strengthen immune system??

Hi Everyone,
I had my 3 week post-op with doc. on Mon. Healing OK. Possible bladder infection..will know today.
I asked my dr. what I could do to strengthen immune system, she suggested multi vitamin, and she'd heard echinacea might help. She stressed this was not her area of expertise so she wasn't sure what else.
What do you ladies know? Where would I even look to research this??

Robyn, where did you find your naturopath?

Ladies, this use to go without saying, but just in case, I am only looking for your experiences and your research. Of course anything I read here, I will research on my own and check out with my doctor.

Thank you

Hi transplant, so glad to hear that you are healing well. That is one step forward re the bladder infection, cranberry tablets are very good for that as is horsetail tea

Now to the naturopath, not sure how it all works over there, but here we have health food shops that sell all types of pills, potions and the like. My herbalist is connected to that. She makes me an herbal mixture with many types of herbs in it . Tastes disgusting.

Now to immune building. First of all it is very important to check with your DR. on what is ok to take.

This is what I am taking : Vit. C this is a great all round vitamin, great for cell repair and aids the immune sytem, I take up to 3000mg per day, but this is a very high dose and has been advised for me personaly. Echinacea is also a good one.

I take alot of other supplements because of the cancer. I hope this has been of help and please if there is anything else you need help on let us know . Take care and love to you always x x

My doctor is very much into vitamin supplementation and herbal medications. When I had VIN3 and had my vulvectomy, she put me on a supplemental vitamin regime for dysplasia. My gyn did not get clean margins when she did the vulvectomy and was going to go back and cut more out. But after 3 months on this regime, my biopsy came back just as inflammation. My GP seems to think that the vitamins have helped me fight off bad cells by strengthening the immune system. I am not going to type out the whole list in the Basic 4 multivitamin, but you can ask your pharmacist for a good one. These levels are higher that what are in prenatal vitamins.
PLEASE talk to your doctor before starting any medication, including herbals and vitamins. There is a possibility of too much of a good thing. I just wanted to let you know what my doctor gave me and what seems to be working for me.

Basic 4 Prevention 2 tabs 3x daily
Folic acid 1mg 3 tabs 3x daily
Beta Carotene 25,000 i.u. 3 tabs 3 times daily
Acidophilus 2 tabs 3 times daily
Selenium 200mg 1 tab 2x daily
B-6 100mg 1 tab 2x daily
E 400 i.u. 1 tab 2x daily
Vitamin B-12 injection 1mg once weekly in the thigh muscle

Good luck =)

Debbie

Hi, Transplant!

My list looks remarkably similar to Debbie's. Of course, as you and everyone have already said, make sure to check with your physician.

I do 2000 mg of Vitamin C.

I also take an Omega-3 Fatty Acid supplement 3 times per week.

A comment on Beta Carotene: make sure you get one that is all natural (look at the label carefully). A couple of studies came out recently that showed some extra health risks associated with beta carotene, but they used synthetic beta carotene. It's really hard to truly duplicate nature.

Also, echinacea is a good immune stimulant, but it's not supposed to be taken long-term. So you might want to look into that a little further. Goldenseal is only supposed to be taken 14 days. I do have an herbal mail order reference that sells an immune tonic which is a combination of herbs (you can take it long-term). If you're interested let me know and I'll get the information to you so you can get a catalogue for yourself (they grow and process most of their own herbs--it's a small place). The woman who owns it has been an herbalist for 20 some years.

Also, remember that stress depletes your immune system, so minimize your stress and make use of prayer (I know you already do that from your previous posts), yoga, and/or meditation, all of which facilitate inner peace, lower stress, and heightened body functions, including immunity. And of course, eat those fruits and veggies!

I'm glad you are doing well, Transplant. Take care.

Great news that you are healing so nicely!!
Good luck on the vitamin/herb search for your immune system. Personally I would like some energy pills for PEP! I'm not kidding either!!

Cyd, there is one really good supplement for energy. COQ10.

Also a cup of rosehip tea is great at about 3pm. It is an aquired taste but sure does work. love to you always x x

I buy my black cohosh and red clover at GNC, so I am wondering if they would also carry the COQ10? I guess they might also have the tea, or would some place like Wal-Mart carry that? I normally get groggy at 2pm, so I must be on a different time frame than you!
Thanks for the info Robyn!!

Thank you, Cyd, Robyn, Jeanine and Debbie!!

Tomorrow its off to GNC!! Then of course I'll be on the phone with the DR. I'll let you know what I find!!

Blessings!!

Keep us posted!! I hope that you find everything you are looking for today!! Enjoy your day out and keep us posted!

The best site I know for supplement information that's both open minded and grounded in science is The Natural Pharmacist. They have a nice article about the nutrients/supplements of various kinds that are linked to cancer prevention. Of course the biggest boost is to reduce stress (yoga, meditation, etc.) and moderate exercise.


http://www.tnp.com/encyclopedia/condition/137/26/

Of course the biggest general boost of iimmunity is to reduce stress (yoga, meditation, etc.) and moderate exercise.

Hope this helps.