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!

During sandal season I get a lot of questions about how to deal with toenail fungus – especially from guys, who don’t have the luxury of covering it up with nail poish during the summer months.  My advice is to just wear high-cut black socks with their sandals like tourists do on their Hawaii vacations.  Just kidding!  Here are a few home remedies that may help with minor cases of nail fungus.  They can be used together or one at a time – whatever works best for you!

• Give your nails as much air as possible.  This means removing nail polish, exposing your nails to sunlight whenever you can, and keeping nails clean and dry.  Fungus thrives in dark, moist areas.

• Eliminate fungus from within by correcting the balance of healthy bacteria in your body through diet and a probiotic supplement.  If your body is in balance, it is less likely that fungus and other unwanted organisms will grow.  The best type of diet to promote the balance of healthy bacteria is a whole foods diet that is low in sugar and refined carbs and rich in cultured and fermented foods.  See the book The Body Ecology Diet by Donna Gates for more info. 

• Apply a mix of apple cider vinegar diluted 1:1 with water to the top of the affected nail and blot it around the edges and underneath the nail also (this is where the fungus originates).  Use this mixture in the evening before you go to bed and first thing in the morning.  For more severe cases of fungus, soak the nail in this solution for 30 minutes twice daily.  Many people start to see results after a month of use.  Please do not apply undiluted vinegar to nails as it may cause discoloration.

• Apply 3% hydrogen peroxide (this is the concentration you buy at the drug store) to the affected nail with a cotton ball twice daily.  If this concentration stings, try diluting it 1:1 with water.  Many people start to see results within 1 week, with the added benefit of the HP lightening discolored nails due to fungus or use of nail polish.

• Rub a few drops of coconut oil mixed with a few drops of tea tree oil (can be purchased at most health food stores) into the affected nail and the surrounding area twice daily.  This mixture has anti-fungal properties, will help to soften and condition the nail, and the rubbing motion gives the added benefit of bringing more blood flow to the affected area for faster healing.

Please remember that nails take months to re-grow, so be patient and give yourself some time to heal!  And if any of you readers out there have found home remedies for nail fungus that worked for you and are not listed above, please share them in the comments section.  Thanks for reading!

NOTE: This blog is for information only and is not intended to replace the advice of a qualified healthcare practitioner.  If you have toenail fungus causing pain or nail loss please consult your doctor.

This month we are running a special on Vitamin D in the form of Arctic-D Cod Liver oil or Essential D3.  Vitamin D is now commonly recognized to be vital to healthy mood and proper formation of bone tissue, but there is so much more to this amazing vitamin!  Below is a link to an excellent article on the subject, complete with a list of food sources of vitamin D.  Enjoy!

http://www.westonaprice.org/The-Miracle-of-Vitamin-D.html

Those of you who were on the recent “Ask the Nutritionist” webinar heard me talking about the doctor who used 2 tablespoons of coconut oil daily to improve her husband’s mental state after her was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.  Here is the link to the original article:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/aging/article879333.ece

If you are looking for answers to the question you sent us for the webinar, keep checking back – we are adding a Q&A section to our website and will have all of your questions posted there.