Regardless of the reason for flu susceptibility, one of the most important things you can do on a regular basis to prevent the flu is use your neti pot! Here are a few things you should know:

• A neti pot is a round pot (usually ceramic) with a spout that is used to irrigate the sinuses.
• Neti pots are especially helpful for people with allergies, sinus issues, and frequent travelers, but can be used by everyone during flu season.
• Nasal irrigation with a neti pot helps to moisten nasal tissues (dry, cracked nasal tissue makes you more susceptible to flu) while flushing out dirt, bacteria, and viruses that may be trapped in nasal hair or mucus.
• To use the neti pot, simply follow the instructions in the booklet that came with your neti pot or on the company’s website. All neti pots are similar, so if you aren’t sure just look up “neti pot” on YouTube to find instructional videos.
• Use a salt-based solution in your neti pot—never use straight water or it will really sting! The solution I like best is to put a rounded half teaspoon of coarse Celtic salt (or one-fourth teaspoon of fine table salt if that’s what you have on hand) along with a generous pinch of xylitol (this is optional but adds to the bacteria-fighting power of the rinse) into my neti pot. Then I fill it with warm tap water and rinse—I usually do this while I’m in the shower anyway for convenience. If your tap water is questionable, simply heat filtered water to body temperature on the stove.
• I usually suggest that people do this once or twice weekly during flu season; three or four times weekly if the flu is making its way through their school, work place, or circle of friends; and five to seven times weekly if someone in their household is sick.

Conveniently, Marilyn Farms has neti pots available for purchase in white and blue. They make a great holiday gift, although you may want to stick to giving neti pots to your close friends or family members who will understand why you’re giving a gift that involves running water up their nose!

Related posts:

1. Neti Pots to the Rescue!
2. Prevent Headaches During Allergy Season
3. Cooking Beans

Contrary to popular belief, Echinacea is not effective as a daily immune support aid, but works best when taken in cycles. This is most likely due to the fact that Echinacea works by stimulating and supporting the immune system, and if taken every day for an extended period of time the body may become “immune” to its effects. During a chronic and active infection, Echinacea can be used continuously for several months, but for preventive use during times of health it is most effective to use Echinacea for 2 to 3 weeks on and 2 to 3 weeks off throughout the year (just follow dosing instructions on the label of the product you are using). During active cold and flu season, Echinacea can be used for 3 weeks on and 1 week off each month. This pulsing of dosage actually allows the immune system to adapt and get stronger during the breaks, while constant daily use of Echinacea in times of health may actually be stressful for the immune system!

Related posts:

1. Five Natural Ways to Stop a Cold
2. Herbal Tinctures
3. Balanced Omega for Headaches and Much More

It seems like this year’s flu virus is already making its rounds!

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!

Related posts:

1. Elderberry Research for flu treatment
2. Nutrition and Swine Flu Prevention
3. Vitamin C for Cold & Flu

Zinc is one of the most important nutrients for immunity, and can usually be obtained from the diet if attention is given to eating protein rich foods (although extra may be needed in supplement form if you are around people who are sick with a cold or flu or if you are starting to show symptoms). 

Below is a link to an in-depth entry on zinc from the Linus Pauling Micronutrient Center that also includes a table listing amounts of the mineral found in several zinc-rich foods.  Happy eating!

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/zinc/

Related posts:

1. Zinc and Skin Health
2. Zinc and Eye Health
3. Five Natural Ways to Stop a Cold

Elderberry Article

Marilyn Farms offers our own elderberry preparation (click here to view) which is available as a standard extract, or a great tasting glycerin syrup.  And, best of all, it’s now on sale!  The recommended dosage at onset of the flu is 1 teaspoon–1 tablespoon (5–15 ml) for children and 2 teaspoons–2 tablespoons (10–30 ml) for adults, taken twice daily.

Related posts:

1. Five Natural Ways to Stop a Cold
2. Echinacea Dosing
3. Master Cleanse Testimonial

This may sound very scary, but it is important to remember that in many cases people have made a full recovery from this type of flu.  To put it in perspective, common seasonal flu kills between 250,000 and 500,000 people annually.  As of the writing of this blog, an estimated 150 people have died from swine flu in Mexico.  I am not making light of this virus – it is a very serious concern with dangerous possibilities, but it is entirely possible that the virus will mutate to a less virulent form and “fizzle out” over the coming weeks.  With all the media hype it’s easy to forget that possibility.  The elderly, children, and those with compromised immune systems are usually the most at risk for contracting the flu but in this case everyone should take precautions.

As mentioned above, there is no vaccination for this flu and medications are only helpful after you already have the virus.  Prevention is going to be your best bet!  Here are some basic health tips for flu prevention:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water.  Hand sanitizer can be used in a pinch, but soap and water is preferable because it actually removes physical particles instead of just sterilizing them.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth – especially when you’re out in public.
• Get enough sleep (7-10 hours, depending on your personal needs).  Lack of sleep can lead to immune system suppression.
• Stay hydrated, which is vital to keeping the immune system functioning.
• Eat a healthy diet that contains plenty of whole foods such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, vegetables, and fruit.  Nutrition is foundational to proper immune function.
• Include coconut oil in your diet.  Coconut oil contains lauric acid, a fatty acid with natural anti-viral properties.
• Minimize allergenic foods such as pasteurized dairy and wheat flour, which may suppress the immune system.
• Avoid white sugar, which directly suppresses the immune system.  Replace sugar with natural sweeteners such as stevia and xylitol – not with artificial sweeteners, which are difficult for the body to process.
• Include plenty of immune-boosting herbs in your diet such as garlic, ginger, onions, and cayenne.  If you can’t get enough of these foods in your diet or want additional support, use a tincture such as Marilyn Farms SuperForce.
• Use immune-supporting supplements to your advantage.  Some of the essentials include:
  • Vitamin C, which supports immune cell function.  For information on dosing vitamin C visit read this article on Vitamin C for Cold and Flu
  • Zinc, which is necessary to make immune cells.  For food sources and dosing visit http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/zinc/
  • Echinacea-based herbal blends, which boost immune cell formation such as Marilyn Farms Immune Boost, Virus Defense, or Cold n’ Flu
  • Elderberry, which has anti-viral properties
  • Probiotics, which are healthy bacteria that shield the gut.  They can be eaten in cultured foods like yogurt or taken in pill form (Custom Probiotics)

If you have general symptoms of cold or flu, please stay home, take care of yourself, and contact your doctor.  And above all, don’t panic – it’s bad for your immune system!

NOTE: Please talk to your physician before making any dietary or supplement changes.  This blog is not intended to replace the advice of a qualified healthcare practitioner.

Related posts:

1. Five Natural Ways to Stop a Cold
2. Does Vitamin C Cause Kidney Stones?
3. Immunity

My main complaint during this time was being so congested that I couldn’t sleep.  Coincidentally, I found that when I started my experiment by taking 1,000 mg of powdered vitamin C dissolved in a little bit of water mixed with apple juice my congestion was immediately relieved for about 30 minutes.  This dose is on the high end to take all at once, but I wanted to take it further and actually find out how much vitamin C I needed (our bodies need more when we’re sick or under stress) by undergoing a protocol called a “Vitamin C Flush”.  Here is a link to the instructions that I followed:

http://www.perque.com/pdfs/Pt_Ascorbate_Slush_FIN.pdf

The vitamin C which I used, and which is the best type of vitamin C for most people to use for this protocol is a fully-reduced, buffered vitamin C powder such as the one we sell at Marilyn Farms (Vitamin C Powder).

Without giving away too much info, I wanted to share with you that in order to get the…desired result…I had to take 25,000 mg of vitamin C over the course of 24 hours.  That is a LOT more than it normally takes me when I do a flush, which showed me that my body really needed the extra boost.  I was able to beat the 3-week flu in 2 days, and I credit that to vitamin C!

NOTE: Please talk to your physician before making any dietary or supplement changes.  This blog is not intended to replace the advice of a qualified healthcare practitioner.

Related posts:

1. Five Natural Ways to Stop a Cold
2. Vitamin C and Your Healthy Heart
3. Vitamin D and Depression