May
11
9
min read
Adaptogens
: Immune Supporters that are readily available
as
Fish, Soup and self Care
by
Margo Belton 5/9/2020
originally
for www.seafood4unow.com
In
the history of disease, a warm broth at least Feels like it is
soothing your pipes as you spoon it in.
Since
wellness has a lot to do with addressing your psychological state –
Making a soup can change your mood in a moment. Enjoying the
ingredients is just as important to maintaining a ready immune system
as Flattening The Curve.
Chicken
Soup may be good for your soul, and has been scientifically proven to
lessen the severity of a cold.
https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/qa/does-chicken-soup-help-fight-colds
But with cold germs or flu viruses , the best offense is to be better
than average in allowing the different elements of your immune system
to be at their best. This is not the typical Western Approach.
The
Typical Western Approach is to assume that a pill/ shot fixes it. In
light of what we are dealing here- a Novel Virus- let us admit that a
pill or shot may lessen the severity of this thing we call COVID 19;
but the best offensive move is to have a well enough body to have No
Comorbidity.
If
you can say you take no medications at all- that is a start. You say
YOU cannot even check off anything on those questionnaires they give
you at the doctors office? You are THAT healthy? WOW. This may
sound extreme but think – when the doctor inquires if you take any
pills and all you can reply with is the following:
Hey
Doc- I take Vitamins like Vitamin D complex in recommended amounts
Hey
Doc -I put some herbs in my smoothies
Hey
Doc- I avoid alcohol or drink no more than the gender recommended
protocol
and
finally
Hey
Doc- I tend to eat more fish than red meat or chicken as a protein
source
Hey
Doc – even my allergies are not requiring any over the counter
medication...
The
Doctor will think you are definitely some one to get a blood draw on!
You
have also shown NO comorbidity.
So
why does the doctor want a blood test??
Your blood is a tissue that
holds onto things. Your immune system uses it as a conduit to fight
any bad actors like a cold germ or a flu virus or an element that
causes an allergic reaction. So if you have taken extra iron (Not a
good idea) it will show up in your blood stream.
Nothing
Wrong?
Your blood will tell the doctor if you actually have been
this healthy for at least the last 4 months. Example: If you have a
low grade infection – something that has you feeling draggy, your
blood should show markers for it- evidence that you have been trying
to fight an infection.
Western
Modern medicine meets Ancient non Western Medicine
Can
the blood workup (western medicine) tell the doctor that you have
been eating a fish broth with turmeric?
Yes.
Can you body feel like it Is Ready To Fight by using Adaptogens? (non
Western Medicine) Of course. What is an adaptogen? The Intro in the
link below explains something that non Western societies have known
for thousands of years.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6240259 It has been
summarized below.
The
term of adaptogen was first proposed in 1940 by a scientist from the
USSR, namely, N. Lazarev, when he described … plant-originated
adaptogens that can non-specifically enhance human the body.
According
to the primary definition of adaptogens, these substances must meet
three criteria:
Adaptogens
must be non-specific and must assist the human body in resisting a
wide range of adverse conditions, such as physical, chemical or
biological stress. These may include environmental pollution,
climate change, radiation, infectious diseases, and interpersonal
disharmony.
Second,
adaptogens must maintain homeostasis in humans, that is, these
substances can offset or resist physical disorders caused by
external stress.
Third,
adaptogens must not harm the normal functions of the human body.
Look
at the adaptogens you can either cook with or put in a smoothie
Adaptogen#1
-Turmeric
Turmeric
aka the main component in curry, lowers systemic inflammation in
small doses when consistently cooked in liquid. (pill form is
actually problematic- turmeric absorption is better when
cooked/heated). So Curry can show Lowered Systemic Inflammation?
Not quite, but the main ingredient of many a curried dish- turmeric
used consistently in 2 or 3 daily meals- builds up! This can be a
good thing if you have an overactive immune response -arthritis is an
overactive immune response which causes heightened systemic
inflammation.Turmeric in the blood stream has been shown to attenuate
inflammation (active ingredient Curcumin)
Your
blood has markers for inflammation- which tells the doctor if your
immune system is fighting something he/she is not aware of yet. That
is why any inflammation marker presence means further testing in
light of your answers to the wellness questionnaire.
Is
it cancer? or your arthritic knee? that has raised the presence of
inflammatory markers in your bloodstream? Its not that simple. But
lets try to help our bodies keep it simple – Bad Guys OUT!
Now
consider that you can also get your immune system to have more
effective soldiers around. You make defenses while you sleep. You
have an army to keep the Bad Guys OUT. You make defenses in your
liver with the help of vitamins like D2 and D3. A healthy liver that
is not processing alcohol can concentrate on using the foods you eat
to facilitate manufacturing of immune systems components. It gets
complicated – Again keeping it simple- with a new threat out there
you want an advantage.
Here
is a basic list of your fighters – Your #1 Advantage are the
antibody classes they tend to check on in a blood sample. You will be
hearing a lot more about antibodies because COVID 19 presence may be
detected by special anti-COVID antibodies... This is starting to
sound like tracking all the different Star War Movies isn’t it?
The
antibody classes in your bloodstream - Your Soldiers
Immunoglobulin
G (IgG) [subclass IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgG4]
Immunoglobulin
A (IgA) [subclass IgA1, IgA2]
Immunoglobulin
M (IgM)
Immunoglobulin
D (IgD)
Immunoglobulin
E (IgE)
If
you want to see cool pictures of the antibodies you make normally
make
How
To Fight
Your
Immune system makes 5 classes of soldiers that are normally in the
blood stream and some cells. They are called immunoglobulins. You may
know them as Antibodies. If antibodies are detected in abnormal
numbers it tells the doctor you have been putting up a fight. The
more of these antibodies you make the more of a fight you may be
winning or losing. If these antibodies are too low you have a
lowered immunity and are more susceptible to infections -bacterial or
viral.
Adaptogen
#2 -Garlic
So
does putting garlic in my soup help my immune system have enough Navy
Seals? For we know you can not just put in extra antibodies from
other people cheaply just to boost the immune system. But you can
gradually get your own system in good shape. Your food, your sleep,
your overall environment (STAY @ HOME) is what your Navy Seals Immune
system lives with until they are called up.
When garlic
is a part of your soup on a regular basis- this is the list of immune
system components that benefit.
…garlic
appears to enhance the functioning of the immune system by
stimulating certain cell types, such as macrophages, lymphocytes,
natural killer (NK) cells, dendritic cells, and eosinophils, by
mechanisms including modulation of cytokine secretion, immunoglobulin
production, phagocytosis, and macrophage activation...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25961060
Adaptogen
#3 -Vitamin D complex https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3166406/ They used to
call Vitamin D the Sunshine Vitamin. You needed to get some sunlight
to make it work in the body. Where does Vitamin D work in the body?
Vitamin D works in your liver. SO if you are expecting your liver to
process several beers or glasses of wine a day and still keep making
immune system soldiers You have now created a possible Co Morbidity-
a sluggish Immune System.
You
would be wise to limit your drinking to moderate level which is
dependent on the percent alcohol. For example a beer is 5.6% alcohol.
Therefore one 12 oz beer is it per day for women / Men get to have 2
beers.
As
for wine ,the size limit is five ounces of @12% alcohol- for
females. (males can double it.) A female should take 5 days to kill
a bottle of 750 ml / a male can get 2.5 days of 5 ounces each.
Regardless of gender your liver has a chance to process the alcohol
during the day and fix your immune system at night. Seriously -Cut
the drinking 4 hours before bed to give yourself Quality Sleep –
Otherwise the Immune System Suffers. In light of how Vitamin D has
co-factors D2 and D3 and the RDA of Vitamin D probably has to be
re-visited- err on the healthy side: your doctor if proactive - has
probably already increased your Vitamin D dosage if you are over 50.
Also-the more melanin in your skin- the less vitamin D you have. And
if you are fair-skinned how much sun can you get in 30 degree
weather? How much suntan lotion do you use? What age is your liver?
How
difficult is it to decide no alcohol until there is an effective
COVID-19 Vaccine? Let Vitamin D complex develop your defense. Just
do not put it in your soup -Vitamin D is not heat stable
The
liver and where the adaptogens act in making your immune system
Stronger
Adaptogen
#4- Eleuthero
Eleuthero,
also called American Ginseng has a tuber like root that resembles
ginger. Don't confuse eleuthero with other types of ginseng.
Eleuthero is not the same herb as American or Panax ginseng. It is
not easy to find but when you open the capsule (standardized to have
3% of the active ingredient in the root) or use the powder in a
smoothie, it gradually builds up in your body. People on other
medications Must check with the Doctor first/ See the link here.
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-985/eleuthero
According
to Swedish research
Eleuthero
in combination in a popular over the counter pill called Kan Jang,
which is the most researched herbal combination product on the market
– a bestseller in Scandinavia during the long cold/ flu season is
the best immune system booster – But Europeans are more inclined to
refer to Herbal/eastern/ancient medical traditions
Journal
of Medical Herbalism, Vol. 21, No. 2, 2009: 32-37.
Availability:[cited 10 May 20].
https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=877923427329979;res=IELHEA
In
the United States -the research states that eleuthero slows down
medications you may already be on.
It
is RARE to have a medical doctor, Western trained, who is even aware
of alternatives that are herbal ,therefore eleuthero solo use and
eleuthero combinations is an example of how herbal medicine only
should be evaluated for use with Absolutely No -Comorbidity-
Completely- Healthy -People not on any medications at all! Why?
Medical schools rarely require any classes on Complementary Medicine
which means combining both Western and Non Traditions.
Conclusion
Eleuthero-
the #4 Adaptogen in this article is not for everyone. But if you can
in your situation, safely put it in your daily smoothies, you will
have an edge along with your Turmeric based, Garlic infused fish
soup. Just do not forget your Vitamin D complex and drink more Water
/less alcohol.
Why
science is something complicated -but cooking is not...
Unfortunately
too many good Pharmaceuticals work on the same site (liver)
differently. So adding a herb like Eleuthero can cause more
problems.The situation is similar to having two armies fight over who
is in charge. Fortunately without having to learn chemistry to stay
well- just look at the picture of Immune Functions covered by some
of the adaptogens mentioned in this article, and lets get ready to
cook.
Fish
Dumplings in Turmeric Sauce
Ingredients:
(Serves 4)
2
lbs. cod or grouper (orange roughy)* fillets
(ask
for heads and bones to make the 4 cups stock)
1
small onion, quartered
3
cloves garlic, sliced
2
tsp ground cumin
1/8
tsp cayenne pepper
1
egg
salt
and pepper
1
c matzoh meal or crumbled crackers or stovetop stuffing
oil
for deep frying Olive oil blend ok
Make
Stock
Bring
stock to boil in 1 or 2 large saucepans, add lemon juice, turmeric
and tomato paste. Bring to slow simmer.
4
cups fish stock from parts
*
orange roughy breaks up so this is perfect for creamy stock
2
T lemon juice
1/2
tsp turmeric
3
T tomato paste
Final
Touch
Italian
parsley for garnish or cilantro
Directions:
Cut
fish into 1″ cubes. Process until smooth in food processor along
with onion, garlic, cumin, cayenne, egg, salt and pepper. Add matzoh
meal or crushed crackers or stove top stuffing and process until
incorporated. Shape fish mixture into plump ovals about 3″ long.
Heat
oil for deep frying to 375 degrees in deep fryer, saucepan or wok.
Fry fish rolls until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Bring
stock to boil in 1 or 2 large saucepans, add lemon juice, turmeric
and tomato paste. Bring to slow simmer. Drop drained fish rolls into
simmering broth and cook slowly, uncovered. Rolls should be single
layer. Simmer until broth has reduced and thickened, about 40
minutes. Serve warm, garnished with parsley or cilantro.
