TEAM UP with natural immune BOOSTERS!

Better Nutrition, Nov, 1998 by J. Jamison Starbuck

In the past decade, the concept of the "immune system" has achieved household familiarity. If my practice is any example, healthcare practitioners are besieged with patients who fear their "immune system is weak" and want treatment options to pump it up.

In many ways, this is an exciting sociological development. For over 100 years, naturopathic physicians have talked about the body's "vital force," a term describing vitality, health, and the capacity to heal.

A basic tenet of our medical philosophy is to nurture and enhance this vital force, a label analogous with the now popular "immune system." We use natural medicine -- food, herbs, homeopathic remedies, hydrotherapy, and lifestyle changes -- to treat the vital force.

The fact that thousands of people are beginning to recognize that their bodies have built-in defense mechanisms, and want to do what they can to support and improve these intrinsic protective devices, is a naturopathic physician's dream come true.

On another note, not everyone shares the same definition of the "immune system." In strict medical terminology, the immune response is defined as the reaction of the body to substances perceived as foreign or as a threat. Fever, inflammation, and pain are common symptoms when this immune response is in action.

As most of us know, drugs designed to knock down the body's inflammatory response or to decrease pain are the medical treatment of choice.

It makes sense, then, to be thoughtful when we talk about the immune system, and when we explore ways to treat or to strengthen it. From an allopathic, or treat-the-symptom, point of view, herbs that directly decrease inflammation, such as willow bark (Salix spp.), may be considered "immune system herbs."

Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) and Oregon grape (Berberis aquifolium), with their anti-bacterial action, could also arguably be labeled "immune herbs" by medically minded prescribers.

To me, though, treating the immune system is synonymous with strengthening what naturopaths have traditionally called the "vital force" -- a complex, multi-faceted pillar of good health. When patients tell me they want to improve their immune system, I am thrilled; this kind of self-awareness is what holistic medicine and true health are all about.

Herbs as food

Some plants cross the line between food and medicine, and can, therefore, be used routinely in establishing the first tenet of a healthy immune system -- good nutrition.

Flax

Flax (Linum usitatissimum) is one of these plants. The flax plant produces a small, oily, nut-brown seed rich in omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids are essential to human life.

Fats for immunity? True enough. In fact, a soon-to-be-published book describes the connection this way:

"In recent years, it has become increasingly clear that polyunsaturated fatty acids are key in both producing [...] mediators (prostaglandins) -- which, in turn, influence immune function (like T-cells) -- and in modulating inflammatory/immune response.

The eicosanoids (e.g., prostaglandins and thromboxane) regulate, in fact, many cell functions and play critical roles in wide-ranging activities, including various immune and inflammatory functions."

In addition, they play a role in heart [unction, hormone production, brain activity, as well as the making of healthy skin, hair, and cell membranes throughout the body. Recent research has shown that essential fatty acids (EFAs) may even play an important role in getting a good night's sleep. Because foods common to many American diets -- foods such as meat, dairy products, sweets, packaged, and fast foods -- are low in EFAs, many people are deficient in the fundamental constituents needed for a healthy immune system.

Freshly pressed flaxseed oil is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. The oil is a pale yellow color, pleasant, almost bland, in taste. As I tell many of my patients, substituting flax oil for butter or other oils on vegetables or over rice, or supplementing with flax oil capsules, is an excellent way to support your immune system, However, don't cook with or heat flax oil; the beneficial tats are quickly destroyed at high temperatures, and the flash point, is very low. And, it is important to mention: pay attention to how you feel when taking flax in any form, as some are allergic to this plant.

DHA, immunity, and inflammation

Also powerful is sea-vegetable-source docosahexaenoic acid -- or DHA -- which has shown immune benefits in reference to: cancer (colon and liver), multiple sclerosis, and other diseases of inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease (such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease), and inflammatory skin disorders.

Green Tea

Green tea (Camellia sinensis) is another example of a botanical which is both food (or, more accurately, beverage) and medicine for the immune system. Green tea and black tea are both derived from the same plant; however, black tea is fermented, a process which causes the plant to lose some of the medicinal compounds which are present in green tea. Among these are polyphenols, compounds with great antioxidative and anti-cancer properties.