Don Colbert - The Bible Cure for Colds and Flu: Ancient Truths, Natural Remedies and the Latest Findings for Your Health Today

List food items youve been eating that may have contributed to tearing down your immune system.

What items in your list are you willing to give up in order to strengthen your immune system and help it do its job of protecting your body?

How will you work to limit your sugar intake?

Chapter 3
Sending in Supplies
Supplements

A good general knows one way to conquer an enemy is to cut off its supply lines. The mightiest force in the world cannot last long without steady reinforcements of supplies. Supplies and provision are key factors for gaining victory.

In fact, in ancient times shutting off the supply lines that fed into the protective walls of a city was a standard military tactic for defeating an enemy.

Some time, later, however, King Benhadad of Aram mobilized his entire army and besieged Samaria. As a result there was a great famine in the city. After a while even a donkeys head sold for two pounds of silver, and a cup of doves dung cost about two ounces of silver.

2 KINGS 6:2425

This enemys military tactic involved weakening Israels defense by cutting off its supplies. He expected the Israelites to become so weak that they would eventually succumb.

For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.

ISAIAH 30:15, KJV

Interestingly, colds, flu and sinus infections attack your body like an invading army, working hard to break down your immune systems walls of protection surrounding your health. During such attacks, massive amounts of nutrientsvitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids and moreare required to maintain its strong shield of defense. But when these nutrients are in short supply, your immune system must work even harder to battle invaders without the supplies it needs.

But you can send in reinforcements. You can strengthen your bodys immune system by taking supplements. Lets turn now and look at a number of supplements that can make all the difference in times of illness and during colds and flu season in general.

Get the Basics

Your body needs to maintain a good, steady supply of basic vitamins and minerals to maintain its fighting edge. Todays modern diet does not always provide all the essentials. In fact, even if your diet is rich with fruits and vegetables, theres a good chance they were grown on depleted soil. Therefore, to maintain the strength and power of your immune system, take a good multivitamin/ mineral supplement every day.

A comprehensive multivitamin/mineral

Certain vitamins and minerals are critically important for your immune system to function at peak efficiency, which is vital during cold and flu season. A comprehensive multivitamin is very important to provide the basic vitamins and minerals for your body that it cannot make for itself. You cannot get adequate amounts from the food you eat. Therefore, I recommend a comprehensive multivitamin/mineral supplement such as Divine Healths Elite Multivitamin. It provides essential vitamins and minerals as well as most of the antioxidants your body requires on a daily basis.

Vitamin A

If your body lacks enough vitamin A, you will tend to be very prone to many types of infections, especially colds and flu. Vitamin A works to maintain the structural integrity of the mucous membranes. Its also vitally important in the production of T-cells.

A deficiency of vitamin A will actually cause your thymus gland to shrink, resulting in an impaired immune system. Many physicians are concerned about vitamin A overdosing, since its associated with liver damage, loss of hair, headaches, vomiting and other symptoms. Yet, vitamin A overdosing is extremely rare, but inadequate consumption of vitamin A is very common.

I recommend approximately 5,000 to 10,000 I.U. of vitamin A every day, which is a safe dosage. However, if you are pregnant, limit your dosage to 5,000 I.U. of vitamin A per day.

Some people believe they dont need vitamin A because they take supplements of beta carotene. They reason that since beta carotene is a precursor to vitamin A, its all they really need. However, vitamin A, beta carotene and other carotenoids all have independent roles to play in strengthening and protecting immunity. Therefore, all of these nutrients should be taken regularly. Vitamin A is present in most multivitamins.

B-complex

B vitamins are also very important for optimal immune function. Vitamin B5, or pantothenic acid, is important for maintaining a healthy thymus gland and for antibody production. Folic acid is important for optimal function of T-cells and B-cells, as is vitamin B6. Vitamin B12 is needed by phagocytes to kill bacteria.

A comprehensive multivitamin should have adequate doses of B-complex.

The RDA for B vitamins is rather low, in my opinion. Therefore, I recommend for my patients at least 25 mg of the following B vitamins: vitamin B1 (thiamine), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B3 (niacin), vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine). I also recommend at least the following doses of the other B vitamins: folic acid, 800 mcg; vitamin B12 and biotin, 100 mcg.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is also extremely important for the immune system. Vitamin C is both an antiviral and antibacterial agent. Vitamin C strengthens connective tissue and also neutralizes toxic substances that are released from phagocytes.

In 1970 Dr. Linus Pauling released the book Vitamin C and the Common Cold. He was one of the most prominent and respected scientists of the twentieth century and had been awarded two Nobel prizes. But he stirred up tremendous controversy in the medical community when he recommended that people take 1,000 to 2,000 mg of vitamin C daily for general well-being. To fight a cold, he recommended upping the dosage to 4,000 to 10,000 mg a day.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

HOSEA 4:6, KJV

Dr. Pauling found that supplementing with 1,000 mg of vitamin C daily reduced the incidence of colds by 45 percent and reduced cold symptoms by 63 percent.

As a preventive dose, I recommend 1,000 mg of vitamin C taken daily, preferably 250 mg three to four times a day or 500 mg twice a day.

If you have a cold or sinus infection, I recommend boosting your dosage to 2,000 mg of vitamin C, preferably in powdered form, every two to three hours. Maintain this dosage for several days, and then gradually taper off until youre back to 1,000 mg a day as a maintenance dose.

Taking over 3,000 mg of vitamin C at one time is likely to produce diarrhea and gas. If you experience such symptoms, decrease your dose to only 5001,000 mg. In rare instances, high doses of vitamin C can cause kidney stones; therefore, its critically important to drink at least two quarts of filtered water a day.

Consult with your physician before starting a high-dose vitamin C therapy. Divine Health Buffered Vitamin C contains 700 mg per dose and is an excellent way to strengthen your immune system.

Selenium

Minerals are also vitally important for good immune function. One of the most important minerals for building and maintaining superior immunity is selenium. Selenium deficiency causes a reduction in T-cell activity and antibody production. It can also lower your resistance to developing viral and bacterial infections.