Dr. Rath Research Institute

Human Influenza

An effectively functioning immune system is the first line of defense against any infection. The body can also fight flu viruses by affecting many steps of viral metabolism, including:

1. Interfering with the cellular processing of viruses and limiting their ability to enter and multiply inside the cells.
2. Creating biological barriers obstructing the spread of viruses in the tissue.

Dr. Rath proposed that vitamin C and the amino acid Lysine can hinder the spread of viruses and other infectious agents in the body through increasing integrity and strength of the connective tissue surrounding the cells. These components can also affect viral infective ability and replication.

Influenza is one of the oldest and most common infections. Every year it affects a large number of people and it can be life threatening, especially in young children, the elderly, and those who are malnourished or have a compromised immune system. In the US about 36,000 people die annually as a result of seasonal flu outbreaks. In recent years fears have been spreading through the media about the dangers of a pandemic of an avian flu or more recently, swine flu.

To date there are no effective therapies or vaccines against flu viruses. These viruses undergo frequent genetic mutations, therefore many treatments developed for specific forms of viruses lose their effectiveness, even after one flu season. Frequently recommended for flu (including bird flu and swine flu) drug Tamiflu can according to its manufacturer (Roche), shorten flu symptoms by one day only, provided it is taken within the first 48 hours of infection. Also, since this drug has been tested for short time use (a few days), it is not known whether its frequent or prolonged intake can cause serious toxicity. Hence, there is need for safe and effective therapy against the flu.

Cellular Medicine against flu: Our researchers have tested whether a specific micronutrient synergy mixture can affect the infectivity and/or multiplication of human influenza A virus. This mixture is composed of nutrients that have been researched and shown to be effective in controlling the spread and growth of cancer cells in the tissue. Since all viruses spread in the body using a mechanism similar to cancer this nutrient formulation could have an effect on viral infections as well. In addition, in various studies many of these nutrients have demonstrated clinical effectiveness in controlling flu.

We have evaluated the effect of nutrient synergy using the specific indicators of viral growth and spread. To date our preliminary findings have indicated the following:

1. Nutrients can inhibit the activity of the viral neuraminidase, an enzyme on the surface of viral particles that enables viruses to escape from host cells and infect other cells;^{1, 3}
2. Nutrients can completely stop the multiplication of human influenza A/H1N1 virus in infected kidney cells;^1,3
3. Nutrients can inhibit secretion of collagen digesting enzymes (MMP2 and MMP3) in cells infected by human influenza A/H1N1 virus, thereby stopping their spread in the tissue;^{2, 3}
4. Nutrients demonstrated high antiviral activity against avian influenza virus A/H5N1 in cultured cell lines;⁴
5. In Vivo, a nutrient mixture was shown to inhibit pathological effects in chickens infected with the avian flu virus.⁵

Further details on our flu research project showing how nutrients can affect the multiplication and spread of influenza virus can be viewed here.

Facts about the occurrence, impact and public consequences of Swine flu can be found here.

References Cited

1. Jariwalla RJ et al., Biofactors, 31(1): 1-15 (2007).
2. Roomi MW et al., Biofactors, 33(1): 61-75 (2008).
3. Jariwalla RJ et al., Chapter 15 in: Global View of the Fight Against Influenza (PM Mitrasinovic, Ed) Nova Science Publishers; pp 251-268 July 2009.
4. Deryabin PG et al., Biofactors, 33: 85-97 (2008)
5. Barbour EK et al., Intern J App Res Vet Med, 5(1): 9-16 (2007)