Browse Immune System and Immunity Enhancement

Medical research is beginning to look more and more like an old Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney movie. A problem rears its ugly head, our plucky protagonists put on a show, the amazingly talented cast of friends and neighbors sings and dances its way to the finale–after which everybody lives happily ever after. Or maybe they rolled the credits before reality set in. That’s what’s happening in medicine. Let’s talk about a recent example.

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.

Laminine is an extract derived from fertilized organic hen eggs at a critical stage of incubation (on the 9th day). The use of fertilized egg extracts in medicine and nutrition dates back to 1929, and scientific studies on this unique supplement have been published in numerous peer-review jou als. Laminine is fat-free and cholesterol-free, as it is a lyophilized (freeze-dried) undenatured extract of the whites of hen's eggs raised under organic or free-range standards in Norway, where salmonella is virtually non-existent.

Our most well-known endocrine gland is the thyroid. Not nearly as well known is the fact that half the population has thyroid problems, mostly undiagnosed or mistreated. The thyroid, a butterfly-shaped gland located by your Adam’s apple, controls metabolism and affects everything else. You may know about the weight problems, hair loss, brain fog, depression, extreme fatigue, etc. that accompany an underperforming thyroid gland. Some of you have experienced the living on the edge sensation of an overactive thyroid.

Synthetic estrogens create a huge toxic threat to our health. These estrogens form an advancing army that surrounds us. And we risk our health–even our lives–if we don’t learn what they are and how to avoid them. Bogus estrogens have cut the average testosterone level in half in the last forty years. They cause prostate and breast cancer. They provoke premature puberty in our children.

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.

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:

Quite a few of you responded to the 2014 “What Should Bette Write About” Contest saying you wanted me to continue to write about how the endocrine system works. Well, murder mysteries never go out of style, and neither do the mysteries of the endocrine system. According to studies, 50% of us have endocrine problems of some sort--rarely diagnosed, even more rarely successfully treated, meaning we’re on our own. We can either stay in our misery or learn how to get out of the ditch.

Conventional wisdom says coffee’s bad. Doctors agree. Magazines second the motion. You can hardly find a kind word about coffee. Which is just a tad bizarre because coffee is a health drink. Since nearly 90% of the U. S. population drinks the stuff, this comes under the heading of good ...Conventional wisdom says coffee’s bad. Doctors agree. Magazines second the motion. You can hardly find a kind word about coffee. Which is just a tad bizarre because coffee is a health drink. Since nearly 90% of the U. S. population drinks the stuff, this comes under the heading of good news.

Vitamin D, the Immune System, and Heart Attack and Atherosclerosis The June 9, 2008 issue of Archives of Inte al Medicine published by the American Medical Association presented the finding of Harvard researchers that men who have deficient vitamin D levels have a greater risk of myocardial infarction (heart ... Vitamin D and Heart Attack and Atherosclerosis

DIETARY SOURCES OF GLUTATHIONE: article found at: dietary sources of glutathione Glutathione (GSH) is an antioxidant and detoxifying agent whose protective role has been demonstrated in numerous clinical studies. GSH is synthesized rapidly in the liver, kidneys, and other tissues of the body, ...DIETARY SOURCES OF GLUTATHIONE: article found at: dietary sources of glutathione

Busting The Myth On The 5-Second Rule Did you know that most mascara contains chemicals associated with developmental and reproductive toxicity? Or that the parabens in your shampoo are linked to cancer? Did you know that the Teflon on your non-stick pan can disrupt your immune system? Did you know that the canned tomatoes you put in your chili tonight are laced with endocrine disrupting bisphenol A? Scary but true.

Pity the poor novice who innocently walks into a ‘with it’ church to worship. They expect to hear a little music, perhaps a reading from the Bible and somebody talking about God. But in the ‘Church of What’s Happnin’ Now,’ these stunned, would-be ...Pity the poor novice who innocently walks into a ‘with it’ church to worship. They expect to hear a little music, perhaps a reading from the Bible and somebody talking about God.

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!

Gather round as I tell you about something so important that it controls almost everything that goes on inside your body, but so secret that almost nobody knows about it. Oh, a few may know the name of it, but they couldn’t explain it to you–even if you offered them a million dollars. What is this important, mysterious thing? Your endocrine system.

A while back, Dr. Steve Nissen, president of the American College of Cardiology, along with ten other prominent physicians, offered an outstanding proposal that would immeasurably improve medical care in this country. And what is this great idea? Take control of medicine back from Big Pharma, who have all but destroyed it, and let doctors practice medicine with excellence. See, a most admirable idea. So excellent an idea, in fact, that it doesn’t stand a chance. Zip, zero, nada, as they say.

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.

When it comes to thriving with a chronic illness such as an auto-immune disease and overcoming fatigue, I find most people want a silver bullet. People want just one thing they can do to feel better. In many respects, diet seems to be the easiest, or at least the first one people reach for. I did when trying to heal from multiple sclerosis and re-energize.

Chances that you have endocrine problems are fifty-fifty. It could well be that’s why you feel lower than a snake’s belly. How can that be? How do endocrine problems happen? Let me count the ways. First, let’s look at the pituitary, the master of the endocrine system. The Pituitary Society says 20% of us have pituitary tumors, most of which, thankfully, are benign. As if that’s not bad enough, study in Europe says 25% of us have pituitary tumors.

All proteins are not created equal. For instance, animal protein provides more health benefits than plant protein. To make the imbalance larger, a lot of plant protein comes from soy. Besides not having the oomph of animal protein, soy is really hard on the body. It beats up your thyroid, absorbs needed minerals from your body, causes kidney stones, throws your hormones out of whack with bogus estrogen, and on, and on. And most soy is genetically-modified. While we won’t know the results of this medical experiment for years, ominous signs about damaging our DNA are everywhere.

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.

Babies show the world what selfish looks like. On a whim, they set up a wail loud enough to wake the dead–or at least it sounds that way at 2:00 a.m. No matter that others may be tired or sick or have to go to work. Babies want what they want when they want it. So stop sniveling. Some ...Babies show the world what selfish looks like. On a whim, they set up a wail loud enough to wake the dead–or at least it sounds that way at 2:00 a.m. No matter that others may be tired or sick or have to go to work. Babies want what they want when they want it. So stop sniveling.

The gonads, testes and ovaries, play a huge role in how the endocrine system works. And we seem to be doing everything we can to put them on the disabled list. We need to talk about this. Everybody has–and needs–estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. Now, obviously men and women, boys and girls have different levels of these hormones. But who knows how long that’s going to last? Testosterone levels have fallen way, way down over the last forty years or so. Estrogen levels, meanwhile, have skyrocketed.

Michelle Obama is taking a star turn about putting salad bars into schools. One look at the cast of characters supporting this idea makes it obvious the salad bar hype isn’t about health or children or anything else one can praise. This misbegotten idea is about control Let’s look at this. • The abysmal nutritional value of today’s school lunches is mandated by the federal government. If nutrition is the goal here, the first step should be getting rid of the heavy burden of regulations that make good nutrition impossible. But, no.

To most of us, talking about hormones means estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. True enough, they’re hormones, and we all have all of them. Men, women and children have them, in different proportions of course, but none of us can make it without all three working together. But these three aren’t even half the hormone story, just a small part of the endocrine system–the system that keeps life’s wheels turning. And every part of it creates hormones.

Perhaps you read about the death of John Jackson, of West Midands, England. The 40-year-old Mr. Jackson, unable to work because of advanced liver cirrhosis, the result of years of heavy drinking, is said to have died from eating mints. How could mints, specifically Hero Instant Energy Mints, kill him? Well, sayeth the poobahs, it was all the caffeine in the mints–82mg per mint.

Enough with the fluoride already! Communities began adding fluoride to our drinking water based on “scientific” studies–which turned out to be bogus–claiming fluoride would protect our teeth from cavities. Based on the same “science,” companies put the stuff in toothpaste. Fact is, fluoride ...Enough with the fluoride already! Communities began adding fluoride to our drinking water based on “scientific” studies–which turned out to be bogus–claiming fluoride would protect our teeth from cavities. Based on the same “science,” companies put the stuff in toothpaste.

Are you ready for more advice on how to reduce stress this holiday season? Yeah, I didn't think so. Well don’t worry - this is not going to be another cheery, oh just breath through it, article about surviving the holidays. We all know there is stress, too many gifts to buy, too much alcohol, too much food and too much family induced anxiety this time of year. Unless you go live in a cave, you aren’t going to avoid this. So stop trying. Speaking of which, maybe I’ll just book a vacation to the Mayan ruins for the month of December. Hold on a minute . . .

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.

I tell you true, our bodies are a wonder. Leading the parade of wonder is our endocrine system, a model of intricate cooperation. Part of the endocrine system, the immune system, is a complex mystery all on its own. And a part of the immune system, the lymphatic system, raises mind-boggling to a whole new level. So you'll probably be happy to hear that I'm not going to try to march you through the swamp of how it all works. But we do need to know a few things.

It’s a much mourned fact of life that watching exercise videos doesn't build muscles. Couch potatoes who can legitimately boast about six-pack abs don’t exist. Reading bodybuilding books doesn't get the job done, either. Reading can take us on many wondrous journeys of the mind, ...It’s a much mourned fact of life that watching exercise videos doesn't build muscles. Couch potatoes who can legitimately boast about six-pack abs don’t exist.

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.

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?

One of the many miseries that can accompany a whacked-out thyroid–or any member of the endocrine system, for that matter–is muscle pain. Your muscles knot up. They lose flexibility. You creak like you’re 102. And through it all, you ache. One thing for sure, you don’t want to learn to live like that the rest of your days. Holding on to pain comes under the heading of truly bad ideas. So, what to do?

What’s up with the lamebrains who speak in the potty-mouth dialect without even a hint of a thought about how others will receive their message? If you’re in sales in any way, this one’s for you. Step this through with me: Unless we’re speaking to ourselves (which is another topic for another day), when we speak or write, at least one other person gets involved by listening or reading. And I would guess our purpose of speaking or writing would be to communicate with that other person or persons.

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.

So, here’s the situation: We’re thinking about making some changes in life, and we’re wondering how to spot the perfect time to act. Perfect timing means perfect success, right? Here's a news flash. There are no perfect times. There are bad times, good times, even excellent ...So, here’s the situation: We’re thinking about making some changes in life, and we’re wondering how to spot the perfect time to act. Perfect timing means perfect success, right?

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.

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.

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.

You know the world’s upside down when you have to cast a wary at popcorn. Popcorn! What in the world could be wrong with good old popcorn? Well, they’ve gone and messed with it, that’s what. It’s not the simple, innocent, family treat of yesteryear. First off, corn ranks number two in genetically-modified foods. (Soy is first.) They’ll tell you they monkey with it to make it better, but if you believe that, be prepared to pay up for a bridge in Brooklyn, too.

Cervantes said, "Faint heart ne'er won fair lady." As a matter of fact, a faint heart never won much of anything. But put a little determination and will into that heart, and it can shoot the moon. What you hear, though, is that parents should prefer the faint heart, that is, the passive heart. ...Cervantes said, "Faint heart ne'er won fair lady." As a matter of fact, a faint heart never won much of anything. But put a little determination and will into that heart, and it can shoot the moon.

You want dumb as a brick? You want too dense to get out of their own way? Get yourself some sheep. Quarry rocks have higher IQs than sheep. In any cavalcade of dumb things, sheep always lead the parade. Animal lovers argue about animal intelligence. Pigs, they say, are really intelligent. ...You want dumb as a brick? You want too dense to get out of their own way? Get yourself some sheep. Quarry rocks have higher IQs than sheep. In any cavalcade of dumb things, sheep always lead the parade.

We're surrounded by health enemies, and that's a fact. Trouble is, they seem like such a part of everyday life, we don't realize they might not be friends. One enemy was born in 1974, fluorescent lights. First, it was long tubes; now it's curly-cue bulbs. Trouble, I say you've got trouble–because they all contain mercury. And they sit around giving off mercury vapors, even when they're off.

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.

Hydrocortisone, otherwise referred to as cortisol, is known to play vital functions in the body's response to threats. The glucocorticoid is primarily released to counter stress, and achieves that through a number of responses - increases blood sugar, represses the immune system, and increases metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and proteins.

The immune system is kind of a mystery. We don't hear much about where any of our immune system parts are, what they do, how they do whatever it is they do, etc. Well, maybe you've heard of lymph glands. Perhaps a huge lump showed up on the side of your neck–which, you decide, can only mean cancer. So, off you hie to see the doc, who tells you an allergy caused your tender-to-the-touch lump. You breathe a sigh of relief and get on with life, happy that it wasn't more serious.

Well, now, you probably think I’m talking about the odor, but no. Powerful as it is, the smell of garlic can’t hold a candle to all the wonders this homely herb can do. And garlic’s no newcomer on the block. Back in 3748 B.C., Egyptian slaves went on strike when they didn’t get their ration of garlic–which they believed gave them courage and strength. About 2500 years ago, Hippocrates recommended garlic for infections, wounds, cancer, leprosy and digestive disorders. The Talmud says good things about garlic as well.

We’ve all heard the old saying that goes, "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade." Now there’s a thought. We surely have to do something with the lemons as they come along. Sucking on lemons takes the enamel right off your teeth, so we don’t want to do that. Letting them ...We’ve all heard the old saying that goes, "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade." Now there’s a thought. We surely have to do something with the lemons as they come along.

I’ve been dealing with an underperforming pituitary gland most of my life–possibly from a seemingly minor head injury when a drunk driver hit my parent’s car during my eleventh month. However it happened, the deal is this: When the pituitary ain’t happy, ain’t ...I’ve been dealing with an underperforming pituitary gland most of my life–possibly from a seemingly minor head injury when a drunk driver hit my parent’s car during my eleventh month.