Tips for Avoiding and Overcoming the Flu, Naturally!

Mary came down with a sore throat on Sunday, right after I thought we had missed the cold and flu season.  After applying some of the below tips, she said her throat was almost better a day later.

Here are some of my best tips for Avoiding and Overcoming the Flu Naturally that have worked for our family:

1. First of all, drink AT LEAST two quarts of filtered water a day. Moist mucous membranes are less likely to allow those little flu bugs to get a foothold. May I suggest that you consider investing in a drinking water purifier as low cost “health insurance”? The Multipure system costs eight cents per gallon of purified water and produces much higher quality of purifie water and is much more convenient than bottled water.

2. Frequent Hand washing for AT LEAST 20 seconds to get your hands really clean and germ free. Since hand washing is always important in avoiding colds and flus, be sure to wash and rinse for at least 20 seconds to be effective, and teach your children to do the same.

3. Consider using the Neti Pot type of apparatus that rinses the nasal passages with a saline solution.  I did this last winter twice a day routinely and avoided colds.  I forgot about it this year, and just started in again.

4. Did you know that many herbalists are now recommending a maintenance dose of Elderberry to gently stimulate the immune system from catching those nasty bugs instead of echinacea?

5.  In addition, I always start taking extra Vitamin C or Emergen-C – the fizzy flavored Vitamin C/mineral packets mixed in water.

6. If you find yourself coming down with the flu symptoms, such as achiness or overwhelming fatigue, increase your choice of Echinacea/Elderberry combination product to at least 6 times a day or as often as every two hours since the immune system stimulation lasts for about 2 hours, plus the hot baths, and drinking extra water and tea.

7. If you try all of the above strategies and still find yourself or children coming down with a full case of a cold or flu I have found eating very lightly, or fasting from solid foods (not liquids) and using a combination of Ginger, Capsicum, Echinacea,Peppermint, Lemon, Garlic or Golden Seal in a tea form coupled with extra rest is very effective.  The herbs can also be encapsulated, but I like to make a tea of fresh ginger and or peppermint and a little cayenne, plus lemon and honey and drink lots of it.

8. Spicy foods like jalapeno’s, salsa, or homemade Chicken Soup with a little cayenne are great natural remedies often known as Jewish Penicillin but it works! My recipe for Chicken Soup for Colds and flus contains homemade chicken stock loaded with trace minerals, plus ginger, garlic, and  cayenne.

9.  Try the wet sock home remedy. I learned this from my neighbor Linda who has been using this method to avoid illness for years.  So I tried it last night when I thought I was getting a sore throat.  This morning I don’t have a sore throat!  Simply put cotton socks in warm water and wring them out thoroughly and put the damp socks on your feet, and then put a pair of wool socks over the damp cotton socks.  Go to bed.  Your feet will feel cool for awhile but the wetness/coolness draws blood and toxins to the feet while you sleep and you will wake up with dry socks and possibly avoid that cold altogether.  I love home remedies that are virtually free and work!

10. For more information about how to ferment any type of foods and how they benefit our immune system, join our phone seminar on Friday, February 18, 2011 at 12:00 noon Mountain Time. Jenny McGruther, of Nourished Kitchen will be my guest.