Stealthy leprosy pathogen evades critical vitamin D-dependent immune response

Researchers discovered that the leprosy pathogen Mycobacterium leprae was able to evade immune activity that is dependent on vitamin D, a natural hormone that plays an essential role in the body’s fight against infections. A better understanding of how these pathogens can escape the immune system may be helpful in designing more effective therapies.

Monsanto: ‘There is no need for, or value in testing the safety of GM foods in humans’

There is a growing body of scientific evidence which proves that genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) are inherently different from natural organisms, including the way the body processes them, as well as how the immune system responds to them. But Monsanto, the largest…

Study says refrigeration of packaged fresh spinach reduces toxic bacteria

Spinach has long been used as a natural healing aid. Spinach is packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It boosts the immune system, builds red blood cells, provides energy, and is a good source of protein. Spinach has received a lot of negative press in the…

Considering a winter flu shot? Here’s a better way to ‘winterize’ your immune system

(NaturalNews) Pharmacies have already begun promoting walk-in flu shots for the “flu season”. The late and early months of each year seem to be when more of us catch colds and come down with the flu. So what measures can you take to ensure you are not sidelined with nagging colds or a debilitating flu episode? This article will give you nine easy tips, with probably the most important last. There you’ll also be able to access a Health Ranger video with Mike Adams, which convincingly debunks the concept of “flu season”. Your Immune System Boosting your immunity is important for coping with the cold and flu season. Of course, getting a flu shot with dubious efficacy is not one of them. All vaccines depress the immune system and can cause lifelong neurological damage and autoimmune diseases. * Elderberry for Cures: Elderberry extracts or syrups have been clinically proven to help get over colds and flu. It’s not a drug. So it’s cheaper and without the side effects that have been reported for Tamiflu. If you hurry, you can make your own tincture and save money. (Source #1) * Protective Supplements: Elderberry is curative. Echinacea herbs are protective . They’re usually sold in tinctures or extracts. Vitamin C is protective and, in large quantities, curative. Zinc is a helpful mineral for protecting against colds. Increase them with the right foods or supplements. * Minimize Sugar: Ease up on sodas, pastries and such. You’ve probably had enough ice cream during the summer. A few grams of sugar can destroy your white blood cells’ ability to resist infections for several hours. * Eat more Garlic and Onion: Besides being rich in antioxidants and selenium, garlic is antibacterial and antiviral. Both garlic and onions are part of the Allium family, which is rich in sulfur-containing compounds responsible for many of their health-promoting effects. * Exercise: Moderate exercise, even walking a mile or two at least three times a week, helps your lymph system cleanse impurities to boost your immune system. * Stress Less: This should be an all year practice. Many consider stress or anxiety as the leading cause for decreased immunity. Lighten up. Try meditation or yoga. Laugh more. Be less critical. Worry less. * Sleep: Not necessarily more, but better. Make sure where you sleep is totally dark so your melatonin production will be sufficient. There are melatonin supplements if you feel the need. The different phases of sleep contain two cycles that are deep enough to refurbish your immune system. You need to sleep through them. (Source #2) * Probiotics: Your body contains ten times more bacteria than cells. Most of them have to be friendly. Friendly bacteria not only attack pathogenic bacteria and fungi, but also they trigger appropriate white cell reactions to invaders and they influence your mental/emotional state. It’s estimated that eighty percent of your 100 trillion bacteria are located in the gut. (Source #3) Friendly bacteria are usually depleted, especially by GMOs. We all need probiotic foods and supplements. Commercial yogurt is insufficient. Raw milk and raw cheese, fermented foods, and water kefir or milk kefir should be staples. (Source #4) There are probiotic supplements as well. If you’re forced into taking antibiotics, double up with probiotic supplements. * Vitamin D3: If you live in a year round warm sunny area, you’ll need to make sure you get plenty of sun to skin exposure. If your regional climate restricts sun exposure, take your Vitamin D3 supplements. You can check your Vitamin D3 blood levels, but many experts recommend five to ten thousand units daily. Mike Adams debunks the mainstream flu “season” concept in this video. http://www.naturalnews.tv/v.asp?v=AF36B271EF61579BEAD6969F6DEC763D Sources for more information include: (#1) http://www.naturalnews.com/026354_flu_Tamiflu_elderberry.html (#2) http://www.naturalnews.com/026637_sleep_health_immune_system.html (#3) http://probiotics.mercola.com/probiotics.html (#4) http://www.naturalnews.com/kefir.html

Tonsillectomies cause kids to gain excess weight

(NaturalNews) When kids complain of sore throats and their tonsils appear infected, the condition known as tonsillitis, doctors are often quick to urge the surgical removal of these clumps of lymphatic tissue found on both sides of the throat. Tonsils are also cut out when babies and young children are found to have enlarged tonsils that are sometimes linked to heavy or raspy breathing, especially at night. In fact, tonsillectomy is the most common major surgery performed on children and it’s a huge money-maker for mainstream medicine. Why remove tonsils instead of using less invasive treatments to fight an infection? The reasoning goes that surgery will prevent future tonsillitis. After all, it’s a no-brainer that if tonsils no longer exist, they can’t become infected. But what’s rarely discussed is the fact tonsils are actually part of the body’s immune system; they fights infection and trap germs coming in through the mouth and nose. And now there’s another reason to think twice about having your child’s tonsils surgically removed. Having a tonsillectomy could lead to obesity. According to a new report just published in the February 2011 issue of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery , youngsters subjected to tonsillectomy, with or without the removal of their adenoids (adenoidectomy), are at increased risk for becoming overweight after the operation. In all, the researchers analyzed studies involving 795 children from birth to 18 years old, described as normal weight or overweight, who had a tonsillectomy or an adenoidectomy, or both. In almost 50% of the children, the primary reason for surgery was listed as “disordered breathing” that was blamed on enlarged tonsils. In one group of 127 children, body mass index (BMI) increased by 5.5 to 8.2% following the removal of tonsils. In a second group that included 419 patients, standardized weight scores increased dramatically in the vast majority of the young patients. Another group included three studies with 249 patients — and 50 to 75% of these kids gained weight after adenoidectomy. Lead author of the paper, otolaryngology specialist Anita Jeyakumar, MD, suggested that the weight gain could be blamed on parents who over-feed their child after surgery. She also hypothesized that children with chronic tonsillitis might eat less due to sore throats and other symptoms , so when their tonsils are removed, the kids feel like eating more. But this doesn’t explain why the youngsters would become overweight and sometimes downright obese after the operation. Although the new study doesn’t delve into the possibility that the actual removal of the tonsils could play a role in the weight gain, the findings raise more questions than answers. For example, could the tonsils play an as yet undiscovered role in metabolism? Or does the removal of part of the body’s immune system spur weight gain? For more information: http://www.entnet.org/ http://www.naturalnews.com/tonsils.html

Swine flu pandemic outbreak sweeping through Britain even though 70 percent were vaccinated last year

(NaturalNews) A swine flu pandemic is sweeping through Britain despite the fact that 70 percent of Britain’s over-65 population was vaccinated against swine flu last year. This year, that number is nearly the same — 68.5% — but flu vaccine proponents insist that until everyone is vaccinated, the flu will continue to infect people. What these vaccine advocates absolutely will not admit, however, is how many of those who are sick with the flu this year also got vaccinated last year . This little detail is left out of every mainstream media report on vaccines and the flu. They simply refuse to mention this all-important number, leaving readers to leap to the incorrect conclusion that only those who were not vaccinated get sick with the flu . Most infected patients were previously vaccinated That assumption is false. In fact, of the 450 critical care beds in England that are now occupied by flu patients, I have no doubt that most of those infected patients are people who received flu vaccines in the past . Such statistics are never made available to the public or the press, of course. To release such statistics would expose the Great Lie of the vaccine industry: That flu vaccines simply don’t work on 99 percent of people! In fact, the people who are most susceptible to catching the flu are precisely the very same people who get vaccinated. Why is that? Because vaccines weaken the immune system in the long run , leaving you more vulnerable to future infections. They deny your immune system the opportunity to practice its own adaptive response to invading microorganisms or viruses, thereby causing your immune system to atrophy in the same way that a wheelchair-bound person will experience leg muscle atrophy. The immune system is a lot like a muscle: Use it or lose it! But flu vaccines provide weakened viruses to the immune system (along with other preservative chemicals that can be extremely dangerous to neurological health). It’s sort of like working out your muscles at the gym but having your trainer do all the heavy lifting for you. Obviously you’re not going to have very strong muscles in the end because your body won’t need to invoke a very strong adaptive response. The same is true with vaccines and the flu: If your body is exposed to weakened flu viruses year after year, it gets lazy and weak, and when it one day comes into contact with a full-strength virus circulating in the wild, it’s not in good enough shape to handle the challenge. Vitamin D deficiency is widespread in Britain At the same time this is going on, a person who is vitamin D deficient will also have an alarmingly weak immune system response because vitamin D activates the immune system to do its job. In people with extremely low vitamin D levels, even vaccines containing weakened viruses won’t solicit an antibody response. But instead of testing patients for vitamin D deficiency and prescribing that with the vaccine, conventional medical doctors and contagious disease authorities robotically urge everyone to just “get multiple vaccine shots” as if following one failed vaccine with yet another failed vaccine will somehow make them both work. That’s idiotic, of course. And the other idiotic thing about all this is that if people had sufficient levels of vitamin D circulating in their blood , they wouldn’t need seasonal flu vaccines in the first place! That’s because a strong, healthy immune system with lots of circulating vitamin D is universally effective at halting ALL seasonal flu strains, with near 100% success in those with vitamin D levels between 50 – 70 (ng/dL). The three main reasons behind Britain’s flu pandemic So the real reason Britain is suffering a swine flu pandemic right now is actually three-fold: #1) It’s winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and Britain is so far north (of the equator) that the people living there aren’t currently generating any vitamin D whatsoever. This makes virtually the entire British population ridiculously vitamin D deficient throughout the winter. #2) The majority of the British population has been subjected to flu vaccines in previous years, weakening their immune systems and making them more vulnerable to this year’s flu strains. #3) The flu strain itself is so successful in the wild precisely because so many Britons walk around in chronic states of immune suppression (from vitamin D deficiency, chronic stress, poor dietary habits and so on). This creates a “viral breeding ground” which encourages more rapid virus mutations that make vaccines obsolete anyway. The question you are not allowed to ask vaccine quacks The vaccine-pushing quack medical community believes that if they could magically convince 100 percent of the people to get vaccinated, they would have this problem licked. In their own minds, they have unscientifically convinced themselves that a vaccine equals automatic and full protection against a flu virus. And yet even they won’t dare ask this simple question: Of all the people sick from the flu who are right now lying in Britain’s hospital beds, what percentage were vaccinated against the flu last year or this year? The answer to that question will expose the outright fraud of the vaccine industry because the answer is a very large number. No one in the medical industry dares ask that question, of course, because they realize that delving into the actual re-infection rate of flu vaccine recipients would expose their quackery and fraud, causing yet more people to lose faith in vaccines which are, after all, sold based entirely on misplaced faith and clever propaganda. The flu vaccine propaganda, of course, demands that people never be allowed to collide with the scientific facts about how many people who are vaccinated against the flu still catch the flu anyway. (The flu re-infection rate.) That’s why you will NEVER see an honest answer to this question released by hospitals, vaccine companies or vaccine-pushing doctors. Keep taking your flu jabs, everybody. But don’t ask whether they actually work, because that question isn’t allowed to be asked in the cult of medicine that dominates the sick-care landscape around the world today. We wouldn’t want actual science to interfere with a really profitable con job now, would we?

Scientists say salmonella helps immune system to destroy cancer cells

(NaturalNews) Scientists from Italy and the U.S. claim to have found a new therapeutic way to assist the body in defending against and killing cancer cells — salmonella bacteria. Based on initial tests in mice and human cancer cells, the team observed that small doses of salmonella actually trigger the immune system to better find and hunt down cancer cells in order to kill them. “We did experiments first in mice and then in cancer cells and immune cells from human patients, and found that the salmonella was doing exactly the same job,” explained Maria Rescigno from the European Institute of Oncology in Milan. The team explained that the type of salmonella they used was a special form that does not actually cause the disease to infect the body. On the contrary, the bacterial fragments seemed only to help increase immune system levels of connexin 43, the unique protein that assists cells in communicating with each other in order to defend against foreign invaders. Typically, the human body is able to fight off cancer cells during their early stages of their development. But as they spread throughout the body and multiply, the body is eventually unable to keep up with making enough connexin 43 to fight them all, which results in the cancer taking over the body. The scientists hope that their discovery will lead to the development of new immunotherapy drugs for cancer patients. Editor’s Note: NaturalNews is strongly against the use of all forms of animal testing. We fully support implementation of humane medical experimentation that promotes the health and well-being of all living creatures. Sources for this story include: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE67A40Q20100811

New Link Found Between Osteoporosis And Celiac Disease

People with celiac disease may develop osteoporosis because their immune system attacks their bone tissue, a new study has shown.