Healing Colds and Flu Naturally

Herbs, homeopathy, nutrition and cleanliness will help you avoid and even treat colds and flu, and even the Swine Flu. The following natural remedies I keep on hand.

If you click on the words in blue you will find various resources for more in depth information on each herb.

Herbs for Cold and Flu These are the ones I “go to” first

Elderberry: Compounds in elderberry bind with viruses before they can penetrate the walls of cells. This inhibits their ability to spread.

Elderberry is nontoxic when cooked, even for children. Look here for more in depth information on Elderberry.

Echinacea has safely been used for years to improve the immune system. Do not take this herb continuously, as your body will get used to it. It will then loose its effectiveness.

If you are going to use this as a cold and flu preventative, take it for a couple of weeks and then take a "vacation" from it for a week.

Astragalus has many infection fighting properties. I use this when I have an infection, more then as a preventative.

It is my opinion that it is particularly useful when lung issues related to a cold. How much you would give would depend on the size of a person and the severity of a cold. Typically giving a loading dose of several capsules hourly does wonders. I would not do this for more then a day or two. Click here to get more information on uses and cautions of this amazing herb.

Goldenseal is known as a natural antibiotic. I have taken this by itself or in combination with Echinacea. I believe that is a very effective combination to help the body support fighting active infections and building the body’s immune defenses at the same time. Learn more about Goldenseal by clicking here.

Many other wonderful herbs help build the immune system and fight infection. These are the ones I keep on hand. Learn more about herbs in general by clicking here.

Find excellent natural products at a reasonable price here.

Homeopathy for Cold and Flu

Homeopathy has an excellent record for treating colds and flu as preventing the flu. Since this current swine-avian-human virus that is going around has the same symptoms as other types of flu, you will be able to use the same remedy as you would a normal flu with great success. This is because homeopathy works on the "Law of Similars". This means you look at the set of symptoms someone has to determine what remedy to take. Since this flu has the same symptoms as other flu's, the same remedies will be effective.

Click here to learn more about homeopathy

Oscillococcinum is one remedy that has been used with great success for prevention and treatment of the flu. The recommended dosage is to take it once a week for prevention. It has also shown to be helpful to take a dose at the first signs of the flu. Simply follow the directions on the container.

Influenzinum is a remedy that homeopathic manufacturers create every year for that years expected virus. Since the symptoms are the same for this swine-avian-human virus as the regular flu, this remedy should also be effective for this. The suggested dosage for this remedy is once a month.

Hyland's Flu Care is an example of a combination remedy that you would use to treat the flu. This kind of remedy is made by putting several remedies together. Hyland's Flu Care works very well for many colds and flu. It should even work for the Swine Flu

You should expect very quick results. The symptoms of colds and flu will go away within moments to a day or 2 at the most if you have a remedy that is going to be effective for you and the particular condition you have right then.

You can also use single remedies to treat the flu. For this you need to look at all the symptoms you have to pick the correct remedy. If you wish look at doing this then check out ABC Homeopathy's web site by clicking here.

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Click here to find homeopathic remedies and more.

Nutrition for Cold and Flu

Too much sugar (and white flour) in the diet, is the biggest nutritional mistake people make that are trying to treat or avoid colds and flu. I include white flour because of its ability to change to glucose (sugar) rapidly. 1 tsp of sugar will depress the natural killer cell activity of the white blood cells by 50% for 2 days! (“Lick the Sugar Habit” by Nancy Appleton). There are also other immune factors that sugar inhibits so this is VERY IMPORTANT!

It is important to read labels on all your food. You MUST read the fine print to look for added sugar. Many foods and drinks have naturally occurring sugar that is included in the Nutrition Facts box on labels. This sugar is not harmful.

If a product has high fructose corn syrup, it is especially bad for your immune system.

Limiting sugar intake can be difficult for some people. The Standard American Diet (SAD) is very high in sugar. This means that having a lot of sugar seems normal to most people. You may not even realize how much sugar you are eating. I would suggest keeping a diary for one day to see what you are really eating.

Many health care professionals feel this is a contributing factor to chronic diseases as well as acute illnesses such as the flu. It is OK to have a little sugar in the diet but if you are ill, or going somewhere you are likely to be in contact with people that are ill, it is best to eat a healthy diet.

A simple healthy diet is one with lots of vegetables, whole fruits, whole grains, a protein with every meal, and only a few boxed, processed foods. Natural Medicine Store for Colds and flu and more

Disclaimer

*/This information on colds and flu is provided for educational purposes only. It discusses what the author would do if she were to have colds and flu. There is no intention to diagnose or treat health conditions. All the information contained in this web site is related to natural approaches to health and is outside the typical Standard of Care provided by your physician. If you are under a physician's care it is important you keep him informed about what you are doing. There are physicians that recognize the value of natural approaches to healing. /*