For example, do most people know that allergies are a direct result of an over-aggressive immune response?  Do they also know that immune response can be a big part of joint and muscle inflammation?  Or how about cellular inflammation? That affects heart disease, obesity, etc. And don’t forget digestive health, where 70% of immune response starts. Digestive tract microflora, also known as beneficial gut bacteria, helps drive overall immune response, absorption of nutrients into the body, even brain health and cognitive function.

And I’m sure I haven’t even begun to cover all of the health ramifications of good immune health.

So when you talk about maintaining a healthy, balanced immune function,  just know it’s much more than colds and flu.

Now we find out this week about some new research showing that non-alcoholic wheat beer may help support the immune health of highly trained athletes by balancing immune function. Huh?

According to story on the reseasrch:

“The study shows that after running a marathon race, athletes experience intensified inflammatory reactions. The immune system is thrown off balance and runners are much more likely to suffer from upper respiratory infections. This heightened susceptibility to illness following strenuous sport activity has been identified as an “open window.”

Furthermore it was shown that non-alcoholic wheat beer containing polyphenols has a positive, health promoting effect on the human body: inflammation parameters in the blood were significantly reduced, and there was a lower frequency of infection with milder symptoms.”

I understand EpiCor may have some research findings to release soon regarding athletes, EpiCor intake and inflammatory response changes . We’ll be watching. And drinking. Just a little.

Inflammation. Ugh.

etc) that contribute to it. Inflammation at the cellular level can lead to a variety of chronic health conditions. Overall it’s a very good piece.

One thing the columnist did not point out, however, is the fact that over-reactive immune response can contribute significantly to harmful levels of inflammation. The over-reaction can be prompted by any number of antigens, toxins, oxidative stressors or other triggers in the body that lead to immune response overkill. Hence, inflammatory conditions ensue.

As Stuart Reeves, Ph.D, at Embria Health Sciences, puts it: “If I cut my finger, a little inflammation is good. If I inhale some pollen, inflammation is not good.” Both inflammatory events are immune responses in action. The former promotes healing. The latter promotes misery.

Once in a while, it’s kind of interesting to see what the latest science is showing in terms of a molecule actually impacting the behavior, not of immune cells, but of the actual bacterium itself.  Please welcome to our show, the cranberry, or more specifically, cranberry juice.

Some new research has come from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (I know, not a research mecca like Berkeley or MIT…it’s located in Worcester, Mass, but appears to be a nice little sci/tech specialty school). It shows that cranberry juice itself, when consumed by people with a history of urinary tract infection (UTI), appears to decrease the number of UTI’s over a 12 month period. It also appears to inhibit the wicked antibiotic-resistant MRSA staph infection

Apparently, cranberry juice can alter the e.coli bacterium in UTI occurrences by blunting and curling up the sharp little claws, called fimbriae, on e.coli germs that otherwise allow the e.coli to attach to other cells in the urinary tract and multiply.

The juice also almost completely eliminated MRSA bacteria from being able to form a thin biofilm on human tissue, where normally MRSA bacteria would proliferate.

It’s all fascinating. I’m not saying go drink a quart of cranberry juice each day with your EpiCor and become a walking health fortress. But it is cool to continue seeing confirmation of whole foods’ and supplements’ potential to promote healing and health.

Kristy Mills

in Laguna Niguel, CA. Kristy just posted something on her blog that I thought was a pretty good read:  “12 Steps to Save America with Nutrition.” Actually, she posted this last year, but recently tweeted that it still holds true today.

I especially liked #10:  “Embrace your own natural healing potential. Recognize that your immune system is a technological miracle. Your body is a self-repairing biological marvel. When given the right resources (nutrition, superfoods, etc.), your body can work healing miracles.”

The immune system IS a technological miracle. All those classes of cells, all coded with different missions, all  communicating with each other to attack or hold back.  Keeping it all in balance…that’s yet another marvel. My lack of allergy, cold and flu symptoms throughout the year tell me that every day.

There are also lists of studies on a site called EmoFree.com.  A number of these journals that publish EFT findings–and tout a peer-review process for publication–are probably not considered mainstream research titles: Journal of Subtle Energies & Energy Medicine; Energy Psychology: Theory, Research, & Treatment; Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing among others. And, others seem to be, perhaps, a bit more in the conventional fold, if you will: Traumatology; Journal of Prenatal & Perinatal Psychology & Health; The Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice; Primary Care and Community Psychiatry; Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training.

I am convinced from other content I’ve read elsewhere that mental/emotional health and well-being can significantly impact immune health. It would be great if a double-blind, controlled study could be conducted that measures immune response over a period of time to a standardized EFT input. Here’s brief vid on tapping techniques. What do you think?

Or is tapping and other EFT methods just a bunch of quackery?

Since the holiday season is the inspiration for some of the most celebrated music ever composed, why not use it to your advantage.  That is, your immune health advantage.  A number of findings show music may trigger beneficial activity among certain classes of immune cells.

I recall when I was in college and singing in the university men’s glee club (a far cry from the Glee TV show, which is excellent, by the way),  I never really got sick during the winter holiday season, which was a big concert and rehearsal time for us.  This was during finals week, cold weather and living in a crowded residence hall. I loved singing in that group, and I wonder if my lack of winter crud during those years might have had something to do with those men’s six-part harmonies.

One piece of research seems pretty hard core but convincing. Patients who underwent out-patient surgery while also listening to music demonstrated that music “changed the neurohormonal and immune stress response to day surgery, especially when the type of music was selected by the patient.”

Another study found “…mood induction by music also resulted in significant elevations in sIgA concentration and secretion rate…”  And for those who are really into immunotherapy through music, there’s an entire enterprise built on use of aural tones to induce healing. Called Medical Resonance Therapy Music, it’s a series of CDs, that, accoring to its Web content, “is the only Medical Music Preparation approved by the Government in Germany and is available in 22,000 German Pharmacies.”

I’m not saying “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” will help you ward off sickness during the holidays. But, if you are someone who finds that tune exhilerating or peaceful, I take that back.

She talks about flavors and spices in Indian food as a key reason why many people enjoy Indian cooking. I can’t argue with that. I’m all over cumin, tumeric, curry, ginger and other seasoning used in Indian recipes (although I can’t stand cilantro…whoever thought that was edible ought to be arrested). These spices have a lot of compelling research behind them that support a multitude of health benefits. Tumeric and the curcumin component contained within, for example, has been shown to act in several ways as an anti-inflammatory and may also play a role in mitigating certain cancer risks. Ginger is another spice that does more than just make for great Christmas cookies.

Couple these Indian cooking essentials with other India-originated cultural practices–Ayurvedic medicine, yoga–and you have a total health approach based on balance. The India cuisine methods strive for balance in taste, nutrition and health benefits. Yoga and Ayurveda are founded on the concept of balance and integration of mind, spirit and body. The U.S. National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has produced some serious content examining Ayurveda and guides consumers toward seeking more information and qualified practitioners if they are interested in Ayurvedic treatment.

One caution NCCAM does list: 20 percent of herbal supplements promoted as Ayurvedic-associated products sold on the Web contained heavy metals, most above the standardized safe limits. So, as with any supplement decision, one must do some due dilligence to ensure a safe, high-quality, high-purity product is being purchased.

However, there is something else that highly conditioned athletes should be aware of. Strenuous physical exertion, the kind that elite players experience every day whether running, hitting, lifting, rowing or whatever, can drag down the body’s immune defense response, leaving a sports star more vulnerable than normal to getting sick.

The National Strength and Conditioning Association has a very good paper on this topic, summarizing how moderate exercise can actually improve immune health, but highly vigorous exercise can lead to oxidative stress in the body that promotes inflammation and greater susceptibility to upper respiratory tract infection (URTI).

The paper explains the role of cytokins, proteins that facilitate signals between various cells and systems of the body and are also involved in inflammatory signaling. “Normally, pro-inflammatory cytokine levels are counterbalanced by anti-inflammatory cytokine levels promoting homeostasis; however if levels are unrestrained, incidences of post exercise infection may occur . It is important to note that although excess, unresolved inflammation can cause tissue damage and/or infection, it is a physiologically necessary component to properly functioning innate immunity. Therefore, the balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines is crucial in maintaining proper immune function.”

If the coach won’t let an athlete balance their workout load — can you say “three-a-days?”– at least doing everything reasonable to help balance the immune system is one way to potentially reduce the chance of getting sick from overexertion.

I’ve just read a good summary of ways to orient your mind…and ultimately your health through immune support…toward a state that can reduce the physical toll that stress can otherwise take on your health.  It’s compelling information backed by what appears to be decent research citations.  Another good angle is presented in a nurse practitioners journal from several years ago. A more recent abstract is here

My only additional thought is this:  In our breakneck-paced world, taking the time needed for meditation, visioning or self-hypnosis can be a challenge, to say the least. Finding 20 minutes or so a day (during your waking hours, not during night-time slumber) is no sure thing. That’s why other methods to optimize immune response–supplementation, exercise, etc.– are important as well. All are interdependent; no single activity can stand on its own.