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Updated September 26, 2009 |
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Influenza: Pathophysiology and natural therapeutics 1. (Posted July 26, 2009) The North American Institute of
Medical Herbalism’s Paul Bergner has collated his continuing series
on influenza in Medical Herbalism Journal
into a 24-page
document summarizing:
2. ‘The Pathology of Influenza Virus Infections’, a 30-page
article in Annual Review of Pathology (2008) has the following abstract: Influenza viruses are
significant human respiratory pathogens that cause both seasonal,
endemic infections and periodic,
unpredictable pandemics. The worst pandemic on record, in 1918, killed approximately 50 million people
worldwide. Human infections caused by H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses have raised concern
about the emergence of another pandemic. The histopathology of fatal influenza virus pneumonias as
documented over the past 120 years is reviewed here. Strikingly, the spectrum of pathologic changes
described in the 1918 influenza pandemic is not significantly different from the histopathology
observed in other less lethal pandemics or even in deaths occurring during seasonal influenza outbreaks. 3. Recent research suggests Vitamin D has a major role to
play in stimulating immunity in the immune cells of the respiratory tract,
and in stimulating immuno-modulatory cytokines, putting a brake on “cytokine
surges.” Evidence suggests respiratory viral or bacterial infections are part
of the profile of Vitamin D deficiency syndrome. ‘Epidemic influenza and Vitamin D’, a 12-page
article in Epidemiology and infection (2006) summarizes: In 1981, R. Edgar
Hope-Simpson proposed that a ‘ seasonal stimulus ’ intimately associated with
solar radiation explained the remarkable seasonality of epidemic influenza.
Solar radiation triggers robust seasonal vitamin D production in the skin;
vitamin D deficiency is common in the winter, and activated vitamin D,
1,25(OH)2D, a steroid hormone, has profound effects on human immunity.
1,25(OH)2D acts as an immune system modulator, preventing excessive
expression of inflammatory cytokines and increasing the ‘ oxidative burst ’
potential of macrophages. Perhaps most importantly, it dramatically
stimulates the expression of potent anti-microbial peptides, which exist in
neutrophils, monocytes, natural killer cells, and in epithelial cells lining
the respiratory tract where they play a major role in protecting the lung
from infection. Volunteers inoculated with live attenuated influenza virus
are more likely to develop fever and serological evidence of an immune
response in the winter. Vitamin D deficiency predisposes children to
respiratory infections. Ultraviolet radiation (either from artificial sources
or from sunlight) reduces the incidence of viral respiratory infections, as
does cod liver oil (which contains vitamin D). An interventional study showed
that vitamin D reduces the incidence of respiratory infections in children.
We conclude that vitamin D, or lack of it, may be Hope-Simpson’s ‘ seasonal
stimulus ’. 4. ‘Vitamin D for Treatment and Prevention of Infectious
Diseases: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials’, a 29-page
article in Endocrine Practice, the official journal of the American College of Endocrinology and
the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, (2009), concluded: Recent studies have
described an high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and overt vitamin D deficiency in human
populations worldwide (48). As
our knowledge of the extraskeletal functions of vitamin D continues to grow,
the clinical significance of maintaining vitamin D sufficiency becomes more apparent. Several of the
studies reviewed here build on existing
pre-clinical research in vitamin D immunology which demonstrates a
likely connection between
vitamin D repletion, susceptibility to infection, and clinical
outcomes in a variety of infectious
processes. Based on
studies reviewed to date, the strongest evidence (in the form of
rigorous clinical trials)
supports further research into adjunctive vitamin D therapy for
tuberculosis, influenza, and
viral upper respiratory illnesses.
Some of the studies discussed here also included non-specific outcomes demonstrating that adequate
vitamin D status may decrease allcause infection rates in the populations
studied (39, 40, 42). Although
these studies yielded mixed
results (39, 42), future population based studies to evaluate broad effects
of vitamin D supplementation on
infection rates and total mortality may be warranted. 5. ‘Got Snot?’
(Spring 2009, and continuing) by Nick Routledge. 6. (Posted September 4, 2009) A bulletin
posted to the Eugene Permaculture Guild listserv synthesizing the latest
global and local intelligence surrounding Pandemic (H1N1) 2009. 7. (Posted September 8, 2009) On August
29, Sonja Ljungdahl and I hosted a 90-minute discussion at the Annual Eugene Permaculture
Gathering, devoted to the topic of “Swine flu prevention and treatment
using natural therapeutics.” We covered ‘prevention’ thoroughly: only a
small, cursory, final segment of our conversation covered treatment. Here, on
youtube, are the nine, consecutive video clips, ten minutes each:
8. (Posted September 22, 2009) Here’s
Nick and Sonja’s collaboration surrounding influenza prevention: The Local
Connection: Natural Therapeutics for Preventing, or Reducing the Severity of
Influenza Infection. A 12-page .pdf
file. (Version 2.22 posted September 26.) All above articles webbed by Nick. |
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July 3, 2009 |
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