Archive for the ‘Weakened’ Category
Seniors Need Vitamin D in the Winter
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During the winter months the Sun is low in the sky in the Northern Hemisphere which means that we receive very little sunlight and almost none of the UV that we need to synthesize vitamin D in our skin. For folks who do not move to sunny southern locations during the winter there is a solution to raising their level of vitamin D, the ‘sunshine vitamin’. The sunshine vitamin is currently available in supplement form in doses of 1,000 IU to 5,000 IU. To give folks an idea of suitable level of the vitamin D supplement, just 20 minutes spent in the summer sun will typically generate about 10,000 IU of vitamin D. The technical name for the sunshine vitamin is cholecalciferol which is also designated vitamin D3. It is no surprise that folks typically do not come down with the flu in the summertime, but when winter arrives the flu comes right along and infects those whose immune systems are weak. By supplementing with vitamin D3 in during the winter seniors can take a preemptive aging step to strengthen their immune system against the winter flu.
Strenghten Immune system
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During the cold winter months seniors need to strengthen their immune systems, because a weakened immune system can render seniors susceptible to coming down with simple colds that can progress to more serious illnesses such as full-blown pneumonia. For example, pneumonia and influenza continue to be one of the leading causes of death among Americans 65 years of age and older, because as seniors age the strength of their immune systems begin to decline from a number of causes including chronic stress, poor nutrition, and previous illnesses.
The good news for seniors is that there are ways to achieve an immune system boost against colds, flu and cold facilitated pneumonia. Unlike the flu vaccines that target specific flu viruses, other means are available for building the immune system that can defend against any cold or flu virus. A polysaccharide called beta-glucan that is derived from yeast can provide a powerful immune system boost. Similarly vitamin C is one of the vitamins that boost the immune system, because it replaces the vitamin C typically lost during infections. Citrus fruits are very good sources of vitamin C.
Seniors Need Immune Defense Against the Return of the H1N1 Virus
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Last winter we were fortunate that the H1N1 virus did not claim as many lives as it might have claimed had it blossomed into a pandemic such as the 1918-19 flu virus. Back in 1918-19 the H1N1 flu virus killed at least 50 million worldwide. What needs to be noted is the sequence of the assaults on the human population in those two flu seasons. During the first year not many people died of the virus, but the next year it returned with a vengeance and killed most of the folks included in the 50 million deaths due to the flu. The second round was deadlier, because it had mutated. Similarly last year saw fewer deaths due to the H1N1 flu virus than had been expected, so this winter if the H1N1 flu virus returns it may mutate and result in the large number of deaths that occur when a flu pandemic strikes. Fortunately there is good news for seniors who want to take preemptive aging steps to protect their senior health against winter flu viruses such as the H1N1 virus by building up their immune system. Numerous studies have shown that a deficiency of vitamin D is linked to influenza infections. The Harvard Medical School, that normally recommends getting vitamins through food, makes an exception for supplementing with vitamin D. The good news is that the vitamin D supplements that duplicate the form D3 made by our bodies in sunlight are very inexpensive. The D3 form that is more readily absorbed by our bodies is preferred over the less potent form D2. Together with eating a healthy diet and getting enough sleep, supplementing with vitamin D3 will support a layered defense against infection by the H1N1 flu.
Weakened Immune System Promotes Infection
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As seniors age their immune systems decline leaving them more susceptible to a host of infections including those from viruses, fungi, and bacteria. In the case of cancer cells unless the immune system inactivates them or kills them, they will spread and develop into a fully developed malignant tumor. Studies of the pathology of free radicals has shown the link between the damage caused by free radicals and the weakened immune system in aging seniors. For example between 1982 and 1992 deaths due to infectious diseases increased by 22% according to a report in a major American medical publication. The same publication laid much of the blame for this increase on lack of preventative health care.
The good news that seniors can take from this report is that they can take preemptive steps about how to boost immune system. The lack of preventative health care can be reversed by taking simple preemptive aging measures for building immune system. One of the most important steps that seniors can take is to follow a daily antioxidant regimen that includes fruits, vegetables, vitamins, and minerals that protect against free radical pathologies that suppress the immune system. It turns out that free radical pathologies have been implicated in most of the disease processes of aging. The main disease processes of aging include cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, atherosclerosis, and cataracts as well as other degenerative diseases.
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Seniors Can Preempt Winter Colds & Flu.
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As seniors age the strength of their immune systems begin to decline from a number of causes including chronic stress, poor nutrition, and previous illnesses. A weakened immune system can render seniors susceptible to coming down with simple colds, but these colds can progress to more serious illnesses such as full-blown pneumonia. For example, pneumonia and influenza continue to be one of the leading causes of death among Americans 65 years of age and older. Along the same line a weakened immune system will make a senior over 60 years of age very susceptible to suffering from outbreaks of shingles. Suffering from shingles is not life threatening like pneumonia, but it is very painful while it is active so that it deprives seniors of the enjoyment of their senior years.
The good news for seniors is that there are ways to achieve an immune system boost against colds, flu and cold facilitated pneumonia. Unlike the flu vaccines that target specific flu viruses, other means are available for building immune system that can defend against any cold or flu virus. A polysaccharide called beta-glucan that is derived from yeast can provide a powerful immune system boost. Similarly vitamin C is one of the vitamins to boost immune system, because it replaces the vitamin C typically lost during infections. The mineral zinc is needed for building the immune system.
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Can Vitamin D Bind the H1N1 Flu?
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By all indications the H1N1 Flu is already beginning to pay a return visit to the Northern Hemisphere. In the USA the Government is promising that a vaccine will be ready in time to head off the H1N1 and protect us from the consequences of this disease this fall of 2009. Due to the short time required to prepare the new, H1N1 vaccine we do not know how well it will work in the general public. The second issue that has been raised concerns the availability of and accessibility to the vaccine by the general public. Putting all our hope on this new, H1N1 vaccine to provide protection from the H1N1 flu is like putting all our health protection in one basket. Common sense says that we should have a layered defense in place that will preempt the H1N1 flu. The key to such a layered defense will be to take steps that will strengthen a weakened immune system.
Taking the path to boost immune system has strong support from diverse groups that are concerned about preventing the spread of the H1N1 flu. An agency of the Canadian Government is studying the role of vitamin D in preventing the onset or mitigating the severity of the flu infection. Numerous studies have shown that a deficiency of vitamin D is linked to influenza infections. The Harvard Medical School, that normally recommends getting vitamins through food, makes an exception for supplementing with vitamin D. The good news is that the vitamin D supplements that duplicate the form D3 made by our bodies in sunlight are very inexpensive. The D3 form that is more readily absorbed by our bodies is preferred over the less potent form D2. Together with eating a healthy diet and getting enough sleep, supplementing with vitamin D3 will support a layered defense against infection by the H1N1 flu.
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Build Immunity Against Flu Viruses.
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The H1N1 flu virus did not infect many people on its first visit this year, but it may cause many more infections this autumn if it returns. This was exactly the pattern that played out during the Influenza Pandemic in 1918. The current H1N1 virus is a member of the same flu family as the 1918 flu. In the Southern Hemisphere where people are experiencing their winter weather the H1N1 is currently causing havoc. We have time to make the necessary preparations that will build up our immunity before the onset of our flu season beginning in autumn.
In addition to some well known natural substances that have been proven to boost immunity, such as the vitamins C and D, a number of new arrivals have entered the immunity field. When coupled with the old standbys vitamin C and D, these new arrivals can form a strong, synergistic immunity team to fight the H1N1 flu virus and any other virus. Several new arrivals on our immunity team are resveratrol and Green Tea extract. Substances in the Green Tea extract act in a way similar to the substance in the flu drugs Relenza and Tamiflu that fight the flu. Complementing the Green Tea extract, resveratrol interfers with the path the flu infection follows in the cells of our body. Using all the members of the immunity team will provide an immune system boost.
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Do Aging Individuals Have Weakened Immune Systems?
The history of immunology goes back to ancient Greece. The earliest known mention of immunity was during the plague in Athens around 430 BC. Thucydides noted that people who had recovered from a previous bout of the disease could nurse the sick without contracting the illness a second time. But it would not be until 1891 that microorganisms were confirmed as the cause of infectious disease.
A progressive decline in hormone levels with age is in part responsible for a weakened immune system in aging individuals. The immune system is enhanced by sleep and rest, and is impaired by stress.
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