5 Things YOU Can Do About "Flu" and "Cold" Viruses; Biggest Blog aBout Bugs in 2009 Xferred Here

Prevention is the cure. 

One of the best things you can do to prevent colds and flu is to eat the recommended 9 to 13 fresh raw fruits and vegetables every day. These are the recommendations of the Heart, Cancer, Alzheimer's  and Dietetics Organizations. The problem is that most people cannot, won't or don't meet these standards. In that case you need to supplement your diet with Whole Food Nutrition in a capsule that is backed by primary science. The product is called Juice PLUS. It is 7 fruits, 8 vegetables and 2 gluten free grains in a capsule. It has affiliated with it 23 major research institutions conducting primary Gold Standard research.

Gold Standard Research is classified as randomized, double blind placebo controlled, cross over when possible research done on clinical patients with a p value of less than .05. 

Go to www.tkociembajuceplus.com. Click on "What Experts Say". Also on the landing page under the two bottles is a place to click on a video tab. The video will give you information on how Juice PLUS is produced. 

Want a Simple Solution to Bridge the Gap on what you should eat but can’t, don’t or won’t?

17 Fruits and Veggies in a Capsule or Chewable Form. 23 International major research organizations are affiliated with Juice PLUS 

Prevention is the Cure

Tom Kociemba

Certified Practitioner  Anti Inflammatory Nutrition, The Inflammation Research Foundation 

I encourage people who are interested in the perspectives of foods for health, supplementing with a food-based supplement, such as JuicePlus, and other more 'standard' forms of supplementation of nutrition to follow the link below and read what I called 'The Grate Debate of January 2011' on Lumigrate.  

In the fall of 2010, Lumigrate had attracted two different yet similar individuals who were coming from different but similar places in VERY different ways, and it was really very education for me and the other followers of Lumigrate to be part of, through reading.  Tom (who distributes for Juice Plus) and Robin Thomas (who distributes for USANA) really 'teased out'  (all puns intended on the word 'teased') a lot of issues related to product marketing, using social media for promoting information, (Lumigrate forums can be essentially open for all to post so are a 'social media' format).  I liked to see their differences of opinion; I like to promote the concept of thinking about what is 'fact' versus 'opinion'.  In my mind, what takes someone from being a passive reader to an active participant is embracing something that has convinced them is a 'fact' and making it their 'opinion' worthy of ACTION.

In the process, Robin Thomas really showed her professionalism and her ability to stand up in a debate, and I appreciated her not turning and running from Lumigrate, because Tom is from the traditional 'school of sales'.  It lead to some people 'turning off' from Lumigrate, at least for the time, because they had found Lumigrate before the fall of 2009 and were used to it being a comfortable place to come get information and not have to be part of a 'debate' or anything that was making them uncomfortable.  For that, I am sorry, but once someone disclosed to me what was going on behind the scenes with using facebook to contact people and do pushy sales-stuff, I asked for a conversation with Tom, three times, after having blocked him from writing more, so that we could stop scaring people away from Lumigrate. That was never responded to, but I am leaving the information on Lumigrate as it is for the time being because it is, in reality, what played out as Lumigrate was growing.  Eventually we'll revise things, when the time is appropriate or there is replacement information made available.  Lumigrate 'is a process' which YOU are all part of in one way or another -- as a reader/viewer/listener "user" or a content provider who is regularly interacting with me and Lumigrate.  We're in this together.  

Again, this link is a wonderful educational piece at a variety of levels and has a LOT to do with overall health related to supporting your body related to cold and flu prevention and recovery.  I thank both Tom and Robin for their contributions AND for holding the Grate Debate of 2011, really ... it was the only one of the year!  

www.lumigrate.com/forum/harvard-health-publication-slams-vitamins

Besides a general healthy lifestyle filled with whole foods: vegetables, fruits, and whole grains ( if you are not sensitive to gluten) along with a moderate amount of regular exercise, the single best thing one can do to prevent flu is vitamin D.  

A new study, conducted by researchers at Jikei University School of Medicine in Tokyo, Japan during the 2008 and 2009 flu season, showed that kids given 1200 IU of vitamin D (a modest dose), had a dramatic reduction in incidence of flu.  The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial compared vitamin D(3) supplements (1200 IU/d) with placebo in schoolchildren. 

Just how effective was vitamin D in this study? It was about nine times (9x) better than the anti-viral drugs Tamiflu and Relenza, and about 50% more effective than flu vaccine. Only one in ten kids who received the extra vitamin D came down with the flu!

In children with a previous diagnosis of asthma, asthma attacks as a secondary outcome occurred in two children receiving vitamin D(3) compared with 12 children receiving placebo.

Importantly, the benefits of taking in additional/supplemental vitamin D only became apparent during the second month of supplementation. Why? These kids were already deficient (as are most kids in the northern latitudes, particularly during the winter), and it took a month to get their vitamin D levels up.

In my opinion, it would be prudent for everyone to start taking 2000 IU of vit D(3)  and also have their serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels checked, which should be 60-80 nmol/L for optimal health.  

Live Well! 

Robin

 Okay, I'm going to wrap this piece up and let people know it's kind of 'going dormant' and being replaced in 2011/12 by a new stream that is BEGINNING with Robin's comment, above, which she posted in September of 2011.  I'll then let all the other expert contributors on Lumigrate who have specialties in things related to cold and flu prevention/wellness know of it's existence so they can come by and comment/add on.  It's been really rewarding to see things over the years 'add up', but there also is a beauty in starting a new Topic/string/stream for the new year and getting fresh, updated perspectives and information.  Thanks to all who write and those who read and most of all YOU, if you're printing, emailing, posting links, and help spread the word about things that can help move health ahead for those YOU know!  ~~ Mardy

www.lumigrate.com/forum/flu-prevention-lifestyle-basics-plus-vitamin-d-japanese-study-kids-20089-flu-season