Escape colds and flu and pneumonia and more….

Today's Post:  Tuesday, 12-9-2014

1.  Why get a disease that is obnoxious to have and prevents you from working or enjoying life when you CAN avoid it?

Why risk dying from something you CAN avoid?

Two of the things in the title DO have such vaccines:  Flu and Pneumonia!

We think it is a very good practice to get flu shots every year and the pneumonia vaccine every five or 10 years for that reason!

a) Both of them will work better and be more likely to protect you if you begin taking 5,000 iu a day of vitamin D3 for at least two weeks before you get the vaccines.

And, if you keep doing it for the few weeks while your immune system is creating antibodies that will also help.  Finally, doing it on an ongoing basis will help the antibodies kill the disease viruses and bacteria if and when they show up.

If you do that, some other people who get the shots may get that kind of flu anyway; but you will likely avoid them all!

b)  You will be less likely to get the variants of flu and pneumonia not prevented by the vaccines if you take 3,000 iu a day of vitamin D3 all year round and 5,000 iu a day may be better.  In fact, you are less likely to get any bacterial or viral infection. 

(Vitamin D2 is much less effective and may have dose related problems.  Vitamin D3, the form your skin makes from sunlight, is totally safe in the dose range you get from sunlight which goes up to 15,000 iu a day.  And, based on the dozens of studies of many kinds of health benefits, 3,000 to 5,000 iu a day is the actual optimum intake that benefits your health the most.)

Taking 5,000 iu a day of D3 during the cold and flu season is helpful if you get the two vaccines and very important if you don’t!  Flu rarely kills but it often triggers pneumonia that does.  That’s why the triple of getting both vaccines and taking vitamin D3 every day also is so protective.

c)  There IS also evidence to support what I’ve long believed. 

If you get the flu shot every year, if the flu that you are exposed to in any year is NOT covered by that year’s vaccine, you may well have partial immunity to the ones not covered that year. 

Those may be similar enough to those you had shots for before you will escape without getting it or have a much lighter and shorter illness.

2.  Is that all you can do to escape these diseases?

There IS more that you can do!

I.  Don’t let the viruses or bacteria inside you!

To some degree you can avoid people who are sick of course. 

In addition to that, wash your hands before eating or on arriving home.  (There are counting rhymes to ensure you wash long enough.  But a much more effective practice is to do this 3 part method.:  )

a)  Use a liquid hand soap that does NOT have a toxic antibacterial like Triclosan.  Those are harmful and the soap will remove the bacteria and viruses in the oils on your hands.

Put the liquid hand soap on directly with NO water and do a handwashing motion until both hands are fully covered.

b) Then use warm or hot water  with the hand washing motion until your hands feel less soapy.

c) Then use that or cold water with the handwashing motion until your hands feel completely non soapy.

This need not take long.  But it ensures the bacteria and viruses in the oil on your hands is mixed with the soap and that this mixture is then completely removed.  THAT also removes the bacteria and viruses.

d)  No matter how it itches or you are tempted otherwise, be sure to only touch your eyes or nose with a clean cloth or tissue and NOT with your hands. 

Doing that and washing your hands can often keep the viruses and bacteria outside of you. 

And, you can only catch their diseases if they get by that defense!

II. Take the supplements known to boost your immune system.

The most important one is vitamin D3 which we already covered.

Others known to help at least to some degree and include:

a)  Taking probiotics because they will protect themselves by killing viruses and bacteria that invade their space which also protects YOU!

b)  Taking 30 to 45 mg a day of zinc (with 2 or 3 mg a day of copper to balance it unless you cannot have any) boosts the strength of your immune system.   Doubling that the first day or two if you do get sick can help.  Oddly, taking more after that is worse than taking none!

c) The herb astragalus is now available as a supplement and also boosts your immune system.

d)  Eating button or crimini mushrooms several times a week boosts your immune system.  Taking mushroom extracts of medicinal mushrooms is also possible and maybe more effective.  But it’s pricey enough you might want to keep it in reserve instead of just taking them every day.

III. New this year:  Take a potent anti-viral and antibacterial that kills both bacteria AND viruses AND even kills cold viruses -- and bacteria not well or effectively treated by antibiotics.

I saw a study on Medical News Today that found that taking olive leaf extract tested as doubly effective against insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes caused by too little insulin!  (I did a post recently that included that use.)

Then I found that olive leaf extract also tested to lower mild high blood pressure.

(In fact, the active ingredients are in extra virgin olive oil and may well be one of the reasons the Mediterranean diet is so health protective in people who eat almost only extra virgin olive oil.)

But I thought I remembered hearing or reading that olive leaf extract was also a natural antiviral and antibacterial agent.

So I went online and searched for it.

BINGO!

Olive leaf extract is so antiviral it may be able to keep you from getting colds and all kinds of flu and viral pneumonia -- including kinds not in the vaccines!  It even may have some protection against Ebola and plague and anthrax and even botulism!

And, since olive leaf extract is safe to take daily, you can have it inside you BEFORE any of those things shows up. 

So the lead time to get it when you are attacked by one of those is ZERO.  You don’t even have to know you were exposed to be protected.

Here’s that link and the bolding in it is mine:

Whew!  FOUND it!  

Olive leaf extract and the extra virgin olive oil that has some of it is so heart protective that most of the articles stress that or that it can lower high blood pressure or high blood sugar.

GREAT benefits to be sure!  But other things do those things too.

But I had also heard that olive leaf extract could be an effective antibiotic or antiviral too.

1.  Since the main line antibiotics may not keep working and some things like botulism or the plague or malaria can either be quite damaging if treatment is delayed or the treatment is weak or worse, having a strong natural medicine on hand that DOES slam those things would be a HUGE help!

2.  Some viruses like anthrax and colds and flu's and herpes and Epstein-Barr and Ebola and smallpox do NOT have good treatments at all.  So having one that is actually moderately strong plus boosting the immune system available AT HOME can be life saving.

http://intelegen.com/ImmuneSystem/olive_leaf_extract_natural_defen.htm

  

Olive Leaf Extract Natural Defense 

against Biowarfare 

Antibacterial Agent and Inactivating Viral Invaders 

Kimberly Pryor 

The olive tree has been called The Tree of Life. The low incidence of cardiovascular disease in many Mediterranean populations has been attributed to the benefits of an olive-oil rich diet. In investigating the cardiovascular benefits of olive oil and the olive, many researchers have virtually ignored other components of the olive tree which have been shown to inhibit viruses and pathogenic bacteria including herpes, influenza, malaria and of particular interest recently Anthrax, smallpox, botulism and the plague. 

The antibacterial, antiviral component derived from olive leaves is called oleuropein. In the late 1960s, researchers at the Upjohn Company discovered an antimicrobial fraction of oleuropein called calcium elenolate (Fig. 1A, page 15). 

This substance was lethal to every virus the researchers tested it against (using both in vitro and in vivo studies). Studies demonstrated that the components of olive leaf extract are also toxic to a wide range of bacteria, protozoa, yeasts, parasites and fungi.

Olive Leaf Extract Natural Defense against Biowarfare Antibacterial Agent and Inactivating Viral Invaders 

Kimberly Pryor 

The olive tree has been called The Tree of Life. The low incidence of cardiovascular disease in many Mediterranean populations has been attributed to the benefits of an olive-oil rich diet. In investigating the cardiovascular benefits of olive oil and the olive, many researchers have virtually ignored 

other components of the olive tree which have been shown to

 inhibit viruses and pathogenic bacteria including herpes, influenza, malaria and of particular interest recently Anthrax, smallpox, botulism and the plague. 

The antibacterial, antiviral component derived from olive leaves is called oleuropein. 

In the late 1960s, researchers at the Upjohn Company discovered an antimicrobial fraction of oleuropein called calcium elenolate (Fig. 1A, page 15). This substance was lethal to every virus the researchers tested it against (using both in vitro and in vivo studies). 

Studies demonstrated that the components of olive leaf extract are also toxic to a wide range of bacteria, protozoa, yeasts, parasites and fungi

Antibacterial Agent 

Scientists began taking a closer look at olive leaf extract because the leaves of Olea europaea are known to be resistant to attack by insects and microbes. 

Researchers have published numerous studies concluding that olive leaf's active ingredient, oleuropein (Fig. 1B), is a natural antibiotic agent.

With the threat of bioterrorism looming larger, a report in Dr. Morton Walkers book, Natures Antibiotic: Olive Leaf Extract is of particular interest. Dr. Walker noted that this natural substance is toxic to bacteria-caused diseases like anthrax and botulism. (1) Furthermore, it is well-known that wastewater from olive oil mills kills aerobic spore-forming bacteria. Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis) is spore forming and aerobic. (2)

Oleuropein also is toxic to other members of the bacillus bacteria family. A 1991 report in Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry documented that oleuropein, at adequate concentrations, inhibited spore germination and the outgrowth of Bacillus cereus spores. Bacillus cereus causes a potentially lethal form of food poisoning characterized by vomiting, severe flatulence, diarrhea, muscular weakness, nerve damage to the heart, and pain in the upper arms, neck, chest and bones. Oleuropein is thought to achieve the bacterial destruction of Bacillus cereus by either inactivating cellular enzymes crucial for bacterial replication or by attacking the cell membrane, destroying its permeability and causing leakage of intracellular components such as glutamate, potassium and phosphorus. The authors concluded that oleuropein's method of action was similar to that of BHT. (3) 

An in vitro study revealed that oleuropein and its derivative hydroxytyrosol act as natural antibiotics against a range of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. Most impressively, these two components of olive leaf inhibited Staphylococcus aureus, the bacteria responsible for many hospital-acquired infections. (4-5) Staphylococcus aureus is notorious for its ability to mutate against antibiotics, and there are few antibiotics left to wipe out this life-threatening micro-organism. 

Components in olive leaf extract also have inhibited the growth of E. Coli and Bacillus subtilis. (6) 

As recently as 1998, researchers investigated oleuropein's antibacterial action and concluded that it can enhance nitric oxide production in mouse macrophages. By increasing nitric oxide production, oleuropein appears to arm the macrophages against endotoxins (bacterial poisons generated by gram-negative bacteria). Interestingly, oleuropein only increased nitric oxide production when endotoxins were present. (7) 

Inactivating Viral Invaders 

Researchers have shown that calcium elenolate, a component of olive leaf extract, is lethal to a number of viruses. Different forms of influenza viruses were particularly vulnerable to this natural substance. In fact, calcium elenolate inactivated all influenza viruses tested by the Upjohn researchers. The researchers hypothesized that the calcium elenolate prevents viruses from entering cells. (8) 

In a 1969 report in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, the lead researcher for the Upjohn study, Harold E. Renis, reported that calcium elenolate inhibited a number of viruses, including parainfluenza, herpes, pseudorabies, vesicular stomatitis, encephalomyocarditis, Newcastle disease, some forms of polio, and Sindbis. Every virus exposed to calcium elenolate, except for reovirus and poliovirus, were inactivated. (9)

Renis and his team saw great promise in olive leafs active component, calcium elenolate. In his report, Renis wrote, ...calcium elenolate is viricidal for a broad spectrum of viruses. (9) Other researchers at Upjohn administered calcium elenolate into the nasal cavities of a variety of animals. They found it to be safe and well-tolerated. (10) According to Dr. Morton Walker, olive leaf extract also inactivates smallpox, Ebola, plague, Epstein-Barr virus and hepatitis. (1)

Other Benefits 

Since olive leaf extract has been shown to dispel protozoan-caused diseases, its not surprising its reputation as an anti-malarial dates back to the early 19th century. In the 1800's, physicians brewed olive leaves and administered the bitter tea to malaria patients. The doctors reported their patients improved after drinking this tea. (1) 

The Upjohn researchers determined that olive leaf extract inhibited at least 56 disease-causing bacteria, viruses and protozoa, including the malaria-causing Plasmodium falciparum. The researchers also found it was effective against Vaccinia, a contagious viral disease of cattle, produced in humans by inoculation with cowpox virus to confer immunity against smallpox. (1) 

Conclusion 

Olive leaf extract's safety and efficacy has been demonstrated in animal experiments and by the hundreds of clinicians around the country who have used olive leaf extract to treat their patients with remarkable results. 

Traditional antibiotics such as doxycycline or ciprofloxacin are the first line of defense in case of an Anthrax attack. But natural antibacterial substances like olive leaf extract could serve as a back-up in the event terrorists bioengineer Anthrax organisms to resist antibiotics or in case antibiotic supplies are exhausted during an epidemic. In addition, once Anthrax symptoms arise, antibiotics may prove ineffective. Olive leaf extract is a safe antimicrobial substance suitable and safe for preventive and daily consumption. As an antiviral, it may also protect against terrorist-triggered outbreaks of viral diseases such as smallpox. 

Finally, it should be emphasized that the components of olive leaf extract inactivated every cold and flu virus they were tested against, indicating Olive Leaf should occupy an important place in the medicine cabinet.

References 

1. Walker, Morton MD. Natures Antibiotic: Olive Leaf Extract, Kensington Books, New York, 1997. pps. 65-68, 39, 149. 

2. Rodriguez MM, Perez J, Ramos-Cormenzana A, Martinez J. Effect of extracts obtained from olive oil mill waste waters on Bacillus megaterium ATCC 33085. Journal of Applied Bacteriology. 1988; 64:219-26. 

3. Tassou CC, Nychas GJE, Board RG. Effect of Phenolic Compounds and Oleuropein on the Germination of Bacillus cereus T Spores. Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry. 1991; 13:231-37. 

4. Bisignano G, Tomaino A, Lo Cascio R, Crisafi G, Uccella N, Saija A. On the In-Vitro Antimicrobial Activity of Oleuropein and Hydroxytyrosol. J. Pharm. Pharmacol. 1999; 51: 971-74. 

5. Nychas GJE, Tassou SC, Board RG. Phenolic extract from olives: inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus. Letters in Applied Microbiology. 1990; 10: 217-220. 

6. Heinze JE, Hale AH, Carl PL. Specificity of the Antiviral Agent Calcium Elenolate. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. 1975; 8(4):421-25. 

7. Visioli F, Bellosta S, Galli C. Oleuropein, The Bitter Principle of Olives, Enhances Nitric Oxide Production By Mouse Macrophages. Life Sciences. 1998; 62(6):541-46. 

8. Renis HE. Inactivation of Myxoviruses by Calcium Elenolate. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. 1975; 8(2):194-99. 

9. Renis HE. In Vitro Antiviral Activity of Calcium Elenolate. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. 1969, pps. 167-72. 

10. Elliott GA, Buthala DA, DeYoung EN. Preliminary Safety Studies with Calcium Elenolate, an Antiviral Agent. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. 1969: pps. 173-76.