Balanced Immune Health

I moved into a new office building several months ago.  I love the place. It has all the amenities; great reception area, floor-to-ceiling windows, a kitchen to die for and covered parking.  But one of the things that continues to make an impression on me is the restroom. Specifically, the air-powered hand dryer.

I’m sure you might wonder kind of miserable life I lead when a hand dryer gets me so excited.  Let me tell you, this thing is a little marvel. The reason is that this dryer–called the Xlerator–has a motor in it that is unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed. You stick your hand under it and a powerful air blast comes on that almost blows you through the wall. And the air is instantly hot.

Bottom line, my hands are dry in anywhere from 7-10 seconds. The product information I’ve read says 10-15 seconds, but I think it’s faster than that.

Another benefit–at least I thought it would be a benefit–is the presumed hygiene improvement in a restroom using “jet” air dryers, as this unit would be classified. Nearly all hand dryer makers tout the notion that air dryers are healthier because you don’t have wet paper towels being used as discarded around the sink. However, one British study came to a different conclusion:

“Part C of the study shows that paper towels are likely to cause considerably less contamination of other users and the washroom environment than the jet air dryer which was shown in this study to disperse artificial hand contamination to a distance of at least 2 metres, well within the range of adjacent dryers observed in a real washroom. Paper towels were better than the warm air dryer for contamination levels directly below the device but there were no significant differences at greater distances when their performances were similar and both were significantly better than the jet air dryer. Therefore, the manufacturer’s claim that the tested JAD is the “most hygienic hand dryer” is not confirmed in this study with respect to its potential for dispersing bacteria.”

It goes on to say:  “The results of all parts of this study suggest that paper towels should be used in locations where hygiene is paramount, such as hospitals, clinics, schools,nurseries, care homes, kitchens and other food preparation areas. Warm air dryers and jet air dryers should be carefully considered for these types of location because of their poorer hygiene performance and the increased likelihood of transmission of bacteria, including potentially pathogenic types, via the fingerpads and palms of the hand and their air flows. The performance of both the warm air dryer and the jet air dryer was inferior to paper towels in all respects (drying efficiency, bacterial numbers on the hands, bacterial contamination of the air flow and surfaces of the devices, and transmission of bacteria in the washroom) with the one exception that the jet air dryer is equal in drying efficiency. The jet air dryer was shown to be superior to the warm air dryer in all respects except for similar bacterial contamination and greater transmission potential. Although representing a considerable improvement over warm air dryers in speed, the jet air dryer’s overall performance, with the exception of drying efficiency, was significantly poorer than that of paper towels in all other respects tested in this study.”

Hmmmm. That kind of bummed me out. I might have to look for an independent counter study or two. Is there one out there?

Filed under: Bacteria, Bacterial Environments, Germs, Immune System, immune | Leave a comment

My kids - Erin and Jill

So my twin daughters are winding up their senior year in high school. We just went to the last vocal jazz performance of their high school career. The same thing will be happening in all the other music ensembles they are in for the next 2 months. The last this, the last that. In a little over 5 months, my wife and I will be empty nesters…literally overnight.  

So, from a health standpoint, what are the trade-offs when facing this new living environment?  Here are some pros and cons:

Pro – More sleep. My kids are up at 5:00 a.m. during the week to get to early rehersals.  So, regardless of whether I need to be at my office or a meeting by 7:30 or 8:00, I’m awake (but not always up) with them at 5.  If I can just start getting an extra hour or so of sleep each day, that could change the world!

Pro – No more school cold and flu viruses/bacteria brought into our house. We’ve been pretty good in the past couple of years in not getting hammered by every bug that breaks out in school (thanks EpiCor). Now that we’ll have no “feeder system” coming to and from a crowded school each day, we might be in extra good shape.

Pro – No more weekend trips chaperoning band students on a bus.  Mental and physcial health takes an uptick there!

Pro – Travel.  Periodic road trips to see the kids at college means fun. Travel can be therapeutic.

Pro – I get my way now. I can watch sports…not American Idol… on the hi-def in the family room and not be banished to the basement with the crappy TV.  Sports is good for health!

Pro – The kitchen table can be used for eating, now. Gone are two laptops always running, homework binders, and assorted other school projects living on top of the table, where we squeeze in a plate of food if space can be found.  A proper dining environment–devoid of pathogen-laden books, computers and trumpet mouthpieces–may reduce risk of illness.

Con – Two outstanding, loving, accomplished young people who’ve been a huge part of your daily life for 18 years are suddenly home no more.  Stress from separation anxiety is a new companion.  Gotta work through that.

So, which scores the highest? Multiple pros, or one giant con?

Filed under: Bacteria, Bacterial Environments, EpiCor, Flu, Germs, Immune Balance, Stress, immune | Leave a comment

This week I scanned some blogs to view some of the chatter about immune balance. Of course, there is a lot of junk out there, but I did find some notable discourse that made me want to learn more about a practice or product described as connected with immune system balance. Here’s a sampling of what I came across:

• Yoga props. Tristan Andrews writes about the Triangle Yoga Pose as an exercise that delivers multiple health benefits. I’ve written about yoga here before, and I think it has many merits, including immune function support. It’s an interesting story, but I would have liked her to list some sources. She’s a freelance writer, not a health professional. The immune health passage reads:  The muscles of your abdomen and the hip joints become more flexible. The reproductive system functions better with the intensity of this pose. It helps in creating a proper immune balance to help you fight diseases.”
• The stress of stress.  The Low Carbohydrates Diet, a blog of health book reviews, has a lot of interesting stuff that makes me want to seek out more. Some anonymous person named Meadow runs this blog. (Why don’t more bloggers give us their real ID!?!?! This certainly seems to be a legit site, not an aggregator-bot site).  Anyway, the blogger reviews the book, The Stress Effect. It was published in 2004;  the info–what I’ve gleaned from summaries–still seems timely. Says the blogger:  “The Stress Effect helps readers understand the connection between their chronic stress and illness, and provides effective programs for correcting imbalances and repairing the intestinal tract lining. It also offers suggestions for managing psychological stress; a commonsense diet that promotes balance;….”
• Adrenal fatigue. This was posted just four hours ago. Adrenal gland function, especially in women, can be a big determinant of immune balance, since the adrenals regulate corticosteroids, the stress hormones that can interfere with immune response if they are overactive due to high stress. “Prolonged stress weakens the immune system and inhibits the production of white blood cells. Our adrenals regulate physical energy, the body’s metabolic rate (your metabolism), glandular energy (thyroid health) and the oxidation process….and these processes, when out of balance, can lead to the onset of illness.”
• Balance Your Health.  Here’s a nice little post describing immune cell communication in layman’s terms.

Filed under: Balanced Immune Health, Immune Balance, Immune System, Inflammation, Research, Stress, Stress-Related Illness, immune | Leave a comment

I’ve worked in the business side of the nutrition and supplement field for several years, so I try to keep track of what’s happening in the supplement product world as best I can. (I also work with bank portfolio management software and dairy cow nutritional feed ingredients, so sometimes I’m a bit limited in time and bandwidth).

Still, today I was scanning some of the industry news that’s recently been distributed throughout the supplement industry. Since I’m particularly interested in immune support, I’ve done some quick searching of what’s new in the market. All I can say is wow! There are now more immune support products than I can ever recall seeing in the past. Just a sampling, if  you’ll allow me:

PeakImmune4®, “an essential immune support dietary supplement that provides vital antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action.  The active ingredient in PeakImmune4 is Rice Bran Arabinoxylan Compound (RBAC). A polysaccharide dietary fiber derived from rice bran, RBAC is modified by an enzyme from Shiitake mushrooms using a patented biotechnology process.”  But to view any science, you have to order it from the Web site and say why you’re interested.  Not cool.

Immune Extra® is an “all natural, vegetarian, clinically-tested supplement containing Proligna®, a botanical extract derived from pine cones that optimizes your immune system.” Hmmm. And how many pine cones are typically in the humam diet? Actually, this product does put forth a good immune balance discussion and seems to have some respectable science behind it.

KalmCold – Its makers in India say the active ingredient “is said to increase appetite, strengthen digestion and diminish flatulence, hyperacidity and biliousness. It is also utilized for treatment of many conditions like bacillary dysentery, bronchitis, carbuncles, colitis, coughs, dyspepsia, fever, hepatitis, malaria, mouth ulcers, sores and tuberculosis. The roots and leaves have a reputation for being anthelmintic.”  But no published science to be seen.

Equilibrant. Nice name. Implies balance. No science posted at all. The ingredients look like a mish-mash of about everything: Vit. D, Vit. A, Calcium, Selenium, Astragalus Root Extract, Shrubby Sophora Root Extract, Licorice Root Extract, Shittake Mushroom Extract.

Immune health is a hot supplement category right now and growing hotter. For many reasons. That’s even more reason to make sure you’re a wise consumer when considering a supplement product.  Make sure the manufacturer is safe and qualified to be producing the product. Insist of solid science. If you’re not confident in judging research quality, find an expert and ask him or her to assess the science. Read all you can about the brand and ingredients. And consult your doctor before taking anything new and untested in your dietary regimen.

Filed under: Balanced Immune Health, Boosting, Immune Balance, Immune System, Inflammation, Nutrition, Probiotics, Research, Supplements, cold, immune | Leave a comment

I’m researching some local, licensed massage therapists. I want to get going on a weekly massage regiment starting next month. Why? Because I’ve heard and read too much about how beneficial it can be for overall physical and mental health. If all of our warring world “leaders” over the years would have gotten regular massages, perhaps we’d have avoided a lot of conflicts.

As for immune health, I can’t find a lot of research support for the effect of massage on generally healthy people. But there are some very encouraging findings on specific massage efficacy among people with immune-compromised conditions.

One study among HIV patients:  “Major immune findings for the effects of the month of massage included a significant increase in Natural Killer Cell number, Natural Killer Cell Cytotoxicity, soluble CD8, and the cytotoxic subset of CD8 cells. There were no changes in HIV disease progression markers (CD4, CD4/CD8 ratio, Beta-2 microglobulin, neopterin). Major neuroendocrine findings, measured via 24 hour urines included a significant decrease in cortisol, and nonsignificant trends toward decrease of catecholamines. There were also significant decreases in anxiety and increases in relaxation which were significantly correlated with increases in NK cell number.”

And other findings among breast cancer patients:  “Participants, who were in the early stages of cancer, received 20-minute massage therapy twice a week for five weeks; others in a control group received no massage therapy. At the end of the five-week period, blood tests indicated an 11 percent increase in the number of natural killer cells that destroy cancer cells among the participants who received massage therapy. These participants also reported being less depressed, less anxious and less angry, as well as having more vigor than the control group.”

The University of Michigan Health System is also a believer.  I figure if massage can impart all these great benefits, doing it while I’m relatively healthy might be a great preventive measure. I think a massage on Friday afternoons around 3:00 might just be the ticket.

Filed under: Balanced Immune Health, Immune Balance, Immune System, Research, Stress, Stress-Related Illness | Leave a comment

I look out my office window and see 50+ inches on snow on the ground. With no end of winter in sight. It seems almost ridiculous to think of spring right now. I’d be happy if I didn’t have to break out the snow blower this weekend. That’s would seem like a ray of springtime hope to me. But just as sure as pitchers and catchers are reporting to spring training soon, springtime allergies will be here soon as well.

Of course, I continue to do what I can to support my immune health…diet, sleep, immune balance supplementation…and hopefully preempt the effects of tree and flower pollen that will appear in a few weeks. Here are some additional tips from a recent CBS News segment. Some of these things I had never heard before…such as taking a shower at night to get the pollen out of your hair. Wow. See what you think.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Filed under: Allergies, Balanced Immune Health, Immune Balance, Immune System, Seasonal, Video, immune | Leave a comment

When I was on the staff of a nutritional ingredient company several years ago, I observed a marketing focus group in Chicago in which a panel of 12 or so people were asked about their intake of dietary supplements. One woman in the focus group said she took 30 supplements a day.  What??!!! That kind of blew me away.  That is until a senior scientist at another company told me he takes 60… yes 60… supplements a day. I rattled of about every supplement type I could think of…CoQ10, Hawthorne berry extract, flaxseed oil, ginko, SAM-e, saw palmetto–and the answer was always, “Yep, take that one.” Every day.

I’m interested  in this only because my daily supplement inventory is growing. I’m taking a high-quality (high absorption) multivitamin, lutein, EpiCor, fish oil, chromium and saw palmetto. I’d like to try some others perhaps, but then I start thinking that this is getting to be too many to keep track of and take every day.

Also, I’m wondering: If someone is taking 30 to 60 supplements a day–and not taking more than the RDA or the manufacturer’s suggested dosage for each capsule or pill–can that huge mix be harmful in the long run?

What do you think?  There have been a number of studies and commentaries on long-term vitamin intake, most of which I think are pretty thinly supported, performed in the wrong context (vitamins don’t make you live longer) and mostly rubbish. And I’m not talking megadoses of supplements, for which there is  research on toxicity and potential damage (e.g. 3000 mg of C every day is not good).  I’m talking mega numbers of pills.

Here’s one piece that touches on the topic but doesn’t have strong thesis one way or another.  Any other informed opiners out there who want to chip in?

Filed under: EpiCor, Nutrition, Supplements, immune | Leave a comment

My last post discussed new health data from the Statistical Abstract of the United States that illustrate some health trends–and their relation to immune health–among America’s 308 million+ population. I touched on diet and nutrition data, and smoking.

More stats from the 2010 Abstract:

Childhood immunizations percentages have generally held steady or even increased slightly. Sixty-eight percent of children were immunized against hepatitis B in 1990. That rose to nearly 93 percent in 2007.

Bone and joint conditions can result, in part, from immune system imbalance. The Abstract shows that in 2007, 53 million Americans had a chronic joint symptom (30 MM women, 23 MM men) and 46 million had been diagnosed with arthritis (28 MM women, 18 MM men). There is no comparative data for 1990, but I’m sure the raw numbers have increased greatly since America’s population has grown and the older age groups are growing in proportion.

Asthma is also an immunostimulating condition.  73 million U.S. kids had asthma in 2007, or had it earlier in their childhood. 223 million adults had some kind of respiratory condition, including emphysema, asthma, hay fever, sinusitis and bronchitis.

And finally, alternative, complementary therapies. These can impact immune health significantly. In 2002 10 million American adults practiced some form of yoga. That figure increased to 13 million in 2007. Those doing deep breathing routines increased from 24 million to 27 million. Adults practicing meditation increased from 15 million to 20 million.

And here’s my favorite: Americans receiving therapeutic massage increased form 10 million in 2002 to 18 million in 2007.

Filed under: Allergies, Balanced Immune Health, Immune System, Inflammation, Stress, Stress-Related Illness, antibodies, immune | Leave a comment

The 2010 version of the Statistical Abstract of the United States is just been released. This is a monster volume of research on “the social, political, and economic organization of the United States.” It’s housed under the U.S. Census Bureau.

What does this have to do with immune balance? Well, for one thing it might be interesting to look at some consumer health trends that can effect a healthy, balanced immune system. Diet and nutrition for one.

For example, fruits and vegetables in the diet can be a beneficial factor in maintaining a healthy immune system. Did you know that fruit consumption per capital in the U.S. actually decreased from 1980 to 2007, from 265 to 263 lbs. per person? With the health movement that’s been churning over the past decades, I would have thought an increase would be a no-brainer.

There is some good news. Vegetable consumption increased during that same time from 338 to 417 lbs per person.  Onions almost doubled, and broccoli increased more than fourfold.

Weight can also impact immune function. Body mass index tracked from 2003 to 2006 as a measure of obesity is not surprising. 70.6% of U.S. males are either overweight or obese. That figure is 60.5% for women. Women are also a bit lacking on the exercise front compared to men.  40% of women in 2007 said they engage in no leisure time physical activity.  29% get moderate to vigorous regular physical activity, and 17% take part in endurance and strength training.  For men, the percentages are somewhat better: 38%, 33% and 22% respectively.  As people get older, the percentages get worse.

The number of U.S. adult smokers has decreased from 25.3 % of the population in 1990 to 19.7% in 2007. Smoking among women decreased from 23% to 17.5% of the general pop. For men, the decrease was from 28% to 22%.  All age groups of women– from 18 to 64–currently tend to smoke at a population percentage of just over 19%.  Then at age 65 up, smoking drops dramatically to 7.6%.  Kentucky has the highest percentage of smokers;  Utah the least.

There’s a lot more in this abstract. Part II coming next.

Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment