Nowadays, with advances in the formulas available to me, I make sure that my Cold & Flu Season Medicine Cabinet is stocked with:

Propolis is a very interesting substance, made by bees for the protection of the colony. It has been extensively researched, and has impressive anti-viral credentials. Not only that, it seems specifically to be helpful for any nastiness involving the mucous membranes. A report I came across recently among students at a nursing college in Sarajevo who had been exposed to the influenza virus stated that of 182 students not taking Propolis, 63% became ill: of the 80 who took Propolis, only 7% sickened.  Impressive figures.

In a study of 430 preschoolers reported in Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine in March of 2004, a preparation of Propolis, Echinacea and Vitamin C  decreased upper respiratory infections by 55% (308 to 138).

Specific for children's immune system support is Himalaya USA's ImmunoCare Jr:  I highly recommend adding this in times of high infection. 

In Israel, there has been extensive research into Elderberry Extract  as a flu fighter. In the mid 1980's, an Israeli Doctor named Mumcuoglo became sufficiently intrigued by the folkloric history of its healing properties to begin investigating it. She discovered that Elderberry extract's active ingredients disarms the "spikes" on the flu virus which normally enable it to penetrate healthy cells, permitting the spread of the disease. She found it to be effective against 8 different strains of flu, with 90% of the patients in one test group claiming complete recovery from all flu symptoms in 3 days. In addition, some 70% claimed to feel better on the second day, and 20% said fever, coughs and muscle pains were reduced in as little as 24 hours. Follow-up blood tests showed a higher level of influenza antibodies, which would suggest that this herbal extract actually supports immune system function.

A contemporary study at the University of Oslo by Dr. Thomhas been very positive in its findings, and has been accepted for publication in the Journal of International Medical Research.

The study involved 60 patients who had been suffering with flu symptoms for 48 hours or less; 90% were infected with the A strain of the virus, 10% were infected with type B. Half the group took 15 milliliters of Elderberry extract, and the other group took a placebo four times a day for five days. Patients in the Elderberry group had "pronounced improvements" in flu symptoms after three days: Nearly 90% of patients had complete cure within two to three days. Also, the Elderberry group had no drowsiness, the downside of many flu treatments.  The placebo group didn't recover until at least day six; they also took more painkillers and nasal sprays.

I also recommend  an homeopathic combination called Oscillococcinum (previously Flu Solution).   I cannot tell you the number of times that particular miracle worker has warded off the flu for me. If I take it at the first sign of aches, fever or sore throat, Oscillococcinum never fails. Boiron also makes an interesting homeopathic called Influenzinum which is designed to be taken once a week for 5 weeks prior to the start of flu season as a protective measure.

This is what I recommend if you feel it is the flu that is gaining on you:

 Remember, if you are generally susceptible to the flu,  using the Influenzinum homeopathic flu prevention annually is an excellent first line of  defense. 

Immediately take extra Vitamin C - up to 500 mg an hour, stopping if you experience loose bowels: this is  a sign you are taking enough.  Also take Echinacea extract, either by itself or in combination with such herbs as Goldenseal, Astragalus, Garlic , Cayenne Elderberry and Schisandra .  Never use Goldenseal for longer than a week at a time.  Don't forget the Propolis   Pop your homeopathic combination under your tongue once every hour or so  Relax in a hot bath perfumed with a blend of aromatherapy for immune support, while you sip a cup of herbal tea  Nourish yourself with (preferably home-made) chicken soup ** with lots of garlic

If any of these therapies are new to you, consult your health professional before using them: most particularly if you are taking any medications from your Doctor. Remember, too, if your health is already compromised, you may be wise to consider a vaccine. Otherwise, try these suggestions, and join me in the Flu Free Club, member since 1976!

The first thought most people have these days when flu is mentioned, is to get the flu shot and avoid the disease entirely.  I am in two minds about this. On the one hand, I realize that there are individuals whose health status makes it undesirable to take any risks with possibly catching the flu, but on the other I am  not convinced that flu shots confer enough benefit when compared to the risks.

Reasons to get flu shots:

•  A pre-existing health condition (such as asthma, or cardiovascular problems)  means that any possibility of catching the flu is one risk too many.

• Even though the shots are largely ineffective, they may prevent the serious complications that lead to severe illness and possibly death

Reasons not to get flu shots:

• In the presence of any immune system deficiency, the flu shot itself becomes a risk.
  There have been some suggestive figures put together that indicate negative sides to the flu vaccine:
  
  one, that it can further depress the immune system in older recipients, and
  two, that there is a connection between these shots and some of the more mysterious afflictions, like Guillaume Barre, MS and Chronic Fatigue.
  three, and the most alarming of the lot, that there is a connection between the flu shot and Alzheimer's disease.
   

•  (Thanks to Earl Mindell for this info) 52% of Americans aged 65 and older got flu shots in 1994 ... despite this, figures from the U.S. Government's Centers for Disease Control show that there has been a 44% increase in deaths among people 65 and older from flu since 1979. Even though more than half of all Americans in this age group get flu shots, pneumonia and influenza are still among the top ten causes of death in the elderly. See RESOURCES at right for disturbing information about flu shots and the elderly.

•  There is no way the manufacturers of the flu vaccines can accurately determine which strain of flu will be on the rampage in any given year: they can only cross their fingers and guess. One study showed that in a comparison of two elderly groups, one of which received the flu shot, the other not, there was only a 1% difference in the incidence of flu!

• To quote Dr. Mercola: "Avoiding flu shots is a no-brainer. Who would want ethylene glycol, phenol, formaldehyde, aluminum and mercury injected into them? There are many expert physicians who believe that repetitive flu vaccines are largely responsible for the increase in Alzheimer’s disease." Perhaps we should rephrase to state that  GETTING a flu shot is a no-brainer ....

• Research in 2005 done by the Cochrane Review Group,  international scientists working together, analyzed 40 years of research, and concluded that the vaccine only works in 28% of people over 65.

• 
   Paradoxically, as one ages, and protection from the flu becomes more vital, it becomes ever more difficult for the body to produce the antibodies it needs to create in answer to the flu shot. Vaccines work by stimulating B cells to produce antibodies to the foreign substance in the injection. We know that older people, and those with compromised immune systems - those who need the vaccine most - are not able to  produce enough of the antibodies. This would tend to suggest that an approach aimed at supporting the immune system would be even more effective in the older population than the flu shot. Another possible approach is to nutritionally support and enhance the immune system for a month or so BEFORE you take the vaccine:  this would enable your body to produce the B cells needed for protection.

• 
  An interesting take on the vaccine is given by Barbara Loe Fisher, president of the US-based National Vaccine Information Center.  She not only  has doubts about the flu vaccine’s reliability, saying that since experts formulate the vaccine based on predictions of which strains will be prevalent during a given season, there is no guarantee that a person will not get the flu (“Sometimes they guess right, sometimes they don’t guess right”).  She also questions whether  vaccinating healthy young people against the flu instead of allowing them to recover naturally from the virus might  lead to long-term health problems.

  “When more people have been exposed to the flu shot as opposed to the disease, you have fewer and fewer people who have any kind of permanent immunity to any strains of flu,” said Fisher. “We become basically vaccine-dependent.”

I opt against a flu shot personally. My thinking is this: why, when the benefits are so unclear, lay myself open to risk? Particularly since there are some weapons on the scene which make it possible to fight the flu naturally, and which actually confer benefits on the body.

As for the latest horror, the FluMist - I need hardly tell you what might be the consequences of spraying live vaccine into the nasal passages of anyone with a depressed immune system, or indeed for such a person to be around another shedding the live virus through sneezing, a natural enough reaction to spraying something up one's nose!.  Frankly, the very amount that manufacturer Wyeth plans to spend ($100 million)  on marketing the product makes me wonder  how effective it can be.

If you do feel you have to have the shot ...

Professor Jeffrey Blumberg (Human Nutrition Center on Aging, Tuft's University) has done studies which seem to show that because immune function declines with age, some elderly flu shot recipients do not have an adequate response to the vaccine. He recommends supplementing with 200 i.u of Vitamin E daily in the weeks before receiving the shot. He also supports my view that C, B6 zinc and the carotenoids are important. This information was published in the Chemist/Druggist, 6/13/98. 

I hope that I have once again offered some safe and sensible alternatives for a common malady! Remember, the best protection is to watch your health all the time, and not just wait until you're sick: a healthy body fights disease where a poorly maintained system can succumb.

**Chicken soup has long been regarded as a remedy for symptomatic upper respiratory tract infections. As it is likely that the clinical similarity of the diverse infectious processes that can result in "colds" is due to a shared inflammatory response, an effect of chicken soup in mitigating inflammation could account for its attested benefits.

To evaluate this, a traditional chicken soup was tested for its ability to inhibit neutrophil migration using the standard Boyden blindwell chemotaxis chamber assay with zymosan-activated serum and fMet-Leu-Phe as chemoattractants.

Chicken soup significantly inhibited neutrophil migration and did so in a concentration-dependent manner. The activity was present in a nonparticulate component of the chicken soup. All of the vegetables present in the soup and the chicken individually had inhibitory activity, although only the chicken lacked cytotoxic activity. Interestingly, the complete soup also lacked cytotoxic activity. Commercial soups varied greatly in their inhibitory activity. The present study, therefore, suggests that chicken soup may contain a number of substances with beneficial medicinal activity. A mild anti-inflammatory effect could be one mechanism by which the soup could result in the mitigation of symptomatic upper respiratory tract infections.
[CHEST 118(4):1150-1157, 2000. © 2000 ACCP]

Go here for some information from the Vitamin C Foundation's website,  which you may find interesting!

Vitamin C Foundation/ Linus Pauling Heart Therapy   http://www.internetwks.com/pauling/lie/flu.html

Find the recommended supplements here

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