Browse Immune System and Immunity Enhancement

Fish oil’s good for you. Everybody says so. Yeah, fish oil, that’s the ticket. Well, what about all the warnings about mercury in fish? Okay then, flaxseed’s good for you. Everybody says so. Yeah, flaxseed, that’s the ticket. Begging your pardon and all, but there’s a teensy problem with ...Fish oil’s good for you. Everybody says so. Yeah, fish oil, that’s the ticket. Well, what about all the warnings about mercury in fish? Okay then, flaxseed’s good for you. Everybody says so. Yeah, flaxseed, that’s the ticket.

Perhaps you noticed that I didn’t joined “The sky is falling!” crowd worried about fallout from Japan’s triple disasters. You know, like the warnings to start gobbling down potassium iodide by the handful. Well, actually, while iodide’s great stuff, potassium iodide is a kinda cheap form of it, and getting too much can backfire on your thyroid–among other body parts. Cheap never pays off. And taking action only after disaster strikes, while better than nothing I guess, doesn’t really get the job done. Nutritional supplements don’t play a very good game of catch-up.

It’s not the brisk, cold weather that contributes to sniffles and sneezes during those cold, winter months; it’s the fact that people tend to be inside more, and more readily exposed to other peoples’ germs and viruses. Every year, employers lose about $20 billion in paid sick days, and countless people suffer through lethargic episodes of cold and flu. Staying out in the cold weather won’t give you a cold, but it can weaken your immune system and be a challenge to ke

Thyroid treatment fell apart in the 1960s. That’s when thyroid blood tests and Synthroid first appeared. Doctors hailed the blood tests as a means of making thyroid treatment scientific. Blood tests eliminated the need to deal with symptoms, which, as any thyroid patient can tell you, are many. The problems with this approach went unmentioned. First, the TSH test has little science behind it and came into use based on a vote by endocrinologists. While docors swear by it, results are unreliable. As are the results of the various T3 and T4 tests.

Exercise can kill you. Well, so can lots of other things, but people tout exercise as all good, all the time. Before couch potatoes get excited here, life as an inanimate object doesn’t get excellent results either. Well, then, obviously, some middle ground exists. However, since slugs receive unending, universal criticism while people who live at the gym reap admiration, I’ll talk about the exercise buffs. Exercise stresses the body. It builds free radicals, those natural enemies that rust out our various and sundry parts.

If you’ve read much of my stuff, you know that I do go on–and on–about the evils of soy. Why is soy bad? Besides stealing all your minerals, giving you kidney stones and depressing your thyroid function something fierce, soy is, among other things, estrogenic. That is, it adds bogus estrogen to your system. The bogus estrogen takes over, your real estrogen becomes homeless and wanders around causing problems. Read on to see what I mean by ‘problems.’ Scary stuff. And soy isn’t the only thing that floods us with pseudo estrogen.

Gather round and hear the story of how we’re losing a war to an enemy most people don’t know about. The whole thing started in the 1930s when chemical poobahs decided to create a synthetic form of estrogen and make boodles of money with it. And so it was that they created Bisphenol A (BPA). But shortly thereafter the wheels fell off their plan. Turned out their toxic creation did a number on women, even bumping some of them off. Not to worry! Quickly leaping to Plan B, they started spreading the toxin far and wide. And so began the war–and we’re losing.

The short answer is, for people with endocrine problems, detoxing is a foe. Let’s talk about it. Our endocrine system and our gastrointestinal system–that part of us we’re thinking of detoxing–are joined, in a manner of speaking, at the hip. You can’t affect one without affecting the other. Big time. Your gastro system can cause your endo system to falter; your endo system can likewise do a real number on your gastro system. Which makes it sound like cleaning things up can only be good, right?

Although they look tiny, cumin seeds pack a punch when it comes to flavor and nutritional benefits. Extensively used in Indian, Asian, African, and Latin American culinary practices, cumin has a very distinct nutty and peppery flavor. Scientifically known as Cuminum Cyminum, the small oblong spice belongs to the Apiaceae flower family and is native from the east Mediterranean to South Asia. This dried seed has been used for millennia as a traditional ingredient in numerous

Half of us have thyroid problems, mostly undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. A whacked out thyroid tends to drag down the whole endocrine system, of which it is a part. In turn, a misbehaving endocrine system can drag along all kinds of stuff. Stuff you’d never in a million years figure out had anything to endocrine issues. For one instance, allergies get an open invitation to drop by any time. And mercy me, drop by they do. And stay.

My doctor no longer practices medicine, so I had to find another. Like most long-time thyroid patients, I’ve been through the proverbial mill. I knew for sure I didn’t want to be bullied into taking Synthroid, which most doctors prefer–even though it doesn’t work. I found a listing for doctors who prescribe Armour thyroid, the medicine that does work, found a doctor near me and made an appointment. I signed in and handed my information–my list of supplements and one medication (Armour thyroid), a very brief medical history and my two current concerns–to the receptionist.

Overview Listeriosis is a food-borne infection or illness which is caused by bacterium Listeria monocytogenes . Healthy people usually experience minor to no symptoms if and when exposed to bacteria. Listeriosis affects people with compromised immune systems, especially the elderly, pregnant females and their foetus and new-borns. Listeria bacteria are not contagious, and except for pregnant women and their foetus or new-born, there is no direct transfer of Listeria from huma

I’m talking killers, and I’m talking about you. You have natural killers in you. And these natural killers are a good thing. A very good thing. Which is why I’m going to talk about how to keep your natural killers in top shape, ready for action. First, let’s talk about the company your killers hang out with. Natural killer cells are part of the endocrine system–thyroid, adrenals, etc–a bunch of glands that pretty much determine how good we feel. And these guys are a tight group.

50% of the U.S. population has thyroid problems, most of which go undiagnosed. I don’t have worldwide statistics, but I can’t imagine they differ by much, if at all. And the numbers keep heading up! Yikes! And the thyroid never suffers alone. When one endocrine gland, such as the thyroid, goes down, the rest–adrenals, pancreas, gonads, etc.–all jump in to help out. If the problem goes on long enough, they all go south. So let’s look at just a few of the unexpected causes of thyroid malfunction.

A fellow-attendee at a Bible study I attend, a self-professed mature Christian, said her sister had always been a Christian. While the sister had been a Buddhist and a few other religions from time to time and currently lives a life high in hedonism and low in integrity, she “has always been a Christian.” Well, what kind of nonsense is that? Christians live their lives by the power of the Holy Spirit, who’s not the least inclined to tolerate such things, let alone endorse them. Where did we go off the tracks to reach this dismal idea? Let me suggest three things:

The pancreas is below our stomach, front and center, near the bottom of the rib cage. It may be the busiest twelve inches going. First off, just to make things more complicated (and who in the world thought that was necessary?), the pancreas is both an exocrine and an endocrine organ. The exocrine part comes with the necessary tubing to send digestive enzymes to their designated destination.

I ran into an acquaintance at a conference the other day. We got to talking about vitamins. (Somehow I always end up talking about vitamins; I could bore a stone.) Doctors recently installed her second pacemaker. She said her ejection fraction–the force with which her heart pumps blood–was ten. Normal is fifty and north; zero is dead. Lunch came with the conference, and she wondered if she dared eat anything since the doctor told her to avoid salt.

Jane asks: "Will you please write about neuropathic pain and ways to alleviate it?" Neuropathic pain, a form of neuropathy, comes from nerve damage that causes pain, tingling, and burning–alternately or all at the same time. Some liken it to electrical shocks. It's estimated that more than twenty million Americans suffer from neuropathy. That's a whole bunch of pain! Treatment varies by the cause, so doing some detective work on your own improves the outcome. Maybe even determines whether the damage is permanent or temporary. Causes of neuropathy

Milk and cookies make a great snack, right? Well, maybe not so much. Besides the fact the cookies almost certainly have high fructose corn syrup in them, everyday milk is a killer. Literally. I mean, you don’t keel over right away, but take it from me, you’re asking for trouble. Here’s the deal: Factory farms give hormones to their cows to force greater milk production. This changes the composition of the milk, reducing its nutritional value. The hormones also give the cows mastitis. Not a problem! Just shoot ‘em up with antibiotics. That’s the ticket.

A Quick Preamble: Your immune system is truly fascinating in its’ complexity…it’s certainly one of the most complicated and hardest working systems of the amazing biological machine that we know as the human body – your body – but it can be quite delicate and is often easily stressed and even completely compromised when an over-abundance of pathogens, viruses or parasites are introduced into your body… …but it isn’t all doom and gloom because if you ‘live’

Problems of the endocrine system are everywhere, often unacknowledged and untreated by most doctors. People talk freely about the thyroid, and they should; it’s estimated 40% of us have thyroid problems. Adrenal fatigue is in style–and uglier than massive shoulder pads ever were–so we’re ...Problems of the endocrine system are everywhere, often unacknowledged and untreated by most doctors. People talk freely about the thyroid, and they should; it’s estimated 40% of us have thyroid problems.

We have two adrenal glands, each perched atop a kidney. With your spine dividing your back in two, you can locate a kidney in the middle of each half, with the bottom of the kidney right around the bottom of your rib cage. A few inches above that sits an adrenal gland, topping the kidney like a little beanie.

So, there you are, dragging your patooty through one grey day after another, wondering where your brain went, why your body aches and if you’ll ever feel good again. Even if your doctor checked for thyroid problems, and the flaky blood tests actually found the problem, you probably ended up on the ineffective medicine Synthroid or its generic equivalent. It helps almost nobody. But you don’t have to be hypothyroid to lack energy and joy. Perhaps your thyroid’s in a world of hurt because of what you’ve been doing to it, but it’ll work if you let it.

People in the health biz throw around the lingo as if everybody has a clue. Well, some do, but some don’t. And even those that do may recognize the word without understanding its meaning. So, lets talk some terminology. Especially about things that drag us down–including body parts that insist on going south–and not just for the winter. We can wrap up disease and aging in just a few words. Not, of course, all the intricacies and complications, but words that should grab out attention and move us to action.

We moved a lot, so I went to ten schools in twelve years. I was always the new kid. Take it from me, most teachers are a whole lot less than delighted when the new kid turns out to be a loud, energetic tomboy who doesn’t pay attention, but still scores the highest test grades. As if that weren’t enough, I exhibited a symptom of my whacked-out adrenals (a problem yet to be discovered) that few people know about: I sighed a lot. Totally involuntary. I didn’t even realize I was doing it.

The latest thing in medicine is the ‘fact’ that all medicine is based on solid, scientific evidence. Excuse me? At least 70% of all medical practice has no scientific basis, relying instead on tradition, rumor and best guess. Meanwhile, doctors, according to the latest statistics available, kill 1200 patients a month with the medicines they prescribe. Obviously, their evidence doesn’t come with a ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ requirement.

Doesn’t just about everybody like chicken? And doesn’t it bring up memories of the family around the table, enjoying a wholesome meal and good family time? Chicken’s the inexpensive choice, with thousands upon thousands of recipes singing its praises. Well, those were the good old days. I hate to be the one to break the bad news, but they’ve gone and messed with good old chicken.

Wanna choose sides in the latest autism war? One side says the mother’s lack of Vitamin D during pregnancy causes autism, while the other side says it’s the glutamate that’s in the many immunization shots babies and young children receive. Let’s take a look-see. Autism comes from brain ...Wanna choose sides in the latest autism war? One side says the mother’s lack of Vitamin D during pregnancy causes autism, while the other side says it’s the glutamate that’s in the many immunization shots babies and young children receive. Let’s take a look-see.

Back in the olden days–say 1960–doctors diagnosed thyroid problems by asking about symptoms, then working to alleviate them. Simple system, that. And it worked for the 20% of the population with flaky thyroid glands. Ah, but then blood tests, purportedly able to diagnose thyroid ...Back in the olden days–say 1960–doctors diagnosed thyroid problems by asking about symptoms, then working to alleviate them. Simple system, that. And it worked for the 20% of the population with flaky thyroid glands.

The government’s food pyramid and leading poobahs recommend that we eat very little protein, which is a no-science, no-facts recipe for disaster. In fact, most politically-correct thinking about health leads to poor health, even disease and death. How much protein you need is a case in point. Without protein, your body’s in a world of hurt. Your brain doesn’t work. Your endocrine system doesn’t work. Your digestion doesn’t work. In short, you feel really crummy.

Have you been reading about phthalate? (Phthal as in thal, rhymes with Hal.) Yikes! Talk about your basic poison! This stuff is murder! Phthalate is a “softener” added to plastics, cosmetics and everything else they can lay their hands on. It goes without saying that it knocks the endocrine ...Have you been reading about phthalate? (Phthal as in thal, rhymes with Hal.) Yikes! Talk about your basic poison! This stuff is murder! Phthalate is a “softener” added to plastics, cosmetics and everything else they can lay their hands on.

Most of us know that our bodies create insulin to handle the sugary treats we eat. And most of us know we get diabetes if our insulin can’t get the job done. What few of us know is what happens when insulin does its job too well. It’s hypoglycemia, low blood sugar, and it’s the pits. I’ve been there and done that, and there’s nothing I can say to recommend it.

Bette Dowdell Medicine is a mess. Doctors don’t even try to heal chronic illnesses, content to treat symptoms instead. Probably because that’s all they learned in medical school. But it means their patients--that's us--drag through life, out of gas, running on fumes. Even worse, while some doctors are just bad doctors, more are totally hemmed in by regulations–from government and insurance companies, both of which are in cahoots with Big Pharma.

Perhaps you’re familiar with setting modern indoor speed records to get to the bathroom. And maybe you know about foods racing through your system, stopping only long enough to liquify before demanding “Out! Out!” I could go on, but if you spend time thinking about your digestive activities, you don’t need details. Since the digestive and endocrine systems are closely related–they’re even talking about declaring the digestive system to be part of the endocrine system–digestion is a huge problem.

Fibers are among of the main classes of macronutrients that our body needs in order to stay healthy. They are a key nutrient that helps us maintain a good activity of our intestinal tract, lower the blood sugar levels, and even lose the extra pounds we have. They promote a good internal activity by absorbing the extra water that hinders the passage of unnecessary products.rnThus, fibers are essential for a quality lifestyle. However, few people really take advantage of this s

Some years back, about thirty or so, the medicos labeled the sun an enemy agent. We all needed to slather on sun screen all day, every day, or risk dying of melanoma in slightly more than a trice. If, like me, you’ve lost a loved one to melanoma, you reacted quickly and positively, making sun screen a regular part of your daily routine. And melanoma rates skyrocketed.

Did you know that some animals produce their own Vitamin C? They never get heart disease. No atherosclerosis. No heart attacks. Just singing a song all the day long. Sad to report, humans aren’t part of that happy group. Heart disease runs rampant amongst humans. Hark, Sherlock, might that not ...Did you know that some animals produce their own Vitamin C? They never get heart disease. No atherosclerosis. No heart attacks. Just singing a song all the day long.

Senator Patrick Lehman and Representative Henry Waxman rush about, day after day, year after year, to do Big Pharma’s bidding. Let’s talk about where this takes us. Big Pharma, the major pharmaceutical companies, is about money. They advertise their wares as wonders created especially to improve your health. In reality, not so much.

I’m one of five siblings, and we’ve all had heart surgery. Like most people with heart problems, none of us ever had any of the so-called risk factors. No high cholesterol. No high triglycerides. No high blood pressure. Nothing. My ‘turn’ arrived on Christmas Eve, 2005. Of course, nobody worked on Christmas Day, so my stent had to wait a day. You couldn’t say anybody showed a sense of urgency. Knowing what I know now, I wish I had seen that as a big-time clue and taken a pass on surgery. But, with a family history replete with death by heart attack, I didn’t.

A dismayed grandmother said her precious grandson was diagnosed and treated as autistic–when, in fact, he has lyme disease. She reports that a recent study said 90% of California kids diagnosed with autism actually had lyme. Then she asked the jackpot question: How come doctors don’t know ...A dismayed grandmother said her precious grandson was diagnosed and treated as autistic–when, in fact, he has lyme disease. She reports that a recent study said 90% of California kids diagnosed with autism actually had lyme. Then she asked the jackpot question: How come doctors don’t know better?

I read that the Massachusetts Senate passed a bill mandating vaccinations of all sorts. And if the good citizens of Massachusetts decline the honor, they get smacked with a $1000 a day fine. Now, Massachusetts proudly passed socialized medicine statutes a few years back, so the Senators obviously think the fact of being elected to public office gives them the right to tell other people how to live their lives. But politicians, never the sharpest knives in the drawer, often get it wrong. Mandated vaccinations provide only the latest example of governmental overreach.

What if you knew your thoughts could make you well? Or they could make you sick? What if you knew that changing your thoughts you could reverse cancer? What if you knew your thought “I just want to get sick just so I could take a break” would make you sick? Would you change your thoughts? I’m going to share with you the power of your thoughts. As with any power, it can be used for good or bad. Our thoughts are the difference between vibrant health and lackluster “just getting by.” Which will you choose? The Dark Side of Our Thoughts

What with all the publicity it’s getting lately, it probably won’t come as news to you that coconut oil’s pretty astonishing stuff. A medium-chain saturated fat, wondrous coconut oil blesses the socks off your body. First, since our endocrine system makes its hormones from saturated fat, coconut oil can give sagging glands a boost. Improved metabolism, anybody? More energy? A pumped-up immune system? Coconut oil makes a big endocrine difference.

Super foods, by definition, have more nutrition per ounce than your average health food. Most health foods strut around, proud as a peacock of their power and glory, but when a super food shows up, they fold up their tails and take a back seat. Now, I’m talking a real super food. Some people get all giddy and call anything with a trace of nutrition a super food. Not a chance. Even many of the foods known for their nutritional power, blueberries, for instance, can’t really be called super foods. Good, yes. Super, well no.

Mold is my enemy, and it’s everywhere! In fact, it lives in all the soil, in all the world. Well, you ask, if mold lives in the dirt, how can it jump up and attack? Ah, my little chickadee, it has no need to do anything. The gentlest breeze wafts mold spores into the air where they weasel their way into my body. At which point my very annoyed body yells, “How many times do I have to tell you I’m allergic to mold?” Excuses about how I couldn’t help it get me nowhere.

Parsley is the Rodney Dangerfield of herbs; it gets no respect. Probably not even from Rodney Dangerfield. We’re talking NO respect. Once upon a time, most restaurants used parsley as a perky, colorful accompaniment on your plate, whatever you ordered. Most eaters ignored it, though, pretty much ending the parsley era. We need to reconsider our attitude here. Parsley is a nutritional powerhouse. And, better yet, a little dab’ll do ya. In fact, it would be hard to munch through a dollar’s worth in a week.

Our thymus gland, leader of the immune system’s world, starts out strong, but as the years go by, sayeth the poobahs, it becomes a shadow of its former self, ending as just a few, lonely fat cells with no power, no glory. And that’s when cancer and other bad guys take us down. This is just the way it is, they claim, and nothing can be done. “Just normal aging,” they say. Well, nuts to that!

What is PrEP? PrEP stands for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis and is a way to help prevent HIV in people who are at substantial risk of contracting it by taking medication on a daily basis. The pill, which is used to prevent infection, is called truvada and contains a combination of two medicines, emtricitabine and tenofovir, often used to treat HIV in combination with other treatments. For people who may have been exposed to the virus through intravenous drug use or unprotected s

Did you ever wonder how your body protects itself from disease? More important, did you ever wonder how you could help get the job done? Well, you probably know that your immune system leads the battle against diseases. And you may even know this defense system is the most complicated system in your body. For one thing, the immune system is but one part of the ultra-confusing endocrine system. Half the world has a wonky endocrine system, and most aren’t getting much help from medicine.