Dr. Tannaz Mokhtari: Naturopathic Blog

I believe in the healing power of nature and using plants and food as therapeutic agents to bring about healing. I also believe our body has the ability to heal itself given the right agents.

If we consider the health spectrum with illness at one end and wellness at the other, where would you place yourself today? Where would you want to be on this scale? In order to decrease our pain, improve our health, reduce inflammation and improve our immune system we NEED to create change. I always talk about a lifestyle modification with my patients because it is ESSENTIAL in achieving wellness. Let’s use a simple example, if the oil light on your car’s dash comes on you don’t simply take out the light to get rid of this important signal, you will take the car in for an oil change because that is what is required. Well our body has signals with which it tries to communicate however as a society we have become so dependent on “specialists” that we seldom understand what these signals mean or how to interpret them. We go to doctors asking them to take our pain away! Well the pain is there because there is an underlying problem. The pain is the signal our body is communicating to tell us there is disharmony and there is dis-ease. So we take the Tylenol, Advil, and other pain relievers in order to take the pain away so we can go about our daily life. We take the flu shot because we have been told about its lifesaving benefits. However if the cause of the pain is never addressed then I promise you it leads to bigger and bigger health issues which are not likely to go away with taking any medications or vaccines.

I often see individuals in my office whom have been struggling with their pain and distress for a long time and finally decided to create a change! Change is difficult. It tips your scale until you find your balance again. But if this change is in the right direction you will feel better and be rewarded.

This season is the cold and flu season, and I often get asked about the flu shot- to take or not to take! My answer is always the same; if you are a healthy individual, generally recover well, have a healthy lifestyle and eat well then you don’t have to worry. The most recent study on effectiveness of flu vaccine published in The Lancet indicated a growing number of immunologists and epidemiologists say the vaccine probably does not work very well for people over 70, the group that accounts for three-fourths of all flu deaths.

The authors said previous studies had measured the wrong thing: not any actual protection against the flu virus but a fundamental difference between the kinds of people who get vaccines and those who do not. The Lancet paper, by Michael L. Jackson and colleagues at the Group Health Center for Health Studies in Seattle, was based on an analysis of medical charts of thousands of elderly members of an H.M.O. The study found that people who were healthy and conscientious about staying well were the most likely to get an annual flu shot. Those who are frail may have trouble bathing or dressing on their own and are less likely to get to their doctor’s office or a clinic to receive the vaccine. They are also more likely to be closer to death.

In 2005, Dr. Simonsen, who was then at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, Md., published a paper in The Archives of Internal Medicine that found something odd: even though the percentage of older people who got an annual flu shot more than tripled from 1980 to 2001, there was no corresponding drop in the death rate.

That paper included one of the first estimates of how many deaths are actually caused by the flu — a number hard to pin down because doctors seldom confirm flu in their patients with lab tests. Using a statistical model and the best available data, Dr. Simonsen found that influenza probably causes just 5 to 10 percent of all winter deaths in the elderly. But earlier studies had found that the flu vaccine cut an elderly person’s risk of dying by 50 percent! How does this add up?

Ultimately the decision is up to each individual and my message is do your research and then make an educated decision.

If you want some interesting facts and figures please visit www.vran.org/vaccines/flu/flu-facts.htm and http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/ccdr-rmtc/02vol28/dr2823ea.html

I use herbal tinctures and homeopathy for myself, my family, and at the office. My patients are very happy with the results and always ask for the herbal formulas at the beginning of the cold and flu season. Eating well balanced meals low in simple carbohydrates, managing stress effectively and boosting your immune system using herbal supplements such as Astragalus, Ginseng, Echinacea, Borage, Osha, and Cleavers will help you get sick less often and recover much faster. Taking a good quality vitamin-mineral formula, green shakes, and vitamin D are also important. I often see my patients get sick when they are stressed and are not resting enough, not getting enough sleep and have a poor diet. Proper sleep, healthy diet and good stress management are necessary for a healthy functioning body.

Have a healthy winter ahead,

We know colds and flu are caused by viruses and they have certain similarities such as runny nose, sneezing, coughing, nasal congestion and sore throat to name a few.  We experience on average one to three colds annually lasting between 4-10days.
Most of us are exposed to these viruses on a daily basis as long as we are surrounded by other people. So do you really think it is the Lysol wipe/spray/lotion that is keeping us from being sick all the time?

Recently every time I listen to radio or watch TV they are covering a special topic on germs and viruses and how to avoid them. We hear about our kitchen counter being worse than the toilet or the grocery buggy manifested with all kinds of germs. Yes, but how often do you come home feeling sick because you went grocery shopping? We are also told wet hair, cold air, not dressing properly have no effects on us contracting a cold or flu!
My position: I disagree! We all have at least one virus in our body right now so how come we are not sick?

Here is my answer: our immune system is the single most important defense mechanism protecting us against from the unwanted invaders.  Now given this fact, environmental conditions such as being indoors, in over heated, closed homes, schools and working environments in winter, naturally exposes us to more germs and viruses which we inhale, touch, eat and drink.

Our body’s susceptibility is also a huge factor in predisposing us to these bugs. The wet hair, not dressing properly, being over heated and walking into the cold, chilled drinks and very cold food all create a weakness in our body therefore making us more susceptible to getting sick. I promise you, even if you Lysol wipe every surface, wash your hands millions of times a day, walk around with gloves and don’t shake hands with anyone, you will more than likely get the cold at least once this winter!

On top of all that and most importantly are our lifestyle habits.  Too much sugar, caffeine, alcohol and smoke are poisons which weaken our body’s defenses.  Eating nutritionally poor food, high levels of stress, lack of proper sleep and no physical activity lead to a sluggish and unhealthy body.

The message is eat well, get enough sleep, don’t abuse your body and follow proper hygiene techniques and you have taken the basic steps in protecting yourself against viral infections. Inevitably should you feel you are getting sick because of any of the mentioned issues, then resort to rest, eat less, and take your herbal and homeopathic preparations.  Our body has the ability to heal itself given the right food and conditions.

Wishing you good health this winter