Pandemic Response

Dr John Cannell reports that in April 2005 a flu epidemic swept through the hospital he was working in. Patients in wards either side, opposite and below were affected and yet his ward wasn’t, even though his patients had intermingled with the ones in the affected wards. This intrigued him. They were seemingly no different from the other patients. How did they escape from this highly infectious respiratory illness?

A short while after this event a paper published in one of the top medical journals showed that a naturally occurring hormone – a steroid hormone – was, to all intents and purposes, a very strong antibiotic. This hormone does not kill bacteria and viruses directly. Instead of this, it is able to increase the production in the body of antimicrobial peptides. These quickly destroy the cell walls of viruses, bacteria and fungal agents. This class of protein also plays a key role in allowing the lungs to remain free of infections.

What this amazing steroid hormone? It is none other than vitamin D.

This appeared to answer his question because all the patients on his ward had been taking 2000 units of vitamin D every day for some months.

This medical paper would seem to answer some other questions. 90% plus of our vitamin D intake comes from the sun, so we get most of our supply in the summer. The influenza virus exists all year round yet is considered a winter illness. Children who suffer with rickets – a vitamin D deficiency illness – are more prone to contract infections of the respiratory tract.

While drug companies and their allies can only offer useless, expensive and harmful vaccines, and useless, harmful and expensive antiviral medications, the natural therapist can offer advice that costs nothing in the summer and a limited amount through supplements in the winter. As usual those that work with nature can offer more effective and cheaper therapies than anything the drug corporations can come up with. So do enjoy the coming spring and summer. Build up your stores of “seasonal factor” for a flu free winter.

The author’s natural health london website includes lots of articles on natural health and you can subscribe to a free e-newsletter containing healthy suggestions, advice, recent health reports and cutting edge therapies at natural newsletter

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