EU kieltää amalgaamipaikat - Metyylielohopea (Methylmercury) liukenee hammaspaikoista vereen

Metyylielohopea on elohopeametallin orgaaninen, ihmiselle vaarallinen muoto. Sen molekyylikaava on CH₃Hg⁺.Ihminen saa kehoonsa elohopeaa ravinnosta, sekä hampaiden amalgaamipaikoista.

Euroopassa elintarvikkeiden ja juomaveden sisältämälle elohopealle on säädetty tarkat raja-arvot. Siitä huolimatta elohopeaa on mm. rokotteissa. 

Pitkäaikainen elohopealle altistuminen johtaa munuais- ja aivosairauksiin. Syy-yhteyttä on kuitenkin usein vaikea todentaa, sillä neurotoksinen elohopea on kumuloituva myrkky, joka kerääntyy elimistöön pitkällä aikavälillä.  Amalgaamipaikkojen sisältämä elohopea höyrystyy suussa ja siirtyy elimistöön limakalvojen kautta.


Elimistöön joutunut metyylielohopea pääsee rasvaliukoisena aineena helposti hermostoon.
Elohopeamyrkytyksen oireisiin[1] kuuluvat tunto- ja näköhäiriöt, ataksia, käsien ja jalkojen puutuminen, lihasheikkous, supistunut näkökenttä, kuulovaurio ja puhehäiriö.

Vaikeissa tapauksissa myrkytysoireet jäävät pysyviksi ja äärimmäisissä altistuksissa, kuten Minamatan syndroomassa oireisiin lukeutuvat psykiatrisetoireet, halvaus, kooma ja kuolema, jotka seuraavat viikoissa ensimmäisten oireiden esiinnyttyä.

Kaikkein herkimmin vaikutukset kohdistuvat kehittyvään sikiöön. Tulokset normaalista ravinnosta saatavan metyylielohopean vaikutuksista ovat toistaiseksi ristiriitaisia, koska kahdessa erittäin paljon kalaa käyttävässä väestössä on saatu erilainen tulos, Färsaarilla on nähty lievän hermoston kehityksen hidastumisen liittyvän suureen metyylielohopeapitoisuuteen mutta Seychelleillä ei. Suomessa on kuitenkin suositeltu, ettei raskaana olevien tulisi käyttää haukea lainkaan.[2]

Metyylielohopean on havaittu aiheuttavan iibislinnuilla "homoseksuaalista" käytöstä, jossa uroslinnut asettuvat yhteen toistensa kanssa.[3]

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Mercury fillings face Europe-wide ban
January 9th 2017 in Dental 

Dentists across Europe will stop using amalgam fillings—which contain mercury—in pregnant and nursing women and children under the age of 15 in 2018. The ban, which affects dentists in all the 28 member-countries of the EU, comes into effect in July next year.

The ban needs to be officially ratified, but this is expected to be a formality as the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament have already agreed to it. 
Health agencies in each of the member countries must also submit plans as to how they will be reducing the use of amalgam fillings in the rest of the population by 2019.The edict is a triumph for consumer groups who have played a major role in the six-year consultation period—and a blow to the dental associations that still maintain that amalgam fillings are safe.Groups such as the World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry predict the ruling marks the beginning of the end for amalgam fillings across the developed world.
Amalgam fillings—which are a mix of silver, tin and copper in liquid, or elemental, mercury—have been used by dentists for more than 150 years because the material is inexpensive and pliable.
Dental associations have maintained the mercury—which makes up around half the filling—is locked in, and can’t escape.But, as WDDTY revealed last month (http://www.wddty.com/magazine/2016/december/the-secret-life-of-your-fillings.html) the mercury does escape, and can damage our brain, heart, kidneys, lungs and immune system—because our gut converts the elemental mercury into methyl mercury, its most lethal form.

https://wddty.com/news/2017/01/mercury-fillings-face-europe-wide-ban.html


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The secret life of your fillings 

December 2016 (Vol. 27 Issue 9) › The secret life of your fillings December 2016 (Vol. 27 Issue 9) in Blood, Dental, Diseases, Environment, Fatigue

Even though ‘silver’ fillings contain mercury, they were thought to be safe. But new research suggests that our gut converts the heavy metal into its most health-damaging lethal form

For more than 150 years, dentists have been putting ‘silver’ fillings—or dental amalgam, which contains mercury—into cavities in our teeth. And for most of that time, dental groups have been reassuring us that the fillings are safe. The mercury is ‘locked’ within the material and can’t escape and, in any case, is elemental, or inorganic, mercury, the safest form of what everyone acknowledges is one of the most toxic metals on the planet.

But a major new study says our health guardians are wrong: mercury does leak from fillings, and it’s a substance that can damage our brain, heart, kidneys, lungs and immune system. And perhaps the most chilling part of the researchers’ discovery is that when the elemental mercury leaks into the bloodstream, the gut converts it into methyl mercury, its most toxic form.1
It’s a significant finding. Methyl mercury mainly comes from fish, and defenders of amalgam fillings have maintained that they weren’t adding to our overall ‘mercury load’. But the new discovery means that anyone with eight amalgam fillings will have 150 per cent more methyl mercury in their blood than someone without these fillings—and around 25 per cent of the American public has 11 or more silver fillings.
The open secret
It’s long been an open secret in dentistry. 
The American and British Dental Associations have barred dentists from putting up posters or handing out information sheets that reveal that amalgam fillings are 50 per cent mercury, although dentists have been quietly moving towards the use of safer materials.
Despite such an information blackout, fears about the dangers of amalgam fillings began to escalate in the 1980s, when it was discovered they were releasing mercury vapours that were being deposited in the kidneys. Even then, the dental associations batted back the concerns because the evidence was inconsistent or based on only small study populations. 

Methylmercury 3D model 

But this new study, carried out by researchers at the University of Georgia, puts paid to those objections. They analyzed the data from 14,703 people gleaned from two previous US National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), and compared the amount of mercury in the blood with the number of fillings each participant had. The researchers also considered other factors that contribute to mercury levels in our bodies, including the environment and the amount of fish in the diet.

After factoring in these other sources, the researchers still found a direct association between the number of amalgam fillings and amount of methyl mercury in the blood.

But while methyl mercury levels increased between the two surveys (2003–2004 and 2011–2012), there was no increase in the number of fillings. This suggests that the gut may be changing elemental mercury to methyl, said researcher and professor of environmental health science Xiaozhong Yu. “As toxicologists, we know that mercury is poison, but it all depends on the dose. So, if you have one dental filling, then perhaps that’s OK. But if you have more than eight dental fillings, the potential risk for adverse effect is higher,” he said.

The average American has three fillings, the researchers say, but even this may not be safe if they’re also eating fish more than a few times a week or are exposed to mercury in their work environment.

It stays with us

It could also be that amalgam fillings on their own can leak enough to cause unacceptably high levels of methyl mercury in the blood. The European Commission’s BIO Intelligence Service (BIS) evidently thinks so. A 2012 report pointed out that autopsies have shown that bodies with amalgam fillings can have up to 12 times more mercury than usual in their tissues.2

The World Health Organization (WHO) also believes that amalgam fillings are the most significant source of mercury in our bodies. It reckons we get four times the level of mercury from our fillings as from fish: if we are absorbing 10 mcg of mercury from our fillings, then fish is adding a further 2.3 mcg and the environment contributes just 0.3 mcg.3

And the process of leaching—where fillings are constantly releasing mercury—begins almost immediately, within a day of the filling being placed, a new study has found, so confounding the belief that it happens only with worn and old fillings. When researchers at the University of Peshawar in Pakistan measured mercury levels in blood, nail, urine and hair samples before and immediately after the use of an amalgam dental filling, they discovered that levels were up to eight times greater a day after the procedure compared with the controls who didn’t get a filling.4

The smoking gun

So what damage is mercury doing to our health? There are too many lifestyle variables to absolutely establish a direct cause-and-effect between mercury levels and disease, but common sense would suggest that having one of the world’s most toxic metals in our body must be doing some damage. It’s smoking-gun evidence: we can’t see it directly, but we have the next best thing—all the evidence is pointing in the same direction.

It’s established that mercury poisoning, or hydrargyria, can damage the brain, kidneys and lungs, and symptoms include impaired vision, hearing, speech and muscle coordination. Mercury is also suspected to play a part in autoimmune and neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis (MS).
Indeed, Prof Boyd Haley at the University of Kentucky has proposed the hypothesis that elemental and organic mercury compounds, among other brain toxicants, are one major cause of Alzheimer’s.5

In one lab test, researchers at the University of Calgary in Canada discovered that when neurons were exposed to mercury ions, the metal disrupted their membrane structure and growth rates, and disintegrated cellular proteins. The affected nerve cells also formed abnormal patterns of ‘sprouting’ known as ‘neurofibrillary aggregates’, which are typically observed in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.6

There’s also anecdotal evidence from people who’ve had their amalgam fillings removed and then experienced sudden improvements in chronic health problems. Six separate surveys involving 1,569 patients, all of whom had gone through amalgam removal, reported improvement—or, in some cases, complete reversal—of a range of problems, such as chest pain, depression, fatigue, gastrointestinal issues, migraine headaches, MS, memory loss and irregular heart beats, or arrhythmias.7

There is also further smoking-gun evidence from dental clinics themselves. Dental assistants reported significantly higher levels of neurological and psychosomatic problems, memory loss, inability to concentrate, fatigue and sleep disturbances than did healthcare personnel not regularly exposed to mercury fumes.8

While definitive proof that mercury from fillings causes serious health problems may never become available, there’s enough evidence to raise the question: why should you even take the risk, especially when safer alternatives are available?

A dental paradox

There’s one chronic condition that amalgam fillings can cause: periodontal, or gum, disease.

At least nine separate studies have demonstrated that they are causing gum problems, says the University of Calgary’s Clinical Associate Professor Murray Vimy.

“Periodontal disease is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases in man, and mercury fillings contribute significantly. The ADA [American Dental Association] and its advisors may be knowingly misinforming the public through the media, or they lack the understanding of the scientific research about mercury release from amalgam published in their own journals,“ he says.1

The yes boys take over

Amalgam was controversial almost from the day it was first formulated (it’s a mix of silver, tin and copper in liquid, or elemental, mercury). It was seen as a more pliable, durable and less costly alternative to gold, which was then routinely used to fill cavities.

But from the outset, leading American dentist Chapin Harris refused to handle the new material, describing it as “one of the most objectionable articles for filling teeth that can be employed”.

America’s first dental association, the American Society of Dental Surgeons, which Harris had co-founded in 1840, disbanded over the controversy in 1856 and was eventually replaced by the American Dental Association in 1859. The ADA was more welcoming of the new material—and remains so to this day.

Women and children first

Only people with a ‘mercury allergy’ or sensitivity to mercury are at risk from its effects, and that’s just 3 per cent of the population, say the dental associations. Even then, that’s still a substantial number of people, equating to around 1.8 million people in the UK and 9 million in the US.

The only others who should avoid amalgam fillings are pregnant women and new mums who are breastfeeding. As for the rest of us, our kidneys will take care of any mercury and it passes through us every day—or so the dental associations tell us.

But the World Health Organization isn’t so sure; in one study, WHO researchers discovered that people with the most amalgam fillings—which were leaching up to 100 mcg of mercury every day—were excreting just half that amount in their urine.1

This inefficient clearing may be down to age. One study of 507 schoolchildren (ages eight to 10) found that those with amalgam fillings had significantly higher levels of mercury in their urine during the first two years of follow-up. But over the full seven years of follow-up, their levels were not significantly different from those in children who had received resin composite fillings instead. This suggests that these children’s bodies had the ability to shed the toxic mercury load.2
https://www.wddty.com/magazine/2016/december/the-secret-life-of-your-fillings.html

_https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3514465/
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http://magneettimedia.com/elohopea-puhuttaa-yhdysvalloissa/
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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3514465/


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Scientific Panel Calls FDA Miserable Failure in Protecting Children from Mercury

December 28, 2010 | 31,801 views

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A U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee has recommended that the agency take a new look at updated data on mercury amalgam dental fillings that may indicate medical problems for patients.

The committee also said that more information on amalgam fillings should be posted for both for patients and dentists.

According to CNN:

"Public pressure prompted the panel's review, initiated less than 18 months after the agency's decision. Committee members listened to testimony by consumer and dental groups claiming the FDA used flawed science when it set the current guidelines for mercury safety levels."

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Thanks to a massive response from grassroots America to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) abysmal 2009 amalgam rule, the FDA agreed to re-examine its pro-mercury fillings position at a hearing earlier this month.

Well, the hearing was a major success!

A government panel of scientists, after two days of hearings before its Dental Products Panel, has determined that the FDA is failing to protect children, pregnant women, hypersensitive persons -- and the rest of us -- from the dangers of mercury fillings.

Charlie Brown, the national counsel for Consumers for Dental Choice and the president of the new World Alliance for Mercury Free Dentistry, says:

"[This] decision is a resounding defeat of FDA and its policy of protecting dentists' profits instead of protecting children's health."

We're Making Progress, but the Fight is Not Over

For the last year we have been working alongside Charlie Brown to help eliminate the use of mercury in U.S. dentistry -- and we've made some major strides.

Most recently, Costa Mesa, California has set the precedent by becoming the first city in the United States to pass a resolution to immediately ban the use of mercury amalgams in dentistry.

This success story was made possible by a trio of Orange County, California activists who distributed flyers explaining the hazards of amalgam (unfortunately, most people are still not even aware that "silver fillings" contain mercury!). They allied with health professionals and green businesses for support.

They organized an extensive petition drive, collecting signatures from individuals asking city council to ban amalgam -- both by asking people directly to sign, and by enlisting friendly health professionals and businesspeople to keep the petitions in their front offices.

They surveyed all the city's dentists, and presented certificates to dentists who are mercury-free.

Then, they sought out Councilman Gary Monahan, who agreed to sponsor a resolution calling on the federal and state governments to "eliminate the use of mercury in dental practices ...immediately," and, at the local level, requesting that every dentist cease using this poisonous material.

Thanks to the testimony of an array of dentists, a dental hygienist, chiropractors, victims of mercury toxicity, businesspeople, a scientist, a Navy veteran, and a lawyer at the City Council meeting reviewing the Monahan resolution, it passed unanimously -- and Costa Mesa became the first locality in the United States to call for a ban on mercury fillings.

The FDA hearing earlier this month also made some favorable strides for this movement.

The scientists told the FDA to tell U.S. dental patients, starting right now, that amalgam is mainly mercury, and to tell U.S. dentists to stop giving amalgam to children. They also recommended that the FDA come up with models that show the effects of mercury vapor exposure from dental fillings, as well as review more data on the impact of these fillings on children and fetuses.

The bad news, however, is that the entire matter will now be returned to FDA's board for consideration, which, Brown notes, is "notoriously pro-mercury and pro-American Dental Association."

The FDA does NOT have to follow its committee's recommendations, and, unfortunately, the FDA has a history of ignoring its panelists' advice if it doesn't uphold the pro-industry position -- even to the point of disagreeing with their own FDA scientific experts.

This is precisely what happened in 2009 with their disappointing "final rule."

The FDA is STILL Protecting Industry Over the U.S. Public

The FDA has long been the world's number one protector of mercury fillings, and the U.S. is lagging behind the rest of the world, and even behind some third world countries, in protecting its citizens from this toxic product:

• Canada advised dentists to stop placing amalgam in children and pregnant women in 1996!
• Denmark, Norway and Sweden have essentially banned amalgams.
• There are 5,636 hospitals in developing countries that are committed to or already mercury-free. The majority of these are in the Philippines, India and Argentina.

Yet, in the United States four out of five dental specialists still use amalgams, and the material is still endorsed by the American Dental Association.

FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg even has an egregious conflict of interest on amalgam, yet participated in the rule making. Hamburg entered the FDA through the revolving door after making millions as the director of Henry Schein Inc., the largest seller of amalgam.

The FDA is so much in the pocket of corporate America that it not only allows mercury-based dental filling to be implanted in children and pregnant women, but it covers up the very fact that these fillings contain mercury, which is a known toxic substance.

And the FDA's rule ignores the fact that Americans are getting mercury from so many other sources (vaccines, fish and seafood, household products, paints, pesticides, etc.) that many teenagers and adults are saturated with these neurotoxins.

Another Call to Action: We're So Close, Help Keep the Momentum Going!

Even the FDA is finally starting to realize it has become a pariah in the world by covering up the massive harm being done by the continued use of mercury fillings.

Now that the tide is turning, pro-mercury dentists, the FDA, and the world need to know that consumers like you will not tolerate dental mercury -- a neurotoxin and a pollutant -- any longer. Just like Costa Mesans have made it clear that the use of amalgam is no longer acceptable in their community, it's time to get this substance OUT of U.S. dentistry.

I urge all of you reading this to tell Jeff Shuren, director, FDA Center for Devices (Jeff.shuren@fda.hhs.gov or 301-796-5900), that we have waited long enough -- and that it's time, this month, for FDA to:

1. Tell Americans amalgam is mainly mercury
2. Protect Americans from mercury amalgam, starting with a ban on amalgam for children and pregnant women.

Tell Dr. Shuren, too, that Canada gave these warnings 15 years ago -- which means that an entire generation of U.S. children has grown up unprotected from amalgam's mercury, and that we will not stand for any more harm to be done to future generations to come.

You can also ask Dr. Shuren:

• Why does the FDA approve of dentists telling parents amalgams are "silver fillings"?
• Why does the FDA ban mercury for treating the legs of race horses but say it's fine implanted in a human child?
• Does the FDA say increased amalgam use is a "positive health outcome" in order to pump up the sales for Henry Schein Inc., Commissioner Margaret Hamburg's company?

Together we are making a real difference and with continued passion and support on your part we can WIN! Let's protect the health of Americans, including that of future generations, from toxic amalgam by getting "silver fillings" banned from U.S. dentistry once and for all.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/12/28/scientific-panel-calls-fda-miserable-failure-in-protecting-children-from-mercury.aspx

Rebuild your immune system at any age

Rebuild your immune system at any age

December 2016 (Vol. 27 Issue 9) in Ageing, Blood, Cancer, Diseases, EFT (Emotional Freedom
Technique), Epstein–Barr virus, Fitness, Flu, Healing, Infections, Inflammatory

The body’s first line of defence is the immune
system, which wears out as we age.
Noted integrated physician Rajendra Sharma
explains how to rebuild the wall

Although cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the over-65s, poor function
of the immune system, leading to diseases including chest infections and pneumonia, is the
third highest cause of death (behind cancer) in 55- to 65-year-olds, and the fourth highest cause
after the age of 65. Furthermore, immune dysfunction is related to cancer and is the greatest
cause of death in people aged 45 to 64.

We are constantly beset with flurries of press coverage regarding immune system dysfunction,
particularly during autumn and winter when our elderly population is encouraged to have inoculations
against pneumonia and influenza. Unfortunately, up to 75 per cent of the elderly actually don’t
respond to vaccination —that is, their immune systems fail to create a defensive response against
invading pathogens. What’s more, both its safety and effectiveness are poorly evidenced, particularly
in those over the age of 65.1

We need to keep our immunity functioning at an optimal level to maintain healthy longevity.
 It is particularly important to keep the immune system functioning especially as we get older, owing
to its  natural tendency to falter at that stage. If immunity fails, it doesn’t matter whether every other
part of your body is healthy. You’ll still face a rapid decline.

Most immunologists battle to keep up with advances in our understanding of the immune system,
but here’s all you really need to know: how best to maintain immune function into old age.

How the immune system works

Innate immunity describes the body’s first-line and non-specific defence against invading organisms
and altered potentially harmful cells, such as cancerous cells.

The first part of the innate immune system requires intact barriers, such as the skin and the inner
membrane  linings (known as epithelial layers) of the gut, lungs and upper respiratory airways
(nose, sinus, throat), and the inner lining of the bladder. The integrity of these barriers stops foreign
organisms and toxins from getting in.

These membranes produce defensive compounds that infuse the sebum (the slightly greasy
compound in our skin), sweat and mucus made by epithelial cell linings.
These defence compounds, known as immunoglobulins, are made by specialized cells—mostly
white blood cells—that sit within or close to the  barrier membranes.

Secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) is made predominantly in the 10 m (33 ft) or so of the adult small
intestine. Its production is triggered in the newborn by colostrum, the initial breast milk.

Throughout our lives, sIgA is a vital part of our innate, first-line defence mechanism.
Other components of our innate immune system include non-specific white blood cells known as
phagocytes, which move through the bloodstream and body tissues while enveloping invading
organisms and absorbing damaged and toxic cells.

Still other white blood cells produce chemicals that trigger inflammation, which attracts more
blood-carrying defence cells, scar-tissue-forming cells, oxygen and nutrients to aid healing in the
affected area. Inflammation is a vital part of our defence and repair process—until it becomes
excessive or turns up in the wrong place.

Many of these mechanisms defend us by recognizing and killing off cancer cells.

Adaptive immunity

By producing particular types of white blood cells (some of which produce defensive immunoglobulins),
adaptive immunity tackles specific infections and toxic materials. Adaptive immunity is also the
linchpin of our allergic response.

Two types of white blood cells, known as T cells and B cells, are active in adaptive
immunity, but our bodies don’t go on producing white blood cells forever. As we age, the
naïve leucocytes (freshly made from bone marrow), which will become T and B cells and are
very active in our youth, become reduced in number as their production is slowed so that, over
time, we have fewer white blood cells circulating in our system.

B cells make immunoglobulins known as antibodies, key-like compounds that recognize specific
molecular shapes found on bacteria, viruses, other invading organisms and toxins.
These specific molecular shapes on their cell walls are called antigens. Antibodies lock into these antigens
and cause damage to the cell wall or attract other white blood cells, such as certain T cells, to envelop it.

T cells, so-called because they are made in the thymus gland, are recognized by a particular cell-surface
configuration called the T-cell receptor. T cells have many different functions, including:

• helping other parts of the immune system (helper T cells)

• attacking cancer cells directly (cytotoxic natural-killer T cells)

• regulating balance so that a defensive response to a hostile ‘invader’ is not overly aggressive

• memory-cell activity (see below).

As we go through life, we encounter increasing numbers of foreign organisms. Rather than maintaining
large armies of T and B cells, we form memory cells. These cells ‘remember’ individual antigens so that,
when we are next exposed to them, the memory cells send out chemical messengers to naïve leucocytes,
triggering them to start making antibodies.

Why ageing wears down the immune system

Senescence is the term applied to aged and dysfunctional cells, and immunosenescence describes the
gradual deterioration of immune cells, which renders an ageing body less capable of fighting infection,
less able to maintain innate and adaptive immunity, and less likely to recognize and deal with damaged,
cancerous or other, non-functioning cells.

The epithelial wall of the bowel (part of the innate immune system) fights to keep out 100 trillion bowel
bacteria, just as the skin defends us against infection and chemical toxins, which land on us in their
thousands every day. But as barriers like the epithelial wall and the skin start to fail, our acquired,
secondary  immune system becomes overloaded. The white blood cells that envelop pathogens and
altered (cancerous) cells also lose some of their control mechanisms, such that the correct production
of defence and inflammatory control agents (cytokines, or protein messengers) diminishes too.

Throughout life, the immune system builds up memory cells and deals with scores of infections all day,
every day. As our exposure to organisms and toxins builds, we produce increasing numbers of memory
cells. This means our reserve of naïve leucocytes over time is converted to memory cells so that, eventually,
we don’t have enough left to mount an adequate T- or B-cell response to a new infection. In a sense, we
have too many generals and not enough soldiers.

Eventually, there comes a point where the body’s immune ‘housekeeping’ registers a lack of response,
assumes that the white blood cells present are ineffective and breaks them down. This also includes a loss
of memory cells, so leaving us open to infections that we used to be able to deal with.

This is why as we age, and after having had a ‘lifelong’ immunity to, say, chickenpox, we can suddenly
develop shingles, or our long-standing defence against the viruses that cause influenza disappears,
making flu a much more dangerous infection.

Another vital aspect of ageing is our exposure to viruses that are generally not dangerous, but that insinuate
themselves into cells—which means they remain hidden from the immune system. These viruses are not
particularly aggressive, but lie there dormant, kept to a low replication rate by our intracellular defences.

But as we age, these viruses can flare up, owing to the loss of intracellular defences, and overwhelm the
immune system, including our anticancer defences. The main antagonists include:

• herpesvirus

• cytomegalovirus (CMV)

• Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), the cause of glandular fever

• mycobacteria.

As we age, the immune system focuses too much attention on these persistent intracellular organisms
and is less able to attack new ones. Its ability to recognize new infections is also diminished because
persistent infection alters the complex mechanisms of immunity. This all serves to prevent the immune
system from functioning optimally as we age.

Reversing the process

All organs and systems of the body are affected either positively or negatively by lifestyle, but the immune
system in particular is rapidly and adversely affected by poor habits and nutritional deficiencies.
On the other hand, it is also positively and effectively influenced by healthy living and proper supplementation.

So, aside from avoiding environmental toxins and allergens as much as possible, there is a great deal
you can do to keep your immune system ‘young’. The amounts of minerals, antioxidants and essential fatty
acids we consume govern the health of our immune and defence systems at genetic and cellular levels
and, most particularly, the level of inflammation in the body.

Eat in colour. Aim for a high intake of a variety of different-coloured vegetables (red, dark-green, orange, etc.).
Members of the Allium food group (onions, garlic, leeks, chives, scallions, etc.) have an effect by controlling
tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha—one of the most important inflammatory compounds made by the
body—to ensure that the activity of the immune system’s white blood cells is neither too weak nor too
strong and that they also produce appropriate levels of immunoglobulins.

Optimal levels of the protein interleukin (IL)-6 will ensure the correct rate and strength of inflammation and
white-cell response. IL-6 is positively influenced by intakes of fish oil, a variety of fruit and vegetables,
vitamins A and C, and zinc, and is adversely affected by large intakes of carbohydrates, especially refined
sugars.

Get puffed every day. By following 1,200 pairs of twins, one study has shown that those who take moderate
or higher levels of exercise for 180 min/week can have
a physical age up to nine years younger than their
actual age.2 Exercise can also help boost your immune system by:

• enhancing production of T cells

• reducing excess inflammatory compounds like cytokines

• increasing phagocytic activity (white cells that engulf foreign material)

• encouraging normal natural-killer cell activity

• increasing telomere length in white blood cells (see box, above right)

• delaying the onset of immunosenescence.3

Even those without health issues, particularly heart or arterial disease, are going to gain some benefit from
exercise. I agree with the research suggesting that men aged over 40 should aim to get 30 min/day, six days
a week, of at least moderate-to-vigorous exercise (brisk walking, moderate swimming or jogging) for the
best benefits; if below that age, add 15–30 min/day to the regimen.4

Yet, an eight-year study of more than 400,000 men and women in Taiwan came up with some other
conclusions. This paper, published in one of the most prestigious of journals, suggested that low-intensity
exercise for just 15 min/day or 90 min/week could increase life expectancy by three years.5

There seems to be less research on the optimal frequency for women and also more variation in the advice
given, but the 30-minute mark remains standard, although the frequency can be reduced to four days a week
of weight-bearing exercise (being on your feet as opposed to swimming, rowing or floor exercises) to prevent
osteoporosis.

Tests have shown that people using a treadmill need only about 10 minutes to get to the point where their
cardiopulmonary levels are at peak,6 suggesting that anything beyond that is likely to be beneficial.

This means that, aerobically speaking, 20 minutes up to a point of failing—that is, you just can’t take another
step—is where the benefit lies.

Muscle-building, an important part of optimal fitness, is best kept to short bursts of eight repetitive cycles
repeated eight times, but the whole workout should be less than 45 minutes.

After that, the body is likely to be releasing levels of cortisol, the stress-coping hormone, which actually
breaks muscle down—it’s catabolic as opposed to anabolic—and so nullifies the benefits.

The best maintenance supplement programme

Different parts of the immune system—the skin and epithelial membranes of the body, secretions,
immunoglobulins produced by white blood cells (B-type cells) and acquired immunity, including specific
anticancer cells like natural-killer cells—are all dependent on a wide range of minerals, vitamins and other
nutrients. If you’re already healthy and wish to protect and improve your immune system, take:

• A broad-spectrum multivitamin—choose one high in antioxidants, particularly vitamins A and C; take as
directed twice a day

• A broad-spectrum multimineral—take this twice daily along with a multivitamin, as most minerals have
some part to play in immune function

• Omega-6 and omega-3—taking these at a ratio of 4:1 seems to be the best mix for controlling inflammatory
responses although, if inflammation is already present, a practitioner might increase omega-3 levels with fish
oils such as krill oil

• Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs)—many amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and so have
a vital role in the normal function of the immune system; BCAAs are essential for lymphocyte (white blood cell)
responsiveness, and a lack of BCAAs impairs the immune system, particularly its fight against invading
organisms.7

Given intravenously, BCAAs improve immunity in patients with infections and boost immunity in postsurgical
patients. Whey protein is an abundant source of BCAAs due to its levels of leucine, isoleucine and valine,
and can be taken in cases of poor healing. Add it to smoothies daily.

Dr Sharma’s advanced programme

For those with immune-system dysfunction or a susceptibility to infection, or those who are over age 65,
consider the addition of the following supplements after a discussion with your healthcare provider.

Nutrients in the maintenance programme (see above) plus the following nutrients should all be taken
twice daily, and they all have a direct effect on white blood cells.

Nutrients influencing TNF-alpha

• N-acetyl cysteine

• Green tea, as a drink or capsules

• Probiotics, to maintain gut flora levels and benefits (they also support sIgA and bowel epithelial integrity)

• l-Carnitine

• Glutamine/glutamate

• Purified thymus extracts.

Nutrients influencing IL-6 inflammatory activity

• Ginseng

• Oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs), powerful antioxidants found in pine bark and grape seed extracts

• Coenzyme Q10.

Immune-boosting meditation

Meditation has been shown to influence the immune system in a variety of ways. The evidence shows that
the innate immune system responds to meditation practices that foster compassion.1 What’s more, many
papers cite the benefits of meditation on white-cell responses by altering immune function through the
process of psychoneuroimmunology.2

One important study concluded that secretory IgA increases significantly with meditation, so improving the
barrier effect of the body’s membranes.3

What are telomeres?

Telomeres prevent chromosomes from fusing together, bending or unravelling incorrectly and also stop
chromosomes and DNA from binding to each other. If abnormal patterns occur in chromosomes,
instructions to the cell go wrong and these mutations may render the cell useless or dangerous.
Cells are supposed to multiply only a certain number of times and then die off, but as we age, the cellular
pattern of cleaving off telomeres becomes compromised, thereby allowing cells to multiply with
ever-increasing mutations.

Telomerase is an enzyme that rebuilds telomeres, and healthy cells make a certain amount. The hTERT
gene turns telomerase activity on or off. Damage to this gene by pollutants sticking to it (adducting) stops
normal telomere repair.

Research shows that a plant extract called TA 65, from the astragalus plant (sold as a supplement online),
appears to activate telomerase and may be proven to benefit our cells by encouraging normal function of
replication in tissues.

Checking the state of your immune system

However well you may feel and however up to date you are, there is a major benefit in knowing whether or
not your immune system has a genetic predisposition to weaken due to poor detoxification or a need for
higher doses of nutrients, or if you have weak anticancer or strong allergic tendencies.

If you clearly have a condition related to immune deficiency, a family history of cancer below the age of 65,
are entering middle age without optimal levels of fitness and body weight or live life to excess, I recommend
specific testing for the following measures.

• Nutritional status, particularly of vitamins A, C and B-complex; zinc, copper and magnesium in white blood
cells; essential fatty acids; glutathione; and iron/ferritin

• Amino-acids, making sure that you’ve been following your usual diet for at least two weeks to see if you
are absorbing enough branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs)

• DHEA levels

• Immune activity status, by testing for herpesviruses, cytomegalovirus, Epstein–Barr virus and Chlamydia
bacteria

• Comprehensive digestive stool analysis, to assess whether or not you have a good beneficial bacterial
balance and to make sure you’re not carrying parasites

• Full tumour immunity profiles or tests, offered by specialist laboratories and which look at
immunosenescence and anticancer immunity, T cells, memory cells and natural-killer cell function, as well
as levels of inflammation, important minerals like zinc and immune compounds like glutathione.

Tests in the UK:

Biolab Medical Unit www.biolab.co.uk

Genova Diagnostics www.gdx.net/uk

Tests in the US:

Genova Diagnostics www.gdx.net

Excerpted from Live Longer Live Younger by Dr Rajendra Sharma (Watkins Publishing, 2014), available
from Amazon

http://www.wddty.com/magazine/2016/december/rebuild-your-immune-system-at-any-age.html