[fast5] Re: Immune system question for Dr Herring

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

[fast5] Re: Immune system question for Dr Herring

Despite all the products that boast claims they "boost," "support," or "maintain" your immunity, there is unfortunately no simple test to evaluate one's immunity. You may as well consider those words as giveaways to empty advertising claims, because they mean nothing to the FDA, and the products have not been shown to support your immunity any more than food does (as it supplies fuel and vitamins needed for the system to work.)

Because there's no simple test and immunity's great dependence on one's exposure history, immunity is very difficult to evaluate and compare between different populations like fasting vs. non-fasting.

Some human studies are done with real immune challenges (like a deliberate infection with a cold virus) but these are rare and would be likely be considered unethical with a potentially fatal virus like influenza. Even with these "raw" challenges, the immune response to the virus cannot indicate that the immune response to bacteria, protozoa, or parasites would be competent, and the response to one virus doesn't predict resistance to another.

There is some anecdotal experience like yours that suggests enhanced immunity against everyday colds as a result of fasting, and I don't recall any reports of increased susceptibility to infections. However, the difference between you and your kids' infection rates may have as much to do with exposure and you being better about hand washing and avoiding hand-to-nose or hand-to-mouth contact as it does fasting.

There is one way you can reliably augment your immunity, and that is behavioral. Frequent hand washing, avoiding crowds and enclosed spaces (especially the combination), avoiding hand-to-mouth/hand-to-nose contact can all be genuinely helpful in preventing infection. On the other hand, if someone has an infection, staying home until it passes protects coworkers, fellow students, etc.

Best wishes,
Bert

Bert Herring
Fast-5 Corporation

--- In fast5@yahoogroups.com, "Rick Stewart" <rstewart@...> wrote:
>
> All this hype lately about the swine flu has gotten me pondering the effects of Fast-5 on the immune system. I searched the Fast-5 book for "immun" and "flu" but didn't come up with much. Both of my kids have had several colds and flus this year, but since I've been doing Fast-5 I've yet to get sick. I'm wondering what effect Fast-5, CR, or IF in general have on immune system function?
>
> Thank You
> Rick Stewart
>