What happens when you are exposed to a germ, whether bacterial or viral? When the body recognizes foreign and possibly harmful material, the immune system communicates the information with the use of chemicals called cytokines. These are the same chemicals that cause many typical initial cold symptoms— sleepiness, fever, and mucus. It’s a great sign that the body is doing its job in fighting illness.

There can be too much of a good thing, as anyone who has gone through a box of tissue in an hour can tell you. You don’t want a hyper-reactive response to every germ. If your body pumps out a ton of cytokines for every passing germ, then you will feel like you’re are always fighting something.

Actually, you are always fighting something, but if your immune system is in balance you won’t notice 95% of it. What can we take to maintain balance and ward off those germs? Here’s what I recommend to my own patients:

• Cod Liver Oil. There’s a reason our grandparents took this stuff. At just a teaspoon a day, it provides a substantial dose of omega fatty acids. Most modern diets don’t contain enough omegas. These fatty acids are imperative for proper immune function and keeping inflammation low, countering some of the negative effects of those cytokines.
• Probiotics. Having the correct bacteria in your gut is a must for proper immune function. The “good bugs” are necessary for digestion and assimilation of food. Without them, the body begins to misinterpret food as a foreign invader. [The immune system, the majority of which is in the gut, starts working overtime, pumping out cytokines and increasing overall inflammation.] I recommend taking a minimum of 5 billion CFUs daily.
• Vitamin D. There’s been a lot of research on vitamin D in the last few years, much of it confusing and conflicting. Regardless, it is a fact that adequate vitamin D stores are required for proper immune function. A mid-range dose of 2000IU/day is a good starting point to maintain proper immune function.
• Adequate sleep. Chronic sleep deprivation can raise stress hormones. This decreases immune function while increasing inflammation.
• Moderate cardiovascular exercise. This means 20 minutes, three times a week. [This] should be a routine that increases circulation and creates a sweat. Exercise allows your immune cells to reach the farthest nooks and crannies of your body to wipe out any lingering viruses or bacteria. It also brings fresh oxygen and nutrients to the cells.

Do not forget the importance of a whole foods diet for maintaining a balanced immune system. While chocolate is an antioxidant, eating your weight in it is probably not the best choice. This also includes avoiding fast food and choosing nice whole grains and lots of bright veggies instead. Thriving during the cold and flu season is not about increasing your immune function. Once you are acutely ill, that’s when all the wonderful herbs really need to pack their punch. But as with life in general, the key to staving off those nasty symptoms is balance.

Dr. Juniper Martin has history as a biologist, an actress, a chemist, and a waitress. She is a mother of three children- two boys and a girl. She has helped nurse a parent through cancer and has trained as a midwife. She’s been blessed with having experienced both great joy and deep grief. Her passion is the human condition: why are we here, what is our purpose, what brings us, as individuals meaning? Her goal is to help her patients and their families live at their highest potential. Dr. Martin practices as a family primary care physician. She uses an integrated approach, combining her study of complementary treatments such as herbal medicine, homeopathy, and nutrition with her training in western diagnostics, pharmacology, and laboratory interpretation. Follow Dr. Martin on Twitter and Facebook.

Photo by Gibran Ramos.

Dr. Gibran Ramos: We’ve been using water therapeutically for centuries. In Germany and France, there are towns that derive their names from their healing waters. The Norwegians and Swedes are famous for their saunas and some of the Turkish baths in Istanbul are hundreds of years old. The Native Americans used sweats to drive out illness.

Hydrotherapy is derived from the European baths and uses water at specific temperatures to achieve a desired physiologic response. Using Naturopathic principles, hydrotherapy promotes the body’s own ability to heal itself and return it to a state of balance. There are cold whole body rinses, alternating hot and cold baths, wraps, fomentations, sitz baths, steam inhalations, compresses, and many other methods. These techniques are meant to modulate certain white blood cells, change the body’s pH, increase movement and secretion of various metabolites, expand and contract blood vessels to move the blood, help to regulate blood pressure and increase peripheral circulation.

Hydrotherapy at home

During flu season, I tell my patients with a cold about home hydrotherapy. In the evening, take a regular hot shower and warm your body up completely. Then switch the water to cool or cold for 30 seconds. Turn the water back to hot for 3 minutes and then switch it back to cool/cold for 30 seconds. Keep alternating the hot and cold, ending on cold for up to three rounds total. Towel off dry and then climb into bed throwing on an extra blanket or two and even putting on a knit cap. Your body’s immune system will be activated by the shower. Of  course, always check with your doctor before performing home hydrotherapy.

Photo by Christine Dionese.

Over my recent holiday to chilly Colorado, I had the opportunity to spa as the Nordics do! After three days of intensely working out at the local athletic club I rewarded my sore muscles by stretching out in the sauna. While resting in the steamy room I sat there trying to talk myself into heading outside for a plunge in the pool. Keeping in mind the healing powers of water, I ran outside in my robe and dove in the community pool. Burr! Remembering Dr. Gibran’s suggestions I diligently re-entered the sauna hoping to shed more toxins. After two additional dips in the temperate pool I finished with a soak in the outdoor hot tub to relax.

Want to try it yourself? Head north! Nordic spas are popping up in colder latitudes along the United States Canadian border. If you find yourself in the northeast, try Le Nordik in Quebec, Canada to experience the traditional Finnish spa experience. Traveling east? Visit the Harrison Hot Springs Pools in British Columbia for a resort-like water therapy indulgence!

Dr. Gibran Ramos completed his six year training and internship in Naturopathic and Chinese Medicine at National College of Natural Medicine. Dr. Ramos helps patients transform their lives and optimize their well-being at a private practice in Portland, Oregon.

Christine M. Dionese L.Ac. specializes in integrative medicine, medical journalism and was the VP of marketing at WellWire LLC. Visit her wellness and lifestyle blog, Reaching Beyond Now.

Photo by destinysagent.

Remember that saying antibiotic resistance? While you may not have heard or read about it in popular media lately, it still exists. Each year, millions of tons of antibiotics are dispensed without even a visit to the doctor’s office! Worse, several grocery store chains of late have been offering free antibiotics! In most cases, there’s a safe alternative so that you can reserve these drugs for only very serious illness. Unless you’ve visited a physician and been cultured for bacteria, forgo the drugs.

You may be surprised to learn that many infections end up being caused by viruses rather than bacteria. If you’re seriously ill and must visit the physician, insist before you’re written a prescription for any medication that they not only culture for bacteria, but include sensitivity. Sensitivity refers to the specific bacteria so that treatment will best reflect what may be lurking within.

If you must take an antibiotic, be sure to follow instructions and complete the entire course. Don’t use antibiotics that have been left behind. Head to your medicine cabinet and clean out any old unused drugs. Most pharmacies conveniently now offer programs to safely dispose of your old drugs for you. Never flush drugs in the toilet or put down the drain as they’ll end up in both the soil and municipal water supply.

The next time you or your child is ill, consider the signs and symptoms to distinguish bacterial from viral. As a general rule, viruses tend to affect us systemically while bacteria affect local regions. Visit your Chinese medical or naturopathic physician to safely assess and seek nondrug alternatives.

A few common viral ailments often mistaken as bacterial include:

• Otistis Media (ear infections)
• Some forms of bronchitis and pneumonia
• Common cold
 and seasonal allergies

Just finished a course of antibiotics? Protect and enhance your immunity with probiotics.

Christine M. Dionese L.Ac. specializes in integrative medicine, medical journalism and was the VP of marketing at WellWire LLC. Visit her wellness and lifestyle blog, Reaching Beyond Now.

Photo by jpcolasso.

I’m not being dramatic: we are on the verge of what could be a terrible flu season, fighting a strain of flu virus that has the potential to be very infectious and strong. So don’t wait for that first sniffle! Flu vaccine aside, here are eight ways you can buff up your immunity:

1. Manage your stress. When under long-term stress, our bodies adapt by moving energy from the defensive mechanisms of the immune system  to dealing with the perceived stressor. Our bodies can’t differentiate between being chased by a tiger and our deadline at work, it’s up to you to help your body cope.
2. Get some good sleep. At night our bodies repair and rejuvenate and the immune system can focus on its job. This is a very important time for various cells of the immune system to sweep through our body, spot and destroy potential invaders.
3. Balance your energy.  Chinese medicine can help you to balance your energetic defenses so that your body can recognize an invader when it sees it. Acupuncture and Chinese herbs (like ginger) can help with this immune process along with the ancient exercises like Qi gong and Tai chi.
4. Get your sunshine. The vitamin D produced by your  skin and the sun shining on it actually increases your immunity. This vitamin has also prevents certain types of cancer.
5. Eat the rainbow. The pigments in fruits and vegetables are super antioxidants and have an anti-viral activity.
6. Bounce and move! Bouncing is a specific type of movement exercise that circulates the lymph system. The lymph is where most of your immune cells are located. Bouncing increases the likelihood of these cells to come in contact with a virus or bacteria that has made its way deep into our body.
7. Inoculate yourself with bacteria–the beneficial type. These bacteria are called  probiotics. There is a delicate balance between the beneficial bacteria, harmful bacteria, viruses and fungi in your body. The probiotic bacteria establish their place in your body out-competing other bacteria, viruses and fungi. This keeps you healthy.
8. Laugh it off.  Laughing activates the immune system through the psychoneuroimmunological connection. This is just a big name for a simple concept, your emotions affect your health and well-being. Laugh more!

Dr. Gibran Ramos completed his six year training and internship in Naturopathic and Chinese Medicine at National College of Natural Medicine. Dr. Ramos helps patients transform their lives and optimize their well-being at a private practice in Portland, Oregon.

Photo by vivain.

Slippery Elm Syrup and Throat Coat Tea are two prepared products to take with you on the go to help moisten dryness and assist in healing tissue.

The Immunity in Your Gut: Probiotics

Most are surprised to learn that approximately ¾ of your immune function takes place within the digestive system! Beneficial bacteria when properly maintained are one of the body’s strongest lines of defense. Therapeutic levels can be achieved with a high quality refrigerated probiotic supplement.  If you’re allergic to dairy, several non-dairy forms are available.

Christine M. Dionese L.Ac. specializes in integrative medicine, medical journalism and was the VP of marketing at WellWire LLC. Visit her wellness and lifestyle blog, Reaching Beyond Now.