Fitness: A Flu Buster

With all of the recent reports about Avian and other flu viruses hell bent on ruining our holidays, now more than ever is the time to stick with, or ramp up, your fitness routine no matter how much holiday shopping you still have left to do! And no, power shopping does not count as an aerobic exercise.

FACT: Those who exercise regularly are less likely to come down with a cold or be greatly debilitated by one. Frequent exercisers experience less symptoms and quicker recoveries from colds.

During even moderate exercise, various immune cells are rapidly circulated through the body and are better able to kill bacteria and viruses. Once the bout of exercise is over, the immune system remains elevated for a few hours before returning to normal levels.

In other words, every time you go for a brisk walk, your immune system receives a boost that should increase your chances of fighting off cold viruses over the long term. The same concept holds true for kids, which is yet another great excuse to shut down their video game system and get them moving!

Some of the best reasons for incorporating regular exercise into your life is that you'll feel better, enjoy life more and reduce the frequency of common colds. Since you will be spending less time being sick you will have more time to enjoy work and play. And we Modern Moms know just how precious time is. And, yes, you'll look darn good, too!

Child health advocate, weight-loss industry veteran and former bodybuilding champion Merilee A. Kern is co-founder and CEO of Healthy Kids' Catalog ® - an online resource offering Solutions That Foster Healthy ChildrenT. She is also author of the fictional children's book, "It's Not Your Fault That You're Overweight - A Story of Enlightenment, Empowerment and Accomplishment for Overweight and Obese Kids". She can be reached through her Web sites at http://www.HealthyKidsCatalog.com and http://www.NotFault.com

Bird Flu: How to Build Your Immune Defenses for Healing Your Body

The Virus The H5N1 strain of avian influenza (Flu) is considered by the World Health Organization and other health experts to be the biggest single disease threat to the world. Since starting in Hong Kong in 1997, it has spread in flocks of poultry across Asia and is now in western Europe.

This virus does not move easily from birds to humans. World Health Organization data shows that is has infected 117 in Asia, and killed 60. WHO has stated the H5N1 strain will in time have the ability to move with ease from human to human. When this occurs this will be a pandemic that will travel the world, infecting and killing millions of people.

Recent research studies published in the journal Nature, have shown that the first line of defense against the H5N1 bird flu strain, a drug known as tamiflu is not as effective as originally thought. First line treatments will need a combination of drugs such as tamiflu zanamivir and other anti-virals.

Ultimately, until the bird flu H5N1 strain does pass easily to humans, it will not be possible to develop a vaccine against it. Any vaccine would need to have the identical strain of virus that is circulating.
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How to protect yourself and others: The human immune system is your first line of defense against the H5N1 bird flu. Your immune system is compromised daily by chemical exposure due to air, water, ground pollution, and by stress. Additionally the overuse of immunosuppressive drugs such as steroid creams reduces your body's ability to defend itself against a viral inflection. The bird flu is a virus, and antibiotics would not have any effect against it.

To help to protect yourself and others from the Bird Flu, your immune system response can be raised to a significantly higher level by the use of the following over-the-counter, immune enhancing substances:

Beta 1,3-D Glucan 1000 mg per day 30 minutes before a meal Beta 1,3-D Glucan is a highly purified and patented carbohydrate extracted from the cell walls of Baker's yeast. Numerous scientific studies have shown that it dramatically increases phagocytic capacity—the ability of your innate immune cells to eat and destroy foreign intruders.

Thymic Protein A 4mcg per day Protects against immune system deficencies. Thymic Protein A is a polypeptide which is made by your thymus gland. It is a chain of 500 amino acids. .
Tip! While we have many wonderful antibiotic medicines, these are not effective against bird flu, because antibiotics treat only bacterial infections, not viral infections. Antibiotics can be used to treat bacterial infections that develop after viral infections have damaged the body, allowing bacterial infections to “take over.

Immune Advantage (Formerly ImmunoLin) 2 tablets per day Accoding to the manufacturer Now Foods, "Immune Advantage is a new Immunoglobulin supplement derived from bovine serum. It contains high levels of a mixture of Immunoglobulin classes, including IgG1, IgG2, IgM and IgA factors shown to support healthy immune functions." I have had many good reports from clients using this product. .
Tip! Prepare Your Child for Home Schooling. Most flu outbreaks get their start at schools.

Additionally, taking vitamin C, 1-3 grams per day and a bioflavonoid mixture containing Rutin, Hesperidin, and Quercetin, will also help to build your immune system.

Nanomask Having a biofilter mask that will block the H5N1 bird flu virus and kill it, would be handy to have in your home in case of a real outbreak. The best option is called the Nanomask and they are available online for about $10 per mask. The mask has a shelf life of 1 year and comes with 10 filters.

This is not a time to panic, however it is a time to take stock of your own immune system's strength, and how that strength may be increased. You will reap many other benefits from this as well, such as fewer colds and other illnesses, and a general increase in your well being. Preparation and forethought make wonderful additions to your daily health and wellness routine. The more you know, the better prepared you truly are.
Tip! Preparation of social norms and emergency procedures that would limit or delay the spread of the avian flu epidemic. Regular hand washing, and other beneficial cleanliness custom may save more lives than all other medicines combined.

© 2005 Christopher Stewart

Christopher Stewart B.A. M.S. is a Medical Intuitive. His work is the healing of heart, mind, body and spirit. You may visit Christopher's website at http://www.clairvoyantguide.com for further information and to schedule a private consultation. You also may look for frequent updates to his blog at: http://intuitiveliving.blogspot.com/

He is the featured author of the weekly column "Ask a Medical Intuitive" at http://healing.about.com/b/a/201292.htm

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