此篇文章是資深新聞主播閔傑輝(Jeffrey Mindich)先生在H7N9病況越來越猖獗的情況下提出來的呼籲，特別提供給寂光寺網站發表，現將英文原文及經馬芳傑醫師審校後之中文翻譯刊出，以供大家參考。
以下為中譯(英文原文置於本文之後)
許多專家早先都已經發出預警，全球性的禽流感大流行是遲早的事，而中國經常被認為是最有可能引發大流行的區域。這並不是毫無根據的。中國境內所飼養作為食物的雞隻總數約為五十億，是全國總人口之三點五倍以上，這驚人的數量是世界之冠，且還不包括鴨、鵝、鴿子等其他禽類。一直以來，中國的禽類飼養工業高密度汙染問題，是引發禽流感最完美的溫床。即使是一般家庭也普遍可見飼養雞隻，而人與雞常近距離同住一屋簷下，這種情況使病毒更加容易由禽類感染至人類，產生變異，導致更多死亡並加速傳播。H7N9禽流感過去未曾發生人類感染，而且體質虛弱的人病情愈加嚴重，專家們都密切地在注意這點，雖然現在無法斷定是否未來會造成大流行，仍不可輕忽。
我們身處在這個不確定的危機當中，該如何自保呢？大家都知道要勤洗手和少去公共場所，這是最基本的認識，但光是做到這樣還是不夠！許多專家都說禽類和蛋只要經過高溫烹煮，熟食是沒有問題的，無論這種說法如何，它忽略了最基本及重要的一點，就是我們今天之所以遭遇當前這個疾病危機，和我們長期以來仰賴動物性蛋白質的飲食習慣，特別像雞肉、…等，有密切的關係。如果人們不吃雞，就不需要那麼龐大的養雞工業，也就不會導致嚴重的禽流感大流行。2009年，H1N1大流行，以及後來的口蹄疫、狂牛症等等，雖然不全是接觸感染的病症，但不論如何，這些都是因為我們以動物做為食物而引起的可怕疾病。然而，我們永遠不必擔心哪天必須面臨「紅蘿蔔流感」或「狂豆腐症」。
除此之外，禽畜類的飼養工業還有其它許多威脅著我們健康的潛在問題。根據調查，全美國大約有百分之七十的抗生素是提供給禽畜飼養業。以這個月來說(2013年4月)，美國政府三大衛生安全組織(FDA、CDC和USDA)發現，全美國超市肉品抽樣中，包括雞肉、豬肉、牛肉，一半以上都驗出有抗生素抗體的細菌，俗稱「超級細菌」。這樣不自然又不衛生的高密度工廠化禽畜飼養工業，不只嚴重汙染環境，並且加速病毒及細菌的成長或突變、散播，終將為我們自己帶來無法收拾的困境。與其用更先進的科學、醫學，或使用更強大的抗生素，現在越來越多人選擇以植物替代動物的飲食。有句話說，「如果你不能解決問題，至少不要製造問題。」
長期來說，植物性飲食必定有助於緩和由高密度工廠化飼養禽畜導致的致命病毒及細菌問題，但就眼前這個可能爆發的禽流感大流行，植物性的飲食怎麼在短期內幫助我們避免感染上疾病呢？事實上，即使沒有禽流感，我們所生存的環境仍充滿各種隨時都可以讓我們生病的細菌，而強壯的免疫系統能幫我們避開細菌的侵襲，保持身體的健康。一旦免疫系統失調，或失去防禦功能，我們就可能時常生病；而就算免疫系統沒有失調，也有可能因為種種因素，變得容易生病。舉例來說，要有健康的免疫系統，最要緊的是要有健康的腸胃及腸內菌叢(有益菌)；但抗生素會破壞益菌使我們腸胃的免疫力功能下降，因此，我們常聽說接受抗生素治療後的人腸道會明顯不適，同時也會影響免疫系統的功能正常運作。所以，經常吃這些含有抗生素的肉類(雞、鴨、豬、牛…等)的人，抗生素屯積體內，影響腸內的菌叢，等同長期服用抗生素一樣。如此一來，我們無形中已經破壞了防禦細菌的第一道最重要的防線，包括流感病毒；流感病毒因此能直接攻擊細胞，我們也就容易感染生病了。長期動物性飲食習慣的人，就算改成植物性飲食，也需要優質的乳酸菌幫助重建健康的有益腸菌叢。
不論是來自生理或心理上的壓力，也會威脅免疫系統。以生理上來說，除了抗生素以外，我們的環境中及動物的飲食裡也有很多的汙染。比如市場中販售的海產被證實，許多都受到重金屬物質的污染，而我們的身體必須耗費很多的能量和資源去消除這些有毒物質，這些都會威脅並降低免疫系統的功能。身體為了處理食物中含有的化學物質如防腐劑、色素、人工調味料及基因改造成分等，也都造成免疫系統的負擔。而食用有機栽培的蔬果就不同了，不只減輕了身體的負擔，還能夠提供維持免疫系統運作的重要營養素及抗氧化分子。其它包括適量的運動、深呼吸(最好能在空氣清新的地方)、充足規律的睡眠等等，都能夠降低生理壓力及啟動免疫系統功能。先前因長期動物性飲食而營養不均衡的人，也可以在短期內從天然的食物中獲取多種維生素。
來自心理上的壓力對健康及免疫系統的傷害可能有過之而無不及。假設流感開始大流行，每天坐在那裡憂心忡忡地收聽或收看新聞報導也會為我們帶來不良影響。達賴喇嘛曾經說道：人生就像海洋，波濤洶湧的海面下，是寧靜的深海。為了有健康的免疫系統來保護我們的身體，我們必須遠離外界的紛擾，找回心裡的寧靜，比如透過靜坐冥想、禱告或你所信仰的宗教方式等等。
把我們的身心準備到抵抗病毒的最佳狀態，是抵抗流感侵襲最好的方法。也請選擇新鮮蔬果、全穀類、豆類、堅果類組成的植物性飲食，富含有助於健康的營養素及抗氧化分子。廣獲國際肯定且具有開創意義的【救命飲食】(The China Study)一書中也提到，植物性飲食是最有效避免許多現代疾病包括癌症、糖尿病、心臟病等的飲食習慣。同時配合適量的運動、吐納新鮮空氣、充足睡眠，必要時補充適量的多種維生素及礦物質。以靜坐冥想、禱告或你所信仰的宗教方式找回心靈的寧靜，消除壓力。如此，在禽流感風暴中，我們更有希望可以健康自在的生活。
Staying Healthy Despite H7N9 by Jeffrey Mindich
Many experts believe that a global avian flu pandemic isn’t a question of if, but when. Also, China has frequently been cited as a place such a pandemic could likely start. This concern is not unfounded. China at any given time has an estimated average stock of live chickens raised for food of about 5 billion, or more than 350% greater than the country’s total population! Not only is that the highest total number in the world, but also doesn’t even include other fowl raised in China, including ducks, geese, pigeons, etc. China’s poultry industry is highly polluting, and provides the perfect hotbed for the start of avian flu. Many smaller family operations see chickens and their breeders living under the same roof in very close proximity. This is the ideal environment for a virus to move from fowl to people, and mutate in a way that becomes both deadly to humans and more easily transmittable. Health experts are especially concerned at this point, because the H7N9 variety of bird flu has never infected humans before and is proving extremely severe for those who have fallen ill. While there is no certainty at this point that it will evolve into a full-blown pandemic, the possibility is certainly there.
The obvious question this public health crisis presents is what can be done to protect ones self if a pandemic were to break out? Common wisdom suggests frequent hand washing and the avoidance of public places. This is certainly good basic advice, but it’s not enough. Many conventional health experts say there is no danger in eating poultry and eggs if cooked over a certain temperature. Whether this is accurate or not ignores the more important and basic issue – the reason we are facing a health crisis of avian flu is because of dietary habits that stress reliance on animal proteins, in this case, specifically poultry. If people weren’t eating chicken, there wouldn’t be a need for such intensive poultry farming, which gives rise to the potential for an avian flu pandemic. In 2009, the world saw a pandemic of H1N1, or swine flu. And, while mad cow disease may not be a contagious disease, it is another example of sickness due to our reliance on animal food. It’s unlikely that the world will ever need to face a pandemic of “carrot flu,” or an outbreak of “mad tofu disease.”
There are also many hidden dangers associated with the animal raising industry that are not immediately apparent, but could have profound impact on our long-term health. According to some estimates, about 70% of the antibiotics in the U.S. are used by the meat raising industries. Just this month (April 2013), data collected as part of a program by three major U.S. government agencies (FDA, CDC, and USDA) found more than half of ground meat samples, including poultry, pork, and beef, collected from U.S. supermarkets contained antibiotic resistant bacteria, or so-called “superbugs.” Our extensive factory farming of animals in unnatural and unhygienic conditions is not only exacting a serious environmental toll, but is also spurring the growth of viruses and bacteria that will ultimately prove difficult for us to cope with. The answer isn’t more advanced science and medical knowledge, or even stronger antibiotics to deal with these threats, but rather more and more people abandoning an animal-based diet in favor of a plant-based one. As the saying goes, “if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.”
Certainly, the adoption of a plant-based diet can help alleviate the long-term issues of deadly viruses and bacteria caused by intensive animal breeding. However, with a possible pandemic looming on the horizon, what about the value of a plant-based diet in the short-term to help prevent catching avian flu? The fact is that even without avian flu, our environment is literally awash with an untold number of germs, any number of which can make us sick at any time. We must rely on the strength of our immune system to ward off these germs and keep us healthy. When that doesn’t happen, such as people who have immunodeficiency disorders, serious illness can become a regular part of life. However, even for people who don’t have immunodeficiency disorders, their immune systems can be compromised by a number of different things, making it easier for them to get sick. One thing very key to a healthy immune system is a healthy gut, or intestinal flora. And one of the greatest nemeses of healthy intestinal flora is antibiotics, which destroys the good bacteria that keeps our gut healthy. It is quite common for people who have been treated with a course of antibiotics to experience intestinal discomfort. This also affects the functioning of our immune system. So, for those who are eating meat treated with antibiotics, and almost all commercially farmed meat is, the residues from those antibiotics are accumulating in the body, with a long-term effect on the intestinal flora as if the person had taken antibiotics themselves. In this way we are unwittingly destroying our first and most important line of defense against germs, including avian flu. Without the defenses of the immune system, the flu virus is able to go directly and attach to our cells receptors, entering the cells, and making us sick. For those who have eaten an animal-based diet for many years, when switching over to a plant-based diet, a good quality probiotic may also be needed to help to re-establish healthy intestinal flora.
Also a bane to our immune systems is stress, both physical and emotional. In addition to antibiotics, there are numerous contaminants, environmental and otherwise, in animal food. For example, it has been proven that much of the seafood sold at market is contaminated with heavy metals. Our body must use large amounts of its energy and resources to eliminate these contaminants, or toxins as they are sometimes referred to. This stresses the system and lowers the functioning of our immune system. This stress response also applies to processed foods that contain chemicals such as preservatives and coloring, as well as artificial sweeteners and genetically modified ingredients. A diet of organically grown plant foods not only relieves that stress on our system, but also contributes important nutrients and antioxidants that support our immune system. Other ways to combat physical stress and boost our immune system function include moderate exercise and deep breathing, preferably somewhere where the air is clean, as well as sufficient and regular sleep. Also, for those who may have previously eaten a nutritionally deficient diet high in animal foods, a natural food-based multivitamin may be helpful in the short-term.
Regarding stress, it’s now widely accepted in the medical community that emotional and mental stress can be as devastating to the health of the immune system as physical stress, perhaps even more so. If there were to be a pandemic, to sit around stressing and worrying while watching sensational media reports about its spread would be counterproductive. As the Dalai Lama noted, life is like an ocean; there may be tempestuous waves on the surface, but there is calm to be found underneath. For the sake of a healthy immune system that can protect our body, we need to connect to that calmness that is below the surface. That can be achieved by non-sectarian meditation, or thru prayer and quiet contemplation if one has a religious affiliation.
In conclusion, the best way to prepare for a possible pandemic is to put your body and mind in the best possible state to resist the virus. To do this, eat a plant-based diet composed of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, seeds, and nuts; which are high in nutrients and antioxidants. And, incidentally, as shown in the internationally acclaimed and groundbreaking work “The China Study,” this type of diet can also be key in preventing many modern diseases including cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Also get moderate exercise, fresh air, sufficient sleep, and take a multivitamin and probiotics if necessary. And consider meditation, prayer, or quiet contemplation to maintain a calm disposition and peace of mind, in order to banish stress. With these simple steps, one stands a better chance of riding out the storm if there is a pandemic.