Volume 9, Number 1 / April 2003

It's Good to Get An Occasional Cold or Flu

Maybe there is a good reason for us to get a cold or flu every once in a while. While we admit it is no fun to be laid up in bed, aching, feverish and nauseated, your body might actually be doing something that is terrific for your long-term health.

One line of thought poses that when we become feverish our body is actually doing much more than simply vanquishing a single pathogen but actually cleansing the tissues of many pathogens and maybe even cancer cells. Thus, an occasional cold or flu is your body's natural cleansing and detoxifying response. When we take antibiotics or prevent this process altogether, we may actually be weakening our health by not allowing the body to go through this cleansing.

"It is well accepted among naturopaths that episodes of cold and flu result from the body's attempt to rid itself of toxins," says Carolen Koleszar, N.M.D. "Tell a naturopath that you are suffering from a runny nose, sore throat, and cough and you are likely to be told how best to help your body complete the ‘cleansing' process."

Supporting the Cold & Flu Healing Process
Immune Defense helps to purify the blood and increase circulation; promotes sweating and reduces fever; and supports immune functions critical to this process. In such cases, we don't necessarily want to ‘normalize' the immune system response but rather we want to see it operating at high intensity so that its manifold immune cells perform a thorough housecleaning.

The Immune Defense formula is really quite exciting. This is the first time a natural formula has combined therapeutic amounts of anti-fungal, antiviral and antibacterial ingredients all together in one formulation, focusing its beneficial properties directly at the source. The unique herbal, root and bark concentrates in Immune Defense contain within them, powerful immune building compounds which have the ability not only to neutralize pathogens, but to also boost immune functions.

Immune Defense combines the following natural ingredients to create a synergistic effect:

• Garlic. Garlic has been used in traditional and folk medicine for over 4,000 years, especially for its antimicrobial activity and anti-inflammatory effects.
• Echinacea. A North American native perennial plant of the Compositae family, Echinacea boosts immune function and usually works best as part of a comprehensive formula.
• Goldenseal. A potent antimicrobial, goldenseal is a native American medicinal plant introduced to early settlers by Cherokee Indians who used it as a wash for skin diseases, wounds, and for sore, inflamed eyes, according to the Herbal Information Center. The root portion has natural antibiotic properties.
• Angelica: a primary Chinese herb, invigorates the body's vital energy. It is mildly antibiotic and useful for maintaining a healthy urinary tract.
• Astragalus tonifies the spleen, according to Chinese medicine. In traditional Chinese medicine, astragalus is considered an overall enhancer of the body's immunity. Astragalus is often used in China to bolster immunity in patients undergoing cancer radiation or chemotherapy. Research conducted by the M.D. Anderson Hospital in Houston, Texas, confirms this herb's immune-potentiating actions. Astragalus appears to restore counts of T cells (a specific type of white blood cell that is part of the lymphocyte family) to relatively normal ranges in some cancer patients.

BACK       NEXT

Journal Index

Home