. Some research shows that during a viral
infection, white blood cell vitamin C levels
plummet, and supplements of 200 mg of vitamin
C have little effect on this. However, doses
of 6000 mg can maintain high levels of vitamin
C in the white blood cells, helping them fight
the virus.
The herb echinacea is effective to reduce the
duration and severity of colds. In a recent
German study of standardized extract, those
subjects in the placebo group had symptoms 50
percent longer than those with echinacea treatment.
In a study of garlic extract, in 146 subjects
over a 12 week period, the treatment group had
only 24 colds compared to 65 colds in the placebo
group. Also, those who did get colds had an
average of two days of symptoms rather than
five. I recommend 500 to 1000 mg of deodorized
extract daily.
In a review of 496 records of school-aged children,
zinc lozenges reduced the duration and severity
of colds, as well as complications requiring
antibiotic use. When taken daily for prevention,
they decreased the frequency of colds. The typical
dose of zinc lozenges is 15 mg several times
a day.
Elderberry extract inhibits the replication
of viruses, particularly the flu virus, reducing
the duration of this more serious viral infection.
It enhances immune function, increasing production
of cytokines–messenger molecules that
trigger the response to infection. The typical
daily dose is 1000 to 2000 mg of standardized
extract.
A number of other supplements enhance immunity,
and may help support host resistance to viruses.
Vitamin E reduces infections, especially in
the elderly. Beta 1,3 glucan is one of many
mushroom extracts that maintain white blood
cell function. A study showed that in trauma
patients, pneumonia was reduced from 55 percent
to 10 percent with B1,3 glucan supplements.
The usual dose is 100 to 200 mg daily.
Others beneficial supplements include carotenoids,
astragalus, maitake musrhoom, L-arginine, and
L-glutamine.You can combine any of these with
your supplement routine and other health practices
to reduce risks of colds and flu, or their duration
and severity if you do become ill.
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Q. I am 53 years old and experiencing gout in
my ankles, and knees. Is there a supplement
I can take to mitigate this problem?
CN, Cummaquid, MA, via Email.
A. Gout is an arthritic disease that results
from deposits of uric acid crystals in joints.
Uric acid can also deposit in the kidneys, and
other tissues. It can cause severe pain, most
commonly in the big toe, but also in other joints,
and it can lead to uric acid kidney stones.
Uric acid is the byproduct of purine metabolism
(part of the nucleic acids in DNA), and purine
is high in a number of foods, including small
fish such as anchovies, meat, especially organ
meats, shellfish, yeast extracts, and some beans.
It helps to reduce consumption of these foods,
as well as caffeine, alcohol, and sugar. Alcohol
can reduce uric acid excretion and sugar raises
blood levels.
Eat foods low in purines: vegetables, fruits,
whole grains, and nuts, and drink plenty of
water to flush uric acid from the body. Some
research and clinical experience suggests that
eating a half pound of cherries or drinking
the juice can relieve gout (they are also a
tasty treat).
Xanthine oxidase is the enzyme that makes uric
acid from purines. Supplements can reduce enzyme
activity, reduce uric acid production, and help
relieve the symptoms and prevent recurrences
of gout. Other supplements are anti-inflammatory.
Vitamin C in high doses (4 to 8 gms per day)
can increase uric acid excretion, but it is
very important to drink adequate water to prevent
the urinary uric acid from crystallizing. Quercetin,
a bioflavonoid, inhibits xanthine oxidase in
lab tests. The typical daily dose is 800 to
1200 mg.
Folic acid, in some studies but not all, inhibits
xanthine oxidase if taken in very high doses,
ranging from 20 to 80 mg. No side effects have
been reported with these doses, but it is important
to have adequate B 12 at the same time.
Curcumin (600 to 900 mg), omega-3 oil (fish
oil–3000 to 6000 mg, or flaxseed oil–1
to 3 Tbsp) are anti-inflammatory, as is gamma-linolenic
acid (GLA, 240 mg) from evening primrose or
borage oils, and they can reduce symptoms of
gout.
• St. John’s wort was shown
clearly to help depression in a review published
in July (Schulz V, Clinical trials with hypericum
extracts in patients with depression... Phytomedicine
2002 Jul;9(5):468-74). The report showed that
in 34 controlled, double-blind studies on over
3000 subjects, with mild to moderate depression,
St. John’s wort was as good as or even
better than drugs. A new study confirms that
it helps anxiety and depression (Volz HP, et
al., St John’s wort extract ... Psychopharmacology
(Berl) 2002 Nov;164(3):294-300). Patients had
fewer anxiety-induced physical complaints, and
both mild and severe depression improved. Typical
doses are 600 to 900 mg of standardized extract.
• Neurotoxic pesticide levels were
extremely low in children fed organic foods,
compared with dangerous levels (6 to 9 times
higher) in children on conventional foods, (Curl
CL, et al., ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2003/
5754/abstract.pdf). Somehow, the USDA insists
that organic foods are no safer than conventional
foods, but research disagrees.
• A population study shows that diet does
affect acne (Cordain L, et al., Acne vulgaris:
a disease of Western civilization. Arch Dermatol
2002 Dec;138(12):1584-90). These researchers
studied hunter-gatherers and concluded that
the refined carbohydrates in the industrialized
diet might cause acne. In the two groups they
studied–in New Guinea and Paraguay, diets
consisted of primarily of fruit, fish, tubers,
and coconut, or sweet manioc (a root vegetable),
peanuts, corn, and rice, with occasional wild
game, respectively. These diets mimic the high-fiber,
plant-based diets that I recommend. They found
virtually no acne in these groups, compared
to their genetic relatives in other Pacific
islanders and South American Indians with more
processed foods in their diets.
Mushrooms help immunity, and putting them in
soups is one delicious way to enjoy them. I
use fresh crimini mushrooms and fresh or dried
shitake (and other varieties; the dried are
less expensive). Heat water or vegetable stock
(I buy organic vegetable stock and dilute it
with an equal amount of water) in a large stock
pot with the dried mushrooms to soak. Sauté
onions, garlic, and celery, add them to the
stock with chopped parsley, fresh dill, thyme,
and marjoram (plus cayenne pepper, sea salt,
or soy sauce to taste). Add organic barley,
diced potatoes and carrots, and the fresh mushrooms,
Barley absorbs a lot of water, so if you don’t
add enough it will become a stew instead of
a soup. Lastly, add lots of chopped spinach
or Swiss chard. Serve with a fresh salad for
a delicious meal.
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Bramley TJ, et al., Productivity losses related
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from upper respiratory tract infections to asthma.
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2002 Nov-Dec;9(6):472-5.
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garlic supplement ...Adv Ther 2001 Jul-Aug;18(4):189-93.
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in patients with a common cold...Arzneimittelforschung
2001;51(7):563-8.
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de Felippe Junior J, et al., Infection prevention...with
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Stein HB, Ascorbic acid-induced
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Ann Intern Med 1976
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