Alternative Therapies for| Thyroid, Lupus, Herpes » Flu

Ways to Avoid Getting the Flu

Terri — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:17:59 +0000

What’s the best way to avoid the flu? Aside from common sense hygiene practices, your best first line of defense is to build a healthy immune system. At its core level, our immune system is designed to do two things: recognize harmful viruses, bacteria, and parasites that enter the body, and then destroy them. At least that’s the way it works if your immune system is working properly. We want to be able to respond to organisms like bacteria and viruses so that they don’t cause infection, or, if they do, we can recover as soon as possible. Some people can, and will, come in contact with the current strain of swine flu and come out totally unscathed, while others will become very ill, but will recover. And sadly, some have not recovered. Much depends on the strength of the individual’s immune system, and their current state of health. Here are some tips to help you either avoid getting this flu, or recover faster if you do happen to get it.

Get a full night’s sleep. For most people, that’s usually 6-8 hours. For some, it may mean 8-10 hours. Whatever a “full night’s sleep” means to you, be sure you’re getting it in. Sleep has been proven to have important health benefits such as: balanced hormone levels (including human growth hormone and the stress hormone, cortisol), weight management (lack of sleep can contribute to weight gain), and improved emotional well-being.

Exercise. Being inactive can indirectly weaken your immune system. A sedentary lifestyle can interfere with the quality of your sleep.

Eat your veggies! Especially the dark green ones like broccoli. A compound found in broccoli and related vegetables may regulate your immune response, according to a study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley. Also eat plenty of protein. Protein is a building block for a healthy immune system, and mind. Diets low in protein tend to be high in carbs that convert readily to glucose, spiking blood sugar and stressing the pancreas and the immune system.

Avoid refined sugars. Refined sugars are listed as high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), glucose, fructose, maltodextrin, sorbitol, mannitol, dextrin and maltose. In fact, if you make only one change to your diet, this would be the one to make. It won’t be easy, since we’re all pretty much addicted to the stuff and it’s in just about every single food item we buy, including most breads. Next time you’re shopping, read the labels and you’ll notice that you will be hard pressed to find something that does not contain HFCS along with other added sugars under various “ose” names. Try gradually cutting refined sugars out of your diet and you will notice how much better you actually feel.

Drink plenty of water and eliminate or at least cut down on your caffeine intake.

Practice daily stress reduction techniques such as Yoga or Meditation. Chronic stress suppresses the immune system, so using techniques that have been proven to reduce stress should help return your immune system to a healthier state. In addition, reducing stress lowers levels of cortisol and helps you sleep better, which in turn improves immune function. Studies show that people who meditate regularly may be able to increase their immune system response. In one experiment, people who meditated over an 8-week period produced more antibodies to a flu vaccine than people who didn’t meditate. And they still showed an increased immune system response four months later. Mindfulness meditation (which is not the same as just listening to music for a half hour or so) produces demonstrable effects on brain and immune function. These findings suggest that meditation may change brain and immune function in positive ways.

For a natural remedy to support a healthy immune system and help you maintain natural immunity, try Immunity Plus. People respond to natural medicine in different ways, some experience immediate results while many others have reported optimal benefits taking effect within 3-6 weeks. To ensure you receive optimum results it is important to take natural remedies as directed and remain consistent. You can get more information about Immunity Plus here.

RESOURCES
The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry
Volume 19, Issue 5, May 2008, Pages 336-344

Psychosomatic Medicine 65:564-570 (2003)
American Psychosomatic Society

Swine Flu: The Next Pandemic?

Terri — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 23:26:41 +0000

As of this post, as many as 60 people in Mexico have died from swine flu, and possibly as many as 1,000 people in both the U.S. (in the U.S.: California; 7, Texas; 2, Kansas; 2, and possibly 9 in New York) and Mexico have been affected. The WHO (World Health Organization) said today that this flu has “pandemic potential,” and that it may be too late to contain the outbreak. There have been about 3 influenza pandemics during the last 300 years: the 1918 Spanish flu, the Asian Flu in 1957 and the Hong Kong Flu in 1968. According to the latest reports regarding the swine flu outbreak, this one has the POTENTIAL to become the next influenza pandemic. It’s also been said, according to an influenza expert interviewed on CNN today, that this flu could fizzle out on its own as the strain becomes weaker as its passed along from person to person.

The Associated Press is reporting that the WHO has declared the swine flu outbreak in North America a “public health emergency of international concern.” The decision means countries around the world will be asked to step up reporting and surveillance of the disease. WHO fears the outbreak could spread to other countries and is calling for a coordinated response to contain it… like the economic crisis, this too has “gone global.”

With all the media coverage this epidemic is receiving, nothing has been said as to the over-all health condition of the people who have unfortunately died from swine flu. Where they primarily the sick and elderly, or have other underlying health conditions? Or where they otherwise young and/or healthy? Obviously, many who have this flu are surviving it, no doubt because they have healthy immune systems.

There is no swine flu vaccine right now, however, the CDC is busy formulating one. Sound familiar? It should. We’ve been through this “swine flu with pandemic potential” scenario before, back in 1976, when an Army recruit at Fort Dix was “killed by an influenza not seen since the plague of 1918,” which was later announced as swine flu. That outbreak began President Ford’s (very political) decision for national inoculation against swine flu. A vaccine was quickly manufactured, mass-produced, and was largely untested. The process of inoculating the entire population began. Within days of receiving the vaccine, however, several people who had taken the shot fell seriously ill, and some died from the vaccine. Two months into the “vaccinate every man, woman and child” program began, the government became increasingly concerned about reports of the vaccine touching off neurological problems, especially rare Guillain-Barre syndrome, and suspended the program, — after having inoculated 40 million people… for a flu epidemic that never came.

Swine flu, unlike bird flu, is able to pass from human to human contact. Most cases occur when people come in contact with infected pigs (note that eating pork, cooked to the proper temperature, will not cause swine flu) or contaminated objects. Transmission among humans is thought to occur in the same way as seasonal flu – by touching something with flu viruses and then touching your mouth or nose, and through coughing or sneezing.

This swine flu and regular flu can have similar symptoms – mostly fever, cough and sore throat, though some people are experiencing vomiting and diarrhea. No vaccine specifically protects against swine flu, and it is unclear how much protection current human flu vaccines might offer.

Mild cases of the flu can be confused with the common cold; however, the flu usually causes a more serious illness. Symptoms of the flu can include coughing, sore throat, muscle aches, fatigue and headache. Flu symptoms tend to start suddenly and be accompanied by a high fever.

Alternative Therapies for Flu:
Herbal medicine is a popular treatment for common colds and flu due to their antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and anticatarrhal properties. Most commonly recommended by Herbalists are echinacea, goldenseal, licorice, elder, eyebright and elderflower. Some herbs help promote sweating, which helps to cleanse the body. Cayenne, ginger, horseradish, and mustard fall into this category.

In addition to medicinal herbs, nutritional supplements and minerals have the ability to stimulate immune functions and therefore can help the body deal with the flu. One popular supplement for treating colds is zinc, which is an important nutrient for maintaining a healthy immune system.

Maintaining a healthy immune system is generally considered to be the key to avoiding the flu, or the common cold. Proper diet, along with nutritional supplements, contributes to enhanced immune functions. Taking common precautions such as frequently washing your hands, not touching your nose and mouth, and following a diet that helps support the immune system will help you to avoid getting this, or any type of flu. If treated at the onset, many of the remedies described above can stop the cold and flu in its tracks.

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