False Remedies

Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling had some studies published which were claiming that large doses of Vitamin C can cure illnesses like cancer and heart disease, along with the flu, but so far the claims have been largely inaccurate, though a few studies reported a shorter duration of the illness in some people.

Vitamin C activates key enzymes in our bodies and acts as an antioxidant. It protects the organs (like lungs) from pathogens. This Vitamin is crucial for the body to launch an effective immune response. All the more reason to consume citrus fruits, and vegetables like the Indian Gooseberry.

Supplements don’t work as effectively and extremely large doses have side effects like nausea, diarrhea and stomach ache.

In the 1970s and into the 80s, research was done where mice were given a variety of supplementary antioxidants in their diet or via an injection straight into the bloodstream.

The result showed that an excess of antioxidants didn't stop the onset of disease or extended lifespan.

• In 1994, one trial followed the lives of 29,133 Finish people in their 50s who all smoked. Some were given beta-carotene supplements. The group that supplemented with Beta-carotene had a 16% increase in lung cancer.
• Another study shows a breast cancer increase of 20% for postmenopausal women who supplemented with folic acid.
• One study with 100 heavy smokers had a 28% increase in lung cancer after just four years of beta-carotene and vitamin A supplementation.

There are over 100 cannabinoids in the cannabis plant. Most interact with the immune system, but research on the effects of cannabinoids on the immune system is contradictory.

While some of these compounds do appear to have anti-inflammatory properties in preclinical studies, it has not been proven to be effective against the new virus or other viral infections.

Edibles, like gummies, candies, mints, cookies, and even some drinks are excellent choices that won't affect the lugs.

With ingestion methods, start low and see how it affects you. Wait two hours before taking more. Go slow if you are new to it.

• If you are healthy, and have a modern balanced diet, taking multi-vitamins and high-dose antioxidants may shorten your life.
• There’s no evidence to support antioxidant supplements for primary or secondary prevention of diseases.
• Beta-carotene and vitamin E seem to increase mortality, and so may higher doses of vitamin A.
• Antioxidant supplements need to be considered as medicinal products and should undergo sufficient evaluation before marketing.
• The functions of minerals and vitamins are understood largely by their deficiency diseases so there’s no certainty what they all do or how they interact.
• Antioxidants soak up toxic, chemically-reactive by-products of metabolism called free radicals. These free radicals, left unchecked, can cause damage to DNA and may be linked to cancer.
• Your body's immune system fights infections by using free radicals to kill bugs. Several of the minerals and vitamins in excess can cause damage.

• Folic acid for the women thinking of having a baby and pregnant women up to week 12 of the pregnancy.
• Vitamin D for all pregnant and breastfeeding women, those aged six months to five years or over 65 and for people who are not exposed to much sun.
• Vitamins A, C and D supplementation are recommended for all children aged six months to four years, especially those not eating a varied diet.
• If they are prescribed to you for a medical condition.

The “best” diet is a theme: an emphasis on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and plain water for thirst. 

That can be with or without seafood; with or without dairy; with or without eggs; with or without some meat; high or low in total fat.

Eggs have a lot of cholesterol compared to other foods. Although cholesterol in the blood is strongly related to heart disease, eating cholesterol is weakly associated with raising the cholesterol levels in your blood.

Eggs have other heart-protecting properties and eating it probably won't harm your heart.

• A chain email in the 1990s was responsible for the false belief that antiperspirant was raising the risk of breast cancer. 
• When researchers found higher ratios of aluminum in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, aluminum in antiperspirant was suspect. But it seems aluminum in antiperspirant is hardly absorbed by your skin.
  
  

Our cells generate energy through oxidation, but oxidation also reduces the dopamine and serotonin in the brain and creates oxidative stress.

Antioxidants found in brightly colored foods like fruits and vegetables act as a defense against oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain and body. Antioxidants also repair oxidative damage and scavenge free radicals that cause cell damage in the brain. 

Omega 3 are polyunsaturated fatty acids that are involved in the process of converting food into energy. They are important for the health of the brain and the communication of its feel-good chemicals dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine.

Omega 3 are essential nutrients that are not readily produced by the body, so we must include foods high on it in our diet. 

There are several immunity categories:

• Nonspecific defenses: these work against all foreign matter and pathogens
• Specific defenses: these are specialized in fighting against particular threats
• Innate immunity: natural immunity that protects one from birth until death
• Acquired immunity: it is the third line of defense, which offers protection against specific types of pathogens.

By active immunity, we generally understand the resistance that our immune system shows against pathogens.

By the so-called 'clonal selection', enough antibodies are built up in order to help our organism fight off colds or different diseases.

Innate immunity cells quickly respond to invaders and can deal with over 90% of infections.
These cells recognize invaders by looking for broadly shared patterns, such as common molecules on the surface of most bacteria.

When the innate response fails to deal with an invasion, the adaptive immunity takes over. The adaptive cell looks for a specific pattern. It could be a particular protein on the surface of a virus or bacteria.

There are millions of adaptive immune cells, each to recognize a different pattern. When they recognize an invader, they multiply to form an army to kill it. This process can take a week when a new invader infects us. After the invader is removed, the adaptive cells that recognized it are kept as specialized memory cells.

Scientists to date have identified seven virus families that cause the majority of colds:

• rhinovirus
• the new 2019
• influenza
• parainfluenza
• adenovirus
• respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
• metapneumovirus.

For Doctors, vaccines are preferable to drugs as they protect the host even before any infection.

For Pharmaceutical companies (Big Pharma), vaccines don't spell money, as much as over-the-counter drugs and treatment do.