What do we do with the flu ?

Hi everyone - my family is sneezing how about yours ?

Here are a few tips for you regarding acute infections and the flu.

The importance of a healthy life style and a good constitutional remedy cannot be overstated. The best defense against acute and chronic illness is your constitutional remedy selected for you by your homeopath. There are things we can do to build up our immune system so we can better fight these nasty bugs. It takes both a susceptibility to the virus or bacteria as well as the exposure in order to get sick. Both of these parameters can be influenced by the choices we make:

1) Sleep. Rest. Eat well.

2) Vitamin D: " The sunshine remedy" is most likely responsible for your depletion. It is the most beneficial vitamin for disease prevention. Most people are deficient due to a lack of regular exposure to sunshine. Evidence suggests that taking vitamin D (as D3 cholecalciferol) is an effective flu preventions strategy.

3) Vitamin C - up to 6000mg

4) Influenzinum: A number of studies show that taking Homeopathic Oscillococcinum 200c or Influenzinum 9c or 30c once a week during outbreaks can prevent the flu. I generally use 30c as a prophylactic potency, and use 200c in actual flu cases.

My clients who are seniors, or for elementary or pre-school age children who have such a breadth of exposure, it is advisable to take a dose of Influenzinum 30c once a month from November through March as a preventive measure. Also, if anyone in the household gets the flu, I suggest to my clients that everyone in the house take a dose of Oscillococcinum 200c - this can provide short term immunity and prevent the flu from making the rounds through all the family members.

5) Garlic in any form is an excellent addition to the  infection fighting arsenal. The very best is raw organic garlic. This is pretty intense  but eating it raw will give you the most benefit. It helps to slice it up and take it with a little bread or other food. An ideal dose would be 2 to 4 cloves per day. Of course, you will stink but the microbes won't like it either.  One caution: don't leave raw sliced or chopped garlic in contact with your skin or mucous membranes (e.g., mouth) for longer than it takes to chew it up and swallow.

Recommended adult doses:

Vitamin C – 1000 mg 6 times a day

Vitamin D3 – 2000 I.U. per day

Black Elderberry – ½ dropper 4 times a day

Oil of oregano and Olive Leaf Extract

For children cut down the doses proportionately by weight. 

All of these supplements should be available at Whole Foods stores or integrative pharmacies or Coops.

 In stubborn cases, during or after the Flu: If you have severe limiting symptoms, they may be resolved with specific remedies, depending on your symptoms. Note: these should be taken at a 30c potency:

• China: physical weakness after the flu with lots of sweating, and possible depletion from dehydration. Continued debility with chilliness, paleness, weakness. Sensitive to touch, motion, cold air. Worse on alternate days. Weariness of limbs with a desire to stretch, move or change position.

• Gelsemium: weakness after the flu with the heaviness that won't go away, may feel chilly, weakness and heaviness of limbs and eyelids

• Influenzinum: has never recovered from flu or never been well since having the flu. Persistent cough and fatigue after the flu.

• Kali phosphoricum: generally weak and wiped out, not getting strength back after having the flu, feeling flat and depressed

An article about Homeopathy and Prophylaxis which is well worth reading - it is on the NCH's website at this link:

http://nationalcenterforhomeopathy.org/articles/view,97

Don't forget, get plenty of rest and send me an email if you have any questions.

Let me know if this was helpful and feel free to share with me any of your own tips, comments, questions.

be well,

gina

Warning:  This self treatment should never be used if you are not completely sure of the diagnosis of your, or your child's, health problem and should only be used after your qualified health care provider has evaluated the condition. This advice is meant to augment and not replace the necessary care of a licensed primary care provider. If the health problem is serious enough that you would consider calling your primary care provider, you should still call him or her. However, even in those cases where other treatment is prescribed you will often find these treatments helpful.