Cold and Flu Prevention

It is estimated that about 36,000 people in this country die every year from the flu. It is further estimated that there are approximately 200,000 hospitalizations every year relating to the flu. Although these numbers seem scary, they pale in comparison to prior outbreaks. From 1918 to 1919, there was an outbreak of Spanish influenza in the United States that killed about 500,000. An estimated 40 million people died worldwide from the 1918 flu pandemic. With such factors as air travel, crowded cities, and population levels that are much higher, if a similar deadly virus hit us today, the death toll could be quite significant. Although it would seem from the news that everyone gets a flu shot, in point of fact, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that only about 5-20% of the U.S. population is inoculated for the flu.

The flu typically spreads via respiratory droplets that occur when you are around someone who is coughing or sneezing. It should be noted that when you become infected with the virus, it may be one day before you have symptoms. By that time, you are already able to start spreading the virus. Additionally, the virus can be spread for up to a week after developing outward signs of the flu. The typical symptoms of the flu include fever, muscle ache, sore throat, headache, and runny or stuffy nose. Sometimes, there can be gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. The main problem with the flu is the complications from superimposed pneumonia, along with a worsening in chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes, asthma, or heart failure.

Flu Prevention Tips

Avoid people with the flu
Wash hands frequently using soap and hot water, for at least 15 seconds
Rest at least 6 to 8 hours each night.
No smoking.
drinking enough fluids (1-2 quarts daily, especially water).
Eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, while avoiding sugar, fructose and simple carbs.
Take vitamins and supplements that will help boost immune function

There is one surefire way not to contract the flu and that is basically to stay at home and avoid contact with other human beings. Since this is obviously not a reasonable option, there are other things that one can do. It is extremely important that you frequently wash your hands with soap and hot water for at least 15 seconds, as the virus can get on your hands, and you can develop the infection by touching your eyes or nose. During the flu season, which typically runs from late-November to March, it is essential that you get enough rest and eat properly. Avoiding sugar, fructose and simple carbs is a good idea, as they can lower immune function. It is also very important to receive adequate bed rest (at least 6-8 hours each night), avoid smoking, and to drink plenty of fluids, at least 1-2 quarts daily, especially water.

Finally, it is extremely important to take vitamins and nutritional supplements to help boost immune function. A good multi-nutrient product, such as one of the Synergy multi-vitamins/nutrients from Nutraceutical Sciences Institute (NSI), would be recommended. Synergy contains natural carotenoids, Ester-C , L-Opti-Zinc , selenium in a superior form and dose, and natural vitamin E, plus many other nutrients beneficial for immunity. Synergy should be supplemented with daily doses of garlic , which has tremendous antiviral and bacterial properties. Additionally, white tea has incredible antioxidant, antiviral, and antibacterial benefits. There is another product from NSI called MGC-5 , which contains four separate standardized mushroom extracts -- shiitake, maitake, cordyceps and reishi -- along with a highly purified form of beta glucan (90% pure vs. many that are under 1%) from baker's yeast. These nutrients have been shown in multiple clinical trials to help boost immune function, which is critical in helping to ward off the flu and other similar conditions.

Many of you may have heard about the benefits of MGN-3 from Japan. Unfortunately, the company that marketed this product ran afoul of FDA regulations by making cancer treatment claims. Vitacost has a small amount of MGN-3 left, and once it is sold, we have no way to obtain anymore. There is another product from Japan called AHCC (Active Hexose Correlated Compound) with excellent studies to support immune system benefits. It is similar to MGN-3, and is derived from mushrooms. A typical dosage would be two capsules per day, for a total daily dose of 1,000 mg. Another product that is not only a powerful antioxidant, but that can also help boost energy levels and immune function, is that of standardized olive leaf extract.

For those of you who are unfortunate enough to contract the flu, I would recommend taking supplemental zinc and echinacea (Nature's Way EchinaGuard liquid is the best, and has over 180 studies to support it; others probably do not work), along with additional doses of vitamin C. In addition, there is an interesting homeopathic product called Oscillococcinum by Boiron . Clinical studies have shown that when taken at the first signs of the flu, this product can not only reduce the severity, but also the duration of the influenza attack. As an allopathic physician, I must say that I know very little about homeopathy, and merely present this to you as a potential option. Another excellent product with clinical studies to support its benefit is elderberry. The effect on the influenza virus by a syrup made from the berries of the black elderberry has been studied in a double-blind trial. People receiving an elderberry extract (2 tablespoons [30 ml] per day for children; 4 tablespoons [60 ml] per day for adults) appeared to recover faster than those receiving a placebo. Nature's Way's Sambucol is the actual product these studies were conducted with, and it actually tastes really good. It is a liquid syrup (no swallowing of pills) and extremely safe, so even small children and the elderly can benefit from it. Having read the data on these products, I do plan to have them in my house to be utilized at the first onset of the flu. My foundational supplement regimen consists of a Synergy multi-vitamin that contains the beta glucan, standardized mushroom extracts, and the other nutrients I have talked about. The goal is to reduce my risk of getting sick, and if I do get sick, to reduce the severity and duration.

Echinacea tea blend shortens duration of cold symptoms

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study of 95 people, treatment with an echinacea tea preparation (Echinacea Plus®, Traditional Medicinals) early in the course of a cold or flu was significantly more effective in relieving symptoms than a placebo tea. For the 90-day study, participants reported for assignment to one of two treatment groups at the first onset of cold and flu symptoms (scratchy throat, runny nose, fever, etc.). The subjects drank 5 to 6 cups a day of echinacea or placebo tea on the first day of symptoms, reducing the dosage to 1 cup per day for the next five days. Results were assessed with a questionnaire that measured symptom relief, duration of symptoms, and time before subjects noticed a difference in symptoms. The echinacea tea was significantly more effective than placebo in all parameters measured. No side effects were reported in either group. Echinacea Plus is a proprietary blend of E. purpurea and E. angustifolia leaves, flowers, and stems, a water soluble dry extract of E. purpurea root, and flavoring herbs. Eater's Digest® (Traditional Medicinals) was selected as the placebo tea because it was not expected to have a significant effect on cold or flu symptoms at the dosages used in this study. Among other herbs, Eater's Digest contains cinnamon, ginger, and peppermint. Lindenmuth GF, Lindenmuth EB.

The efficacy of echinacea compound herbal tea preparation on the severity and duration of upper respiratory and flu symptoms: a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study.

This article originally appeared in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 2000; 6(4): 327-334.

Body Chills - Cold Noses Can Reduce Ability To Fight Viral Infections

By the Journal of Family Practice 2005; 23:

Mom was right, say British researchers. Getting a chill can bring on a cold. So bundle up and keep your feet warm and dry.

Infectious disease specialists may ridicule the hoary concept that cold wet feet can trigger the symptoms of a common cold. Viruses cause these infections, not wet feet, they argue. But a team headed by Ronald Eccles, Ph.D., D.Sc., of Cardiff University here is recommending a new look.

Dr. Eccles said the results of a randomized study bear out a two-pronged hypothesis: that many of us carry around a subclinical cold infection and that chilling the feet opens the door for it to become a full-blown cold.

A hundred years ago, doctors would have said that a chill clearly leads to infection, he said. People then would have been both more exposed to the elements when they were outside and less likely to have a nice, centrally heated home in which to take shelter, he said. "We're better protected now," Dr. Eccles said, so we may not see the chill-cold connection as clearly.

But when he and a colleague deliberately chilled subjects -- by dipping their feet in ice water -- they found that those who got their feet cold and wet were significantly more likely to develop symptoms of a cold over the next four or five days than were those who just put their feet in an empty bowl.

The researchers randomized 180 healthy participants to 20 minutes of water at 10 degrees C or an empty bowl. In the current issue of the journal Family Practice, they reported:

* There was no difference in acute cold symptoms immediately after the experiment.

* After a few days, 13 of the 90 participants who were chilled reported they were suffering from the symptoms of a cold, compared with five of the 90 controls. The result was statistically significant at p = 0.047.

* The 18 participants who came down with symptoms of a cold also reported that they were more likely to suffer colds during the year than did the 162 who remained healthy. The result was statistically significant at p = 0.007.

"When colds are circulating in the community, for every person you see who is symptomatic, there are two or three who have a sub-clinical infection," Dr. Eccles said. "It's those people who are prone to developing a common cold when they are chilled -- they've already got the virus, but the chilling is actually reducing their respiratory defense."

It's well known, he said, that chilling the feet causes vasoconstriction in the nose. That has two common cold-producing effects, he says. It reduces number of immune cells available in the nasal epithelium and slows down mucociliary clearance, allowing infectious agents more time to do their dirty work.

The finding may vindicate moms everywhere, but it flies in the face of research dating back nearly 40 years that appeared to rule out the chill/cold connection.

In those studies, researchers chilled subjects and then challenged some of them with a cold-causing virus. The result: controls and chill victims came down with colds at about the same rate.

But, says Dr. Eccles, those studies had two main flaws -- they were small and they didn't reflect the real-world situation, where a horde of viruses circulates, sometimes causing disease and sometimes not.

Dr. Eccles pointed out that this study does not address infection with a virus but only the development of symptoms after exposure. "The results of the present study demonstrate that chilling is associated with the onset of common cold symptoms but the study does not provide any objective evidence, such as virology, that the subjects were infected with a common cold virus."

The next step for his research, he said, would be to couple the chilling study with tests to see which viruses are actually causing the illness in those who come down with a cold.

That may not be easy: "When you're dealing with (wild-type) colds, you never know which virus you're dealing with and it's fairly difficult to isolate and identify the viruses," he said. But technology is improving, he added, so that work may soon be possible.

He'd also like to see what happens in more extreme situations: "Dipping your feet in cold water for 20 minutes is not really a severe chilling," Dr. Eccles said.

Primary source: Family Practice
Source reference:
Johnson C and Eccles R. Acute cooling of the feet and the onset of common
cold symptoms. Fam. Pract. 2005; 23:

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