A reader just sent me the following e-mail:
Hi Duane,
cold season/flu season is here (at least it is in Colorado!) I hate to take any kind of medication if I can avoid it as I don’t want junk in my system. I don’t even take Advil or aspirin for headaches, unless it’s a truly painful headache.
So, as I feel a cold coming on I thought of you as you seem to have a better than general idea as to alternatives to medication.
If you get the chance I’d appreciate it if you either posted on your blog or emailed me back your thoughts and ideas on how best to avoid and, or fight a cold/flu without medication.
Here is how I responded:
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Here are some basic things my family and I did when we lived in CO during this season:
*Immediately reduce or cut out all white sugar (no sodas, candy, cakes, cookies, etc. that contain white processed sugar). Check out your local health food store for treats that do not contain white sugar. There are many similar treats out there that use natural sugar that are quite tasty.
White sugar disarms your immune system for about 30 minutes. So if you decide to eat that piece of pound cake and go to the a large public place like the mall, you are putting yourself at a great risk
*At least 3 times a week I ate oatmeal for breakfast–NOT THE QUAKER FLAVORED VERSION–CONTAINS WHITE SUGAR. I sweeten my oatmeal with natural sugar and added raisins. True holistic health individuals will tell you not to sweeten it at all, but I’m sorry—homey’s not there yet!! (Instead of oatmeal, you can purchase some cod liver oil (Nordic Natural is a brand that we use) and add it to your diet–Now before you flip, you can purchase cod liver oil that is flavored. Add it to fruit juices, pancakes, waffles, etc. and you will barely taste it. Cod liver oil has to be part of your diet every day. Your digestive system needs to be flushed regularly so that your immune system can be at its optimum. Also drink plenty of water!!
Eating plenty of raw oranges or grapefruit (I prefer pink grapefruit) is also good for flushing out your system.
For coffee drinkers, use natural sugar (like Sugar in the Raw) as your sweetener.
For tea drinkers, natural sugar and/or honey is a very good natural option.
Vitamin C, Vitamin C, Vitamin C–I cannot stress this enough. The reason
why we get colds is because germs infiltrate our bodies when our immune system is not at its strongest. There is no limit to the dosage of vitamin C that you take on a daily basis. Your body will simply flush away the extra vitamin c it does not need. Vitamin C is a good immune strengthener. We usually purchase the 500mg version.
A quick personal testimony on vitamin C–
I usually experience allergy symptoms usually during the spring and fall. A few weeks ago, I began to feel the symptoms. Luckily my wife had just purchased several bottles of liquid vitamin c. I cut out all sweets and just took my vitamin c. I took it straight and added it to
smoothies. In about less than a week, I was back to normal. No runny nose or hay fever–this is by far the fastest recovery that I have ever experienced.
The last thing I would strongly recommend is purchasing Sambucol liquid extract. I am not into endorsing products on my site (unless I am getting something out of it) but for this I will make an exception. My family has used this product when we feel a cold coming on and it works like magic. It works like your typical 100-proof cold syrup, but without the hangover. You can find this in your local health food store, but I have also seen it sold in a chain grocery store.
For sore throat relief try ginger beer or ginger tea–Awesome!!
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Everything that I have mentioned above is kid safe. Our kids have always been included in our flu prevention and their health has been wonderful (maybe about one cold a year).
I know that this will help you and your family.
UPDATE——————————–
I know that some of you already thought about those upcoming visits to Grandmama’s or Auntie’s house this winter. You can still eat the food, but mind your portions–especially of dishes that contain sugar. After you have stuffed yourself (like most of us do this time of year), your body has a whole lot to “process” while at the same time protecting itself from things like the flu or the common cold. It is at this time that I increase my intake of either flax or castor oil. These oils actually lubricate your intestinal track resulting in much easier bowel movements without the strain (this is just one of the benefits of these types of oils). Remember, you don’t have to take it ol’ skool (by spoon). You can add it to foods or juices. For at least 3 days after “the big eat”, I will also stick to just oatmeal for breakfast. Snacks will include at least one orange or citrus-type fruit.
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October 11th, 2005 at 12:20 pm
I really liked your reply. It’s excellent advice!
Did you forget something? How about getting enough rest? If you are sick with the flu, rest is especially important because your body needs to repair itself. In addition, a little extra emphasis on protein aids in this repair.
You mentioned elderberry in extract form. It’s superior for Type B flu virus and seems to stem the onslaught and lessen an actual cold. You can actually take elderberry everyday, unlike something like echinacea to build your immunity. It is packed with Vitamin C AND plenty of anthocyandins (phytochemicals:)).
One suggestion on Vitamin C is to rotate say Ester-C (500 or 1000mg ) with something like Rosehips (natural source of C). Rotating the traditional with the natural seems to keep your body alert in the sense that you are constantly building up immunity.
I am originally from Canada. I enjoyed your blog so much. I wandered here from an initial search on commentary.
Stay well and happy, my friend:)
~Jazz~
October 11th, 2005 at 12:54 pm
One suggestion on Vitamin C is to rotate say Ester-C (500 or 1000mg ) with something like Rosehips (natural source of C). Rotating the traditional with the natural seems to keep your body alert in the sense that you are constantly building up immunity.
Good advice! Any other tips you have are always welcomed here. If you like, you can even submit some of them.
Yes, sleep is very important!
October 11th, 2005 at 10:01 pm
Rest?
Whats that?
October 12th, 2005 at 9:24 am
This is what works for me. I use zinc lozenges which I get from Trader Joes or your local health food store. As soon as I feel like a cold is coming on, I suck on these lozenges every 2 hours. It knocks the cold out everytime. The lozenges from the average drugstore has too much sugar. Get a consultation from the health food store.
October 12th, 2005 at 12:34 pm
Duane,
Thanks for being so gracious! It’s a pleasure to come back and read here.
I remember trying the zinc lozenges one time when I felt like a cold was coming. Mine were from a healthfood store, but ,what I found was that they made my stomach queasy and simply delayed the cold by about 2 weeks. Actually, I felt much better after my system had whipped the cold.
I couldn’t agree with you more about the flaxseed oil. Essential fatty acids are another source of protection from colds and flu. Flaxseed oil is an Omega 3 oil. Another one would be walnut oil which is excellent on salads if you find flaxseed hard to take directly. You can always take a softgel, but you have to take so many to equal say a tablespoon which is a good recommendation for say an adult of 150lbs. For a lot of people like myself, even the equivalent of a teaspoon is enough to boost immunity to maintain excellent health.
I would urge others to explore the Omega 6 and Omega 9 oils. One Omega 6 oil, namely black currant, has the perfect Omega 3–Omega 6 balance naturally. With most people’s diets, you should be getting twice as much of the Omega 3 as the Omega 6. Another popular Omega 6 oil is evening primrose. It has special properties which some women may benefit from greatly. With Omega 9, think olive oil.
One of the additional benefits of these oils is beautiful hair, skin and nails. Winter can be harsh on these, too. The oils feed the integrity of the hair follicle and keep the skin and nails utterly lush, too.
A votre sante,
Jazz
October 12th, 2005 at 9:25 pm
What works best for me is two things:
1) Whenever I feel a cold coming on I take two garlic tablets to build up my immunity. Sometimes when a cold is going around at the office or at home, I’ll just take some on a whim. When colds run through everybody in my family, I’m usually the only one that doesn’t get it. With the exception of getting the bubble guts from hell last year, I haven’t been sick for two consecutive days in several years.
2) WASH YOUR HANDS! They say it on the news every year that doctors recommend hand washing as one of the simplest and most effective ways of preventing the spreading of the flu and other communicable illnesses. I don’t even touch the door handles on public restrooms ANYWHERE. I’ve seen way too many catz walk out of the stall without washing their hands.
October 13th, 2005 at 11:16 am
And on the restroom tip, I read somewhere that a great deal of germs are spread in public washrooms because the toilets have no lids to close before we flush them! The open compartment allows the aerosolization of germs that have been, uh, deposited.
I know. Yuck.
I have also found that pro-biotics seem to help a great deal to strenghten one’s immune system. Our immune systems begin in our guts, believe it or not, and seeding it with more of the good flora has helped me over the years (a chronic fatigue/adrenal gland dysfunction/chronic Lyme disease sufferer).
Olive leaf extract is another powerful immune system builder, as well.
Good topic, D.
October 14th, 2005 at 11:21 pm
I can testify to the no sugar effect. Several years ago before they became so popular, I went on a low carb diet and was consuming almost no sugar. I was on it from fall to the following spring. My son was at the age where they are constantly bringing home cold germs from other kids at school. Three things happened: I lost weight, never caught one cold the whole time, and my blood pressure went down. The following year, I fell back into my old bad habits and caught several colds throughout the winter. Also, even though I did not gain the weight back, (due to exercising), once I started back on the sugar and processed foods, my blood pressure went back up. I don’t have high blood pressure, but it’s always on the high end of the normal range. I’ve decided now to switch to eating mostly organic and giving up the processed foods and most of the sugar for good.