(NaturalNews) The human immune system is a remarkable network of biological structures and processes. When functioning properly, it has the ability to remember diseases that it has previously encountered for more efficient removal, trigger immediate responses to emergencies through its advanced communication systems and much more.

Despite its sophistication, however, the immune system is notoriously fragile, and even the healthiest of us can suffer from compromised immunity from time to time. During these difficult periods, when we're at a far greater risk of infection than usual, it is a good idea to supplement our diets with herbs that are well-known for their immune-boosting properties. Three of the best of these herbs are listed below.

Astragalus
Astragalus is a perennial plant native to the northern and eastern regions of China, as well as Korea and Mongolia. Its antioxidant-rich root, which resembles a garlic bulb, has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries to strengthen the body against disease. Moreover, Astragalus's adaptogenic qualities make it effective at fighting disease as well.

Astragalus has been well-studied in the West, and numerous studies confirm its alleged immunity-boosting properties. A study published in Cellular Immunology in 2011, for instance, found that Astragalus polysaccharides could stimulate the body's production of macrophages (white blood cells that tackle foreign invaders and cancer cells).(1) A later study, published in Microbial Pathogenesis in January 2014, also discovered that Astragalus polysaccharides could regulate the production of T cells (white blood cells that defend the body from pathogens) in infected mice.(2)

Echinacea
Echinacea is a flowering plant that grows throughout North America and Europe. It was immensely popular in its native lands as an immunity booster and general "cure-all" during the 18th and 19th centuries, but its use began to decline after the advent of antibiotics. Fortunately, the West -- prompted by growing research into its health benefits -- seems to have rediscovered Echinacea in recent decades.

Studies into Echinacea's immunity-boosting properties are considerable, and new research is being published every month. For example, a study featured in International Immunopharmacology in March 2014 found that Echinacea polysaccharides could regulate T cell cytokine response, thus enhancing the body's defenses against infection.(3) These results were reinforced by another study published one month later in Natural Product Communications, which concluded that Echinacea preparations can bolster immunity by decreasing the "number and function" of regulatory T cells.(4)

Cat's claw
Cat's claw is a woody vine native to the Amazon Rainforest of South America. While the indigenous people of Central and South America have used cat's claw -- which is named after its hook-like thorns -- to treat a wide variety of medical conditions, it is especially revered for its ability to strengthen immune function.

Few studies have been conducted on cat's claw compared to Astragalus and Echinacea, but the limited amount of research we currently possess is promising. A study published in Phytotherapy Research in August 2011, for example, discovered that cat's claw extracts could boost immunity by modulating "distinct patterns of the immune system in a dose-dependent manner." (5) A study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food in March 2007 also listed cat's claw as one of three herbs (the others being saw palmetto and Echinacea) that could regulate immune function by activating disease-fighting macrophages.

 Eleven years of groundbreaking research and data analysis on hospitalized Medicare patients is to be presented at the 35th annual meeting of the Society for Medical Decision Making in Baltimore, Maryland. The analysis has found positive evidence showing how nutritional supplements effectively lower hospital readmission rates. This is big news for the American medical industry, primarily because Medicare patients are typically given prescription drugs instead of nutritional supplements.

And that prescription drug system must not be working, for in the current Medicare system, one in five patients are readmitted to a hospital in the same year, costing American taxpayers estimates exceeding $17.5 billion.

Affordable Care Act prompting something good?
One provision of the Affordable Care Act imposes fines on hospitals whose patient readmission rates exceed national averages. Fines estimated around $227 million are projected to hit over 2,000 hospitals in the next year. The fine, currently at one percent, is set to double going into 2014, punishing those hospitals that can't get their Medicare readmission rates under control.

This may pressure hospitals administrators to change their Medicare outpatient care completely, as health care professionals look for alternatives to help elderly patients recover.

Instead of welcoming readmissions and collecting Medicare insurance funds, hospitals may actually be pushed to help their patients recover! Entirely new outpatient programs and follow-ups may birth, helping seniors get the nutrition and energy they need to avoid readmission.

The most common medical readmission issues Medicare patients face are acute myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure. With the right nutritional outpatient care, these vascular problems could subside. If powerful nutritional supplements including the likes of chlorella, hawthorne, and flax seed were utilized, many patients wouldn't have to be readmitted.

For example, if follow-up doctor visits encouraged dietary advice and the provision of organic whole food supplements, then patients could heal more efficiently by getting the right enzymes, probiotics, essential fatty acids, minerals and vitamins in their body. This is the best way to cut down on hospital readmission rates - real whole food nutrition.

Nutritional supplements cutting down hospital readmission rates
The new 11-year study provides clear evidence on how nutritional supplements effectively cut hospital readmission rates.

The research, conducted from the University of Southern California and Stanford University, shows how oral nutritional supplements help hospitalized Medicare patients, reducing 30-day hospital readmission rates, lowering patients' length of stay and bringing down taxpayer medical costs.

    The study showed a 10.1 percent reduction in readmission rates for congestive heart failure patients.

    The study relayed a 12 percent reduction in readmission rates for those suffering from acute myocardial infarction.

    Overall, it showed an 8.4 readmission reduction for all patients, regardless of diagnosis!

Imagine the quality of life that elderly patients could regain well into their old age if simple nutrition was utilized in basic supplement form. On top of quality living, time and and cost savings were reported as well.

    There was an observed 16 percent reduction in patients' length of stay.

    This equated to an average savings of 1.65 days per person.

    There was a 15.8 percent cost savings, translating to $3,079 saved in health care expenses per person.

Breaking the norm
The norm has portrayed nutritional supplements as unnecessary and overpriced, but this 11-year study defies that myth. Nutritional supplements can and do save the medical industry thousands of dollars per patient, helping them recuperate faster and reduce their readmission probability. Cost savings are especially important in the Medicare system, because the whole thing is funded by the American taxpayers themselves.

Giving the right nutritional supplement instead of the right prescription drug is the future of health care in the United States. There is a mass awakening that will translate to real health care change.
The norm must be defied, and whole food nutrition must replace the current system of thought.

Peoples' lives and their quality of life hang in the balance.

 Low iron levels can raise your risk of stroke by making your blood more sticky, a new study indicates.

Investigators looked at data from nearly 500 people with a rare hereditary disease that causes them to have enlarged blood vessels in the lungs. Typically, blood vessels in the lungs don't allow clots to enter the arteries. But in these patients, clots can escape the lungs, travel to the brain and cause a stroke.

Those who had an iron deficiency had stickier platelets -- which are small blood cells that trigger clotting when they stick together -- and were more likely to suffer a stroke, according to the researchers at Imperial College London in the U.K.

Even those with moderately low iron levels were about twice as likely to suffer a stroke as those with iron levels in the middle of the normal range, according to the study published Feb. 19 in the journal PLoS One.

The researchers noted that many people have other types of conditions that let blood clots bypass the lung's filtering system, and they added that their findings could eventually help with stroke prevention.

Iron deficiency affects about 2 billion people worldwide, and recent research has shown that it may be a risk factor for stroke, but how iron deficiency could boost stroke risk was unknown.

"Since platelets in the blood stick together more if you are short of iron, we think this may explain why being short of iron can lead to strokes, though much more research will be needed to prove this link," Dr. Claire Shovlin, from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London, said in a college news release.

"The next step is to test whether we can reduce high-risk patients' chances of having a stroke by treating their iron deficiency. We will be able to look at whether their platelets become less sticky," Shovlin said.

"There are many additional steps from a clot blocking a blood vessel to the final stroke developing, so it is still unclear just how important sticky platelets are to the overall process," she added.