healthbriefs
[Note to Publishers: We apologize for
the late timing of this update. Yesterday
Swine Flu
we learned that there appears to be
In October, Natural Awakenings
medical terminology in the Oct. s
Recognizes
wine
Update
flu health brief that is problematic. Ac-
• Breast Cancer Awareness Mon
cordingly
th • Celiac A
, we hav
w
e totally revised the
areness Month
T
he H1N1 virus, also known as the
swine flu virus, remains a news-
• Dental Hygiene Month • Spinal He
brief for y
alth Mon
our Oct. issue; please delete
th
maker, but not a dire one. According
the former version.]
to information released in September
by the Centers for Disease Control
Natural Solutions to
and Prevention
(CDC), the virus
living with Celiac disease
has not changed
to become more
A
July 2009 Mayo Clinic study reports that
deadly. That means
celiac disease, an immune system reaction
that although
to gluten in the diet, is four times more com-
H1N1 may affect
mon today than it was 50 years ago. Gluten is
more people, most
a protein that is found in grains such as wheat,
will not become
barley and rye and causes an inflammation of
severely ill.
the intestinal lining. Getting enough recom-
At this time,
mended grains in the diet can be challenging
the CDC recom-
for those with the illness, but awareness is
mends voluntary H1N1 vaccina-
growing of food alternatives that don’t trigger
tions for all school children; people
the problem.
with asthma, diabetes, lung or heart
disease or neuromuscular/neurologi-
Reading food labels is essential; sources
cal conditions; and pregnant women
note that many products are made from gluten-
(although current fast-track clinical
free grains such as rice, beans, tapioca, soy,
trials do not include them). People 64
corn, buckwheat, millet and quinoa. Oats, too,
years of age and older are at less risk
can sometimes be well tolerated. Herbs like
for swine flu, and H1N1 vaccinations
slippery elm and marshmallow may soothe irritation, while echinacea and golden-
are not recommended for them.
seal may help heal the intestinal lining.
To avoid contracting the virus, fol-
Because people with celiac disease often have a vitamin or mineral defi-
low the CDC’s common-sense advice:
ciency, they usually benefit from a daily multivitamin, with the addition of extra
• Cover your nose and mouth with a
B-vitamin complex, calcium, magnesium, zinc and vitamins A and E. When taking
tissue when you cough or sneeze.
supplements, it is important to keep one’s doctor informed.
• Wash your hands often with soap
and water or alcohol-based cleaners.
For more information, see Celiac.com; CeliacCentral.org;
csaceliacs.org. • Avoid touching your eyes, nose
or mouth.
• Try to avoid close contact with
sick people.
Dr. Andrew Weil’s holistic sug-
gestions include getting good nutrition
and adequate sleep and taking a daily
antioxidant, multivitamin-mineral
supplement. He also recommends
astragalus, an immune-boosting herb
that can help ward off colds and flu,
as well as mushroom-based immune
modulator supplements.
If you do get the flu, limit contact
with others. Visit your health profes-
sional if the disease progresses.
For issue updates, visit
cdc.gov/
h1n1flu. For discussion of vaccine
safety and informed consent, refer to
the nonprofit National Vaccine Infor-
mation Center, an educational con-
sumer-driven organization, at
nvic.org.
1 Collier / Lee Counties October 2009
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