Flu Prevention Tips - Staying Well Naturally
by Ask a Healer
Related Article:
Flu Shot Alternatives
What you can do to Avoid Catching the Flu this winter: Maintaining balance on physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels is key to staying healthy, in general. These areas of balance, for me, become even more vital during the winter months, when there is less sunshine, more stress with driving, less ease of attending creative and fun events due to weather, and more flu bugs floating around.
Our bodies thrive in balance in a very real physical sense, because minerals, vitamins, amino acids, water and other nutrients must be present in correct amounts for wellness to persist. As important as physical components of balance are, there are other levels of balance that body requires every bit as much as balanced nutrition, such as a balance of work and play, sleep and activity, mental fitness and meditative fitness.
Sometimes the most profound advice is also the most simple. For example, one very simple but deeply effective flu prevention tip is to simply make more time to relax, meditate and enjoy life. Reducing your stress levels and getting direct sunlight as often as possible, plus upping vitamin D, also helpful. If you suffer from SAD or just feel more depressed in winter weather, consider a light therapy lamp or salt lamp.
I also recommend reading about natural antibiotics as a way of boosting the bodie's own response to germs and bacteria. We can't avoid germs but we can strengthen our bodie's ability to fight them. Below, you'll find some other useful flu prevention tips.
Flu Prevention Tip 1: Sanitize Frequently!
Carry hand sanitizer with you at all times. Use it to wipe down high traffic door handles, shopping carts, and supermarket freezer door handles.
Flu Prevention Tip 2: Wash your hands like a surgeon.
Washing or sanitizing hands frequently will reduce risk but it takes more than just swishing your hands under water.
Whenever you've been around anyone with colds or flu, or you've
been out in crowds, wash your hands longer, like a surgeon scrubbing up.
Teach children to wash their hands after
handling toys held by other children and before eating even a snack. Create these good habits at home by encouraging hand washing while your children have friends over, so that the good habits get enforced within their circle at school.
Flu Prevention Tip 3: Consider Elderberry Syrup
I take a tablespoon of this fantastic elderberry syrup formula every morning in my coffeee. Elderberry is a fantastic winter tonic. I'm lucky to have a local source for homemade elderberry syrup with local organic honey. See if you can find someone who makes it in your area. If not, find a good organic syrup online. Great winter gift to your immune system!
Flu Prevention Tip 4: Choose a good air filter!
Internal air quality is something a lot of us just don't think much about. We change out the filters haphazardly and just get the cheapest one we find. I always get top quality filters that not only filter out common contaminants but also viruses and bacteria. Yes! There are air filters that filter out the flu bug. Read labels when choosing a filter and when someone in your family comes down with the flu, you'll have some built in cleaning and clearing of the virus going on. Another thing that few consider when one family member has the flu is to sanitize commonly touched areas. We all know not to eat or drink after someone with the flu but it's also a good idea to sanitize door knobs, light switches, tv remotes, computer keyboards, kitchen cabinet knobs, etc. Just takes a few seconds and may do a lot to stop spread.
Flu Prevention Tip 5: Invite the flu to go elsewhere quickly!
The flu bug is at least a little polite. It will knock on the door a few times before coming into the house. If we learn to hear those first knocks, our house may stay flu-free. Most people start feeling a little bad, at least 24 hours before they actually get sick. The problem is that most of us go hard and fast
every day, and don't pay attention to that little irriation in the ears, of the little bit of a scratchy throat we have. We don't respect the subtle signals of fatique the body sends out, and then we end
up with a full-blown case of the flu.
With treatment at first sign of cold and flu symptoms, many flu cases can be avoided. It all boils down to self-monitoring and taking aggressive action at first sign of infection.
Stock your First Aid Cabinet BEFORE you Need To Restock.
I always stock my cabinet at the beginning of cold and flu season because there is nothing more miserable than being sick and having to go
out and buy remedies. I recommend having the following on hand in my flu prevention kit during cold and flu season:
Vitamin D - We don't get as much sunshine in the winter months so supplementing with D3 is a good idea.
Simply Saline - Wonderful for unblocking a stopped up nose.
Occillococccinum - Homeopathic, works best at first sign of flu symptoms
Zicam - Works best if used at first sign of flu symptoms
Throat Lozenges - I like Ricola
Cough Lozenges - Again, I like Ricola
Electrolyte Drinks such as Solar Energy. I don't recommend high sugar electrolyte drinks because sugar has a negative impact on immune response.
Homepathic Sleep Remedy - Symptoms are important so find yours here: homeopathics for insomnia to choose the correct formula. For me, and based on the majority of symptoms I experienced, I chose cocculus indicus and, for me right now, it is working well. For others, gelsemium might be a good option. I ordered both because I had symptoms in each of the categories that were indicated but gelsemium was definitely not for me at this time. It may take a little trial and error.
Wally's Organic Ear Oil - I use a q-tip to apply this antiviral oil around the outside of my ears and also drop a few drops in my ears to protect agains airborne flu virus landing on my ears. This is how a lot of viruses enter the body. I also massage the oil (which smells like lavendar and not garlic, despite containing garlic) on my lymph nodes.
Consider stocking your winter first aid kid with immune enhancement supplements containing natural antibiotics since a strong immune system helps the body ward off viruses and infections. An effective cold and flu first aid kit should also be stocked with remedies for lessening the severity of flu symptoms because one of our bodies best healing modes is deep, restful sleep and anyone with the flu knows how hard that is to get with full-blown flu symptoms like a stopped up nose, achy joints, etc.
Flu Shot or no? If you opt to get a flu shot, I'd recommend talking with your doctor first, especially if you are over the age of 60. Also, the flu shot may be preferrable to the nasal swab or mist, simply because the shot is dead virus where the swab and mist are attenuated (weakened but live) virus.
If you choose not to take a flu shot, I'd recommend trying to stay out of drug stores and big chain stores where a lot of shots and swabs are being given during the beginning of flu season, to reduce risk of contracting virus through shedding from those being vaccinated. I personally apply tea tree oil around ears and on lymph nodes and apply sanitizer to hands before entering crowded areas like supermarkets or crowded stores, or when entering hospitals. I also take extra vitamin C, D3 and make sure to get my organic yogurt every day.
Informed consent resource regarding vaccinations - I can respect those who believe in the flu shot and other vaccinations, even though I feel those people put me at medical risk. Howerver, I have no patience at all with those who refuse to see that there are issues and questions about vaccines that deserve far more attention than they have been given by our government. This isn't a cut and dry proposition, like the pro-vaxxers love to proclaim. Anti-vaxxers aren't necessarily more ignorant than those who swallow their doctor's opinion without question. Many anti-vaxxers got that way only after having a relative or child die or become permanently disabled right after receiving a vaccine. I hope there can be reasonable discourse on this important topic.
Flue or flu? The flu is sometimes mispelled flue. If you've reached this site while searching on the term flue shot, I've added this spelling as well so that you'll still find the health information you are seeking. The correct spelling is flu, short for influenza.
Health Notice, please read: These cold and flu prevention tips are, in no way, intended to replace any medical advice you may have gotten from your doctor. When under a doctor's care, you have chosen to entrust that doctor with your health and can only benefit from their knowledge by following the instructions they give you. You should always check with your doctor before adding anything new to your health regimen, whether natural or prescription.
