Also new this year, we are offering 10% off all of our immune support products for the month of November 2010.

Supporting Your Immune System

When talking about prevention, we have to start with the basics. The best protection from infectious diseases is a robust immune system and daily healthy habits. There is a saying, “it is the terrain and not the disease” meaning that if your “terrain” or your body is healthy it doesn’t matter what infection gets thrown it’s way. Now, there are always exceptions to this rule, however it is very true for the routine infections such as the common cold and flu.

In order to optimize your immune system, you need to address your underlying health conditions. It is very difficult for the immune system to fight infections if it is depleted from stress or another chronic disease. If you haven’t explored a natural alternative approach to chronic disease, then contact a naturopathic doctor or other health care provider.

Diet and Lifestyle

• Try for 10 serving of fruits and veggies per day
• Include things like garlic, oregano, thyme and onions to your cooking to boost your immune system and fight viruses
• Avoid or limit sugar, caffeine and alcohol which reduce your immune fighting capabilities
• Keep hydrated…6-8 glasses of pure water/day. In the winter people tend to decrease their water intake, however this puts extra metabolic stress on the liver, kidney and colon
• Avoid overeating, as it takes more energy to digest large amounts of food…all taking away energy from the immune system
• SLEEP!! With busy schedules it seems that sleep is the first thing to go by the wayside. It is important to get at least 6-8 hours per night to ensure a properly functioning immune system.
• Reduce Stress – Chronic stress will directly suppress the immune function and can lead to chronic infections. Try daily stress reducing activities such as meditation, yoga, massage or deep breathing. Take 5 minutes in the morning and evening and deep breath, also do this when stress is becoming overwhelming throughout the day. This will help to decrease the negative impact that stress has on your system.

Supplements

1. Vitamin D – there has been much research on optimal vitamin D status and a strong immune system. Every adult in North America should be supplementing with at least 2000IU of vitamin D in the winter months. Children should be taking 1000IU/day. For more information please see this article Vitamin D by Robin.
2. Multivitamin – Since we don’t have the luxury of having a lot of local food in the winter. It is important to supplement yourself with a quality multivitamin. We suggest the multi from Douglas Labs
3. Probiotic – Since a great majority of your immune system derives from your gut, it is important to keep it healthy. The latest research from the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (2009) found that compaired to placebo daily probiotic supplementation for 6 months was a safe and effective way to reduce fever (53-72% reduction), rhinorrhea (28-58% reduction), and cough (41-62% reduction). Probiotics also reduced the incidence and duration of the antibiotic prescription (68-84% reduction) as well as reduced the number of school days missed. The amount of probiotic used in this study was 5 billion CFU’s twice per day. For more information on how to choose a probiotic, see the attached article.
4. Pascoleucyn – This is a homeopathic combination from Germany that has a great immune supporting effect. It is taken as a liquid ampule once a week through the winter to support and protect the immune system. We have been using it for years in our clinic with great reviews. There are also pascoleucyn drops which can be taken at the onset of any kind of cold or flu. These are safe for kids, and are an easy way to keep the family healthy!

November Sale

Come in and Pick up your immune support products and SAVE 10%.

1. Vitamin D1000 Drops or Vitamin D 1000IU capsules
2. Probiotic 123 for children
3. Ultraflora for children 12+ and adults
4. Pascoleucyn ampules
5. Pascoleucyn drops for managing initial cold or flu symptoms
6. Douglas Multivitamin

Book You May Enjoy

Ultraprevention: The 6-Week Plan That Will Make You Healthy for Life

We challenge you to join us and Seven Shores and drink one Green Smoothie each day for 5 Days – starting after Thanksgiving Weekend from Tuesday Oct.12^th to Saturday Oct. 16^th.   See how you feel after … we will have a follow up on facebook.

Benefits to the Seven Shores Green Smoothie Challenge:

1. Creating a Habit of Drinking Green Smoothies
2. To help begin building our Immune Systems for the winter
3. To have Increased Energy all day long
4. To use the kale, spinach, carrots and other greens, veggies and fruit from our local farms … the combinations taste great … you have to try it!!

How the Seven Shores Green Smoothie challenge works:

• Each day Seven Shores Cafe will make a fresh green smoothie for you in a 946ml (32oz.) Mason Jar.
• Cost is $35 for 5 Green Smoothies (pre-payment can be made in cafe)
• Pick up Smoothie in the Cafe anytime between 7am and 7pm
• Return your mason jar the next day and receive your next smoothie
• A chart will be in the cafe – tracking your number of smoothies consumed
• On Saturday 16^th receive recipes of the 5 smoothies
• If you have a juicer at home and would like to do it yourself – we can provide the produce, juice and recipes for you to pick-up on Tuesday – $25 fee.

Information Night (location – Cafe): Thursday October 7^th from 7pm to 8pm:

To know more about Building up Your Immune System and the Benefits of Drinking Green Smoothies – Come and Listen to Kristijana Rakic, ND – www.vibrant-living.ca You will also have a chance to sample a green smoothie and ask any questions about the challenge.

Seven Shores Cafe is about using local and organic produce and other products on their menu in support of the local farmer and keeping the food fresh and nutritious.  The challenge is during the time of National Organic Week – supported by Canadian Organic Growers – Waterloo Chapter www.cogwaterloo.ca.  The greens and veggies used to make the smoothies will be coming from our local organic farms:  Pfennings, Fertile Ground and Transpire Organic Farm!

Any questions please email info@sevenshorestrading.com or call 519.342.0916

pH is a measure of how acidic or alkaline something is. pH balance is a very important part of health. pH is measured from 1 (very acidic) to 14 (very alkaline). Our body works really hard to keep the pH of our blood at a slightly alkaline level (7.4). Our diet can have a significant impact on our blood pH. When we eat more acidic foods such as sugar, processed food, red meat our bodies have to work extra hard to restore the pH of the body. Consider this: A 350 ml serving of Coke, Pepsi or similar drink delivers a sugar fix equivalent to about 9 teaspoons of sugar straight into the blood stream. This instantly acidifies the bloodstream to the extreme point that without an immediate emergency response from the body, it would kill you in a mater of minutes…you’d have to drink 32 glasses of alkaline water to neutralize the blood pH…to prevent death by acidosis, the body reacts swiftly by drawing huge amounts of organic calcium from the bones and teeth and pouring it into the bloodstream to neutralize the excess acid and quickly restore alkaline balance. Calcium is the body’s most potent alkalizing agent”

It’s no coincidence that acid foods that pack on the pounds and contribute to other help problems such as osteoporosis. Acidic foods accelerate aging, especially after our 40’s when the body isn’t as efficient at buffering the blood with calcium.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that alkalizing diets improve bone density and serum growth hormone concentrations; the acidosis resulting from acidic diets contributes to bone and muscle loss.

Our fat cells actually help to protect us again the excess acid in our body by trapping the acid in the fat cells. The more acidic the diet is the more your fat cells grow. Also, the body resists breaking down fat stores when the body is acidic, so to help mobilize and breakdown fat you need to alkalinize!

Clinical studies show that alkaline mineral water (such as spring water) is the best way to obtain alkaline minerals and acid waters like colas are the best way to quickly deplete them!

The most nourishing alkaline foods are nature’s super greens – spirulina, barley and wheat grass. Other super foods are Essetential Fatty Acids (omega 3) help maintain an alkaline body. For a more complete list of alkaline and acidic foods please see the chart below.

5 Top Ways to Stay Alkaline:

1. Drink, Drink then Drink some more!
   1. By far the most important and yet the easiest way to accelerate your alkaline diet weight loss results is to hydrate consistently. Avoid Coffee, tea, soda and other acidic drinks.
2. Avoid Foods with preservatives, food colouring and additives.
   1. The body wasn’t designed to digest these chemical substances, so it must either: eliminate them, neutralize them or park them away where they can’t damage your body
3. Avoid artificial sweeteners like the plague.
   1. If you have been trying to lose weight, chances are you have relied on artificial sweeteners to cut calories.
4. Always have cut veggies and soaked nuts ready in your fridge
   1. Having more of the alkaline foods readily available makes it easier to make the healthier choice. Buy veggies that you enjoy eating!
5. Choose more vegetarian sources of Protein
   1. Meats are more acid especially red meat. Choose less acid protein such as vegetarian protein – beans, nuts, seeds, fish

General Guidance:

Stick to salads, fresh vegetables and healthy nuts and oils. Try to consume plenty of raw foods and at least 2-3 litres of clean, pure water daily. Avoid or reduce of fatty meats, dairy, cheese, sweets, chocolates, alcohol and tobacco. Packaged foods are often full of hidden offenders and microwave meals are full of sugars and salts.

Let’s find out what is in your own local grocery store that can help you age vibrantly, naturally!

Diet

This is not going to come as a surprise to many of you…but what you eat on a consistent basis will effect how your skin ages.

Studies are showing that eating a diet that is higher in fish, vegetables, fruits, legumes while consuming lower intakes of butter, sugar and meat can positively effect skin wrinkling.

So…eat those veggies

(Purba Exp Dermatol 2008)

Lycopene

We know that sun damages the skin. It has been found that increased intake of lycopene has been shown to be able to have UV protecting properties. This means rich lycopene based diets for 12 weeks have been shown to reduce UV induced redness when patients are exposed to the sun. Does this mean eat tomatoes, and don’t wear sunscreen? No, it just helps to further reduce the UV damage.  Also lycopene has been shown to help reduce the depth and severity of furrows and wrinkles in humans.

(Riediger J Am Diet Assoc 2009)

Cocoa

No, this doesn’t mean you can go out and eat unlimited amounts of O’Henry Bars!

But…pure cocoa has been show to contain antioxidants that reduce skin aging. Consumption of 325mg of cocoa flavonols per day for 3 months reduced UV redness, improved skin hydration and decreased roughness and scaling of the skin.

How much is this?  If you get raw cacao powder about 2 tsp will contain roughly this amount. Check out our recipe on the website for healthy hot chocolate.

(Neukam Eur J Nutr 2007)

Fish Oils

You have heard over and over to take your omegas, here is another reason why. Studies are showing that the EPA found in fish can provide internal protection against UV damage and improve skin elasticity. Make sure you take a fish oil supplement that has been tested for heavy metals and take the equivalent of 1000mg of combined EPA/DHA per day.

(Riediger J Am Diet Assoc 2009)

Proper Hydration

We know that drinking your water, and being well hydrated will lead to healthy skin with that glowing appearance. It has been shown that things like fermented dairy (yogurt, kefir), green tea and borage oil can improve hydration from the inside out.

So skip that second cup of coffee and donut and have some plain yogurt and green tea!

(Puch Exp Dermatol 2008)

The good news…we can talk to our genes and influence which of these disease factors will be expressed.

One of the biggest ways that our lifestyle can influence this is through telomers. Telomers are basically protective caps on the end of our chromosomes and the longer our telomers the longer we live. Studies are now showing that 12 weeks on a healthy whole food lifestyle program (including reducing stress, improving sleep and exercise) can positively influence the length of the telomers.

New research is also showing that the omega 3 fats found in fish can also keep your telomers from shortening. Yet another reason to eat wild sources of fish and take your omega 3 supplement (that has been tested for heavy metals of course).

If you are an allergy sufferer and are go to the pharmacy or health food store and are confused as to what to take…you are not alone. With all of the products on the market, it is easy to feel overwhelmed.

We hope to clear up some of that confusion, and give you the clinical experience of what we have seen work to help support you and your family!

Essential For All Allergy Sufferers

1. Essential Fatty Acids (fish oil/omega 3)

Fatty acids are converted to hormone like substances in your body called prostaglandins that act like messengers to regulate body processes. For allergy sufferers, prostaglandins play a role in controlling inflammation.

While inflammation is not always bad, when it is out of control it can be destructive. We know that out of control inflammation is part of the allergy response. Since there are some prostaglandins that promote inflammation, and some that reduce it…the types of fats that we eat will influence our allergenic response.

2. Reduce Inflammatory Fats

These fats are converted to prostaglandin PG2 – creating an inflammatory response and aggravating allergies

Foods that create PG2 include dairy, meat, eggs

3. Increase Anti Inflammatory Fats

These fats are converted to PG1 or PG3 which create an anti-inflammatory effect in the body, block allergenic responses and enhance the immune system

Foods that create PG1/PG3 include nuts, seeds, avocado, flax, fish, olives, hemp

We suggest that in addition to shifting the fats in the diet, that all allergy sufferers will supplement with an omega 3 fatty acid. Fish oils are usually the best, just make sure that the source has been tested for heavy metals. You should take 1000mg of EPA/DHA per day.

4. Vitamin C With Bioflavonoids

Vitamin C works similar to the action of a conventional antihistamine, but without many of the side effects. It is important to get vitamin C with bioflavonoids, as these enhance the effectiveness of vitamin C. Talk to your ND for individual dosages of this vitamin.

5. Saline Nose Rinse

Saltwater rinses will flush your nasal cavity and help to thin mucus and get rid of allergenic irritants. Saline nose rinses can be purchased from your local health food store or pharmacy, and the ratio of salt to water should be approximately 1/8 tsp of salt to 1 cup of warm water. During a flare make sure to do this twice a day, as this will greatly reduce the allergenic load on the system.

It is important to take these things before the allergy season starts. Once symptoms begin it is harder to balance the overresponding immune system, so we want to try to prevent as much as possible. If you start taking these 4-6weeks before your allergies flare, it will help to strengthen your immune response.

Individual Allergy Prescriptions

There are many other things that we can take, but these are more based on individual cases.

Here are the top 3 allergy products that we find help:

1. Pascoeallerg: This is a homeopathic that you can take to help to strengthen and build the immune system before allergies hit. We typically suggest taking this 4-6 weeks prior to allergy season. For more information, talk to your ND at your next appt.
2. Dilute Homeopathics: If you know what you react to, we can actually start to give your body homeopathics of that substance prior to allergy season. This is much similar to the idea of an allergy shot. You give small, minute amounts of the allergen and it builds your defenses and reduces your reactivity. Homeopathics are very safe, and are great for adults, children and even pets. Talk to your ND about your option.
3. Quercitin: Quercetin has been found to limit the release of histamines by stabilizing mast cells. Quercetin is an antioxidant in the bioflavonoid family found in fruits and vegetables such as apples, red onions, blueberries, cranberries, green and black tea, and broccoli. In addition to the vitamin C, you can also get quercitin in supplement form and take about 2 weeks before your allergies flare and during allergy season.

Vibrant Living is growing and with the expansion of our new Naturopathic and Wellness Clinic we have installed a medical grade infrared sauna to help provide the best treatments available to our community.

Sauna treatments are booked for one hour time slots.  The average duration of infrared treatment is 30 minutes, giving you an additional 30 minutes to shower and change.

With each treatment we provide towels, electrolyte solution, filtered water and a hair dryer.

Assists with and/or alleviates symptoms of the following:

• Causes weight loss (without having to lift a finger)
• Helps treat cellulites
• Improves your immune system
• Improves your strength and vitality
• Helps cure several skin diseases like eczema, psoriasis and acne
• Strengthens the cardio-vascular system
• Helps control your blood pressure
• Detoxifies your body
• Gives you more energy & relieves stress
• Helps treat burns and scars
• Relieves pain (joint pain, sore muscles, arthritis)
• Helps control your cholesterol level
• Helps treat bronchitis
• Helps treat hives, gout, tissue damage, prostate hypertrophy

Book Your Infrared Sauna Treatment Today!

• Single Treatment $25
• 10 visit package $199
• 1 month Detox $249
• 3 months unlimited $495

You do not need to be a current patient of our clinic to use the infra-red sauna.

A health balanced diet and will help you not only achieve vibrant health and it will also support your body’s ability to manage allergies.  If you have allergies you have an over active immune system is are no prone to inflammation.  For allergy suffers it is very important to incorporate foods that helps calm the immune system and reduce inflammation in the body.

These are some tips on what to include and what to avoid helping you get through the next allergy season!

1. Reduce foods that negatively impact the immune system
   1. Refined sugars
   2. Processed foods
   3. Artificial colours and flavours, and chemical additives in food
2. Reduce inflammatory foods
   1. Inflammatory Fats – include dairy, meat, eggs
3. Increase anti-inflammatory foods
   1. enhance the immune system with health fats including nuts, seeds, avocado, flax, fish, olives, hemp
4. Eat foods that are more alkaline.  The more alkaline the body is the less potential for disease to develop and allergies to surface.
   1. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables especially dark leafy green vegetables.
   2. Choose more vegetarian sources of protein.
   3. Avoid processed sugar
   4. Reduce your coffee consumption to 1 per day

Here are some Super Foods to help you battle your allergies.  Incorporate one of the following foods into your daily diet.

Apples and Applesauce

In addition to vitamin C, pectin (a soluble fiber), potassium and important phytochemicals, apples contain high amounts of quercetin, which can help reduce allergy symptoms.  Organically produced apples have a 15 percent higher antioxidant capacity than conventionally produced apples.

Try this: Apple slices and nut butter

Cruciferous Vegetables

Some people with allergies have trouble removing toxins through the liver and kidneys. If the toxins back up into the body, it increases the chances of inflammation, which leaves an allergic person even more sensitive. Vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and cabbage greatly assist the process, she said.

Try this: Eat broccoli steamed and mixed with fresh garlic and olive oil.

Quinoa

Quinoa’s high protein content and balanced set of essential amino acids make it a complete source of protein

Try this: Quinoa breakfast bowl – eat it like you would oatmeal and add fruits, nuts and some soy, rice or almond milk.

Sweet Potato

Nutritious and rich in complex carbohydrates and fiber, sweet potatoes are a member of the morning glory family. They are brimming with carotenoids, vitamin C, potassium, fiber and vitamin B-6, which all contribute to reduced inflammation.

Try this: Make sweet potato fries by slicing and lightly coating with olive oil and your favorite spices. Bake until crispy (about 20 minutes) at 300 degrees.

Avocado

Avocados can be an ideal source for healthful fat. It’s also a natural anti-inflammatory because it has a high amount of vitamin B-6 and magnesium.

Try this:  Guacamole

LOVE YOUR HEART

The health of the vascular system (the heart, the blood, and the arteries and veins) is highly influenced by daily lifestyle choices, thus there is a lot that you can do to keep your heart, blood and blood vessels strong and treat or prevent the onset of heart disease.

The biggest predator to the vascular system is its increased exposure to ‘free-radicals.’ Free-radicals are naturally made by the body; however preventable free-radicals come from poor lifestyle choices such as smoking, eating high saturated fat and processed food, alcohol, chemical exposure such as that found in household cleaning products, cosmetics and pesticides use on our food.

There are two ways free-radicals damage the vascular system; first, free-radicals breakdown the walls of the arteries which increases risk of atherosclerosis (thickening of the arteries). Secondly, free-radicals also transform LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) into a more dangerous form which deposits into the artery walls and contributes to plaque build-up. Anti-oxidants are molecules that help reduce the free-radical exposure to the body. Below is a list of ways to help increase the antioxidants in your body.

Keeping your cholesterol levels within a healthy range is also an important part of heart health. There are two types of cholesterol: ‘bad cholesterol or LDL’ and protective or ‘good cholesterol HDL.’ Cholesterol has important roles in the body; it is the precursor to many important hormones such as estrogen and testosterone, and it also aids in the repair of damaged arteries. An increased level of ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol is often a result of eating a poor diet high in unhealthy fats such as Trans fats; additionally, exposure to excess toxins/free-radicals such as smoking can also elevate ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol. As mentioned above, excess toxic exposure insults the artery walls, thus requiring repair. Since cholesterol helps to repair the arteries, more cholesterol will need to be made to help keep of with the repair from damaging toxins.

Prevent or treat heart disease by reducing toxic exposure, eating foods high in antioxidants and that support good cholesterol! Here are some easy steps to get you started:

7 STEPS TO A HEALTHY HEART

1. Stop Smoking

Smoking loads the body with preventable toxins and increases potential for free-radicals damage which breaks down the arteries.

2. Reduce Toxic Exposure

Other toxins that contribute to preventable free-radical exposure are in the food we eat and the common household products we use. Switch to organic food when possible to minimize the harmful affects of pesticide use. Switch to chemical free household cleaners and products such as tooth paste, dish soap, laundry detergent, sanitary products and cosmetics.

3. Eat Foods High in Anti-oxidants

Eating lots of fresh organic fruits and vegetables will ensure a good daily serving of anti-oxidants. Greens are especially high in antioxidants, so eating one big green salad each day will help protect you against free radical damage. Adding a greens supplement is also a fantastic way to increase antioxidants. The greens product we sell at the clinic is very tasty and easily incorporated into a smoothie. Other greens products such as Greens + can be found at your local health food store.

4. Eat food to the Support Healthy Cholesterol

Dietary changes will go a long way toward lowering ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol while maintaining protective HDL. Cutting out saturated fat and adding more dietary fibre — particularly in the form of oatmeal, brain cereals, beans (1/2 – 1 cup daily), and flaxseed (2 tbsp of ground flaxseed) — takes a big bite out of cholesterol. Eliminating white flour, sugar, and other high glycemic carbohydrates from the diet is an excellent therapy for lowering cholesterol and bad fats.

5. Exercise 30 minutes Daily (or equivalent to 3.5 hrs/wk)

Exercise helps to maintain healthy cholesterol levels and reduces the storage of excess body fat. Exercise also helps to strength the heart by challenging the heart muscles to pump stronger and faster during physical activity.

6. Get additional support with an Antioxidant Supplement

Your body produces antioxidants, and you also get them in your diet (provided that you eat lots of fruits and vegetables). However, the best way to ensure optimal levels of these crucial nutrients is to take supplements of the major antioxidant vitamins and minerals: vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin A, beta-carotene, and selenium. We recommend using a complex that includes each of these important antioxidants. The ‘Basic Antioxidant’ formula is available at our office, or you can visit the local health food store for the purchase of antioxidants. Alternatively, a good multivitamin will also contain a high concentration of antioxidants.

7. Supplement with Fish Oils

Fish oil is one of the most potent therapies and preventions for heart disease. Fish oil is high in omega 3 fatty acids. These important fats cannot be produced in the body, so it is imperative that you get them from dietary or supplemental sources. Nature’s most abundant sources of omega-3s are algae, fatty cold-water fish, and marine mammals like seals and whales. Because these are not common foods on most of our dinner plates, many North Americans are deficient in these important fatty acids.

While eating omega-3-rich fatty fish several times a week is highly protective against heart disease, few people do it, and it is estimated that as many as 90 percent of North Americans are deficient omega 3. In addition to eating fish several times per week, supplement with two 1,000 milligram fish oil capsules daily to help prevent heart disease. Higher dosage is required for people that are suffering from heart disease.

The only other abundant source of the omega-3 fatty acids is flaxseed oil, which contains alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). ALA must be converted in the body before it is put to use. In most healthy people, this conversion is not very efficient; and in those who are ill, the conversion maybe very compromised. The fact that fish oil contains fatty acids in a form that is immediately useful to the body makes it my preferred source of the omega-3 fatty acids for the treatment of heart disease. Flaxseed oil (1-2 tbsp/day), however, is a reasonable substitute — and freshly ground flaxseed (2 – 4 tbsp daily) has benefits of its own, particularly in lowering cholesterol.

If you suffer from heart disease it is important to seek professional guidance from a naturopath when considering therapy with multivitamins and fish oils to ensure there is no interaction with current medication and to choose a program that is specific to your health condition. The above recommendation can be incorporated by healthy individuals looking to prevent heart disease.

The H1N1 Issue: Flu Pandemic, Fear Pandemic, or Both?

James L. Chestnut B.Ed., M.Sc., D.C., C.C.W.P.

The H1N1 issue has become so prevalent that I thought it appropriate to share some factual perspective. I realize that factual perspective is neither newsworthy nor popular when people are in the midst of a mob mentality of fear but I’m willing to risk unpopularity in order to encourage people to be guided by science, reason, and logic.

As you’ve heard me say so many times the key to finding the truth is asking the right questions. If we don’t ask the right questions we will never get the right answers. Irrational fear usually comes from asking the wrong questions or failing to ask the right ones. As I often point out it is not what we don’t know that poses the greatest danger, it is what we think we know that is false. We also must be aware of confounding factors creating self fulfilling prophecies. Sometimes fear is rational, sometimes it is not. Regardless, the most important thing is to ACCURATELY assess the threat and then identify an evidence-based, logical, reasonable, and RATIONAL response or course of action.

Let’s start with the H1N1 flu virus itself.

Clearly this flu virus is a reality and clearly it can lead to illness. The most important question is what kind of illness. The FACT is that the type of illness associated with this virus in over 99.9% of CASES is mild to moderate flu symptoms which include fever, nausea which can include vomiting, and of course general malaise. Not very pleasant to be sure but is this any different than the symptoms associated with the flu viruses that have been the source of the seasonal flu for the past 50 years? No. Although not every seasonal flu virus is associated with vomiting the truth is that vomiting is not considered serious. Seriously uncomfortable – yes, seriously risky in terms of death or severe complications – no.

But what about the deaths from H1N1?

We all must admit and understand that even the thought of a child dying is enough to send any parent into hysterics. I can’t think of anything more frightening. So let me be clear. I am not suggesting that the threat of harm or death to my child or any child is not something to fear. What I am suggesting is that we RATIONALLY assess the threat and then assess our fear level to see if it is appropriate. Good decisions, decisions that minimize threat and maximize safety, are NOT based on irrational fear. Fear is our worst enemy. Logical interpretation of available facts is our best ally.

Here is what we need to know before we can make a decision about an appropriate fear level associated with risk of death from H1N1. First we need to know how many deaths have been caused by H1N1 in any given population. The next question to ask is whether or not those who have died had underlying illnesses that made them more susceptible or more at risk. In other words we need to know how many of the deaths ASSOCIATED with H1N1 are actually CAUSED by H1N1.

To assess the absolute risk of dying from H1N1 we need to divide the number of deaths in any given population by the number of people in that given population. In Canada as of Oct 17, 2009 there had been a total of 1,604 hospitalizations, and 83 deaths associated with H1N1. By the way by this time H1N1 was already being portrayed as a DEADLY PANDEMIC. So, out of a population of approximately 35 MILLION there were 83 deaths. This means your chance of dying of H1N1 up to this point was 83/35,000,000 which is one in 421,687. This means the chance of death from H1N1 was 0.0002%.

To date these risks are similar in the United States and throughout the rest of the world.

It is not easy to get exact numbers on the number of deaths that are caused by underlying conditions or secondary bacterial infections but estimates are that these would represent at least 99% of all deaths associated with H1N1. So, if you do not have an underlying illness your chance of dying from H1N1 is 1% of 0.0002%. Not exactly worthy of widespread panic.

The chances of dying in a car accident, airplane accident, a fall, from complications of air pollution, from complications from industrial toxins or from medical treatment are EXPONENTIALLY GREATER. What is the difference? The media and the health authorities are not focusing your attention on these risks. You have more chance of dying in a car accident on your way to get an H1N1 vaccine than dying from H1N1. Statistically it could be concluded that it is an undue risk to get into a car and get the vaccine! I could not find any published peer-reviewed data to determine whether the H1N1 vaccine is safe or effective. In other words there is no available information that would be required for any other medical intervention that the H1N1 vaccine works or if it is safe. This does not mean it is not safe or effective, it just means we have no data which would be considered scientifically valid to utilize to form our opinions. Even if we assume the vaccine is safe and effective, statistically there is still more risk of death from the car ride to get the vaccine than from dying from H1N1!

So what is going on in my opinion? Well I think some very well intentioned people are allowing fear rather than science and data to guide public policy. I’m not alone in this opinion by the way. Have a read of the following quotes from a recent article published in The British Medical Journal entitled “Calibrated response to emerging infections” http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/339/sep03_2/b3471. In fact read this entire article, I think it offers a very good perspective and it is very well referenced.

Pay particular attention to how the health authorities have changed the definition of a flu pandemic!

“Since the emergence of novel A/H1N1, descriptions of pandemic flu (both its causes and its effect) have changed to such a degree that the difference between seasonal flu and pandemic flu is now unclear. WHO, for example, for years defined pandemics as outbreaks causing “enormous numbers of deaths and illness,” but in early May, removed this phrase from the definition.”

Changing views of pandemic flu, before and after emergence of influenza A/H1N1 virus:

“But the 2009 pandemic, taken as a whole, bears little resemblance to the forecasted pandemic. Pandemic A/H1N1 virus is not a new subtype but the same subtype as seasonal A/H1N1 that has been circulating since 1977.”

“Furthermore, a substantial portion of the population may have immunity. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 33% of those aged over 60 had cross reactive antibody to novel A/H1N1,which may explain why cases have been rare in elderly people.” Interestingly a recent report by CBC in Canada indicated that 4 preliminary studies showed that the chance of having immunity to H1N1 is DECREASED if you have regularly been vaccinated for seasonal flu. It will be interesting to see if they pursue this any further and publish the results in a peer-reviewed journal.

“On 26 April, with 20 cases and no deaths in the US, the Department of Health and Human Services declared a nationwide public health emergency.”

“The SARS outbreak showed that large numbers of infected people are not necessary to generate concern and fear over disease. The SARS virus is known to have affected only 8096 people globally, but the fear of infection, involuntary quarantine, travel restrictions and subsequent political antagonisms, and at least $18bn in losses were felt by far more. It was not the virus but the response to it that caused these social and economic harms.”

So what is my conclusion; is the H1N1 issue a flu pandemic, a fear pandemic, or both?

My conclusion is that at this point it is a pandemic of fear and NOT a flu pandemic. Of course it depends on how you define pandemic! The data available make it clear that we are experiencing an H1N1 seasonal flu BUT that to date this is not associated with significant risk of death or serious illness.

The FACT is that the current level of alarm and fear are NOT supported by data. However, this could change. What we cannot say is that things will not get worse. There is sufficient data to date to strongly suggest that it won’t but data can only accurately tell us what has happened not what will happen. Certainly the odds are that H1N1 will pass with the same overblown fear and unactuated threat as SARS. Only time and data with tell.

I do have some concerns about the fact that testing for H1N1 has now been virtually all but discontinued. The authorities are now assuming that any case of the flu is H1N1. This means we will NEVER have any valid data about incidence, prevalence, or death rates. All such assessments without actual confirmation of infection are, in scientific terms, invalid. The term they will use is speculative. Sounds better than saying we are guessing.

Another concern is that deaths associated with H1N1, as with all previous seasonal flu viruses, are vastly overestimated. The annual published death rates for flu are NOT from confirmed deaths due to flu and in fact even CDC published stats reveal that most deaths “associated” with the flu are actually not from the flu at all but almost entirely from pneumonia. Less than one percent of deaths reported as associated with seasonal flu are actually caused by seasonal flu and even in these deaths the vast majority occur in people with underlying conditions.

Another concern is that it is unlikely that we will ever get any data on whether or not those who have been vaccinated have been protected. If one actually reads the primary research studies (not the news or published summaries by health ministries) on the seasonal flu vaccine what one finds is that the data does not support claims that the regular seasonal flu vaccine significantly decreases the incidence of flu or complications from it. Recently there has been some admission that the vaccines do not prevent the flu and that indeed they only guess correct on which virus to vaccinate against less than 30% of the time. However the health authorities still justify recommending the vaccine by claiming it decreases the severity of flu and complications from it. All I am asking for is to have DATA guide policy not DOGMA.

One of the sources of controversy is that vaccine benefits are often reported as relative risk reductions not absolute risk reductions so when one applies the results in real life one quickly realizes that the actual reduction of risk for those vaccinated vs not vaccinated is not statistically significant. They often report that the flu vaccine reduces hospitalizations or deaths but they report the relative difference between vaccinated vs unvaccinated not the absolute difference. In other words there might be 5000 people in each study group and there may be 4 deaths amongst those unvaccinated and 2 deaths among those vaccinated. This relative difference is reported as a “50% reduction in deaths in those vaccinated vs not vaccinated”. Of course what this really means is that if you are vaccinated, and you get the flu, you have a 2 in 5000 chance of death. If you are unvaccinated and you get the flu you have a 4 in 5000 chance of death. An absolute difference of 2 in 5000 – not even remotely significant and certainly not worthy of the national vaccination campaigns and the billions of dollars spent on the vaccines. YES, they do report things this way!!

Some good references on this topic are Jackson et al., Evidence of bias in estimates of influenza vaccine effectiveness in seniors, International Journal of Epidemiology 2006; 35: 337-344 and Jefferson, T. Influenza vaccination: policy versus evidence. British Medical Journal 2006; 333: 912-915 and Jefferson et al. Efficacy and effectiveness of influenza vaccines in elderly people: a systematic review. Lancet 2005; 366: 1165-74 and Simonsen et al. Mortality benefits of influenza vaccination in elderly people: an ongoing controversy. Lancet Infectious Disease 2007; 7: xxx-xx.

But doesn’t it seem like we have more flu and more associated deaths this year?

Yes is does SEEM that way. However the truth is that although the flu seems to have come early this year it has not come with any greater incidence or seriousness – at least not yet. The real story is that although death rates are not significantly higher than most years there have been some deaths among children and this is just so tragic that it causes great fear and anxiety. HOWEVER, the risk to otherwise healthy children of dying from H1N1 is FAR less than the risk of dying in a car accident. This does not minimize the importance of these tragic losses, it just puts them in perspective in terms of absolute risk.

But aren’t more kids away from school and adults away from work this year?

Yes, absolutely. However the frenzy of fear this year has changed things significantly and skewed them toward a self fulfilling prophecy. This year if anyone has even a sniffle they are kept home because we have all been told that we are in the midst of a deadly pandemic and that it is our moral obligation to stay home. In past years we have always gone to work with the flu because for the most part we can work through it. We can’t logically use the number of people away from school or work as an accurate indicator of the severity of this year’s flu pandemic. We have to use the data about illness rates, severity, and death rates. When we use this data to form our opinions and policies our fear level will certainly move away from hysteria.

What is ironic is that the health authorities have started vaccinating those people who have been identified as most susceptible to serious complications. They have also stated that we should avoid close contact in order to avoid spread. Now we have those identified as being most susceptible congregating in close contact waiting for the vaccine! Remember these people also had to put themselves at GREAT risk (relative to risk of death from H1N1) by traveling on the road to get to the vaccination site. Obviously the minute risk of death from a car accident is not a rational reason to avoid driving to get the vaccine if you think this is a good strategy. This is a valid use of risk analysis to help you put your fears about death from H1N1 into perspective. Fear and anxiety cause the release of stress hormones that down-regulate your immune system!

So what should we do; what is a scientific, logical and reasonable strategy?

1. Be rational, put things in proper perspective and ask the right questions.
2. Be scientific and logical. Get the facts and apply them to your strategy.
3. Don’t panic if you or a loved one gets the flu. Keep hydrated, stay home, eat intelligently and REST. If severe complications arise go to your medical doctor or a walk-in clinic.
4. Be preventative. Eating well, exercising, and staying relaxed (Eat Well Move Well Think Well™) are evidence-based ways to optimize your immune defenses, to minimize risk of both becoming ill and of complications, and to maximize your recovery should you become ill.
5. Take Vitamin D – this is absolutely one of the most evidence-based interventions available for reducing incidence and severity of seasonal cold and flu. The data is very very strong. See the upcoming Vitamin D newsletter from Innate Choice www.innatechoice.com for more information and for references.