April 16, 2013
Immunity Boosting Benefits of Echinacea and Reishi Mushroom Extract
By Peter L. Fallon
Reishi Mushroom Growing out of a Stump in Changdeokgung, Korea.
Taking extra vitamin C, vitamin D3, zinc, and multiple-vitamin supplements is generally effective in boosting the immune system during flu season. In addition, lifestyle factors such as getting proper sleep and minimizing stress are critical in maintaining high levels of immunity. Homeopathic immunity boosters such as Echinacea and mushroom extracts offer benefits as well. Mimicking bacteria in the bloodstream, these microscopic herbs and fungi increase the number of bacteria fighting cells, which seek and kill infections.
Immunity enhancing supplements often include extracts of the reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum), which is traditional in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean medicine. Reishi extracts offer a significant source of water soluble beta-glucan polysaccharides, an active ingredient that is believed to have immune system modulating effects, as well as blood pressure reduction and anti-tumor benefits. The extract is notably used as an immunostimulant among HIV and cancer patients. Reishi shares its immunity boosting properties with maitake, shiitake, and Cordyceps mushrooms. It is unique in containing triterpenes (ganoderic acid), which gives it a bitter taste and may offer benefits still not fully explained.
Echinacea extract comes from a flower in the daisy family, indigenous to eastern and central North America. It was traditional to Native American healing practices, ingested to protect against colds and flu and used topically in cases of wounds, infections, and insect bites. Like reishi mushrooms, Echinacea is rich in polysaccharides. The extract also contains an abundance of flavonoids, phenols, and alkylamides.
Natural extracts, such as those from reishi mushrooms and Echinacea, are most effective in priming the body’s defenses, preparing immunity-enhancing cells to eliminate infections as they find them. I do not generally recommend long-term preventative use of these remedies for this reason. It is better to time their use, starting a regimen when a threat is imminent, such as when someone in the family, at work, or at school has come down with a serious cold. Taking these remedies boosts the body’s immunity-enhancing cells to ready for fighting bacteria at the exact time when they are needed. While most people tolerate Echinacea and mushroom extracts well, they should always be taken in a small dose first, assuring that there are no unexpected allergic reactions.
About the Author: Peter Fallon has been a pharmacist since 1974. Peter Fallon holds pharmaceutical compounding accreditation with the Washington, D.C.-based Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board.
January 8, 2013
The Immunity Boosting Benefits of Vitamin D3
The Immunity Boosting Benefits of Vitamin D3
By Peter Fallon
As a pharmacist in Latham, New York, I often converse with members of the community and local media on ways of staying healthy. Individuals are generally more susceptible to airborne pathogens during the colder and darker winter months whether it involves the common cold or a serious flu strain such as H1N1. One of the best ways of keeping your body well prepared for whatever the flu season offers is through increased intake of vitamin D3. A group of fat-soluble secosteroids, vitamin D encompasses five chemical compositions, of which D2 and D3 are the two major types. Vitamin D3 is produced naturally in the skin as cholecalciferol, generated by the body when the chemical compound 7-dehydrocholesterol reacts with certain wavelengths of UV light. In temperate regions, ample sunlight during spring, summer, and fall ensures healthy amounts of produced and stored vitamin D3. With lessened sunlight during the winter months, cholecalciferol becomes more difficult to produce and D3 supplements are recommended. Vitamin D3 effectively increases the cellular levels of the immune system, providing added defense against pathogens. In particular, it plays a vital role as a modulator of the immune system, regulating T cells and increasing the pathogen-killing efficiency of macrophages (white blood cells) within the tissue. D3 also limits the expression of inflammatory cytokines while increasing the expression of antimicrobial peptides, which exist in many cells within the immune system. Peptides stimulated by vitamin D3 play a particularly vital role in protecting the body from lung infection. A deficiency of D3 is additionally thought to play a role in the progression and development of a number of autoimmune diseases.
While its immune-boosting properties are the primary reason I recommend vitamin D3 supplements, the vitamin is also linked to a number of unique health benefits, including protection from cancer, cognitive enhancement, lowered depression levels, bone health, and avoidance of chronic back pain. From my own personal experience, a combination of vitamin D3, vitamin C, and the immunity booster elderberry were effective in quickly easing respiratory symptoms that could have led to flu. Within moderation, vitamin D3 supplements provide a safe and effective way of successfully navigating the flu season.
About the Author: Peter L. Fallon is President of Fallon Wellness Pharmacy, LLC. Peter Fallon’s center is one of approximately 120 compound prescription-specialized pharmacies accredited by the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board.
November 25, 2012
A Look at Bio-Identical Hormones, By Peter L. Fallon
As people grow older, their hormone levels get out of balance. This part of the aging process becomes especially problematic for women during menopause. However, scientists have developed ways to alleviate these fluctuations. Bio-identical hormones represent one such way. Also known as natural hormone therapy, bio-identical hormones can be delivered through patches, pills, gels, and creams.
Although synthesized in a lab, bio-identical hormones possess the same molecular structure as those made in the body. Bio-identical estrogen and progesterone, produced from yam and soy extracts as base materials, are indistinguishable from those made in the ovaries. Additionally, manufacturers produce bio-identical hormones for men, including testosterone. Those wanting to obtain these items need to visit a specialist who can understand what the patient needs and prescribe products tailored for the client’s individual condition.
About the Author:
For nearly 30 years, Peter L. Fallon has worked as a pharmacist and created businesses as an entrepreneur. At Fallon Wellness Pharmacy, LLC, in Latham, New York, Fallon develops bio-identical hormones and in addition advises clients on health, functional medicine, and related matters.
July 28, 2011
Wellness Consultation Identifies Health Concerns and Long-Term Goals
by Peter L. Fallon, Pharmacist
Most people express the desire to get fit, quit smoking, or simply improve their health. While traditional medicine treats a disease, the functional medicine approach that we utilize in our wellness consultations addresses the individual and his or her wants and needs. We find that people benefit greatly from a proactive, positive approach to their own well-being.
The human body encompasses a number of systems which work together in concert to achieve movement, respiration, thought, digestion, and a whole host of other functions. We teach the patients to adopt a lifestyle that promotes optimal performance of all systems to facilitate health, vigor, and strong immune function.
We work closely with patients who have an overall goal of good health, many of them focusing on a specific target in this process. Longevity tends to be a popular objective, with patients undergoing seasonal treatments aimed at promoting balance in the bodily systems to ensure each organ works properly and does not trigger pain or problems in complementary systems. Such treatments strengthen the immune system, promote the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain, and regulate circulation.
Other patients use the advice we give them in a wellness consultation to manage stress and anxiety, relieve pain, balance hormone levels, increase fertility, lose weight, and even stop smoking. All of these conditions can be debilitating; we help our patients determine the best programs for them to realize their wellness goals and live long, healthy lives.
About the author: Peter L. Fallon is a Compounding Pharmacist with several pharmacies in New York. A regular lecturer on such issues as natural medicine, bioidentical hormones, and functional medicine, Peter L. Fallon actively serves as a member of the International Association of Compounding Pharmacists, the Institute of Functional Medicine, and the Pharmaceutical Society of the State of New York.
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