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BOOST IMMUNE SYSTEM
(Updated 5-11-07)
(For information sharing, not a medical site.)
(Please see warning about megadoses of supplements below.)
- BUILDING UP THE IMMUNE SYSTEM. At a time when someone has cancer, or immune system problems, and especially when it's terminal, one of the best things to do is to try and build up the immune system and the body's defenses. If the illness is not too far gone it should assist the immune system in fighting the illness.
Feed the body cells in a way that will help them to grow normally instead of out of control. And detox the body, since the cancer cells can cause toxins to build up, so you have to detox to try and stay ahead of the damage. There are no guarantees here, but it might be worth a try.
- GOOD CHANGES TO ASSIST THE IMMUNE SYSTEM. When Dr. Donald Colbert was interviewed on TBN tv (tbn.com), he mentioned many things he would do if he or a patient of his had cancer. He said something about cancer beginning with inflammation of the tissue; a toxic environment, toxic food. Too many Omega 6 fats, and this needs to be balanced out with Omega 3 fat with EFA's or essential fatty acids. (Flaxseed oil is one that has Omega 3's as well as others like Salmon oil, maybe other fish oils, etc.) He mentioned to avoid processed foods, the grilled part of meats from barbecues can be carcinogenic, so he said to scrape that part off. He mentioned about detoxifying the body on a regular basis. He takes around 2 milligrams of Melatonin at night to help him sleep, which he believes can also stimulate the immune system. He also mentioned heat therapy and saunas as being beneficial to the immune system, and reducing stress also boosts the immune system. He mentioned something about ozone vs. sunlight, and Vitamin D which has recently been said in other news sources to help protect against cancer, MS and other health problems. He also talked about taking enzymes. (www.drcolbert.com)
- REST AND RELAXATION is important for one's immune system to function better. If someone who is ill is keeping too busy and trying to do too many things, their body's immune system won't have as much time to fight the problem. Do things to help the body's immune system stay focused on fighting the illness, instead of being divided up and fighting stress as well as the illness.
- GETTING RADICAL. When Dr. Lorraine Day had problems with terminal cancer, she worked on building up her immune system day and night. She radically changed her diet and took a lot of carrot and green juices. In her case she didn't feel the need for health supplements since her diet was not the typical American fare. She also avoided packaged, canned and processed foods, and avoided cooked foods except maybe for things like baked potatoes. She probably ate organic foods, and I'm pretty sure she went vegetarian. In some cities that's harder to do, since locally our organic foods can be very high in price, but in other cities they are more reasonable. She also took time out to rest, and stressed the importance of drinking good quality water. My personal preferance would probably be filtered, then boiled water cooled off. I avoid tap water because of contaminants, and other organisms that might be present. I make tea with filtered, boiled water. Bottled water can also have contaminants, although maybe not as much as tap, and it may also depend upon whether or not it's regulated. (www.drday.com).
- HEALTH SUPPLEMENTS: It might have been at a later date that Dr. Day talked about Barley Green, which is a natural type of health supplement. And for myself personally I've found health supplements to be of great benefit, especially Vitamin C with bioflavanoids, Magnesium, Calcium, Omega 3 oils, among many others. But one has to be careful about the dosages.
- WARNING ABOUT MEGADOSES OF SUPPLEMENTS:
Sometimes I've taken very large doses of Vitamin C and other vitamins on a short term basis, for therapeutic reasons. But if others want to try this, the best thing to do is work with a specialist who can keep track of how you are doing with them. I did have some examples here of when I've tried larger doses for different health ailments, but took it out. I've found that too much calcium ascorbate or other forms of calcium might end up causing an imbalance for one's heart rate and beat, and might also affect one's kidneys. So Vitamin C in ascorbic acid form in larger doses might be safer. And with some minerals, trace amounts can be good, but going overboard might also cause an imbalance with bad side effects. So it's best to work with a specialist who knows what to expect and what to keep track of.
- This is from Dr. Tom Levy's site, on the many types of Vitamin C,
which type is better, and warnings for overdosing on the calcium ascorbate type, which could cause heart and maybe kidney problems.
- SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING: Spiritual problems like anger, unforgiveness and resentments can tax the immune system. So it's important to do a spiritual cleansing as well, and ask the Lord for forgiveness and help in any way needed. I went through a deliverance process after being ill many years back, and found this to be an essential part of my physical healing.
- DR. RATH'S SITE ON STOPPING CANCER (click here).
Quotes from site: "Our research has shown that a combination of vitamin C with the natural amino acids lysine, proline and specific extracts from green tea can block the invasion of cancer cells."
- NO DIET POP, ASPARTAME, NUTRASWEET, SPLENDA: Diet pop and aspartame and nutrasweet would also be important to avoid, as some write-ups and testimonies of people state this has been toxic to their system, while others don't believe it hurts.
- DENTAL FILLINGS: Some people will also have their mercury amalgam dental fillings removed and some sort of plastic filling used instead. This continues to be a controversial topic. When there was a mercury spill locally, the people who cleaned it up were wore protective clothing and were very careful with it. So we should be even more careful with what goes into our mouths and bodies. Mercury poisoning has already been known to contribute to nervous system disorders.
- NATURAL TOOTHPASTE AND MOUTHWASH:Nature's Gate toothpaste doesn't have flouride. There should other natural brands to choose from. You have to be careful with the word "natural", though, since on another brand it still had a warning on the back that over-ingesting could be poisonous. On a regular tube of toothpaste, it will say it's poison if you ingest too much. In Nature's Gate toothpaste, there are natural ingredients, and there shouldn't be any warnings of poison.
- CHEMO AND RADIATION: If these procedures are taken for too many years, they might affect the blood's ability to produce red blood cells, and may require blood transfusions. So it's important not to go overboard. So what are they for to begin with? It's to keep the cancer cells from spreading, but if it gets to the point of harming one's immune system too much, then the body will not be able to defend itself properly against future cancer cells.
- WATER FILTERS: Avoid drinking tap water, which can be chlorinated or flouridated which can impair the immune system, and can also have parasites. One of my brothers doesn't think spring water is healthy and so he prefers the distilled water, but he takes supplements. Distilled water doesn't have the minerals the other water does, so if one takes large amounts of this, it's vitally important to take minerals, or a vitamin / mineral supplement so one won't become deficient.
- WATER AND SHOWER FILTERS:A shower filter will help remove the chlorine so it will not affect your get absorbed into your skin. The skin is the body's largest organ. There have been recent write-ups that there's been an increase in certain types of cancers from chlorine in drinking water and swimming pools. (www.waterwise.com sells filters, as well as many other companies.)
It's better to drink filtered, boiled, cooled off water instead of tap water. Or spring water or bottled water might work, depending upon what kind. It depends upon how they process the water before it's bottled.
We have at least three types of water to drink, distilled, spring water, and filtered and boiled water. My brother believes spring water has minerals that are too hard to be absorbed, while others like it. So it's been debatable. I have tried a variety of types, including filtered and boiled, reverse osmosis and distilled, and bottled water, and I avoid tap water.
- VITAMIN C, COQ10: Vitamin C with bioflavanoids internally is good for cellular health. We like buffered Ester-C with bioflavanoids, or buffered C without the brand name. Coenzyme Q10 is also important for cellular health and the immune system, and also for the heart. Discounts are at places like www.swansonvitamins.com and probably many other companies.
- GREEN FOODS AND POWDERS:Green powders and green foods are great for the liver and blood and immune system. This would include green algae, chlorella, spirulina, barley green, etc. The liver has to filter out toxins from the blood, deal with fats, hormones, drugs taken etc. So if the liver is in good shape, your immune system will function better. Some health stores will even have fruit powders, beet powder, carrot powder or other combinations.
- FRUIT AND VEGGIE JUICING: We still have carrot juice periodically. I did a lot of this juicing when I first learned about having ovarian cancer about 25 years ago. And especially before and after surgery I did this to build up my immune system. I also added some other veggies at times, like beets and greens. We like it with a little apple and celery added. We have a juicer from Jack and Elaine Lalanne, but there are others on the market to choose from.
The green powders are quicker, though, for when you don't want to do the juicing yourself. And some cities have juice bars where you can get it freshly squeezed from them instead. Atlanta does this, and possibly many others. Juicing is different from just eating an apple or carrot, since there's a higher concentration of nutrients in the juice. But it's good to do both since eating the whole foods will also give you the added fiber.
And some people will use the leftover pulp from the juicer to bake muffins, put in soups, etc. If you do this sort of thing often enough, you won't need to take as many health supplements since this will increase your intake of vitamins and minerals from natural sources.
- THE BODY'S ACID AND ALKALINE PH BALANCE: When the ph balance of the body is too acidic, it's more likely that a person will become ill. Ph strips might be found at some pharmacies for around $10, or on the internet. You can use your saliva to check your ph level, which should be about 7.
- CALCIUM, MAGNESIUM: It's good to alkalinize the body by eating the right foods, and also taking calcium and magnesium when needed. Calcium works best with magnesium combined. When it's in "chelated" form this is also a more absorbable form.
This works great especially at night when it can help a person to relax and sleep, and work on the bones and nerves while one is sleeping. Or else you can get them in food form, like dairy and leafy greens and carrots for calcium, and greens, grains and seafood for magnesium. Magnesium also helps with anxiety. Foods that alkalinize would include many types of veggies, which is another reason why the juicing would be great.
Usually the ratio is twice as much calcium as magnesium. So if you have 500 mg. of calcium (we have tried a number of different types including the chelated kind), then it would be about 200 or 250 mg. of magnesium. You can check the bottle for instructions on how much to take. Calcium can also be found in carrots and certain greens and sesame seeds, along with other foods, so if you eat a lot of those you will need less in supplement form.
- FRUIT SMOOTHIES: One of my brothers drinks these almost daily. He blends several organic bananas, and optionally with 1/2 to 1 organic avocado. He will often add organic berries, frozen ones during the off season. Raspberries, and some other berries and foods, have elagic acid that's been said by some to have anti-cancer properties. Blueberries are also very good.
If you don't want that many bananas, you could probably put less of those, and more of another kind of fruit you like. He will also add some filtered water, and maybe a tablespoon of green powder. He's tried a variety of them, including blue green algae and the one at www.miraclegreens.com. There are other good ones like barley green, chlorella, www.greenmiracle.com and for those on a budget at www.swansonvitamins.com and elsewhere.
This might help to boost the immune system and give needed energy. It will also help the liver to function better, and give needed fiber to help naturally cleanse the body the easier way. The liver has to filter toxins from the blood, deal with hormones, fats, process medications, etc., so when that's functioning right the immune system will work better.
- LIVING ENZYMES: Raw, uncooked foods have enzymes that help digest the food, and they are crucial to becoming healthier. Too much cooked food kills the enzymes, and can tax the immune system. So when one is terminally ill, it would be good to avoid cooked foods until one is feeling healthier.
- NO WHITE SUGAR: In some places I've read that cancer feeds off of things like sugar, and probably other processed foods, too, like bleached white flour products. So it would be good to try and avoid this as much as possible, and stick with naturally sweet foods like fruit. If you want sugar at all, there's organic cane sugar and other sugar substitutes. But for someone very sick with cancer, it would be better to avoid it almost totally until one's immune system is working better. Fruit would be better, and maybe a small amount of dark chocolate since that has health benefits.
- VITAMIN AND MINERAL SUPPLEMENTS: A natural vitamin mineral supplement would be beneficial, since no one has a perfect diet. A whole food kind if you can, or something like Natrol My Favorite Multiples, or another good brand name, if you can't handle all the ingredients in the whole foods kind, which might include bee pollen. Someone with allergy problems could have a dangerous allergic reaction to that, although this is not common. There may be a variety of herbs in the whole foods kind, so the more traditional one will work better for people with allergies. If you're getting good nutrients from other sources, you might not need them as often.
- WEIGHT GAIN FORMULA: If a person is dropping too much weight, especially during an illness, you might want to get some weight gain formula, which might also be called a body building formula. GNC health stores and others sell them. This can be added to the fruit smoothie when one needs to gain weight, or added to juice.
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