Empowering Your Immune System To Deal With The Flu

Natural ways to boost your protective energy and how to deal with the flu should you get it.  

In addition to exercise and proper diet, Mary recommends health enhancement through deep breathing, hygiene, detoxification, and immune system boosters. To recover from the flu, she recommends remedies to take and foods to avoid. In light of potential flu pandemics, the following will provide natural ways to boost your protective energy and also provide ways to deal with the flu should you get it. It is your decision to get a flu shot or not. These suggestions offer natural alternative information and in no way replace a qualified health practitioner.  

Prevention
Live a healthy lifestyle: get plenty of rest, drink adequate amounts of water, eat nutritious foods, exercise daily - walking, yoga, stretching. Get meridian therapy acupuncture (the author's specialty).  

Deep breathing
Let your breath penetrate to the area two fingers below the naval and then fill the lungs. This engages the parasympathetic system, the part of our autonomic nervous system that promotes healing responses. Fortifies the “sea of Ki (energy)".  

Hygiene
Proper hand washing is still one of the most effective ways to reduce your risk of contracting the flu. Also, within your daily bathing routine, add a full body brisk rub with a dry cloth or dry natural bristle back brush to slightly pink up the skin. This causes the protective energy to activate. Do this prior to your shower or bath. At the end of your shower let the water run cold for a short time to cause your pores to close, an added way to engage the protective mechanisms of the body. Remember to cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when sneezing or coughing.  

Detoxification
Use 1 tablespoon of red or dark miso paste in 4-6 ounces of just-under-the-boil water once a day or have a miso soup once a day. Miso is great for detoxification. And it helps replenish the flora to the gastrointestinal tract. Studies show that the gastrointestinal tract is a major part of our immune system. You also might consider BHI "Detox Kit". Using this in Fall and then again in Spring helps the cellular matrix by allowing cells to communicate/function better.  

Boost the immune system functions to ward off the flu. This can be accomplished with white grape juice (an 8 oz. glass a day), or white wine (a 4 oz. glass a day). Both of these have the natural ingredient used in the prescription "Tamiflu". BHI Heel offers "Engystol" as a way to activate the non specific immune system. Taken three times a day for one week on, then one week off, and one week on again, Engystol is thought to offer protection from the flu and other viral opportunists. Continue alternating weeks on and off through the flu season.  

Flu Remedies
Get a Meridian Therapy Acupuncture treatment, then stay home! Rest, drink plenty of fluids including ginger tea. Take vitamin C or eat vitamin C rich foods. If your fever is less than 100 degrees, you can take a hot foot bath to raise your temperature to no higher than 101. This will help release interferon and leukocytes to fight the infection. Run cold water over your feet quickly at the end of the 20 minute bath to reset your thermostat. Then go to bed and rest. Drinking fluids during the bath is recommended.  

Use "Sinusin" Spray to help with the nasal symptoms. Zinc can also be helpful. "Engystol" and BHI Heel's "Gripp Heel" will help your body fight the infection and ease the symptoms. Their "Flu Plus" is also helpful. Use "Traumeel" tablets by BHI Heel to ease aches and pains instead of an NSAID. Fever is our body's response to fight the infection. Let a low grade fever work without taking a fever reducer. I would reduce a fever when it reaches 103. For nausea and diarrhea add one gram Ume concentrate to 2-4 oz. under-the-boil water, up to two times a day as needed. Use no longer than three days at this dosage.  

Watch funny movies and laugh. Laughter is a great healer.  

The adage is "feed a fever and starve a cold". Feed a fever, as you are using great amounts of energy with fever, thus burning many calories. Starve a cold, as the cold virus feeds on the sugars in food. "Starve" means eat three small nutritious meals a day, no snacks, and no processed sugars. Soups are great as they also help hydrate. This adage seems perverse, as when you have a fever there is often nausea with it, or you just don't want to eat. But, in a fever, you must keep your strength up by eating nutritious foods.