Flu prevention surprise: Dr. Oz gets it right

For the moment, I’m calling back the flying monkeys.

Dr. Oz? It’s okay to come out now.

A couple of weeks ago I gave the great Oz some grief for his bizarre aspirin therapy recommendation. I know he’s also been recommending the vaccines for seasonal flu and H1N1. But he managed to redeem himself (somewhat) in a Q&A I came across in an Esquire magazine. (What can I say? I was in the dentist waiting room and my only other choice was Highlights.)

In response to a question about how to prevent swine flu, Dr. Oz says: “Vitamin D and American ginseng are the two things I recommend the most. Vitamin D because it stimulates dramatically the ability of the immune system to respond, and American ginseng because it stimulates these things called Toll-like receptors in the gut. They’re ancient – our most primitive immune response – and they make it difficult for bugs to get in through the intestinal wall.”

Dr. Oz… Not even a passing mention of the vaccine? Well done!

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson

Source:
“The Lightning Round” Dr. Mehmet Oz, Esquire, December 2009