Immunity to Colds and Flu


Our immune system includes white blood cells that attack invaders, such as fungal infections or cold and flu viruses. These white blood cells, and their ability to travel freely throughout the body via our circulatory system, remain our best natural protection against any infection.

Modern medicine still hasn't developed an anti-virus remedy for the common cold, although there is a flu vaccine (administered via injection or, recently approved by the FDA, a nasal spray). Over-the-counter medicines simply manage the symptoms of these infections—such as congestion, coughing, and runny nose. And antibiotics aren't always effective, because they only treat the resulting bacterial infection, not the source of that infection—the cold or flu virus itself.

It should be noted that cold and flu viruses—though quite common and often causing only minor symptoms—can be a serious health threat to the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.

Our Main Defense Against Serious Illness
Beyond the common cold and flu, humans are faced with far more serious diseases. It's important to remember that throughout history, many people have survived such diseases—including smallpox, the bubonic plague, and others—without the aid of antibiotics or modern medical care. Though scientists continue to study why some people fare better than others when exposed to such diseases, it's certain that a strong immune system is a key factor in warding off disease.

New diseases continue to emerge worldwide, such as the avian flu, which has killed hundreds of people in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, and SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), which originated in China in 2002, and has resulted in over 8,000 cases to date with a mortality rate of nearly 10 percent. A strong immune system is core to defeating any of these serious diseases. Everyone has the power to strengthen their immune system and better protect their health.

One of the biggest killers?
Many people who've died throughout history died from malaria. The destructive agent in malaria is a small parasite that attacks the body's red blood cells. Malaria continues to be a serious threat today, and modern medicines can have side effects so serious that people don't want to take them. Doctors in China have effectively treated malaria with acupuncture and without the aid of modern medicine or chemicals. These doctors instead focus on stimulating the body's own immune system to fight the disease.

In short, we need to help our white blood cells perform at their very best, so they can better fight off viruses—whether they be common cold and flu viruses or the more serious variety. There are two ways we can do this:

Increase White Blood Cells
When we are in a deep-sleep state (the non-REM, non-dreaming state), our body's hormone levels increase and self-healing takes place. This is an important time, because in this state we release more white blood cells. Having a healthy supply of white blood cells is a key factor in fighting infection and viruses. Getting a good night's sleep—on a consistent basis—helps keep our white blood cell count at an optimum. (For natural techniques for improving sleep and treating insomnia, read Dr. Chan's article On Sleep and Insomnia.)

Improve Circulation
When our circulatory system is in top shape, the white blood cells can more easily travel throughout the body to fight viruses and infections. White blood cells also police our body's own cell behavior. Both normal cells and cancer cells are produced by the human body, but cancer cells do not behave correctly. They reproduce erratically, don't obey signals from the body, and don't look or act like normal cells. For example, a skin cancer cell does not look or behave like a normal skin cell. All cancer cells originate from normal cells, and white blood cells monitor and respond to such cell anomalies every day.

Conversely, poor circulation is related to high blood pressure, which means that the body cannot push blood through the arteries efficiently and pressure builds up. When blood does not flow well, white blood cells cannot go where they are needed to defend the body.

Proper breathing techniques, aerobic exercise, and relaxation can all help improve the body's circulation. For more information and natural techniques for improving circulation, please read Dr. Chan's article Slow Breathing for Increased Circulation and Immunity.

A Powerful Thought
Although new and mysterious diseases continue to crop up worldwide, for many of us, one of the most frightening diseases continues to be cancer. A diagnosis of cancer can suddenly leave patients and family members grappling with treatment options, life-expectancy projections, and other very weighty matters.

But here is something to keep in mind. Every day, we beat cancer. That's right. Every day, we develop abnormal (cancer) cells—when we are exposed to the sun, environmental stresses, and other factors—and the body heals itself. As mentioned in the Improve Circulation section above, white blood cells routinely monitor and attend to such cell anomalies.

Dr. O. Carl Simonton, radiation oncologist and main author of "Getting Well Again," first introduced the concept that one's state of mind and the use of healing imagery can bring measurable benefits in fighting cancer. A core tenet of his approach, the first systematic emotional intervention used in treating cancer, is that our mind plays a powerful role in improving one's immune system. As stressed in other areas of this page, battling cancer (or any disease) depends on a healthy immune system. And the white cells of our immune system (such as the group of white cells called NK cells or "natural killer" cells) know the difference between normal and cancer cells; radiation and chemotherapy do not. This is why chemotherapy treatments can be so debilitating to the body as a whole.

It is beneficial, when confronted with disease, to remember that our body is always in a state of self-healing. Strengthening our immune system helps our body to do this job of healing more effectively.

Summary
By keeping our immune system in peak condition (by increasing our supply of white blood cells and improving circulation) we can help our bodies naturally fight off cold and flu viruses, abnormal cell production, and a variety of illnesses.

This lessens our reliance on:

•	prescription medicines that pose other health risks
•	existing vaccines (or vaccines that haven't been developed yet)
•	antibiotics that may become less effective as bacteria and viruses become more resistant, and
•	over-the-counter medicines that do not fight the cause (e.g. the cold virus) but only manage the symptoms of infection

It is best to build our body's own defenses.