December 2006

Flu Prevention and Treatment

A pressing need at this time of the year is an effective strategy for influenza. How can we prevent flu and other respiratory illnesses? If we come down with an illness, what can we to do to shorten the duration and recover as quickly as possible? A good place to start discussing this subject is the whole question of why there is such thing as a “flu season”. We all know that people tend to get sicker in the winter, but surprisingly there is no reasonable explanation in conventional medicine as to why this should be so. Through the years, I have heard that people are inside more in the winter therefore they spread viruses more readily in the winter. Somehow, having been on crowded trains in the summer has led me to doubt the accuracy of this conclusion.Something, though, is unquestionably different in the winter that exposes us to more sickness. There is one overwhelming factor that provides evidence for this winter sickness effect, and that is vitamin D, the chemical/hormone we produce in response to sun exposure. Clearly, vitamin D levels drop in the winter which, as we’ve discussed before, produce a number of consequences. Perhaps the most serious of these consequences is a drop in mineral/calcium absorption which then lowers the pH of the tissues. As a result, the tissues become more inflamed and susceptible to infection. Vitamin D, being a steroid hormone, may also have independent affects on immunity and resistance, a fact that is being borne out by the explosion of new research on the effects of vitamin D. Many of these studies can be accessed through the vitamin D council website, www.vitamindcouncil.com, which provides a more thorough documentation of the science of vitamin D.

My current strategy for preventing winter sickness and flu is to have all my patients take the cod liver oil/butter oil mixture from Green Pastures (available from Radiant Life or drrons.com) and, on top of this, add 2,000 IU/day of plain Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Then at the first sign of a cold or flu I have my patients take an additional 20,000 IU of vitamin D3, as a one-time dose, then continue with the cod liver oil/butter oil mixture, stopping the extra D3, and then repeat the one-time 20,000 IU dose after one week if they are not totally better.

In addition, I have found that taking preventative doses of Echinacea premium tablets from Mediherb (a division of Standard Process), 2 tablets per day, along with the Standard Process Immuplex 2 capsules twice per day has helped many of my patients decrease the frequency and/or severity of their colds and flus. Again, if in spite of this one does get sick, in addition to the above vitamin D3 protocol I give a three-day course of Echinacea (or Andrographis comp — also from Mediherb), 3 tablets, 4 times per day and switch the Immuplex to the acute version called Congaplex, given at a dose of 3 capsules, 4-6 times per day for three days. Many times, we can break the flu cycle with this protocol and convert a 2-3 week ordeal with an subsequent bronchitis to a less harmful, less onerous course of the illness. This protocol is especially helpful for children who tend to get sick, and for the elderly for whom sickness is often more of a burden.

These medicines can be obtained through any health care practitioner who works with Standard Process medicines.

Loving What Is (Byron Katie)

One of the most profound mysteries I have experienced is why my patients who fight against their illness seem to have so much trouble, while those who come to insight and acceptance tend to do better. My wife, Lynda, recently introduced me to the work of Byron Katie after attending a workshop with her at the San Quentin prison, where Lynda teaches Non-Violent Communication classes to the inmates. The concepts, “the work,” presented in this book are worth including in any discussion of a holistic approach to medicine and perhaps help shed a little light on this mystery.

The first hurdle to cross in Byron Katie’s book is the most important and perplexing: Is it really correct to love what is? This is an especially poignant and important question in a medical context. Is it true that, if you suffer from crippling and painful rheumatoid arthritis, you should “love” this situation with all its attendant pain and disability? Or what if you have life-threatening cancer or heart disease? Does this mean you’re supposed to love that as well? After all, this is “what is”. Interestingly, popular culture and conventional thinking tell us that patients who do best are those who fight against their disease. We are never supposed to accept this sickness, which is tantamount to giving up.

Or what about the inmates at San Quentin? Are they supposed to love their life in what are unquestionably inhumane and degrading circumstances? Isn’t it even a little arrogant for those in good health and relatively well-off to preach to those less fortunate that they should love their unfortunate situation?

The question of “loving what is” is also a practical matter for us. Many patients come to me precisely because they are unhappy with their health and want to make positive changes in their lives. Am I supposed to say, “It’s fine, just love your pain, you’ll be fine”.

Obviously, this subject is very complex. Through a series of directed questions that Katie has developed, she leads the reader in the discovery of the deeper meaning in any of the events that happen to us, the so-called positive or negative events. In fact, on deeper inspection through these questions, we see the whole concept of positive or negative events evaporate and begin to see life as amazing series of spiritually meaningful events. Through her questions, the reader gets deeper into meaning, purpose and true insights into our lives. Over time, using these questions as guides, Katie describes how you will begin to come to acceptance about your life, seeing your own life as a kind of spiritual journey full of joy and purpose. Using these questions to examine pain and illness can leads you to understanding, joy and profound insight into your life.

This stands in direct opposition to the approach that counsels us to “fight” our illness. I can only say that in my 20-plus years of medical practice, I am inclined to believe that Katie’s approach is by far the most productive in the actual recovery from illness. In fact, it seems to be true that my patients who fight against their illness seem to have so much trouble, while those who come to insight and acceptance tend to do better. There is no obvious reason why this should be so but I have seen it many, many times in my practice. Loving What Is is one of the tools we can use in our healing, as we practice acceptance and insight in our daily lives.

For more information on Byron Katie, visit The Work website.

Recipe: Chicken Soup with Wild Rice

This is a hearty, thick, nourishing soup perfect for winter. You can add more broth for a thinner soup.

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup wild rice
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 Tablespoon yogurt
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil, schmaltz or other fat
  • 1 onion, diced or one large leek, cut into rounds
  • 3 stalks celery, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 1 quart chicken broth (see page XX), or more for a thinner soup (you can also thin it out with water)
  • 1 bouquet garni (an herb bundle tied with string) including a bay leaf and any or all of the following: a sprig of thyme, a sprig of sage, a sprig of parsley, a rosemary stem
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • about 1 cup of chicken, either cooked or raw, cut into bite-sized pieces

Procedure:

  1. Put the wild rice in a jar and add the water and yogurt. Place in a warm place and allow to sit for at least 7 hours.
  2. In a heavy bottomed pot, heat the oil or fat over medium heat. When the fat is hot, add the onion or leek and sauté until it begins to turn translucent.
  3. Add the celery and sauté for a minute or two, then add the carrots and continue sautéing for a few minutes.
  4. Strain the wild rice and rinse thoroughly. Add to the sauté along with the broth, the bouquet garni, and the salt.
  5. Turn heat to high, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
  6. Simmer, covered, over low heat until the wild rice is soft.
  7. Add chicken and simmer a few minutes more.
  8. Remove bouquet garni and add salt and pepper to taste.

Full Moon Feast BookFull Moon Feast: Food and the Hunger for Connection — book by Jessica Prentice

Jessica Prentice is both a professional chef and a passionate home cook. She currently conducts cooking classes, writes a monthly New Moon Newsletter on her Wise Food Ways website, and offers monthly Full Moon Feasts in the Bay Area. She is a Bay Area chapter head for the Weston A Price Foundation for wise traditions in food, farming, and the healing arts, and a founding member of Three Stone Hearth, a community kitchen in the Bay area. Her new book, Full Moon Feast, is about food and culture.

Recipe adapted from Full Moon Feast: Food and the Hunger for Connection by Jessica Prentice. Copyright Jessica Prentice 2006 Chelsea Green Publishing Co. Used with permission.