Scientists and health officials, who scared the wits out of us recently, are now trying to reassure us that the first wave of the Swine Flu–now spreading across the Northern Hemisphere–is apparently not as virulent and life-threatening as future mutated waves of this H1N1 virus might be in the Fall.  

Now is the time to get prepared for fall by strengthening your immune system, not by getting what could be a life-threatening vaccination against this flu.  (Read Swine Flu Update @ articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.aspx)  This very informative article will help you put the whole Swine Flu scare and flu shot promo into perspective.)

Here’s what you can do to support your immune system:

Juice ginger root.  Ginger is antiviral.  It’s also one of the best sources of zinc.  Studies show that zinc deficiency increases susceptibility to infections by impairing immune function.  Adequate zinc will help prevent shrinkage of the thymus gland and support thymus-hormone activity.  Other sources of zinc include: turnips, garlic, parsley, carrots, spinach, cabbage, lettuce, and cucumbers.  You could juice up one of my favorites recipes:  carrot, lemon, ginger, cucumber, and parsley.

 Juice beetroot.  Traditional remedy says that beets help inactivate viruses.  One thing we know for sure:  beets are good for the liver.

Fresh apple juice is antiviral. 

Wheatgrass juice is a blood purifier.

Garlic is know to kill influenza virus in test tubes.  It also stimulates the immune system.  It should be juiced or eaten raw for its antiviral effects.

Juice selenium-rich vegetables. A deficiency of selenium can result in reduced antibody production and a decrease in the microbe-eating ability of white blood cells, known as phagocytes.  Choose from carrots, cabbage, garlic, turnips, radishes, and Swiss chard.

Include Vitamin C (with bioflavonoids), vitamin D, and beta carotene.  All these nutrients support the immune system.  (I have excellent vitamin C with bioflavonoids and vitamin D in 1000 and 5000 IU by Thorne Research at very reasonable prices, if you want to order them.)

One final note about the Swine Flu

Mexican health officials and the Wall Street Journal also revealed a few days ago that the pigs in Mexico that likely set off the epidemic are not native Mexican pigs, but rather pigs from Smithfield Foods’ factory farms in the U.S. that were shipped to Mexico. The rather alarming bottom line, however, is that CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) pose a deadly threat to our health.

Swine CAFOs, such as Smithfield, as well as giant poultry operations, such as those operated by Tyson Foods and Perdue, produce cheap food by cramming thousands of animals together inside hellish disease-ridden factory farms, injecting pigs and chickens with powerful vaccines and antibiotics to keep them alive, thereby putting enormous pressure on swine and bird viruses and pathogens like MRSA to evolve into dangerous killers. Filthy and disease-ridden factory farms for pigs and chickens, maintained by exploited and often unhealthy farm workers, kept in operation only with massive injections of animal drugs, are a biological time bomb set to explode. We face more and more killer viruses in the future, unless we shut down the CAFOs and transform the current global industrial/factory farm agriculture system into a chemical and drug-free organic system, whereby local and regional organic farms produce healthy food for local and regional markets.  And swine flu vaccines are not the answer.  Read Dr. Mercola’s article, noted above, about the people who were paralyzed with the last Swine Flu vaccination.