September usually means the beginning of Fall and Back to School for most families. However, have you given any thought to boosting your family’s immune systems yet? The change in weather, and return to their germ infested petri dishes, I mean classrooms, means that your kids and/or you could potentially get sick any time now.
 
Why is it important to support our body’s natural ability to fight off infections?

What Can We Do?
There are many things we can do to help prevent illness throughout the cold and flu season.
 
Basic Strategies:
1)Eat fresh whole foods: Eating a variety of fresh whole foods including plenty of colourful fruits and vegetables is essential to proper immune function
2)Avoid refined sugars, trans fats and salt: These foods are known to weaken the immune system.
3)Increase your consumption of vitamin C containing foods: Vitamin C is known to boost immune function and help prevent cold and flus. Increase vitamin C containing foods such as: oranges, lemons, grapefruit, strawberries, raspberries, black currants, peppers, spring greens, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.
4)Eat more garlic and onions: Garlic and onions both have anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties, helping the body to fight off any germs it may come into contact with. (Raw consumption provides a greater benefit than cooked)
5)Drink up: Ensuring you are adequately hydrated will help enhance your immune system. Aim for half your weight in fluid ounces. (ex. If you weigh 150lbs, you should consume 75oz. of water a day)

6)Sleep, Sleep, Sleep: Ensure you are getting around 8 hrs of sleep per night and you are sleeping soundly. Too little non-restorative sleep is known to weaken the immune system.
7)Exercise: Engage in at least 20 minutes of physical activity per day. Exercise helps to increase circulation and lympathic flow, both of which help boost the immune system.
8)Breathe: Practice deep breathing exercises to help manage stress. High stress, fear, and worry can weaken the immune system, making you more susceptible to infections.
9)Wash hands: Wash your hands frequently using warm water and a natural anti-bacterial soap to prevent the spread of infection.
10)Cover your Cough: Cough or sneeze into your sleeve to prevent spreading infection and avoid touching your nose, mouth, eyes until hands are washed.

5 Herbs for Prevention
Astragalus (Astragalus Membranaceous)

• A deep immune activator, it’s known for its antibacterial and antiviral properties. From a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective astragalus helps warm the Wei Qi, which is our defensive Qi or immune system. Can be used in combination with other herbs or by itself. If you do become ill you want to switch from this herb to another that has more active illness fighting properties.
• Dose: Decoction: 2-4 tsp/cup 3x/d

 
Siberian Ginseng (Eleuthrococcus senticosus)

• Immune system modulator, helps the body adapt to stress and strengthens the immune system.  Also helpful for decreasing inflammation in the body. Often included in immune formulas. If taking long term, it is generally recommended to take periodic breaks from use (eg. 6 weeks on, 2 weeks off).
• Dose: Decoction: 2-15 g 1x/d

 
Cinnamon (Cinamomum cassia)

• A nice addition to a tea or hot cereal, this herb not only has antimicrobial properties, it also helps settle the stomach and prevent diabetes. Should not be used in pregnancy as the essential oils may cause uterine stimulation.
• Dose: powder: 5-20 grains 3x/d, or to your taste

 
Dang Shen (Codonopsis pilosula)

• Another good adaptogen, helps the body adapt to stress and strengthens the immune system. Used for weak lungs from a Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective. Considered a milder substitute for Panax ginseng.
• Dose: Decoction of root: 9-30 g per day

 
Schisandra (Schisandra chinensis)

• Often combined with other similar adaptogens, it also has effects on the lungs, helping to expel mucous and decrease cough.
• Dose: decoction: 6-9 g each day
  

5 Herbs for Treatment
Echinacea (Echinacea angustifolium/purpurea/pallida)
- Stimulates the immune system to increase phagocytosis by macrophages (cells that kill and eat microbes). Antimicrobial/bacterial/viral properties. Best given at the first sign of infection. Dose: Decoction: 1-2 tsp/cup 3x/d
 
Ginger (Zingiber Officinale)

• Primarily known for its effects on the stomach. Helps to relieve nausea and vomiting, as well as gas and cramping. The warming properties of ginger gently increase the temperature of the body helping to eliminate heat sensitive microbes.
• Dose: Infusion 1 tsp/cup as needed

 
Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra)

• A sweeter herb that is good for a cough. Helps to soothe a sore throat and get mucus out of the lungs. Has antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Not recommended if you have hypertension or are pregnant/nursing.
• Dose: Decoction (root): ½-1 tsp 3x/d

 
Elder Flower/Berry (Sambucus canadensis)

• Used for cough and nasal obstruction (eg. sinusitis), especially good for kids because they generally like the taste. Have anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties. Also helps to induce perspiration with fever so more microbes are killed and flushed out of the system.
• Dose: Infusion of flower: 2-4 g /250 mL water

 
Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)

• Primarily used for cough, particularly the dry hoarse cough that causes a lot of irritation to the lungs. Helps to soothe, and decrease the cough while still getting the mucous out. Another one that could be used with kids since it has a milder taste.
• Dose: 1-2 tsp/cup
  

Do you consider yourself to be stressed?
Based on the stats, most of you do!

In 2010, slightly more than 1 in 4 Canadian workers described their day-to-day lives as highly stressful. This proportion is about the same as reported earlier in the decade. Persistently high levels of stress among so many in the workforce presents a challenge to both employers and to the health care system.

Over time, employers lose produc­tivity to stress through absenteeism, reduced work output, and increased disability claims. Mental health problems alone are estimated to cost employers about $20 billion annually and account for over three-quarters of short-term disability claims in Canada.

What Does the Stress Response Look Like?
 
That’s a lot of stressed out people! We talk about stress, at least in passing quite often, but what does the ‘Stress Response’ look like? Here’s how our brains interpret stress:

1. A stressor is sensed by the body, sending a signal to the brain, which sounds the alarm for the body that something is happening.
2. This signal is sent to the hypothalamus otherwise known as the ‘master gland’, which then activates the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). The ANS has control over most major organs: lungs, heart, stomach, glands and blood vessels.
3. The ANS is further broken down into two branches: Sympathetic and Parasympathetic. The Sympathetic is often referred to as the ‘fight or flight’ response, whereas Parasympathetic is responsible for ‘rest and digest’.
4. When we’re stressed, the ANS is going to trigger the Sympathetic branch, releasing noradrenaline, which results in enhanced muscular strength, increased heart rate and breakdown and use of sugar and fat for energy.

Hundreds of years ago this was a good thing because this increase in energy would allow us to run away from a threat like a hungry tiger trying to eat us. However, today’s stressors are often not so easy to run away from, like an angry boss yelling at us.  The underlying problem here is that the brain doesn’t distinguish between your boss and the tiger. To your brain, they’re both the same thing.
 
Think of revving up the engine of a racecar in anticipation of the start flag dropping, and then just before it drops, the blocks are stuck under the wheels so when you hit the gas you’re stuck in place. So you’re spinning your wheels, getting nowhere, but you’re still using gas and burning rubber. What do you think this will result in? Well eventually you’re going to run out of gas or your tires will be so worn down their practically non-existent. In terms of your body, eventually your adrenaline will run out and your body will crash, in extreme circumstances this is what we would call burnout.
 
Even before we reach burnout, we’re still doing considerable damage to our bodies. Another troublesome hormone that’s upregulated at this time is cortisol. Chronically elevated levels of cortisol interfere with learning and memory, lower immune function, increased blood pressure, increase risk for mental illness, and lower life expectancy.

5 things that can help keep stress under control:

1. Exercise: A little bit of cardio goes a long way. Just 20-30 minutes of activity most days of the week pays huge dividends. If running or working out at the gym isn’t your thing that’s ok, any form of activity that activates the muscles: walking, swimming, yoga, tai chi, etc. will have similar benefits in this respect.

2. Meditation or prayer: Simply taking a few deep breaths engages the Vagus nerve, which triggers a signal within your nervous system to slow your heart rate, lower blood pressure and decreases cortisol. The next time you feel yourself in a stressful situation that activates your ‘Fight-or-Flight’ response take 10 deep breaths and feel your entire body relax and decompress.
 
3. Social interaction: Researchers at Johns Hopkins established that elevated levels of cortisol in adolescence change the expression of numerous genes linked to mental illness. In effect causing severe mental illness in those teens predisposed to it. However, when these same teens interacted with their peers in a social context, their cortisol levels dropped, as did their risk for mental illness.
 
4. Sleep: Getting enough sleep every day means that cortisol levels rise and fall in sync with your circadian rhythms, which is the overall function of your body in a 24 hour period. When you lose sleep, or are sleep deprived on a regular basis this can have a detrimental impact on your cortisol levels and hence your overall stress.
 
5. Laughing: They weren’t kidding when they said that laughter is the best medicine. Dr. William Fry, an American psychiatrist who has been studying the benefits of laughter for the past 30 years, has found links to laughter and lowered levels of stress hormones.
 

Now, these are by no means the only things that can help decrease stress. Other important factors like your diet and lifestyle, such as allowing yourself to relax and do things you enjoy, can have a huge impact as well. If you find that dealing with stress from day to day is truly too overwhelming for you, it might be a good idea to speak with a trained professional, like a counselor or your Naturopath. However you deal with stress, make sure it’s a strategy that works for you, because at the end of the day the only one who can control your stress levels, is you!

In 2008 cardiovascular disease accounted for (Statistics Canada, 2011c):

• 29% of all deaths in Canada (69,703 deaths – or more than 69,500)
• 28% of all male deaths
• 29.7% of all female deaths

In 2008, of all cardiovascular deaths (Statistics Canada, 2011c):

• 54% were due to ischemic heart disease
• 20% to stroke
• 23% to heart attack

Optimizing healthy lifestyle habits:

-       exercise
-       sleep
-       stress

Good Nutrition:

-       plenty of fruits and vegetables
-       good fats
-       anti-oxidant rich foods

Decreasing Overall Risk Factors:

-       obesity
-       diabetes
-       high cholesterol
-       high blood pressure

Lifestyle Couselling:

-       Helping you mitigate the stress in your life

-       Gaining control of other contributing risk factors (eg. insomnia)

-       Identifying the right kind of exercise options for you

Diet/Supplementation:

- Magnesium helps heart muscles to function properly

- CoQ10 is essential for heart function

- Carnitine is an integral part of energy-production and fat breakdown for cardiac function

Healing Plants:

-  Hawthorn (Crataegus oxycantha) is considered a great cardiac tonic and nutritive for the heart

-  Gingko (Gingko biloba) is a vasodilator of the small and medium arteries, meaning it will increase blood flow to many areas especially the brain.

-  Motherwort (Leonarus cardiac) acts as a hypotensive (brings down blood pressure) and a nervine (calming for the nervous system)

Coffee
Espresso, restaurant-style  1 oz. (30 mL)
40-75 mg Caffeine

Espresso, restaurant-style, decaffeinated
1 oz. (30 mL)              0-15 mg Caffeine

Generic brewed     8 oz. (240 mL)
95-200 mg Caffeine

Generic brewed, decaffeinated    8 oz. (240 mL)
2-12 mg Caffeine

Generic instant     8 oz. (240 mL)
27-173 mg Caffeine

Generic instant, decaffeinated     8 oz. (240 mL)
2-12 mg Caffeine

McDonald's brewed     16 oz. (480 mL)
100 mg Caffeine

Starbucks Latte       16 oz. (480 mL)
150 mg Caffeine

Starbucks Pike Place brewed    16 oz. (480 mL)
330 mg Caffeine


Adapted from Journal of Food Science, 2010; Pediatrics, 2011; USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 23, 2010; Journal of Analytical Toxicology, 2006; Starbucks, 2011; McDonald's, 2011
*Sizes are listed in fluid ounces (oz.) and milliliters (mL).
**Caffeine is listed in milligrams (mg).


Soft drinks
7UP      12 oz. (355 mL)
0 mg Caffeine

A & W Root Beer      12 oz. (355 mL)
0 mg Caffeine

Barq's Root Beer      12 oz. (355 mL)
18 mg Caffeine

Coca-Cola Classic     12 oz. (355 mL)
30-35 mg Caffeine

Coca-Cola Zero          12 oz. (355 mL)
35 mg Caffeine

Diet Coke                      12 oz. (355 mL)
38-47 mg Caffeine

Diet Pepsi                     12 oz. (355 mL)
27-37 mg Caffeine

Dr Pepper                     12 oz. (355 mL)
36 mg Caffeine

Mountain Dew         12 oz. (355 mL)
46-55 mg Caffeine

Pepsi                              12 oz. (355 mL)
32-39 mg Caffeine

Sprite                           12 oz. (355 mL)
0 mg Caffeine

Adapted from Journal of Food Science, 2010; Pediatrics, 2011; Journal of Food Science, 2007; Journal of Analytical Toxicology, 2006
*Sizes are listed in fluid ounces (oz.) and milliliters (mL).
**Caffeine is listed in milligrams (mg).

Tea
Brewed tea
Black tea      8 oz. (240 mL)
14-61 mg Caffeine

Black tea, decaffeinated     8 oz. (240 mL)
0-12 mg Caffeine

Green tea        8 oz. (240 mL)
24-40 mg Caffeine

Iced tea
AriZona Iced Tea, lemon-flavored   8 oz. (240 mL)
11 mg Caffeine

Generic instant, unsweetened     8 oz. (240 mL)
26 mg Caffeine

Lipton Brisk Lemon Iced Tea     8 oz. (240 mL)
5-7 mg Caffeine

Adapted from Journal of Food Science, 2010; Pediatrics, 2011; Journal of Analytical Toxicology, 2008; USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 23, 2010; Journal of Analytical Toxicology, 2006
*Sizes are listed in fluid ounces (oz.) and milliliters (mL).

Energy drinks
5-Hour Energy      2 oz. (60 mL)
207 mg Caffeine

AMP, regular or sugar-free    8 oz. (240 mL)
72-74 mg Caffeine

Cran-Energy         8 oz. (240 mL)
70 mg Caffeine

Full Throttle         8 oz. (240 mL)
70-72 mg Caffeine

Monster                 8 oz. (240 mL)
80 mg Caffeine

Red Bull                  8.4 oz (250 mL)
76-80 mg Caffeine

Rockstar, regular or sugar-free     8 oz. (240 mL)
79-80 mg Caffeine

Vault, regular or sugar-free            8 oz. (240 mL)
47 mg Caffeine

Adapted from Journal of Food Science, 2010; American Academy of Pediatrics, 2011; USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 23, 2010; Consumer Reports, 2011; Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2010
*Sizes are listed in fluid ounces (oz.) and milliliters (mL).
**Caffeine is listed in milligrams (mg).

Other products

Type of product
Sweets
Chocolate chips, semisweet         1 cup
104 mg Caffeine

Dark chocolate-coated coffee beans    28 pieces
336 mg Caffeine

Foosh Energy Mints                 1 mint
100 mg Caffeine

Hershey's Kisses                       9 pieces
9 mg Caffeine

Medications
Excedrin, Extra Strength        2 tablets
130 mg Caffeine

NoDoz, Maximum Strength   1 tablet
200 mg Caffeine

Adapted from Pediatrics, 2011; USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 23, 2010; Food and Drug Administration, 2011; Vroom Foods, Inc., 2011
*Caffeine is listed in milligrams (mg).