Antiviral Strategies, Autoimmunity and Nutrition

‘Daisies do not grow in cement’, proclaimed Dr. Sandy Wood, ND many years ago. 

In other words, if your immune system is strong your chances of getting sick are minimal and even if you do get sick, your recovery should be strong and fast.

Louis Pasteur articulated the Germ Theory of Disease, stating that microorganisms are the primary cause of disease. His life-long rival, Antoine Bechamp postulated that the condition of a host organism is the primary cause of disease, otherwise known as the Terrain Theory. 

Surprisingly Pasteur on his deathbed declared that Bechamp was right. To me, both theories have much to offer in terms of disease prevention and healing. Many germs or micro-organisms can be the causative agents promoting disease, however only if the terrain allows this. Remember, daisies do not grow in cement; there must be susceptibility first. This would explain why some people succumb to infection while others do not when exposed to the same infectious organism.

In the next series of blogs, we will cover the subject of autoimmunity with practical suggestions for you to implement and maximize your natural protection to optimize your immunity. Yes, it is important to try to avoid disease. However with the present epidemic, there is a prevalent opinion of building a ‘herd immunity.’ This assumes that, shortly, many of us will be infected with coronavirus, with the great majority surviving and thus becoming immune to this virus. 

So how do you improve your terrain and be prepared?

There are several parts to this anti-viral strategy and in this article, we will start by covering nutrition to boost your immunity. I’ll propose a combination of safe nutrients, botanicals and dietary modifications to support immune function. 

I recommend for most people to switch to what's considered a Mediterranean approach of eating, selecting foods within this diet that you know work for your body.

The Mediterranean way of eating is based on abundant consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, Omega-3 and monounsaturated fatty acids, lean sources of protein, legumes, fatty cold-water fish and moderate amounts of lean meats. 

This diet prohibits the consumption of chemically preserved foods, artificial sweeteners and carbohydrate dominant foods, such as pastries, candies, processed grains and other foods high on the glycemic index. This diet has been consistently associated with improvements in insulin sensitivity and reduction of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. Mediterranean diet is immune-supportive by avoiding pro-inflammatory and immunosuppressive foods that are high in fat and carbohydrate that promote viral replication. Unfortunately, the Standard American Diet (SAD) is loaded with pro-inflammatory high-fat, high-sugar foods all of which are immune suppressive. 

Most people do not consume an optimal amount of vitamins and minerals by diet alone. Consider taking a broad-spectrum multi-vitamin. Inadequate intake of many nutrients has been long recognized as a contributing factor to many diseases in the Western world. When looking for multi-vitamins, please consider products made from natural sources vs. much cheaper synthetic sources. Micro-Nutrients contribute to the body’s natural defence functions, by supporting physical barriers (skin/mucosa), cellular immunity and antibody production. Also, probiotics plus vitamins and minerals may reduce the incidence and severity of upper respiratory infections.

In my last article I noted several essential vitamins, minerals and botanicals with immune boosting and anti-viral properties, if you missed it, here is a link to it. 

http://www.thermographyclinic.com/blog/entry/good-news-about-coronavirus

In my next article, we will look closely at specific nutritional supplementation that plays a vital role in immune function.