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.

At quote from the story summarizes the familiar theme we’ve emphasized in this blog all along: “Stress also creates biochemical changes that can affect the immune system, making it underreact to viruses and bacterial infections, or overreact, which can set off allergies, asthma and skin disorders like psoriasis and eczema. And stress can raise the level of inflammation in the body, which has been associated with heart disease.”

Overract. Underreact. It’s the epicenter of the immune balance story.

We’ve posted several pieces here on the hygiene hypothesis; how exposure to everyday germs during infancy and early childhood is highly beneficial in developing a balanced immune system. That immune balance can be a huge health benefit for the rest of your life.

A recent CBS News interview with the author of a new book, “Why Dirt is Good,” is yet another great summary of how a lot of bacteria we encounter early in life can be our friend and should not be shunned.

It’s the basis for the immune balance story. Anything that can 1) keep your immune agents passive and under-reactive when beneficial, and also 2) help your immune system react aggressively when it needs to, will be highly favorable to your long-term health.

So what if you weren’t lucky enough to grow up living in a sod hut with a dirt floor with herds of pigs, sheep and wild dogs sleeping in the same room with you? Immune balancing supplementation in adulthood can carry on that microbial mission of helping your immune system operate the way nature intended. And you can still live a civilized life while you’re at it.

My next post will update you on the latest at my house during this winter crud season.  Meanwhile, here’s the CBS Story (pardon the chore of enduring the upfront ads).

A Wall Street Journal opinion piece this past week jointly authored by Deepak Chopra, Dean Ornish, Andrew Weil, and Rustum Roy, four of the brain trust leading the preventive health and nutrition field, strongly states that nutrition, lifestyle and natural alternatives to drugs and surgery must be viewed as mainstream medicine if we are to solve this country’s worsening health care picture. 

It would be foolish to try to summarize the piece; view it here and let their words tell the story.

Dr. Stuart Reeves

Wanna experience one of the most beneficial half hours of your life? Listen to Embria Health Science’s Stuart Reeves as he is interviewed about immune balance on a Latrobe, PA radio station.  Stuart hits the big points on immune health and quality of life, from colds and flu to stress and travel  to extreme exercise vs. moderate exercise. He also gives some great detail on how EpiCor is produced

Click here for the interview.

It seems that Windows Media Player works well for this.  If you need to grab it for your machine, download it here.