Preventing Influenza: Part One – Terrain and Diet
Preventing Influenza: Part 1 – Terrain and Diet
As I write this, it is still early fall, but soon the cold and flu season will be fully upon us, so now would be a good time to inform and remind my readers about the actions we can take to protect ourselves. This series of newsletters will be a compilation and revision of a number of older blogs on the subject. Herein, I summarize all that we can do to avoid being susceptible to infection by any form of influenza, and what we can do to fight it, if we do fall ill.
Don’t Worry About Getting a Cold
As my regular readers are most likely aware, my original introduction to the field of natural healing came via my study of Macrobiotics (a Japanese health system based on the dietary traditions of early Japanese Zen Buddhism combined with the ideas of the ancient Greek philosopher Hippocrates).
I still believe that the underlying principles of Macrobiotics are valid and worthy of study, and as such will now offer their view of the common cold. Which is the idea that there is such a thing as a “change of season” cold. This occurs in the fall when the weather changes from hot and dry to cold and damp, at which point the body seeks to rid itself of internal mucus build up, a result of eating summer foods (lots of fruits and sugars, raw “damp” foods, and, in the worst case from their prospective, dairy products).
Macrobiotics believe that if we stop the process of this change-of-season “cold” we set the body up for actually getting influenza in the winter, by allowing excessive mucus build-up in the body. Back when I first came across this theory the primary way that people would stop a cold is by taking copious amounts of vitamin C. According to Macrobiotic principles, this could dry up and halt the mucus discharge, something that is actually going against the flow of nature.
In any case, a cold, per se, is not generally an issue for most people. One can still function with a cold even though the symptoms may be uncomfortable (mucus discharge is never a pleasant sight). A flu however, is a whole other thing.
The flu usually begins with muscle tension around the head and neck, quickly leads to general aches and pains, along with fatigue and a desire for bed rest (which should be observed), and ultimately can involve infection in the lungs and/or sinuses, and sometimes even manifest as “stomach flu” (viral gastroenteritis). Thus, the primary focus of this series will be how to use all the natural resources at our disposal to prevent and treat influenza.
Fortify Your Defenses
I am not one to recommend the flu vaccine, believing it to be counterproductive to good health, (many flu vaccines still contain Thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative), and of little value in actually preventing the flu. Vaccination theory is as contentious as religion, and people tend to believe in it or disbelieve in it strongly. (Put me in the latter camp.)
An Arab saying goes: “Trust in Allah but tie up your camel.” Whether or not you trust vaccines, even they do not claim to be 100% effective, just to reduce your chances of getting influenza. Therefore, the following information, which may be considered to be “tying up your camel”, can apply equally to those who are vaccinated and those who are not. And the most important factor in this natural approach is ensuring that your body’s defenses are in good order, and that begins with the “terrain”.
Healthy Terrain
“Bernard was right; the pathogen is nothing; the terrain is everything.” — Louis Pasteur’s deathbed words.
Pasteur, credited with popularization of the germ theory of disease, recanted his germ theory, on his deathbed, deferring at this late date to the theory of one of his critics.
This critic, Claude Bernard, was a contemporary of Pasteur, who laid the groundwork for current theories on pH, and how the nature of microorganisms, both good and bad, change when the body moves from an alkaline pH to an acidic pH. So confident was Bernard of his theory that, before a group of fellow doctors and scientists, he stated: “The terrain is everything; the germ is nothing,” and then proceeded to drink a glass of water infected with cholera. Much to the surprise of those scientists, who followed Pasteur’s theory of germs, Bernard did not develop cholera.
Bernard believed that our internal environment was more important in determining if we would catch a disease, than the actual nature of the pathogen that was trying to infect us. Thus, the potential host’s susceptibility to infection was a more important factor than the germ itself was. He believed that doctors should be focused on helping their patients maintain an internal terrain that was an inhospitable place for disease.
Following on Bernard’s heels, a few decades later, was famed Russian scientist, Elie Metchnikoff, who discovered white blood cells. He and his assistants also consumed cholera bacteria, and none of them developed cholera. Metchnikoff did this because, like Bernard, he also believed that the only way to prevent infectious diseases was to focus on strengthening and maintaining the body’s defenses. (White blood cells being an important component of this defense system.)
The terrain theory has wide support in the alternative healing field, and what it essentially means is that if the body is truly “healthy”, germs and disease will find no purchase, because the “terrain” will be inhospitable to them.
It is easy to confuse our immune system with the terrain, but immunity is only a part of the terrain. It is the backup system that kicks in when terrain is not healthy enough to keep out invasive bacteria and/or viruses. (I will address the immune system in more detail, further on.)
Acid/Alkaline
“If I could live my life over again, I would devote it to proving that germs seek their natural habitat—diseased tissue—rather than being the cause of the diseased tissue; e.g., mosquitoes seek the stagnant water, but do not cause the pool to become stagnant.” – Rudolph Virchow (Father of Pathology)
The number one thing that we can do to maintain a healthy terrain is to keep our bodies alkaline.
Of course the body’s alkalinity never really varies, outside of deathly ailments. The body maintains a constant pH, of between 7.35 and 7.45, by homeostasis. That is, it will borrow calcium from the bones to buffer any increase in acidity in the body, effectively buffering the acid and maintaining our necessary ideal pH.
So, for example, if we eat too much sugar, or any acidic food, or ingest any acidic compounds in excess (such as alcohol, coffee, tobacco, radiation, chemicals, etc), the body will then draw upon our calcium stores, in order to neutralize that acid. Thus the prevalence of osteoporosis (and bad teeth) in the modern world.
Now, while the body is working to raise the pH back to a livable level, it is susceptible to infection, either bacterial or viral. If we handle the job of maintaining an alkaline pH, by eating correctly and maintaining positive emotions (negative, stress-filled emotions also cause acidity), and oxygenating tissue through activity, we take the burden off the body so that it can defend us against foreign invaders. Otherwise, the body is occupied with compensating for our unhealthy lifestyles and has no time nor ability to provide adequate defenses.
(For more information on the subject of “terrain” see this research.)
Importance of Diet
Diet is always our first line of defense against illness, and especially in the winter we need to eat a more alkaline diet than we can get away with in the warmer months. And it is definitely the wrong time to be eating a raw food diet, unless you live in a Southern climate. Raw food is damp and cooling, two tendencies that contribute to illness in the winter months.
During winter months we will need more cooked foods, but should still be focused on whole foods, plenty of vegetables, quality proteins, fermented foods, and a good amount of healthy fats (calories keep us warm).
As always, refined carbohydrates (flours, sugars, fruit juices, junk foods) are among the most acidifying and should be avoided as much as possible.
The following material is based on the perspective of Asian (Chinese and Japanese) medicine. We here in the West have lost sight of how to eat with the seasons (a major component of the Macrobiotic diet). We can now have tropical foods year ‘round, and because of indoor heating, we can counteract those needs that the seasons naturally impose on us. For example, those living in cold areas would normally need more calories to warm themselves than those living with central heating would require.
Avoid These Foods
Because fall and winter are damp seasons, Asian medicine advises that we avoid “damp” foods so as not to create imbalance in the body.
Foods that create dampness in the body include sugars, dairy products (less so for goat milk products), fruit juices, tropical fruits, white flour and excessive raw foods. Those who are part of the raw food movement might take offense at this, but you will find that if you depend mostly on a raw food diet you will more often be cold in the winter months. (Being cold a lot can also be a sign of iron deficiency, but don’t take iron if you are fighting a cold since iron feeds bacteria.)
Dampness shows itself as an excess production of mucus and a tendency towards infections (anywhere in the body).
The Raw Food Diet trend originated with those “hippies” seeking spiritual teachings in India during the 60s, and from health food advocates living mostly in Southern California in the 70s. A fine diet for those in a tropical and semi-tropical area, but not something you see among native inhabitants of cold or temperate regions.
Also bad for our terrain are trans-fats which are found in overheated vegetable oils and hydrogenated oils (such as margarine). And in fact most seed oil high in omega-6 fatty acids (canola, corn, peanut, safflower, soy, sunflower), are also detrimental to good health, whether overheated or not.
However, a good amount of quality fats will provide healthful calories and help to keep us warm. These include animal fats (saturated fats are back on the map again), butter, and coconut, fish, flax, and olive oils.
Healthful Foods
While raw foods are cooling and damp in nature, cooked foods are not. And those with weak digestion (especially the elderly and infirm) benefit from having foods well cooked.
Cooking makes the food easier to digest, freeing up energy in the body that can be used for healing rather than digestion. However, rest assured that if you are in good health, small portions of salad or other raw foods are not going to be an issue during the cold seasons. And fermented foods like sauerkraut can be of great benefit for digestion and immunity.
Fruits that are acceptable for use in the colder months are those that are local (roughly within a 500 mile radius of where you live). So, for us in Canada, suitable fruits include apples, pears, plums, berries, which can be raw, in moderate amounts, or naturally preserved (low-sugar jams or sauces, dried, home-preserved canning, or frozen), and should of course be organic).
Quality proteins are required more in the winter than the warmer months, when we can get away with a lower protein diet. This is why vegetarian cultures tend to flourish in hot countries and are not found in the colder climates. Lean animal protein (appropriate for your blood type), seafood, and tempeh are all good options. Tofu, unlike tempeh, is cooling (as is soy milk) and should not be a large part of the winter diet.
With the right diet we are essentially trying to keep the body alkaline, which creates a terrain inhospitable to bacteria and viruses. Superior foods to use throughout the colder months, and especially when ill, are garlic, onions (and all members of the onion family), the cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale, cauliflower, cabbage, etc), seaweed, and miso soup. The cruciferous vegetables are best cooked, not only for the reasons mentioned above, but also because they can inhibit thyroid function when consumed raw in large amounts.
In Part 2 I will delve into those superfoods that have especially valuable properties for fighting viruses and supporting the immune system, as well as examining ways to maintain healthy lungs.
(Author: All newsletters and blogs are written by Ken Peters who has worked as a nutritional consultant for the last 30 years, and as product designer for NutriStart for the last 25 years. He has also authored two books – Health Secrets Vol. 1&2. He may be reached at: kenpetersconsulting@gmail.com)