Natural Prevention and Treatment of Flu

What to Consider to Keep the Flu Away from You and Your Family

It’s that season again, flu season. Illness from the flu peaks in the spring and the fall. The fall is a time when our immune systems are challenged already with holiday stress, excessive sugar intake, and the stress of going back to school. Here are a few naturopathic suggestions to help keep you and your family healthy during the flu season.

“Doc, should I get the flu vaccine?” : Many of my patients ask me this At This time of year. In some people who are elderly or have health conditions such as severe respiratory or cardiac disease, the flu vaccine can be an additional layer of protection in a system that is already susceptible. However, in many cases, the flu vaccine does not provide 100% protection from the flu. In 2018-19 flu season, the CDC found flu vaccines protected people from actually getting the flu 40-60% of the time. Fortunately, a homeopathic preparation is available that provides additional protection. It’s called Muco coccinum (UnDa/Seroyal brand) and we carry it throughout the flu season in our office. It is also available for purchase on the online store here. I recommend people take Muco coccinum whether or not they chose to get the flu vaccine. It provides another layer of protection during the flu season. It’s easy to take: just 1 tab every 2 weeks from fall through the Spring.

Homeopathy relieves symptoms of flu: If you are unfortunate enough to get sick from the flu, you need to know about Oscilloccocinum (Boiron Brand). Oscillococccinum is a long funny name for a very powerful medicine I recommend everybody keep in their medicine cabinets during the flu season. If you, your family member or your neighbor needs it, they need to start on it right away. When started at the first sign of symptoms- like fever, headache, body aches, Oscillo decreases the severity of your symptoms and gets you feeling human sooner. We also carry Oscillo in the clinic and it’s available from our online Dispensary Here.

Take lessons from the Goddess of Cleanliness, Hygieia: Wash your hands after you sneeze, eat or use the toilet. Keep a sick person as quarantined as possible. If you are with someone who is sick, run an air filter in your home. I really like AIRFREE AIR PURIFIERS because they incinerate flu viruses. You can also boil a combination of white vinegar and water on the stove to sanitize the air in your home. Lastly, diffusing essential oils of eucalyptus, Oregano and Thyme all have powerful anti-microbial properties.

Vitamin C, Elderberry, Zinc, Colloidal Silver: All of these help boost the immune system and can be taken on a daily basis to keep you healthy. My Homemade Recipe for Elderberry Syrup is very tasty and popular. Check out this Recipe Blog for the Recipe. We also carry a variety of immune-boosting herbs and nutrients in the clinic.

Stay away from the sugar: WIthin minutes of eating refined sugar, your immune system’s Army, your White blood Cells, start to plummet . keeping sugar and sugary foods (sweets, soda, baked goods) to a minimum will help keep you strong.

Eat a Rainbow: Fresh Fruits and Veggies are loaded with vitamins and nutrients to keep you strong and healthy. try to eat at least 5 servings of fresh fruits and veggies per day. Some superfoods for the flu season are: onions, garlic, carrots, peppers, tomatos, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, Ginger, parsley, basil, sage and thyme. Think roasted veggies, stir-fries and Soup, Yum!