December 1, 2010
By Jessica Forbes MS, CCN
It seems like this year’s flu virus is already making its rounds! Lots of people I know either are sick now or just got over being sick, including my own household. Once a virus takes hold, there’s not much you can do medically to stop it. Antibiotics are not effective against viruses and cold medications only treat symptoms (which is still important if you’re especially miserable!). The best thing to do is start boosting your immune system as soon as people around you get sick. If you still get sick despite this, here are a few tips to help stop a cold from progressing. This is not an extensive list, but it’s a great place to start.
1. Eat garlic. Garlic, especially when eaten raw, has antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial properties. Taken at the first sign of illness, it can help shorten the severity of a cold. I like to eat it crushed raw on salads (I double up and add the immune boosting SuperForce tincture as salad dressing) or mixed into soups. If you don’t like the taste of garlic, you can do what a friend of mine does and just peel the cloves and swallow them whole like pills. This keeps you from having to taste the garlic on the way down but I can’t promise it prevents garlic breath!
2. Take vitamin C. Whenever I feel the first signs of a cold, I do a vitamin C flush, which is basically taking vitamin C in large doses over the course of the day. I personally find it to be one of the most effective ways to prevent flu. Complete instructions on how to do a flush can be found in the Marilyn Farms Blog Vitamin C For Cold and Flu.
3. Take elderberry. Unlike Echinacea, which is best taken preventively as an immune booster during flu season, elderberry can be effective even after illness has set in. Elderberry has been extensively studied for its antiviral effects, and in many studies has even been found to be effective against the flu virus in particular, including the H1N1 strain. Elderberry extract is one of my favorite herbal preparations because it has a nice flavor and is safe for children as well as pregnant and nursing women. Elderberry preparations vary, so follow instructions on the label for dosing.
4. Include coconut in your diet. Coconut contains lauric acid, a type of fat that has been found to break down the protective membrane surrounding certain types of viruses. Coconut oil has been widely studied for its effectiveness against viruses including those that cause the flu, herpes, mononucleosis, and even AIDS. Easy ways to include coconut oil in your diet when you’re feeling sick include eating coconut milk based soup such as Thai curry, making a smoothie with coconut milk and fruit, or even melting a tablespoon of coconut oil into a hot cup of tea.
5. Take care of yourself! Sometimes succumbing to a cold is just a sign that your body needs a rest. Do all the things you know to do to help support the immune system—rest, drink plenty of water, eat chicken soup or other healthy foods that make you feel better, read a good book or watch a funny movie, and try to think happy thoughts!
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Hello Jessica…I wanted to know if using hot water with MFC’s powdered Vit C, Essential Clam and/or Red PureNutritian damage or deters the efficacy of the vitamin/supplement? During this cold season, it was very hard to drink cold water and wanted to flavor my hot water in addition to getting the supplements I needed. However, I don’t want to be just drinking flavored water and want the full effect of the supplement that I’m taking…(let me throw in Essential Electrolytes while we’re at it…)
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Comment by Pua Haight — February 27, 2011 @ 4:23 pm