Peggy D. Merritt

Flu season is a regularly re-occurring time period characterized by the prevalence of outbreaks of influenza (flu). The season occurs during the cold half of the year in each hemisphere. Influenza activity can sometimes be predicted and even tracked geographically. While the beginning of major flu activity in each season varies by location, in any specific location these minor epidemics usually take about 3 weeks to peak and another 3 weeks to significantly diminish.^[1] Individual cases of the flu however, usually only last a few days. In some countries such as Japan, Korea, and China, infected persons sometimes wear a surgical mask out of respect for others. Surgical masks have been proven to be ineffective.

Mechanism for seasonal nature of influenza

The exact mechanism behind the seasonal nature of influenza outbreaks is unclear. Some proposed explanations are:

• People are indoors more often during the winter, they are in close contact more often, and this promotes transmission from person to person.
• Cold temperatures lead to drier air, which may dehydrate mucus, preventing the body from effectively expelling virus particles.
• The virus may linger longer on exposed surfaces (doorknobs, countertops, etc.) in colder temperatures.
• Vitamin D production from Ultraviolet-B in the skin changes with the seasons and affects the immune system.^{[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]}

Research in guinea pigs has shown that the aerosol transmission of the virus is enhanced when the air is cold and dry.^[9] The dependence on aridity appears to be due to degradation of the virus particles in moist air, while the dependence on cold appears to be due to infected hosts shedding the virus for a longer period of time. The researchers did not find that the cold impaired the immune response of the guinea pigs to the virus.

A recent research done by National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) on influenza virus identified the virus as having “butter-like coating”. The coating melts when it enters the respiratory tract. In the winter, the coating becomes a hardened shell; therefore, it can survive in the cold weather similar to a spore. In the summer, the coating melts before the virus reaches the respiratory tract.^[10]

^{Natural boosts to the immune system are adding JuicePlus to your diet and Silver Biotics.} 

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Vitamin A – Nausea, vomiting, lack of appetite, hair loss, pain in the bones and joints, weakness and irritability.  May increase the risk of liver toxicity if taken by those with existing liver disease.

Vitamin B6 -  Damage to the nerves in the extremities and liver.

Vitamin B1 -  depletes other B Vits. & disrupts insulin & thyroid production.

Niacin – long term use can cause liver damage.

Folate – dosages may mask a B12 deficiency.

Too much of any B alone in isolated form depletes other B vitamins.

Vitamin C -  Can damage the heart and may trigger oxalate kidney stones and buildup of iron in the body.  May trigger sickle cell crisis.  Increased absorption of iron from supplements when taken with Vit. C.  Vit. C may increase serum concentrations of Vit. E, while Vit. E may increase the serum concentration of Vit. C.  More than 14 lab tests altered by taking Vit. C such as false increase in liver function tests AST, SGOT, and bilirubin.

Vitamin D -  Can lead to nausea, vomiting, weight loss, weakness, irregular heartbeat, confusion, and other mental changes.  May cause or increase hypercalcemia which may lead to kidney stones, calcified tissues, or other problems.  May increase absorption of calcium & raise calcium levels.

Vitamin E -  Can thin the blood and increase the risk of unnecessary bleeding and bruising.  May also decrease thyroid hormone levels while increasing levels of blood fats (triglycerides).  May worsen bleeding disorders such as bleeding ulcers.  May worsen retinitis pigmentosa when taken in synthetic form.

Vitamin K -  Interferes with warfarin.  More than 13 lab tests altered by taking Vit. K such as hemoglobin levels, protein level, hematocrit, etc.

Calcium -  can cause kidney damage & insulin resistance.  May increase problems associated with elevated/lowered phosphate levels in the blood.  Calcium carbonate reduces effectiveness of the drugs used for hypothyroidism.  More than 180 drugs interfere or interact with calcium.

The list for interactions, interference, disruption, and complications with medications and/or laboratory tests are too numerous to mention when you are taking an isolated vitamin product.  There are also many interactions with drugs when taking herbal products.  It is imperative that you fully discuss with your physician ALL the products you are taking.  My suggestion is to bring the bottles in with you so that your doctor can actually see the dosages you are taking.  Your doctor may refer you to a Holistic Health Practitioner who can help them ascertain the effects of any drug/herb/nutrient interaction.

When you taken these isolated, synthetic vitamins, you may getting megadoses for you.  Many of our foods are “fortified” with numerous isolated vitamins, and of course, they are the cheapest forms of the vitamins  Eat a bowl of 100% fortified cereal with fortified milk, drink fortified orange juice then take a multivitamin, you could well be over your personal limit for the day.

This can be detrimental to your overall health and even cause disease.  Too much of any one vitamin causes deficiency in other vitamins.

However, this DOES NOT HAPPEN WHEN YOU RECEIVE YOUR VITAMINS, MINERALS, AND OTHER NUTRIENTS

FROM FOOD SOURCES.

Very few medications interact negatively with foods, although there is some exceptions such an increasing your consumption of green, leafy vegetables high in Vitamin K while you are taking warfarin.  (Warfarin interacts with more than 260 drugs, so eating is the least of your worries).  Many medications also cause a nutrient deficiency.

If you’re concerned that you are not receiving enough vitamins because of a poor diet or other health issue, then only consider taking a well researched, scientifically backed whole food nutritional product such as JuicePlus+.  It’s fruits and vegetables in a capsule.  Our bodies are designed to get lots and lots of different nutrients in very small amounts from our food.  Most people do not have a “vitamin or mineral deficiency” – they have a whole food deficiency because they don’t eat fruits and vegetables or they only a few of the same ones when they do eat them.

You can also be tested to ascertain if you are deficient in a particular vitamin or mineral.  Then, and only then, should you consider supplementing with a high grade, independently researched isolated vitamin/mineral.  Only a blood test will ascertain if you are deficient in a particular vitamin/mineral.  Click on this link to see Spectracel’s blood test.  Other than an overtly obvious symptomology, there is no other way to truly ascertain your levels than with a blood test.

Consumer Lab tested 21 well known Multi-Vitamin supplements.  Less than half passed.  Some were contaminated with Lead, some had excessive amounts of one ingredient, zero amounts of a listed ingredient, and many did not dissolve in 45 minutes.

If you would like to setup an appointment for evaluation, please contact me at (865) 539-0659.

Thank you!

Peggy D. Merritt

Holistic Health Practitioner

Master Herbalist

Nutritional Consultant

American Board Certified

Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter, usually in March (southern hemisphere) or September (northern hemisphere) when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier.

The word autumn comes from the Old French word autompne (automne in modern French), and was later normalized to the original Latin word autumnus.^[8] There are rare examples of its use as early as the 12th century, but it became common by the 16th century.

Before the 16th century, harvest was the term usually used to refer to the season. However, as more people gradually moved from working the land to living in towns (especially those who could read and write, the only people whose use of language we now know), the word harvest lost its reference to the time of year and came to refer only to the actual activity of reaping, and autumn, as well as fall, began to replace it as a reference to the season.^[9][10]

The alternative word fall is now mostly a North American English word for the season. It traces its origins to old Germanic languages. The exact derivation is unclear, the Old English fiæll or feallan and the Old Norse fall all being possible candidates. However, these words all have the meaning “to fall from a height” and are clearly derived either from a common root or from each other. The term came to denote the season in the 16th century, a contraction of Middle English expressions like “fall of the leaf” and “fall of the year”.^[11]

During the 20th century, English immigration to the colonies in North America was at its lowest point, and the new settlers took their language with them. While the term fall gradually became obsolescent in Britain, it became the more common term in North America, where autumn is nonetheless preferred in scientific and often in literary contexts.