How do I boost my Immune System?

Chris Woollams. Author of The Rainbow Diet

 This article tells you how to boost and improve your immune system; how to get a strong immune system, strong enough to fight cancer.

Eat Rainbow foods, supplement and attend to your lifestyle:

 It is one of the most asked questions of our charity staff. People who want to prevent disease know that a strong immune system will give them better protection. People who have something wrong with them understand that their immune system has failed them.

I’d make a terrible Doctor. You see, if I had just diagnosed someone sitting in front of me as having a cancer I’d be saying, ’Right, before I send you off for surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy, let’s sort out two things:

Firstly, what might have caused your cancer - and so could still be there maintaining it. We’ll then do our best to remove the threat.

Secondly, let’s do everything in our power to re-boot your immune system so it is as strong as possible, before you have any debilitating orthodox therapies‘.

So let us have a look at the foods, the supplements and other things you could be using to get your immune system into tip-top condition.

1. THE LIVER  is the organ of detoxification in the body and in cancer patients it becomes toxic.

Fats and cholesterol ‘clog it up’ anyway.

There may be dead bacteria, microbes or even parasites.

The cholesterol can collect around dead cells and form gallstones - there may be thousands of these particles, most only the size of grains of sand. One US estimate was that 99.99 per cent of cancer patients had gallstones blocking the bile ducts so the liver could not excrete the toxins into the waste system properly.

Then there is the lactic acid from cancer cells. Plus the drugs from steroids to chemotherapy that must be detoxified. And then there may be lots of dead cancer cells.

You need to strengthen your liver - milk thistle, magnesium will help     

You need to clean it out - a liver flush of olive oil and Epsom Salts should do the trick      

And you need to dilate the bile ducts to enhance excretion of toxins - boldo tea, artichoke  & dandelion will help. As will a series of coffee enemas.

2. EXERCISE improves the immune system. It moves the lymph to take toxins away from cells, it oxygenates the blood, and it increases levels of happy endorphins and Human Growth Hormone, both of which can reduce levels of ‘bad hormones’. Research shows that half an hour every day is the level you need - if you can manage it. It improves survival rates of some cancers by 50 per cent. It does not have to be strenuous.

3. SUNSHINE can boost the immune system because it causes the production of vitamin D from cholesterol under your skin. Cancer cells have greater numbers of vitamin D receptor sites than normal cells - it kills them. And it boosts your whole immune system. If you cannot get 30 minutes in the sunshine everyday, take a supplement of 1000-2000 IU’s of vitamin D3.

4. ANTIOXIDANTS

Research shows that vegetables and fruit provide more antioxidants from their natural compounds than are derived from synthetic vitamin and mineral supplements - providing you EAT WHOLE FOODS and that they are ORGANIC. Top natural food sources for the everyday antioxidants are:

Vitamin E: 2 tablespoons of sunflower seeds (11 mgs); 20 almonds (8 mgs); 1 tablespoon wheat germ (3mgs)

Vitamin C: 1 large red pepper (224 mgs); 100 gms raw broccoli (90 mgs) 150 gms papaya (90 mgs); 1 large orange (65 mgs)

Beta-carotene: 1 cup carrot juice (24 mgs); 1 medium sweet potato (10.0 mgs) 5 dried apricots (6.2 mgs); 1 cup cherries (6.2 mgs); half cup cooked spinach (5.7 mgs)

Zinc:  6 oysters (55 mgs), I medium steak (8 mgs); 4 tablespoons sunflower seeds 96mgs); serving of All Bran (4 mgs)

Selenium: 4 cracked Brazil nuts (150 mcgs; 4 slices of wholemeal bread (60 mcgs); 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds (15 mcgs); 1 free range egg (15 mcgs); 1 chicken breast (10 mcgs)

Lycopene: Tomatoes - 1 tin tomato soup (65 mgs); 5 tablespoons tomato paste (22 mgs).

The major problem with trying to ‘Eat your vitamins and minerals’ is that soil depletion has caused big losses. The US Government Senate has reviewed the matter three times and each time concluded that people should supplement. Especially with minerals. Vitamin E  research with cancer uses levels of 200 mgs and both tocopherols and tocotrienols forms*- from the above figures you will see that achieving these levels is almost impossible simply by eating. As always we only recommend taking natural compounds as supplements.

 Supplements:

(i)    Minerals: Zinc: 15 mgs per day, Selenium: 200 mcgs per day

 (ii) Vitamins: Vitamin E- Natural 8 forms, Total Vitamin E - 400 IU’s per day, Vitamin B-12 and beta-carotene(plus many others) take Chlorella three times daily with meals, Coenzyme Q10 -30-50 mgs per day.

     Eat Rainbow Foods: The breakthrough in very recent times has been the discovery of natural compounds like flavenoids and phenols in plants, which are many, many times more powerful as antioxidants than ‘bog standard’ vitamin supplements. So ‘Eat a Rainbow*‘: A rainbow of colour and foods from red peppers, raspberries, pomegranates and cherries; to oranges, papaya and apricots; to yellow pineapples, grapefruit, ginger and nuts; to greens, onions, apples; to blues and red-purples like beetroot, plums, figs, aubergines. And, yes, there are some supplements you can add to this like: Resveratrol-as directed on pack; Grape seed extract- as directed on pack; Curcumin (Turmeric)- 2x 400 mgs per day.

The next scientific breakthrough has been the discovery of the importance of polysaccharides in boosting the levels of T-and B- lymphocytes, cytokines, interleukin and Natural Killer cells. Medicinal mushrooms (Shiitake, Reishi, cordyceps) have been used in the Far East in this way for years. Top immune polysaccharide boosters are: Aloe Vera-sip a capful at night on retiring and first thing in the morning; MGN-3 (Biobran)- as directed on pack; D-Mannose- as directed on pack (also available in Ambrotose) and the herbs; Echinacea - use tincture as directed; Cat’s Claw- use tincture as directed; Astragalus - use tincture as directed. The last three we used with great effect after chemotherapy drugs had reduced my daughter’s white cell count to low levels and the immune stimulating drugs were having no effect.

5. MULTI-STRAIN PROBIOTIC:

Beneficial Bacteria are the directors of the immune system. Over 1000 research studies and 80 clinical trials in the last 6 years have shown that they are essential ingredients for a strong immune system. Take: Neways Advanced Probiotic; Prebiota 7, and L. Shirota are only available in Yakult.

6. TAKE NOTABLE OTHERS!

As we have covered before inflammation and possible microbial action cause your immune system to weaken. As insurance take: Fish Oils- as directed on pack; Garlic supplement  (if you can’t eat 4 bulbs a day!) - as directed on pack.

7. EAT POTASSIUM AND MAGNESIUM RICH FOODS- do not eat sugar or salt. Sugar weakens your immune system, smoothies are the worst! Salt causes your cells to become acid. Your cells and immune system work best when they are alkaline, and that means lots of potassium and magnesium-rich foods most of which are within our Rainbow Foods list: like lentils, pulses, jacket potato, nuts, whole grains and ‘greens’, bananas, whole brown rice, carrots, apples, pears, papaya and melon.

8. LAUGH - laughter boosts the immune system and moves your lymph. So see friends, watch old movies you like, old comedy shows, and go and see a show. Cut all the people and things out of your life that make you feel guilty, stressed or depressed. Let no-one put you down.

* This extract has been taken from ‘The Rainbow Diet and its relevance to beating cancer, a book launched in July 2008 by Chris Woollams. 

For more information please go to the canceractive website.