Health Update: New Anti-Viral for your Natural Medicine Cabinet

RVAchironeuro • July 18, 2022

7.18.22   

 

Hello again one and all:

I just reviewed multiple papers that outline the significant anti-viral effects of the natural substance called propolis. You may be aware that we offer this at our office, and it is called B. Immune Throat Spray from Beekeepers Naturals. I first learned of it at the start of the pandemic in March of 2020 and have recommended it ever since. It is important to note that while this is so promising, there have not been enough randomized trials on humans to recommend this as a standard treatment. That means that there is a strong rationale for using propolis as an adjunct to other/traditional care and that is how it’s use should be considered. Once you read the papers, I think you will agree. Here is some of the science:

“Since propolis is nontoxic and practically without side effects, patients should ask for the medical recommendation to include propolis in combination with the antiviral agents or with the new vaccines when available. Previous research from our group revealed that propolis might exert a synergistic action in combination with some antibiotics. [ 22 , 237 , 238 ] Thus, we strongly suggest the evaluation of propolis effectiveness in combination with different antiviral drugs to obtain a new treatment for viral diseases. In this context, Altindis et al. [ 239 ] investigated in vitro the effects of propolis and olive leaf extract (OLE) alone or in combination with acyclovir regarding their antiviral activity against HSV-1. This combination exerted an efficient antiviral effect and caused no CPE, suggesting that reduced doses and side effects of acyclovir could be achieved by a simultaneous administration of propolis and OLE. Propolis could be used for COVID-19 prevention (prophylactic effect) or even in combination with the recommended treatment of this disease (therapeutic effect) due to its biological properties.”

“Conclusions : Propolis is among the few natural remedies that have been utilized for centuries, and modern laboratory investigations have confirmed that the effectiveness of propolis originates from its extracts and derivatives against multiple disease models, including viral infections… These components have significant activities that target a myriad of pathological and reparative processes, including immune signaling pathways. The demonstrated efficacy against a wide range of human viruses has provided a rationale, and paved the way, for studies on the efficacy of propolis to be tested against SARS-CoV-2.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8391193/

“Until now, only a few clinical studies have evaluated the putative efficacy of propolis oral administration in the case of respiratory diseases…Nonetheless, preclinical studies support the all-round potential of propolis in respiratory diseases and, given the current emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the limited therapeutic options, propolis should be suggested as a reasonably safe and hopefully effective therapeutic agent. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/med.21866

Bottom Line: Evidence like the above presented research is why I use the spray daily and offer it at the practice. While there is not enough final data to definitively know exactly how effective propolis is, my experience has been very positive and when used as an additional therapy, and not as a stand-alone therapy, there is reasonable data to support the usage as a general health support. Here is a summary of what most of the papers tell us:

  • Propolis, made by bees from bioactive plant resins , has antiviral activity .
  • Propolis potentially can interfere with host cell invasion by SARS-CoV-2.
  • Propolis blocks proinflammatory PAK1, a kinase highly expressed in COVID19 patients.
  • Standardized propolis has consistent properties for lab and clinical research.
  • Propolis is a safe widely consumed functional food with medicinal properties.

“To determine if propolis specifically affects SARS-CoV-2 will require more research. But given that propolis is a risk-free product, except for those who may develop an allergy to it, the known biological activities of this natural bee product lead us to suggest its use for reducing the risk and impact of infection and as an adjunct to treatment.” https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0753332220308155

 

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By Mark Smith • August 25, 2025
Hello everyone: I think I have mentioned inflammaging before but never really focused on it. So, let’s dig into this interesting topic. Inflammaging is when chronic, low-grade inflammation develops with age as dietary and environmental stress accumulates, contributing to the development of all of the various age-related diseases and health issues. It results from a loss of control over systemic inflammation, which tends to come from an unbalanced and dysregulated immune system. One of the key drivers of inflammaging is diet…which means that one of the key tools to slow and reduce aging is our what we eat as well as what we don’t eat. In this paper, the authors reveal that the typical Western Diet (what science calls the Standard American Diet or S.A.D.) is the best example of a pro-inflammatory diet pattern. “ Conclusion: Inflammation is a key physiological process in immunity and tissue repair. However, during aging it becomes increasingly more chronic. In addition, we found that certain foods such as saturated fats have pro-inflammatory activity. Taking this into account, in this review we have proposed some dietary guidelines as well as a list of compounds present in foods with anti-inflammatory activity. It must be taken into account that the amounts used in the studies that detect anti-inflammatory activity of these compounds are very high, and the intake of a single food to achieve its anti-inflammatory power is not feasible. (My Comment: what this means is that it is the overall dietary pattern that matters the most.) However, the combination of foods rich in compounds with anti-inflammatory activity could exert beneficial effects during aging and in pathologies associated with inflammation and in reducing the detrimental effects of foods with pro-inflammatory activity. Therefore, we can conclude that the compounds in our diet with anti-inflammatory activity could help alleviate the inflammatory processes derived from diseases and unhealthy diets and thereby promote healthy aging. Thus, we can use diet not only for nourishment, but also as medicine.” https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8389628/ anti-inflammatory diet and health aging https://www.healthline.com/health/5-minute-guide-to-inflamm-aging Bottom Line: We all must age, and how we do so is largely under our own control. To create an anti-inflammatory lifestyle is not that difficult, especially if you put it all together in stages. Start with a clean, whole-food, unprocessed plant-based food plan. And to begin, first focus on what you can add into your menus and use those additions to sort of crowd out the things that are more inflammatory…sugar, refined grains, processed and pre-packaged things. Set realistic goals such as going plant based one or two days a week, or even one meal…just start and gradually work up. It has to be doable so don’t stress. Next, start moving and doing regular exercise at least three times a week…and find what you enjoy doing and focus on that. Then add activities that de-stress you, whether that is socializing, church, meditation, prayer, yoga, etc. Overall, shift your attention to giving love to things that love you back. Sugar, drive-thru and processed food like thingies do not love you back but apples or kiwis or berries or veggies do. Sitting around does not love you back but going for a short walk after a meal does love you back. Hang out and give love to the people you really like to be with, they will most always love you back. Create a love you back lifestyle and see how you feel.

Health News Update: Blocking Internet on Smartphones Improves Mental Health

By Mark Smith • August 18, 2025
Hello everyone: I frequently hear about mental health issues with the people in our practice. They could be experiencing depression, or anxiety, feel flat, can’t focus or sustain attention, or may not feel well in general. These comments can come from anyone of any age…I can hear from parents about their kids, or it may be themselves experiencing these feeling. So, when I read this paper, it felt important to share it because we all seem to have mobile phones. Here is how the paper is summarized: “Concern about how smartphones affect users is widespread: half of American smartphone users—and 80% of those under age 30—worry that they use their device too much, and correlational research suggests that smartphone use is negatively related to mental health and cognitive functioning. However, few large-scale experiments have tested for causal effects. We report such an experiment, finding that blocking mobile internet for 2 weeks reduces smartphone use and improves subjective well-being (SWB) (including life satisfaction and positive affect), mental health (more than antidepressants), and sustained attention (as much as being 10 years younger). Despite the many benefits mobile internet offers, reducing the constant connection to the digital world can have large positive effects.” https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/4/2/pgaf017/8016017?utm_source=klaviyo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=%28Email%20-%20Chris%20Kresser%20General%20News%29%20Chris%27s%20Friday%20Favorites&utm_term=randomized%20controlled%20trial&utm_content=randomized%20controlled%20trial&_kx=fARhTo_gi8X3B_2-MaeO_RyzUl9tvT3tr4re-Dy7cNQ.my75y6 Bottom Line: It seems like a smartphone ‘timeout’ can be very beneficial for mental, emotional, physical health and can be an important part of stress reduction. The world today, with nearly instant communications, the almost constant bad and anxiety promoting news, and the fast pace of data consumption can add up to significantly stress us out and pull us down…or just simple keep us distracted. From what I can see, a ‘timeout’ may be just what the doctor ordered.

Health News Update: Diet can Alter Your Disease Trajectory

By Mark Smith • August 11, 2025
Hey there everyone: As you know, inflammation causes, perpetuates, and/or aggravates every known human condition, including aging. As we age, we become more vulnerable to non-communicable diseases such as heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, dementia, arthritis and more. How we eat can massively reduce our inflammatory burden and promote health as we age. It is your choice. One reason that I keep writing on this is that I keep running into the mindset that these diseases are inevitable and that there is nothing we can do about it. Plus, because there are so many different diets for sale out there, it becomes hard to know what to eat. What is important for you to know is that there is a growing scientific consensus about what to eat, but the media rarely mention it and our public health authorities don’t either. It definitely seems like money is more important than our health. So…consuming an overall low-inflammatory diet is what the science is adding up to show it is the healthiest way to go, plus it actually gives you power over your future. This is a great article worth the time it takes to read it as it is pretty comprehensive. Bottom Line: “To adopt an anti-inflammatory dietary pattern, it is recommended to replace refined grains with whole grains, substitute healthy fats (such as nuts, seeds and fatty fish) for saturated and trans fats and increase the consumption of colorful fruits and vegetables while reducing the intake of sugary and processed foods. Additionally, choosing lean protein sources like fish and legumes over red and processed meats, using herbs and spices (such as turmeric, ginger, garlic and cinnamon) in place of excessive salt and sugar and consuming probiotic-rich foods (such as yogurt and kefir) instead of processed and sugary snacks are advised. These dietary adjustments can help mitigate inflammation and promote overall health.” https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/overview-of-antiinflammatory-diets-and-their-promising-effects-on-noncommunicable-diseases/AA3166846841DCC1B219C063F52E2A7F (anti-inflammatory diet)
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