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Dear Friend,
It’s hard to believe that the holidays are upon us—and as such, I thought it would be fitting to begin this month’s newsletter in the spirit of kindness and compassion.
With all of the season’s stress—crowded malls, overbooked schedules, and money worries come to mind—it can be easy to forget the true importance of giving. That’s why I’d like to tell you a little bit about a new organization—Our Kids Sake—that I’ve had the pleasure of working with in anticipation of its recent launch.
Sadly, there are thousands of people across the country who will go without this year—without food, clean clothes, or even a place to call home. And even more heartbreakingly, many of them are homeless children, Our Kids Sake was founded in order to provide this vulnerable population with some of the most vital elements of a happy and healthy childhood—food, clothing, hygiene, health education, and even multi-vitamin support.
But we cannot fulfill this crucial mission without you. So how can you help?
First, I urge you to take just a few minutes of your time to view this eye-opening video highlighting the gravity of the problem these children face—matched only by their incredible resilience in the face of adversity. Share it with as many people as you can and please ask them to do the same. If you are in a position to do so, please make a contribution to the cause. Every donation, no matter how small, makes a difference in the life of one of these children in need.
Allow me to thank you in advance for devoting even a few minutes of your time to this worthy cause, as I understand all too well how busy this time of year can be—which brings me to the next topic I’d like to address this month.
When you think about it, it’s ironic that nature’s slowest and quietest season would play host to some of the most frantic and stressful days on the calendar. In fact, there’s no question that this problematic combination only paves the way to yet another of winter’s hallmark events—the return of cold and flu season.
Yes, it’s that time of year again—and your risk of exposure to either illness is reaching a four-month-long high right about now.
I’ve found that the most effective winter health strategy is three-pronged. By focusing on the different aspects of immune support—long-term prevention, short-term protection, and fighting active illness—you can ensure that all of your bases are covered. You’ll be less likely to get sick in the first place—and if you do come down with something, your symptoms are likely to be less severe and shorter-lived.
Staying healthy through diet, exercise, and stress reduction
Just as nature “sleeps” in the winter, so too should we look to winter as a time for our own conservation and reflection. Unfortunately, Western culture often has different goals in mind for this season.
The demands of holiday parties, shopping, travel, and preparation for festivities can rob us of rest just when we require it the most, adding additional stress into our lives and eventually running down our immune system. So it’s especially important during this time of year to take the time to unwind. Personally, I find activities like meditation and yoga to be the perfect antidote to tension and stress—but whatever activities appeal to you can work just as well, whether it’s music, art, or simply taking a walk.
Speaking of walking, even in the colder months, never underestimate the value of exercise. Regular activity will not only boost your mood and your energy, but it will also reinforce your immune system and help to keep your weight in check. Along these same lines, a healthy diet low in sugar and refined carbs and high in fresh fruit and veggies, along with plenty of clean fresh water (at least eight glasses a day) are also necessary elements of immune health.
More often than not, however, you’ll need more than just good habits on your side when you’re up against cold and flu season. In addition to a healthy lifestyle and plenty of rest, I also recommend several supplements to provide that extra level of protection.
Supplements for protection and recovery
As you probably already know, a daily dose of vitamin C is one of your easiest and most-effective weapons against illness. Vitamin C is a wonderful antioxidant, and 1,000 mg per day can have a tremendous influence on the state of your health. Zinc is another important antioxidant—this mineral supports your thymus gland, helping to regulate several aspects of your immune function. You’ll want to supplement with both of these important nutrients, which can usually be found in a good multivitamin.
Additionally, herbs such as Astragalus and Ginseng have also been shown to enhance and strengthen immunity. I like to use Padma Basic, a Tibetan formula with 19 different herbs that act synergistically to fight off inflammation and infection. While best known for its circulation benefits, several studies have demonstrated Padma’s ability to fight hepatic and lung infections in both children and adults.
Beyond that, a medicinal mushroom complex like Mycophyto Complex is one of your best sources of protection available, enhancing your immune function and helping your body to fight infection in the long-term. When it comes to cold and flu prevention, training your immune system against illness before you become sick is always the most effective approach—but medicinal mushrooms are unique in that they’re also of great benefit when your body is already under attack.
The mushrooms in the MycoPhyto Complex preparation (including Reishi, Maitake, and others) have been used effectively in traditional Chinese formulas for centuries, with each different variety having its own set of crucial applications. Modern research has revealed mushrooms’ ability to fight anything from fungal infections to heart disease and cancer—benefits which doctors and scientists have largely attributed to the boost they provide to your immune system.
Ideally, I advise all of my patients to begin their medicinal mushroom regimen with a loading dose—about double the recommended dosage on the label—for the first two to four weeks of use. This jumpstarts your immune system, and will ensure that you continue to reap the benefits of the smaller daily maintenance dosage throughout the cold and flu season—and once again, prevention is your best form of defense.
However, this type of double-dosage is also extremely beneficial in the presence of increased cold or flu risk (as with traveling) or in cases where you are already showing symptoms of sickness. This type of treatment is the second aspect of my stay-healthy strategy—namely, short-term protection. In cases where you find yourself in the line of fire, increasing the dosages of the supplements I’ve just mentioned will offer you extra protection.
This same type of strategy applies to fighting off colds and the flu once you’ve already caught them. When I am treating a patient who is already showing symptoms, I often advise taking the recommended dosage of MycoPhyto as frequently as every hour. With the help of this preparation, the cold will usually be gone in a short period of time.
Herbal treatment in the midst of a cold or the flu can prove a little trickier, since some herbs can drive an illness deeper. However, choices such as Echinacea and Goldenseal are especially effective against cold and flu symptoms, and can be used for support when you’re already sick.
Lastly, increasing your vitamin C dosages from one to three times daily, hydrating yourself properly, and getting plenty of rest can help you recover as quickly as possible.
A word about the flu shot
You may have noticed that I didn’t advocate one of the most popular forms of prevention: the flu shot. Indeed, this vaccine is the CDC’s most highly recommended method—but there are risks that you should be aware of before you decide to get one for yourself.
First, it’s important to remember that the flu vaccine is based on an educated guess, inoculating you against whatever strain of the flu epidemiological evidence suggests will present itself in any given year. This is not foolproof insurance, and it’s relatively common for a prediction to be wrong.
This fact is perhaps one reason why recent research has brought the effectiveness of the flu vaccine into question—especially in the particularly vulnerable elderly or immune-compromised population. In these groups (the precise ones that are urged by the CDC to get their flu shot every year), the benefits of the flu shot have been revealed to be marginal, leading myself and many other doctors to dismiss the continual endorsement of vaccination as being profit-oriented in nature. There’s no doubt about the money that’s being made off of these largely ineffective shots.
What’s more, most flu shots still use thimerosal—better known as mercury—as a preservative. A traditional flu vaccine can burden a small child’s body with as much as 50 times the amount of mercury labeled as safe by the EPA—a risk that has been implicated in the growing number of autism cases, among other conditions. So if you still choose to vaccinate yourself or your child, be sure to request the new thimerosal-free version instead. Click here to watch one of my videos entitled AreVaccines Too Dangerous For Kids?
Now that you have these guidelines to keep you and your family healthy this winter—and have learned how you can make a difference in homeless childrens’ lives through Our Kids Sake—I’d like to end this newsletter on a more personal note, by discussing the importance of the slowing down and introspection that nature offers us during this season.
Again, as the days get shorter, and the temperature drops, everything naturally slows down. But since most of us in the modern world live a very high-paced life of rushing and running, we often miss this vital opportunity to slow down, to look inside and find out who we really are. That’s when true healing begins.
In order to engage on an inward journey, the first step is to slow down. This allows us to touch the gap between actions, between thoughts, between the ongoing manifestations of our neurosis, and the ongoing chatter in our mind. What we find out is not always pleasant. The process of peeling layers off can be difficult, but the outcome is very rewarding. We become more aware of who we really are; while experiencing a greater degree of life, of freedom, and of genuine love and compassion.
Over the last two decades I have consistently taken time off during the winter for my own inward journey. It has allowed me to heal, to know myself better, and to become a better healer. This winter, the causes and conditions came together to allow me to take a longer sabbatical and to explore the inner journey at greater depth.
My current journey is open-ended, and I will continue along the path it creates for me until I feel that I am done for this round. So during this time, my wonderful research staff will continue their work and will take a more active role in the newsletter. In the meantime, I’ll continue to share my insights with you through videos and writing, either directly or through my staff.
When back in active life, I look forward to sharing the insights that I gained on my journey. Until then, may your months ahead be rich in both healing and happiness, and may your own inward journey be the most rewarding experience it truly can be.
Best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday,
Isaac Gabriel Eliaz, M.D., L.Ac., M.S.
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