Download Immune system - Linda Diane Feldt

Nourishing The Immune System:
Do Herbs Really Work?
Outline of Talk
• Presentation of two case studies
• Two different actions of Echinacea
• Examples of immune system herbs used to
stimulate
• Examples of immune system herbs used to
nourish
• Questions and discussion as time allows
Case Study 53 year old female
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Heart attack at age 46, congestive heart failure
Diagnosed with staph infection following heart catheterization
Treated with broad spectrum antibiotics with no effect
Treated with additional antibiotics with no effect
Used 30 drops of echinacea every 3 hours, in water, with improvement
of symptoms in two hours
When echinacea was stopped, symptoms returned
When echinacea was continued, symptoms decreased within hours
Echinacea was used at ten drops a day until death 7 years later.
Any time the 10 drops a day was skipped for more than 2 days,
symptoms returned
Case Study 21 year old female
• Had been diagnosed and treated for mononucleosis
• Had been past active phase for more than two months when
consultation occurred
• Client reported continuous symptoms of fatique, general depression,
and was unable to return to a full time schedule as a UM student
• Client used 10 drops of Echinacea tincture a day, in water
• Within two weeks, this client reported greater alertness, ability to
return to full schedule, no fatigue, and no depression
• Client directly attributed recovery to Echinacea
• No other therapies or changes were made during the time period in
question
Echinacea
stimulate
Two Actions
nourish
• useful for a limited
time
• useful when a fast
result is required
• can have possible side
effects
• useful for an unlimited
time
• useful when a long
term result is required
• especially indicated
for recovery from long
term or chronic illness
• side effects are
unlikely
Stimulating or nourishing
action is determined by how the herb is
given, the frequency, and the dose. Some
herbs are more likely to have a stimulating
action no matter how they are given. Many of
the nourishing herbs will not have a
stimulating action.
Important Factors
• each herb is different and the previous statement is
speaking only in general terms
• there are synergistic effects when herbs are taken
in combinations, or with drugs
• individual people may react very differently to the
same herb, or even have different reactions at
different times
• herbs have different effects depending on the part
used, when it is harvested, how it is prepared, the
dosage, and the frequency of use
Examples of stimulating herbs
(quick action, possible long term negative effects on the immune system)
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Goldenseal
Cayenne Pepper
Senna
Ephedra
Chaparral
Licorice
Examples of Negative Effects
• Antibiotic effect (possibly contributing to growth of
antibiotic resistant bacteria, or eliminating friendly bacteria thus giving
room for more dangerous bacteria to grow)
• Stimulation of adrenals (not helpful for long term
strengthening of the body)
• Catharsis to individual systems of the body
(causing exhaustion of organs, depletion, or overstimulation)
Examples of nourishing herbs
(slow action, long term strengthening effects on the immune system)
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Echinacea
Oatstraw (endocrine system)
Stinging Nettle (adrenals and kidney)
Yellow Dock (lymphatic, ant-viral)
Red Clover (blood)
Seaweeds (thyroid, digestive, lymphatic)
Dandelion (liver, digestive)
Hawthorn (heart, colon)
Milk Thistle (liver)
Slippery Elm Bark (aids assimilation, colon)
Garlic (antibiotic action)
Examples of Positive Effects
• provides nourishment in whole form that is easily
assimilated
• supportive action on specific organs that are part of or
support the immune system (i.e. liver, colon)
• Supportive action affecting systems of the body that
support immune functioning (i.e. endocrine system,
lymphatic system, blood)
• less stress on the body than supplements and processed
foods
• components work in cohort
Conclusions
• Because herbs do affect the immune system,
the short and long term effect must be
considered
• More information needs to be available to
the medical practitioner and the client about
how, when, and why to use herbs
• Many herbs are being misused
• Many herbs are being underutilized
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