Richard W. Jacobson, MD., an emergency physician at Christus Schumpert Health System in Shreveport, in the October issue of The Forum made the above statement about the West Nile virus. Dr. Jacobson has a few other comments I want to share with you this month. Please keep in mind his statements are made from the perspective of a clinician who deals with emergency room situations on a daily basis. He says, despite the scary name, West Nile virus is just not something the average healthy person needs to worry about.

Actually, it might surprise you to know you could have already had West Nile virus and not even know it. That’s because the symptoms of West Nile are very much like the symptoms of the flu: cold, runny nose, headache and muscle weakness. If you had gone to the emergency department, they could have done a blood test to confirm that you indeed had West Nile, but you would not have received any miracle drugs.

In fact, as with other viral illnesses, most physicians would have given you Tylenol, Motrin or an anti-nausea drug and advised you to let the virus run its course a process that takes three to five days.

So what’s the big scare all about? Here are some interesting facts about West Nile virus from the Center for Disease Control.

• Only one in one hundred-fifty persons who contract it may get seriously ill.
  
• Of the 17,000 cases identified since 1999 the total deaths only number 650.
  
• By contrast, more than 20,000 people die each year in the US from the flu. In truth, more people die from the misapplication of doctor prescribed drugs than West Nile.
  

Of course, the few who do get seriously ill may require ICU treatment and have long-term consequences; however, as Dr. Jacobson points out there is little fear for a healthy person with a good immune system.

Here are a few tips to keep your immune system in tip-top shape.

• Avoid sugars, pastries and other forms of sweets. Research shows one teaspoon of sugar can suppress the immune system for up to 72 hours. Why take the chance?
  
• Eat plenty of green leafy vegetables and avoid eating proteins with starchy vegetables in the same meal (which is how most of us Americans are taught to eat). There has certainly been enough in the news recently about the serious risk to your health from eating fast and over processed foods. It¹s a scientific fact that over processed or canned food is a tremendous stress on the human digestive system, causing congestion in the liver and even creating constipation and some of the headaches Dr. Jacobson mentions above. So often, sinus and mucus congestion results from the consumption of dead dairy or grain products or the other processed foods just mentioned.
  
• Have a stuffy nose? Ever feel stopped up and congested? Actually, it may be as simple a solution as correcting your diet and eating live whole fresh foods. Now that’s a recipe for good health, energy and a strong immune system.
  

On the other hand, when the first symptoms of flu or cold appear, take immediate action. Homeopathics are more effective than any number of antibiotics you could take and will not kill the friendly digestive flora in your gut that are so vital to your immune defenses.

At the Center for Natural Healing our clients are advised to follow other simple steps that very often short cycle two and three week potential flu episodes into two or three days, resulting in less down time and less impact on your financial health.

There are numerous other plant and herbal interventions that will enable you to have good energy, health and vitality, i.e., a strong immune system. This is something synthetics and the ingestion of drugs and manmade chemicals on a long-term basis can never do. Final fact for this article medical science really has no defense against a virus. Just two years ago our family lost a vivacious 25-year-old young woman who was given 5 intravenous antibiotic drips in a hospital environment for a recurring pneumonia infection.

You should know antibiotics do not get rid of viruses. Common sense tells you if that were true, pneumonia and AIDS, for that matter, wouldn’t be the serious problem it is. So what’s the bottom line for you? Educate yourself in the fundamentals of good health. Read the following books, The Pro-Vita Plan by Dr. Jack Tips, and Patient, Heal Thyself by Dr. Jordan Rubin.

Should you have any trouble finding these in your local bookstore, call the Center for Natural Healing. And find yourself a good natural medicine doctor that can coach you on a consistent basis on how to take care of your body. The game of good health and a strong immune system is won by the daily practice of consistent health engendering practices.

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