At Home Flu Prevention and Treatment

Even though reports are showing that the H1N1 flu is much less serious than originally thought, and even the seasonal flu doesn’t seem to be overly serious this year, getting the flu is still a bummer, especially because it can be prevented or treated rather easily at home. Many doctors are recommending Tamiflu at the first signs of flu, but Tamiflu has just been shown to reduce the flu’s duration by one day at most, and can have some side effects.

I have found in my work as a nutritional consultant, a definite link between diet and susceptibility to the flu. In fact, for the last year, those who have followed my strict nutritional program, are yet to get sick at all, and I have had people come to me in the middle of a bout with the flu and recover very quickly just by changing diet and adding a few supplements. Of course, any advice is strictly for general information and does not take into account any personal details or medications, so check with your doctor before taking any of these recommendations if in doubt. I just wanted to pass on my experience in case it can be of help.

In most cases, the flu can be treated with nutritional changes and simple things most people have around the house:

• Immediately remove all sugars and carbs from diet. This is perhaps the most important step because these can deplete the immune system and feed illness. Remove any processed foods and anything with grains or sugars until all symptoms disappear.
• Hydrate! Start drinking 8 oz water per hour, preferably by sipping slowly on water throughout the entire day. Herbal teas can also be substituted for this water every couple hours as the heat will stimulate the immune response.
• Apple Cider Vinegar: (make sure its organic and says “with the mother”) As horrible as this sounds, it has an alkalizing effect on the body and will also help fight yeasts and bacteria in the body. For acute illness, I take 1 tsp in 8 oz water every 1-2 hours and gargle with it.
• Vitamin C as ascorbic acid- Not everyone has this around the house, though I recommend it if you don’t. The cheapest form is a powdered form which can be added to any liquid to take. Take 500 mg every couple of hours until symptoms dissipate or until bowel tolerance is reached. (Bowel tolerance is the point at which you get loose stools or diarrhea) If you reach bowel tolerance, cut the dose in half and keep taking it.
• Hot bath with white vinegar in it- This will pull toxins out of the body. This is not recommended with a high grade fever, but for a low grade fever, it will raise the body temperature slightly, pull toxins out of the body and help the body fight the illness. Mix 1/2 cup white vinegar into a bath as hot as is bearable.
• Hot ginger tea. If you have fresh ginger root available, boil a few slices in water for about 5 minutes. Strain into a tea cup and add lemon and honey to help with digestive problems, respiratory problems and chills.

Another thing I do to help fight the flu or any illness is my homemade chicken soup, which my kids call “sick buster soup.” It is also good for winter dinners:

Ingredients:

• Whole chicken or a few chicken legs or a few chicken breasts
• 3-4 ribs of celery
• 3-4 large carrots
• 2 medium onions
• 5-6 garlic cloves
• 1 package frozen spinach or 1 bag fresh
• 1 head broccoli or 1 bag frozen
• 1 package sliced fresh mushrooms (optional)
• any other vegetables you have around and want to add
• 5-6 eggs, beaten in a bowl
• turmeric
• curry
• oregano
• basil
• cayenne pepper
• parsley
• sea salt
• pepper
• garlic powder (optional)
• Other herbs to taste (rosemary, thyme,etc.)

Boil chicken in large pot until cooked. (note: if using chicken breast instead of whole chicken, chicken broth can be used in place of water). Remove from water and chop into small pieces. Add chopped celery, carrots, onions, garlic cloves to boiling water. Add turmeric, curry, oregano, basil, cayenne, parsley, sea salt, pepper and garlic or herbs to the boiling water. I add 1-2 TBSP of each except cayenne, which I add about 1/2 tsp or to taste. Boil until vegetables are cooked. add spinach, mushrooms and broccoli. While stirring, add beaten eggs slowly so that they distribute (it will look similar to egg drop soup). Boil 2 minutes until eggs cooked, remove from heat and serve.

Here are some other natural remedies.

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