Introduction
What Viral Immunity Is, How You Can Achieve It, and Why It's So Important

Viral immunity is the ability of the immune system to prevent, defend against, neutralize, and eliminate viruses from the body. You can achieve it by following the 10-step viral immunity plan outlined in this book.

The 10 steps to viral immunity are:

• Build a strong immune foundation with lifestyle, diet, and nutritional supplements.
• Defend your immune system with antioxidants and oxidative therapies.
• Rejuvenate your immune system with phytonutrient-rich foods and enzymes.
• Renew your cells and cleanse your liver and lymphatic system through detoxification.
• Restore the innate immune response and manage inflammation.
• Boost your immunity with natural immune enhancers.
• Target viruses with natural antiviral alternatives.
• Empower your viral immunity program with Chinese medicine.
• Optimize immune performance with hormonal balance.
• Implement the viral immunity program.

Viral immunity is without question one of the most important health issues of this century. The erosion and impending failure of our natural immunity due to ecological alterations of the environment and the consequences of viral infection will affect nearly everyone. Immune system failure also plays a leading role in all major modern diseases including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, thyroid conditions, fungal infections, chronic bacterial infections, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Most of these conditions are also triggered by viruses.

What You Will Learn in this Book

The message of this book is clear. You can improve your immune system in general with diet, lifestyle, and natural medicines. We need viral immunity in particular because of the dramatically increasing incidence of powerful new viral infections such as human herpes virus-6, human immunodeficiency viruses, hepatitis C, dengue hemorrhagic fever, West Nile virus, new and stronger strains of influenza, the newly discovered TT virus,¹ and the possibility of the epidemics of rare viruses or re-emergence of those once thought eliminated, through acts of bioterroism.

There are 170 million cases of hepatitis C and 350 million cases of hepatitis B worldwide. More than 50 million people are infected with the AIDS virus, most in sub-Saharan Africa where one in five have AIDS. In comparison, the virus that causes dengue fever infects more than fifty million people annually, and in the United States alone 25 percent of the population will suffer from influenza-associated illnesses, which cause more than 20,000 deaths each year.

Drugs do not improve our immune systems. In fact, they often disrupt their normal functioning, and they are not the way to viral immunity. Though antiviral drugs help reduce symptoms early on in their use, eventually they cause drug resistance in the viruses. According to Sally Blower, Ph.D., an evolutionary biologist, renowned biomathematician, and professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, HIV resistance to antiviral drugs will increase from 3 percent in 1997 to 42 percent by the year 2005.

Alternative solutions for the treatment of viral illnesses are available, and we can take preventive steps today by following the health-promoting and immune-enhancing measures presented in steps 1 through 4. If you already have a condition caused by a virus, you may use the specialized natural antiviral and immune-enhancing medications described in this book to strengthen your immune system.

In this book you will learn about viruses, the basic principles of immunology, and the reasons why our immune systems are breaking down. You will also learn how to prevent infection, strengthen your immune system, and manage chronic viral illness with the most effective natural medicines available. The information contained in this book is useful for all types of people, for the caregivers of viral infection victims, and for health care workers.

Some of the viruses discussed include:

• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
• Hepatitis B (HBV)
• Hepatitis C (HCV)
• Influenza
• Viruses that cause the common cold
• Dengue
• Herpes viruses, including human herpes virus-6 (HHV-6)

In Viral Immunity you will find natural ways of improving immune function, remedies to treat viral infections, and suggestions on how to reframe outdated concepts that could otherwise prevent you from obtaining effective treatment. The book discusses alternative therapies and looks at the new evolutionary model of medicine as well as the view of Chinese medicine on viral illnesses. I discuss pathology as well as a more holistic and integrated view of how lifestyle, habitual thought patterns, spiritual beliefs (or lack of them), and the environment in which we live all contribute to our health, well being, and the integrity of our immune systems.

Along the way in Viral Immunity, you will learn why these statements are true:

• The experts are not completely in agreement about the most important health concerns of the twenty-first century. They disagree about the underlying cause of AIDS, and while doing this, HCV will kill more people in the United States than HIV.
• Though chronic fatigue syndrome may not be due directly to a specific virus, this devastating illness is certainly related to immune dysfunction and is similar in many ways to AIDS and other chronic viral diseases.
• Due to environmental toxins, stress, and modern lifestyle, our immune systems are becoming dysfunctional.
• Fatigue is replacing fever and inflammation as the first line of immune defense.
• In terms of health, the global environment is much more important than we ever imagined. Unfortunately, we may have realized this too late.
• Contrary to popular fear-based fiction, viruses will not destroy the human race. However, epidemic diseases for which there are no cures will destabilize national economies and even whole continents; this has already begun in Africa and threatens to spread to India, China, Southeast Asia, and the Caribbean.
• “Stealth” and chronic viral diseases coupled with immune dysfunction will cost the wealthy countries tens of billions of dollars in ineffective medical care and will rob many people of their energy and health.
• Neurological diseases, like multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's, as well as most forms of cancer, are increasing, and many may have causes associated with immune system dysfunction and viruses.
• Conventional medicine's “magic bullet” model of one cause, one cure is not working for the new illnesses of chronic fatigue, immune dysfunction, and viral diseases.
• Hope for a vaccine for HIV is receding into the distance, while expensive antiviral drug therapy is causing devastating side effects and the rapid emergence of drug-resistant strains.

The Viral Immunity Program

The 10-step program outlined in Viral Immunity is a comprehensive method that helps build a strong immune system, and it is a guide for preventing and treating viral diseases with natural medicines. It is unique to this book and is based on a multidisciplinary approach to mind-body healing that I have developed and used successfully with patients in my own practice for nearly twenty years. The natural medications and lifestyle approaches discussed in the book are supported by scientific research and extensive clinical evidence, and prove that natural medicines can and will play an increasing role in the treatment of viral illnesses.

The 10-step program outlined in Viral Immunity is a comprehensive method that helps build a strong immune system, and it is a guide for preventing and treating viral diseases with natural medicines. It is unique to this book and is based on a multidisciplinary approach to mind-body healing that I have developed and used successfully with patients in my own practice for nearly twenty years.

As conventional medicine falters, is dragged down by over-reliance on antibiotics and other powerful drugs that cause microbial-resistant strains, and becomes preoccupied with the spiraling cost of hospitalization and medical care, the key to successfully building viral immunity is an educated public actively involved in preventing disease and managing their own health in ways such as the 10 steps to viral immunity presented in this book.

Viral Immunity is divided into two parts. Part 1 discusses how we become ill and how we heal. It describes how the immune system functions and it introduces some of the viral agents that make us sick. I explain how a toxic environment and continuing stress contribute to the downward spiral of our immune deficiency. Part 2 presents a detailed step-by-step program to fortify your immune system and to assist it in fighting off viral infections. Following is a brief description of the 10 steps:

• In the first step you will learn the elements of an immune-enhancing lifestyle including dietary suggestions that build the foundation for deeper healing, ways to reduce and manage stress, and discussion of the best dietary supplements.
• In the second step you will learn the critical role of oxygen in viral immunity, and how to use immune-strengthening antioxidants like vitamin C, zinc, selenium, and the amino acid arginine. It describes in detail the evidence for their use and which dosages work best. As in all the steps, safety issues and contraindications are explained. You will also learn about medical bio-oxidation therapies like ozone, and when and how to use them to treat viral infections.
• Enzymes and phytonutrient-rich foods enhance the diet, improve digestion, add specialized nutrients like carotenoids and other antioxidants, improve natural detoxification, and reduce inflammation. The third step tells you which phytonutrient-rich foods are the best for viral immunity and how to use enzymes to improve your health.
• Detoxification regimes and cleansing strategies are essential and important to prevent disease and improve immune function. The fourth step emphasizes the important role of natural medications in cleansing the lymphatic system and the liver—both systems are critical for viral immunity. You will learn how to safely conduct your own viral immunity detoxification program and which natural medications and nutrients promote tissue and cellular cleansing.
• Natural anti-inflammatory agents are important in building viral immunity, as is managing autoimmune-induced tissue inflammation in chronic viral diseases. In the fifth step, you will learn how to use natural anti-inflammatory medicines like curcumin extract and quercetin to reduce tissue damage caused by inflammation occurring in your tissues and organs.
• The sixth step explains how to use immune-modulating substances to boost your immunity. These products are considerably more powerful than herbs and vitamins, and include beta glucan, transfer factor, and lactoferrin. Dosages are provided for each medication as well as contraindications for their use.
• Natural antiviral medicines are critical for successfully treating viral illness. In the seventh step, you will learn how to use nature's most effective antivirals such as olive leaf extract and echinacea. Dosages and directions on how to use them safely and effectively are presented in detail.
• Using Chinese herbal remedies can considerably increase the effectiveness of your program. No other culture provides such a rich source of knowledge about viral infections and the methods and medicines that treat them than the Chinese. In step 8, you will learn how to use powerful and effective Chinese antivirals like isatis, immune modulators including the ganoderma mushroom, energy enhancers like ginseng, and anti-inflammatory medicines like bupleurum.
• Hormones play an integral role in maintaining a strong immune system. Step 9 shows you how to use natural hormonal therapies including DHEA, thymic hormones, human growth hormone, and thyroid hormone to increase your health, energy, mood, and to enhance your immunity.
• In the last step, you will learn how to design your own viral immunity program and how to work with natural medicines. In this step, you will also learn how to pick the right doctor and understand which laboratory tests are most useful for viral immunity. Safe and effective treatments for selected viruses such as for the common cold, influenza, and hepatitis C are presented.

Additional Material to Help You Achieve Viral Immunity

In the appendices you will find a comprehensive list of resources, including recommended laboratories and doctors to facilitate your viral immunity goals. Notes are provided at the end of the book for each section for those wishing more explanations on certain technical points. There is a glossary of terms, and an extensive bibliography is provided as documentation for the material presented in the book.