Two Natural Remedies to Protect You From Disease

Skooter reporting 06/27/12

Once more let’s take a look at our immune systems. Dr. David Juan will just introduce us some powerful natural remedies that could enhance your immunity and therefore your protection against disease. So, we look at selenium and zinc.

Selenium manipulates your immune system primarily by its antioxidant function. This mineral protects your body from the excess oxidative stress brought about by bacteria, viruses, or pathogens. Shortage of selenium reduces the antibody response and weakens immunity.
In the UK, a double-blind study was conducted on 22 adults with low selenium levels. For 15 weeks they were administered with 50 or 100 micrograms (mcg) of selenium or placebo daily. Six weeks later, this was followed by a polio vaccine with an intravenous dose of selenium. Selenium supplements helped boost the immune respond in participants' cells and helped the body more quickly produce T cells and T helper cells. These are important immune cells that fight invaders.
In another selective placebo-controlled study a high selenium yeast supplement (200 mcg a day) or placebo was administered to 450 HIV-positive adults. The outcome of the study proved that the mineral stopped the development of HIV virus. In this remarkable way, selenium may be a simple and inexpensive adjunct treatment for AIDS.
Zinc in the other hand, is an indispensable mineral that help produce cells, as well as those used in the immune system which depends on a sufficient amount of the mineral in the body. In zinc deficiency, generally the immune system is weakened. This leads to a higher incidence of infectious diseases.
Zinc supplements reportedly help to reduce the occurrence of diarrhea by 18% and pneumonia by 41%. Zinc also has shown a protective effect on many other diseases such as chronic hepatitis C, leprosy, tuberculosis, and acute lower respiratory infection. The effects on the common cold and malaria are open to doubt.
As far as Dr. David Juan knows, zinc supplements were unsuccessful in enhancing most vaccines and in alleviating symptoms linked to rheumatoid arthritis.

www.doctorshealthpress.com