A pandemic panacea

Pandemic Panacea from the files of Mary Jane Popp at KAHI Radio

Mary Jane Popp at KAHI Radio

Can you read the news or watch TV news or listen to the radio news and not be fearful of your health? The headlines scream with fears of a global pandemic as people in West Africa are dying in the 1200 to 1400 range and more from the Ebola virus.

Florida health officials are warning beachgoers about a seawater bacterium that can invade cuts and scrapes to cause flesh-eating disease.

It’s enough to want to hole up in a cave someplace away from everything, but then, there might be something worse in the cave…maybe rabid bats or something. We even worry about thousands of illegal kids coming through our borders from Central America with diseases we thought we had licked decades ago.

Meet Dr. Elaina George

So, how do we protect ourselves from all the possibilities? I’m sure there is nothing 100% guaranteed, but I did speak with Dr. Elaina George on POPPOFF recently, and she told me there are some things we can do to give us a shot at playing ‘keep away’ with some of these diseases.

Dr. George is a Board Certified Otolaryngologist which specializes in ear, nose, and throat afflictions, and she also hosts her own radio show “Medicine On Call.”

Since we hear so much about how touching our face can pass on so many nasty things, I figured Dr. George is the perfect person to give us some tips on how to stay healthy in the very unhealthy world we live in. So she shared her top tips with me.

• GET A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP. An average 7-8 hours will promote the immune system to reset.
• WASH YOUR HANDS FREQUENTLY. Soap and water is very effective.
• STAY HYDRATED. She prefers filtered water.
• CHOOSE ORGANIC FOODS WHEN POSSIBLE. Co-ops and Farmer’s Markets are cost effective.
• ADD PROBIOTICS DAILY. 70% of the immune system is in the gut. Taking probiotics can replace the good bacteria to help the immune system work more efficiently to promote protection.
• ADDING IMMUNE BOOSTING SUPPLEMENTS CAN HELP.  Some of the vitamins are Vitamin C, Zinc, Vitamin D3 (before starting Vitamin D, have a doctor check your Vitamin D levels to make sure you know your baseline. After you begin your supplementation, have your levels checked periodically so that levels will remain in the normal range.
• LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF REFINED SUGAR IN YOUR DIET. The culprits can be soft drinks, candy, cake, etc. Sugar can depress the immune system.
• LIMIT FRUCTOSE IN YOUR DIET AS IT AFFECTS THE FUNCTION OF THE LIVER. The liver is one of the most important organs that helps remove toxins from the body.

If you want more information about things you can do to help yourself, you can check out Dr. George’s website at www.drelainageorge.com.

From what I learned from Dr. George, your immune system is your key to staying healthy not only from future diseases, but everyday problems from colds to fatigue.

We’ve got to take the bull by the horns and aim those horns at every nasty condition facing us every single day.

Stay Well . . . Stay Happy!