Yep. Bird Flu. Pandemic. That's the Big One that the public health experts are freaking about. Why? Because viruses are tenacious little bastards and it appears that they are poised to score a win right about now.
We've been holding the flu viruses pretty solidly at bay for about a hundred years now, using the past year's mutations as a way to plan for the upcoming year. But we're looking at a big jump from bird to humans with this next go around, and the prediction is that we won't be able to predict how it'll mutate at all, which means that a lot of people, some sources speak of 5-150 million, are going to slip this mortal coil.
I'm not big on the whole alarmist thing. I don't watch tv, don't watch news, read no newspapers, only skim here and there for online news. But there is so much weirdness occurring, and for whatever reason, there seem to be shortages of regular flu vaccines, and the person in charge, should a pandemic outbreak occur, has no health background whatsoever.
And so I thought it might be time for a little Immune System 101. You all know the basics, but I shall go over them again, yes I shall.
Weakens the immune system:
* sugar (plus it makes a person alternate between bitchy and sad. not a great way to cruise thru life though yes, I would pimp The Hoon for a chocolate cake right about now :)
* refined foods (packaged foods containing ingredients that you can't pronounce)
* refined carbs (bread, pasta, cake, cookies, crackers that have more than a half dozen ingredients in them)
* smoking (smoking and the human body are simply incompatible, no matter how much you love that leafy tubular goodness)
* sleep deprivation (got insomnia? believe it or not, coffee, even just one cup in the morning, is enough to mess with some people's ability to get to, and stay, asleep)
* stress (my favorite cocktail of all times: one dropperful of kava kava and valerian tincture in a small glass of juice. it don't taste purdy but it'll make your nervous system Smile)
* exposure to pollution and chemicals (yes, that means those skank household products that make your nose burn. get thee to a health food store and purchase the natural stuff made of oranges and lemons because bleach really is truly evil)
* hanging out with people who a) are energy vampires b) harsh your mellow c) are just generally not fun on any level
Strengthens the immune system:
* fresh fruits and veggies (if you can't cope with the denial of no sugar/junk thing right now, just add in the good stuff. picture a healthy immune system as a bank account with deposits and withdrawals being made each day. look at an apple as a nice little part of your vibrancy savings plan)
* whole grains and legumes and beans (your colon is your friend. fiber is a friend to colons everywhere. don't let your colon be lonely)
* plenty of water (not tea. not coffee. not vitamin water. not juice. WATER. Okay, you can put some lemon juice in it. but only if it's FRESH. And you are not allowed, under any circumstances to put in splenda/sweetnlow/sugar and make lemonade :)
* regular exercise (you so know this one. your lymphatic system, which helps transport waste out of your body, only operates by movement/exercise or massage. so either work out three times a week or get three massages a week, though massage won't do much for your cardiovascular system unless your massage therapist is seriously hot :)
* olive leaf (i've heard some people say that this herb doesn't do squat. i've sworn by it for about a decade now. it's anti-bacterial/fungal/viral and is like organic liquid plummer for that flesh spacesuit you walk around in. the higher the oleoperin content, the more powerful it is. take a couple of capsules one or two times a day. it takes a few weeks for it to start showing results. don't take while on antibiotics.) (ps - I haven't ever ordered olive leaf from either of these companies - I just use their links because the info about olive leaf was good)
