Drink more tea to keep swine flu at bay!

Okay, so here i'm researching tea health benefits for a new section launching on our website next week... and all around us, even here in relatively uncrowded Boulder, are signs reading "please be considerate of others and don't attend [HOT AND GENEROUSLY SWEATY] yoga class if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms"! So of course, i'm looking for specific anti-bacterial health benefits in our teas that would help keep the flu at bay, and VOILA, comes along Dr. Murray Grossan, to be quoted in an article published in today's issue of Advance (a journal for nurses) stating that he believes the same methods patients use to prevent sinus infection and colds may also help prevent swine flu. Among them are over-the-counter nasal gels, tea, chicken soup and a good night's sleep. "Tea can boost the body's defense fivefold," Grossan said. "The chemical in tea, L-theanine, transforms into ethylamine in the liver. Ethylamine is a molecule that primes the response of an immune blood cell, one of the T cells. These T cells, called gamma delta T cells, prompt the secretion of interferon, a key defense against infection. Tea is also high in antioxidants and actually stimulates cilia action." So there - another reason to drink up and feel good about it!