Influenza

People most likely to get influenza are those whose immune systems are not working properly (for example, transplant recipients or people with HIV), or those whose lifestyle or work brings them into frequent contact with sick people (like health care workers).
The following put you at the greatest risk for complications from the flu:

• over the age of 50
• Having a serious underlying medical condition like diabetes, heart disease, lung disease (such as asthma or cystic fibrosis) or kidney disease.
• Having a weakened immune system

Your age and your underlying medical condition are tough to change but strengthening your immune system is not.  We have many different ways that we can strengthen the immune system.  The first 2 are diet and exercise.  A diet rich in fruits and vegetable will provide lots of antioxidants, especially vitamins A and C.  Minimize your stress and reaction to stress.  The stress hormone cortisol has been proven to decrease your immune system response so by performing stress relieving activities your immune system will function better.  There are also many different nutritional supplements that boost your immune system.  The following is a list of some of the common supplements we use to treat influenza and boost our immune system:

1. Andrographis Plus - combines a proprietary blend of Ayurvedic and Asian herbs designed to promote healthy immune system function.
2. Flu Terminator - broad spectrum homeopathic remedy for influenza
3. Immucore - designed to provide a multiple mechanistic approach to support healthy immune system function through enhancing activities of macrophages, natural killer cells, and T cell subsets.
4. N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine - mucolytic agent that helps break up mucous after the infection has already occurred.
5. Ultra Flora Plus DF Capsules - non dairy pro biotic formula that provides highly viable, pure strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium lactis along with supportive factors.
6. Vitamin D - when converted into its active form by monocytes it acts as a cytokine, defending the body against microbial invaders

~Nutrition Reference Guide, 2010

For more information on these products or about the flu call 334-6656.