Boosting the Immune System
By Alice R. Laule, M.D.
First of all,
apologies for the late newsletter. I just got back from Colorado last weekend,
and have not had a good chance to sit down and write anything until now.
Vaguely I had thought I might sit down out there and write the newsletter. I
had my computer with me. I guess I thought I would write it between trips to
Boulder and Denver for tango, or between runs down the ski slope. You’d think a
person as smart as I would have better sense than to expect the newsletter to
get written on vacation.
Of course, I came back here to
newspaper headlines of exhausted doctors and full hospital beds, all due to a
version of the flu for which this year’s vaccines were ineffective. So this
seems like an excellent time to write about some ways to boost the immune
system. There are many things available, but I’m going to tell you about some
of my favorite ones.
For anyone who actually has the flu,
there’s no substitute for European black elderberry extract. The first brand
allowed into the US in the mid-90’s was called Sambuchol, but now Ecological
Formulas and other companies make equivalent products that work fine. Before I
started using a homeopathic flu prevention every year, I used to get the flu
annually. This gave me a chance to test elderberry extract. I can personally
claim similar results to those achieved in a 1993 placebo controlled trial.
People who were given placebo in this trial had 6 days of misery on average.
People given the black elderberry were well in 2 days. In my case, I had been
woods-walking in a deep snow fall, got a little overly tired, and wound up with
the flu. By taking elderberry extract, in about 36 hours my fever broke, and in
less than 48 hours I was back out walking in what remained of the snow. That was so vastly different from every
other year that I had gotten the flu, there was no doubt in my mind that it was
the extract that made the difference. I’ve also used it for head colds with
some mixed success. A flu virus has two basic components, a hemagglutinin that
allows it to enter through the cell membrane, and a neuroaminidase that is
involved in viral reproduction. Each
flu virus species is named by these two components, such as “H1N1”. I used to think elderberry was a
neuroaminidase inhibitor. I have since
read that elderberry works on the hemagglutinin part of the flu virus,
preventing the virus from entering healthy cells.
To avoid getting infectious
diseases, there are some other immune boosters commonly available. For myself,
starting in October and usually ending at the end of March, I take astragalus
in a capsule form, one twice daily. Classically, astragalus is a Chinese herb
used in soups and broths. It increases
white blood cell activity (T-cells), increases antibody production, increases
our production of virus fighting interferon molecules, and also acts as an
adaptogen and anti-inflammatory. It is
quite safe, although I’ve heard it said by Kerry Bone, Ph.D., an extremely
knowledgeable herbalist, that if despite astragalus one gets a fever, one
should stop taking astragalus and switch to Andrographis instead.
Andrographis is another traditional
Chinese herb also used in Indian medicine. Currently, it is in common use in
Sweden as a first-line treatment for flu and other upper respiratory
infections. It is also reported as useful for digestive, cardiovascular and
urinary tract
disorders. This herb is not heard of in the United States as much as others I
will mention, but actually has more scientific studies than some of the others.
Several placebo controlled double blind studies have been done, and all showed
that people with upper respiratory infections had statistically significant
improvement as compared to people taking the placebo. It seems to help
headache, tiredness, sore throat, nasal drainage and fever more than it does
cough.
While
most of the studies with andrographis have been done with people who are
already sick, there is some evidence that it also helps with prevention of
illness. There are minimal side effects and it’s safety record is excellent.
Olive leaf extract has been used in
the Meditarranean region for many years as a folk remedy for fevers, wounds,
infections, and other illnesses. In the past 10-15 years, it has achieved a
great popularity in the United States, and is readily available.
Recommendations for olive leaf extract (OLE) are particularly common for
gastrointestinal disorders, because of its effectiveness against yeasts and
other fungi, and parasites (protozoa). Curiously, it is also strongly
anti-oxidant, and even has a blood pressure lowering effect. It inhibits thromboxane
production, which is a clot promoting biochemical, so may reduce stroke and
coronary thrombosis. In reading more about OLE for this newsletter, I’m
realizing I probably underutilize it for colds and flu. The studies are
overwhelmingly positive for OLE inactivating cold and flu viruses. Remember the
last newsletter about the MRSA form of Staph aureus? Well, here’s another
tidbit about OLE: it contains two
components that inhibit that organism. Personally, I will probably not take it
daily for prevention, but I would strongly consider it if we began to have a
large outbreak of MRSA in this community.
Again, with this herb, like the
others, the safety profile is excellent.
I’m not going to spend a lot of time
with Echinacea, because almost everybody has heard of it. And yes, there was a
recent study that bashed this herb and said it did nothing to prevent colds,
but I will simply tell you it was a very flawed study. Decade upon decade of
research in the US and other countries backs up the fact that Echinacea is
effective. Keep taking it when you have exposure to an infectious disease, or
feel like you are coming down with something. There is one old study that says
Echinacea loses its effect over time, and so should be taken in pulse doses, 4
days on, 4 days off. In Finland they use it with AIDS, giving it one week on,
one week off. I’ll quote Kerry Bone again, who says this one possibly flawed
study is refuted by many others that would indicate that you don’t need to
pulse dose Echinacea. He, personally, does not pulse dose it.
There are many mushrooms and
mushroom extracts that have been shown to increase immunity. In fact, I know we
could devote one or more newsletters just to the science of using mushrooms therapeutically.
However, I’m going to stick to one particular formula, that is the beta 1,3/1,6
glucans. I’m sticking to a discussion of this one, simply because it is the one
with which I have the most experience. The beta glucans are also found in cereals
and yeasts. These glucans activate the type of white blood cells known as
macrophages, which actually engulf and digest bacteria. A yeast derived beta
glucan was tested in Anthrax (in mice) and was distinctly helpful. In fact, in
mice pretreated with the beta glucans for 8 days prior to exposure to Anthrax,
all those mice lived, where pretreatment with antibiotic did not create
survival. In already infected mice, 30% survived untreated and 80-90% survived
with beta glucan treatment.
An
injectable form of beta glucan has been developed and is being researched in
conjunction with cancer treatment. The results are exciting, but aren’t
pertinent to this newsletter. Other things that make beta 1,3/1,6 glucan
treatment stand out is that it modulates the immune system rather than just
overall stimulating it. That means it can be used in people with autoimmune
disease and allergy. In fact, studies of the glucans in nasal allergies have
been very positive. Astragalus is also a modulator of the immune system, but Echinacea
and OLE are not recommended for people with autoimmune problems.
The Glucans also have an
anti-inflammatory effect (also shared with astragalus) unlike some of the other
things I have mentioned, especially Elderberry extract, with actually increases
inflammation. Since our inflammatory response is useful in fighting infection,
this is not all bad news, but just part of individualizing a treatment to a
person. Someone with horrendous arthritic inflammation might find that it got a
little worse after dosing with elderberry, whereas the beta glucans might
actually alleviate the arthritis, as might the astragalus.
These amazing little molecules also
have been shown to lower cholesterol (the beta glucan content of oat fiber is
probably the cholesterol lowering portion of oatmeal), help mediate against
radiation poisoning, speed up wound healing, prevent surgical infections, and
treat septic shock. I’m particularly fond of them, because they seem to help
modulate gut immunity. Remember the article on food sensitivities (last month)?
These beta glucans seem to help the gut fight yeasts and other infectious
organisms, yet modulate against the formation of marked allergic problems such
as those IgG food sensitivities I mentioned last time. Therefore, for someone
with a sick gastrointestinal tract, the beta glucans are an excellent tool. I
use them a lot in autistic children, who almost always have gut
abnormalities. Radioactive labeling of
beta glucans has shown that they are delivered directly to the gut associated
lympatic tissue (GALT) upon being absorbed. They should be taken on an empty
stomach to improve this effect.
As with all the other items listed
here, there is little or no problem with side effects or interactions with
other medications or herbs. Somewhere there is someone who is allergic to
anything, so of course there is the possibility of some allergic reactions from
any herb, or any herbal or plant extracts such as these.
If we are going to talk seriously
about prevention of infectious disease, we also need to talk about hand-washing
and just generally good hygiene. Getting plenty of fluids and plenty of rest
are important. A natural antiseptic, like a solution of grapefruit seed extract
(GSE) to clean counters, sinks, handrails, light switches and such is
important, especially if you are living in the same household with someone who
has an infection. I keep a spray bottle with 60 drops of GSE in 32 ounces of
water for this purpose. If I start getting a sore throat, I will pick up that
spray bottle and spray it right into my throat. It works.
Just as important is a good, healthy
attitude. Major stressors in life are associated with reduction in immunity and
an increased likelihood of getting ill. Some of these stresses, according to
Hans Selye’s work, are even things we would call “good,” like getting married
or getting a promotion at work. Take everything, all news good or bad, into a quiet relaxed state of mind, whether
you call it prayer, meditation or a “relaxation response,” as was the focus of
Dr. Herbert Bensons medical studies and publications. Focus on life, joy,
laughter, family, and enjoyable goals, not on fear about getting ill.
And one last thing — keep your
vitamin D level up. I just read an article that postulates why the flu is
seasonal. In equatorial regions where there is lots of year round sunlight
exposure, the flu occurs sporadically all year long. Only above certain
latitudes where sunlight is less intense in the winter and vitamin D levels
drop during that season is the influenza also seasonal. Vitamin D has recently
been shown to be therapeutic for the flu, anti-viral in fact. It’s for so much
more than just the bones. 1000 IU of
vitamin D3 daily during the winter is not too much. The RDA of 400 IU daily is
probably too little.
Well,
folks, use this information the best you can to —
Stay
healthy,
Alice
R. Laule, M.D.