Natural Supplements

Why do some people always seem to be healthy?  Maybe you think they are fanatics about washing their hands, or they carry around those ever-popular hand sanitizers.  We all probably happen to know people like this, and they usually end up getting sick anyway.

The fact is that healthy people aren’t just “lucky.” They aren’t “cleaner” than the rest of us.  Healthy people all have something in common – a strong immune system. That’s it.  And it’s easy to achieve.  Boosting your immune system health is easier than you think.

One of the best ways to rebuilding and sustaining a strong immune system, besides diet, exercise, sleep, and lowered stress, is to take natural herbs or supplements.  There are countless products the market today that all claim to support or boost your immune system.  Many even make claims about cures.  So, what do you do?  What is the truth?

The more you know about natural herbs and supplements that help your immune system, the better.  There is no substitute for knowledge.  What you will find is a wealth of private information out there that is mostly unregulated and unverified.  Most are trying to sell their products.  And the more herbs and supplements that are mixed together into a “magic tablet” or “all-in-one drink”, the more care you must exercise and the more you must know.  Your best resource is universities and research centers that have o agenda.  If you can’t find what you’re looking for there about the supplement you are considering….DON’T BUY IT!

There is one thing to keep uppermost in your mind.  Natural supplements, particularly those that have effects the immune system, must be approached with respect.  They work because they have strong pharmacological activity.  Although their side effects are generally much less than those of prescription pharmaceuticals – which makes them especially attractive – some natural remedies if abused can also harm you.  The one supplement that doesn’t fall into this category is Coriolus Versicolor.  It is the best one for rebuilding and modulating your immune system and it has virtually NO SIDE EFFECTS.  What’s more, because it’s basically a mushroom, you can’t overdose on it; unless you’re already allergic to mushrooms.

In the best of all worlds, you would have a highly trained team – a pharmacist, a doctor, or another health professional – to help guide you: to tell you what you need, how to decide among products and brands, how much to take, what to expect – just as you do now when you buy prescription drugs.  In Germany, both physicians and pharmacists must also be knowledgeable about natural remedies, herbs and supplements, their approved uses, their potential side effects, and how they should be prescribed.  Unfortunately, here in the US where natural supplements are virtually ignored by medical schools and poorly regulated by the government, there is no nationwide established repository of consumer information or support system. That is sure to change in the future, as the power of natural medicines becomes more known. However, until then, you are on your own.  But doing research on sites like www.buildyourimmunity.com will give you the information and confidence you need to be successful.

Talk to your doctor

Engage the support of your primary health care practitioner, if possible.  Health professionals can keep you from making a major mistake. Professionals can save you from treating something that does not exist or failing to treat something that does.  If the remedy doesn’t fit the disease, of course it won’t work, and you could be neglecting to recognize and treat a serious of life-threatening disease.

Further, health practitioners can help you gauge the extent of your success.  Although just feeling better is a good indication that a natural remedy is working, it’s best to have concrete evidence that can be provided only by health professionals.  Sophisticated tests are often necessary to measure your true progress.  I recommend you find a health professional that will help you integrate the natural remedies into your overall treatment.  Remember, a natural supplement should be part of a comprehensive treatment.  Well-trained professionals can give you excellent advice on potential interactions with other drugs you may be taking.

For most Americans a health practitioner usually means a medical doctor – an M.D.  You are lucky if you have or can find a doctor who is attuned to understanding and using natural remedies.  Fortunately, more physicians than ever before are becoming aware of the potential of natural remedies and integrating them into their practices. Some doctors say they have learned about products like Coriolus Versicolor from their patients.  Approaching your physician about natural supplements you want to use is a good idea.  If your doctor is not responsive, you may want to seek help elsewhere.

For some Americans, another very good possibility is a licensed or well trained naturopathic doctor, or N.D.  Of all health professionals in this country, these are the best educated and trained in the use of natural remedies.  Some well-trained MDs may be good practitioners but still unlicensed simply because their state simply doesn’t offer licenses.  Some unlicensed people, however, might call themselves naturopaths even though their training is from brief correspondence courses.

How to Get the Best Products

Walking into a health food store, or going on line for natural supplements, can be a nightmare of confusion, even for highly knowledgeable people.  The array of different products and brands is daunting.  Since the government does not regulate the potency of natural supplements, you have no guarantee that a product you buy has substantial pharmacological activity.   And, sadly, some unscrupulous manufacturers market natural supplements that, when analyzed, have few or no active constituents.  They hype the product and make wild claims with absolutely no clinical studies or tests to support their claims.

Here are some other ways to be sure you get good, efficacious, safe products.

Buy from a Good Company

Since the industry is unregulated, your best bet is to choose products made by large, reputable companies that have been in business for at least a couple of years.  They have a lot to lose by putting out shoddy or deceptive products.  Many of the excellent products increasingly found on American shelves originate in foreign countries.  Notably many German and French produced produces are essentially the exact high-grade supplements used there and sold under a different name in the United States. Because such herbal supplements must meet the strict standards of Germany, for example, they inspire confidence.  Many large Europeans companies, such as in Italy, are now formulating their successfully high-quality botanical remedies for an American market.  If in doubt, ask your pharmacist or personnel in your health food store to direct you to well established supplement companies with excellent regulations for producing quality products.

Check the Label

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Your best guarantee of potency is to look at the label.  This tells you that the product consistently contains a certain percentage of a specific chemical, which, in most cases, has been shown to be or is suspected to be the most active pharmacological agent.

Consider the Product’s Form

An extract, which is either liquid, powder, or solid, is generally best. Such extracts are made by processing an herb in water, alcohol, or other solvents in a way that isolates and concentrated sits active constituents.  Thus you can tell how much of certain agents a product contains.   For example, Polysaccharide-K (PSK) and Polysaccharide-peptide (PSP) are extracts from the Coriolus Versicolor mushroom, providing the essence of the mushroom.

Choose Single-ingredient Supplements

As a general rule, beware the “kitchen sink” combinations.  Some manufacturers combine mixtures of herbs that sometimes have little logic and serve to drive up the price or create a “unique product” of dubious value.  If you want Coriolus Versicolor, buy it alone.  The fact that it may be combined with another herb does not necessarily make it better or more potent.  If you need to boost your immunity, it’s better to get it full strength than to get a product diluted with other herbs.

Research and Read the Clinical Studies

Here’s where the big difference comes in.  There are hundreds of products on the market that have no scientific research to back up their claims.  And, since there are few Government controls over what manufacturers can say, you will be told whatever they want you to hear.  I always liken it to the “snake oil salesmen” that used to travel the old west selling their elixir that was usually nothing more than molasses and bitters.

Coriolus Versicolor, for example, has over 400 clinical studies and double blind tests by some of the top universities and research centers all over the world.  For more on those clinical studies go to Mushroom Studies.co