A Doctor’s Insight Into Immunity

After getting sick for the first time in years (a sinus infection that I helped “manage” with large amounts of herbs, vitamin C and rest), I am reminded of how complex our immune system is, and how much more we are learning about it. This link to Kelly Brogan, MD is a good intro to this doctor and her world view, with an emphasis on the intricacies  of immunity. The comments were also interesting.

http://kellybroganmd.com/immunity-emerging-truth/?utm_source=Kelly+Brogan+MD+Newsletter&utm_campaign=172406576b-Immunity+The+Emerging+Truth&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d0f977a8c5-172406576b-121829793

For the 3 weeks I was fighting the infection I refrained from eating any added sugars (I was about 98% compliant). Just before I got sick I ate more sugar than I usually do (which is very little since it seems that genetically I am prone to blood sugar imbalances) because it was the holidays. Just a reminder to self that sugar reduces the body’s immune response. An excellent explanation of this is found in this link:

http://alternativehealthatlanta.com/immune-system/sugar-and-your-immune-system/

Even though I cannot remember where I read this research, it seems that the body does not do as well with single large amounts of oral Vitamin C as smaller amounts spread out evenly throughout the day. To get your blood titer up and constant seems to be the best strategy, and to do that, you want to take about 200 mg. of Vitamin C per hour. When I was sick I used a powdered vitamin C (with bioflavonoids, which help potentiate the C) and lemon juice.

May the rest of this winter be a healthy one for you and your loved ones.

Making a Cup of Tea

I have been procrastinating about making my jun (a kombucha variant using green tea instead of black, and honey instead of sugar), mainly because it involves heating up 2 quarts of water, steeping the tea for 10 minutes and the herbs with it for 20 minutes, then letting it cool so the raw honey won’t be cooked…lots of steps and I’m tired.

Well, I was perusing Yahoo news, and an article popped up about making tea. After reading it I realized that how I made tea was based upon what I heard decades ago, and here was info based upon some studies of what actually happens using various temperatures and times to steep the leaves. There is also some good info on the differences among the various types of tea (black, green and white) and that ideally we’d make a cup of each one of those teas using the best temperature and amount of time. Who knew?!

So here you go: https://www.yahoo.com/health/you-39-re-making-tea-all-1332462315626550.html

For those of you concerned about fluoride in tea (as well as the beneficial health aspects), here is a site with impeccable credentials and fascinating information: http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/food-beverages/tea

And meanwhile I’m going to try making a batch of jun doing cold steeping, thus bypassing a few steps and making the whole job easier.