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!

I have been finalizing my lecture for this weekend’s webinar on immunity and thought I’d share with you a few of the exciting things I’ve been learning while researching this topic! 

• Most people over 60 years old have natural antibodies to swine flu in their blood because their parents were exposed to the 1918 flu virus.

• Having sufficient levels of healthy bacteria in your gut makes it less likely that you’ll suffer side effects from vaccinations containing thimerosol (mercury).

• All of us have cancer cells in our bodies all the time, but for most of us our immune system continually identifies and destroys them before they are ever able to take hold and grow into a tumor.

• Occasional exposure to children that have chicken pox boosts your natural immunity and helps keep you from getting shingles, an adult expression of the chicken pox virus.

• Mild childhood infections (cold or flu, chicken pox, strep throat, etc.) help the immune system mature and may play a part in preventing autoimmune disease as an adult.

• Regular use of nasal irrigation, such as with a neti pot, can drastically reduce the likelihood of catching the flu even if you have been exposed to the virus because it keeps the virus from reproducing in the nasal cavity and causing infection.

This is just a “teaser” so if you want to learn more you have to attend the webinar!  To register, click here

Registration cutoff is Saturday morning, so make sure you get in before that!

As we head out of summer and into the cooler months, the attention on cold and flu season starts to set in.  That attention has definitely been amplified this year with all the press surrounding different strains of the flu!  There is a lot you can do to prevent the flu including diet, lifestyle, and in some cases medication, but I thought to take this blog entry to provide info on zinc.  

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/

The flu virus seems to be coming up again and again in the media and in my friends and neighbors so I thought it would be good to share some information with you regarding an herbal remedy that is well-known for flu treatment: Elderberry.  The link below takes you to an interesting article that discusses research from Israel that explores the power of this (somewhat) tasty berry.  Elderberry preparations (in the form of “Sambucol”, an elderberry tincture) were found to be effective against human, avian, and swine flu and in most cases reduced the duration of the flu by 4 days.

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.

Recent news reports have been filled with information on the swine flu epidemic.  This strain of flu is of concern because, unlike seasonal flu, it has the ability to jump from species to species (in this case, from infected pigs to humans who handle them – not necessarily humans who eat them) which means that it is capable of mutating.  This has happened in the past with other flu strains, but this time around it is of more concern because it is quickly spreading from human to human.  The apparently quick movement of the virus has people worried that it will mutate so quickly and so often that drug companies will not be able to produce specific vaccines in time to help people before they come in contact with the virus.

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.