|
'Tis the Season...for
Colds and Flus
H ave you ever
questioned why colds and flu's always seem to show up during the
holiday season? There are some startling statistics that may
shed a little light on the answer. According to Dr. Neil Nedley,
MD, in his book Proof Positive, (pp. 183,184) researchers
performed a series of studies that examined how refined sugar
consumption weakens the ability of white blood cells to destroy
bacteria.
The studies showed that the
capacity for white blood cells to destroy bacteria is weakened
as sugar consumption rises. If a person consumed no sugar for 12
hours, each white blood cell could destroy an average of
fourteen bacteria. If that same individual ate the equivalent of
six teaspoons of sugar (such as found in a half-cup of pudding
or a mere two pieces of candy) each white blood cell could only
eliminate ten bacteria; a 25 percent decrease in killing
power.
Progressive deterioration in
the white cells’ bacteria fighting capacities beyond 25
percent occurred when 12 teaspoons and then 18 teaspoons were
ingested. When 24 teaspoons of sugar were consumed, the amount
in a medium piece of cheesecake or a milk shake, the white blood
cells were so compromised that they could only destroy an
average of one bacterium each. That represents a 92 percent
reduction.
The researchers further
demonstrated that sugar’s impairing effects on white blood
cells are not short-lived. The impairment lasted a full five
hours in normal subjects. This means that during that five-hour
period, the white blood cells could not perform optimally. When
you consider how often throughout the day, especially during the
holiday season, most people consume sugar, it becomes quite
apparent why the frequency of colds and flu’s increase, as
their white cells cease to function effectively for many hours
during the day.
These researchers also
discovered an interesting sidenote: a 36 hour fast seemed to
significantly increase the ability of the white blood cells to
kill off bacteria. If you do become sick and are not hungry, it
may thus be to your advantage to avoid eating, or at least to
eat very sparingly for a day or two.
We have found through our experience that
staying on fresh carrot juice and AIM Barleygreen™
during this period of time is the best way
to quickly overcome a cold or flu. Dr. George Malkmus suggests
doubling the amount of Barleygreen™
one normally takes when they first feel
the onset of sickness. This tends to give a sluggish immune
system a jump start and many times head sickness off at the
pass.
Andrew
& Romsey Foote
It’s Your Health
E-mail:
andrew@itsyourhealth2.com
|
