Colds & Flu – Natural Solutions

I grew up in Canada where winters are fierce and annual colds and flus are expected. However, now that I live in the hot and humid Philippines the frequency of colds and flus seems higher than freezing Canada. Strange isn’t it? So advice about how to take care of yourself when you experience a cold or a flu is a worthy topic for my blog… sort of a universal subject for my readers.

Let me make it simple, we will talk about what to do and what NOT to do; but first we should understand that there are more viruses and bacteria in your body than there are cells in your body. That’s right! The microbial population is greater than the number of cells in your body. I also was shocked when I found this out, but it makes sense. The point to make here is that there is NO WAY you will cure the body of bacteria or viruses and the ONLY WAY to stay fit and healthy is to support and build up your body’s natural immune system. Don’t you agree?

What to Do:

1. Yes, we all know this one: drink 2 to 3 liters of water per day to flush out the increase metabolism by-products; get plenty of rest and increase your intake of antioxidants like Vitamin C or CoQ10.
2. Feed a fever and starve a cold. When the body has to focus its metabolism on fighting an infection it does not want to be distracted by heavy digestion activities because it needs energy elsewhere so you will naturally have a suppressed appetite; honor that and eat little like warm soups. The exception is when the fever is very high and the body needs the extra calories to maintain itself, so eat several small meals.
3. Take additional supplements like Echinacea, Vitamin C, Zinc, Ginseng, Elderberry and Garlic. One way to introduce micro-nutrients that is popular today is Juicing.

What NOT to do:

1. Don’t take antibiotics as this only weakens your immune system and causes other problems in tour digestive tract. For those who end up taking an antibiotic (for any reason) they must embark on a PRO-biotic regime as soon as they stop the medication.
2. Don’t eat junk food that taxes your whole metabolic system. You need to build up your micro-nutrient intake, not further burden your body by stealing micro-nutrient reserves to metabolize the junk food. This leaves you in further peril.
3. Don’t ignore what your body is trying to do like get you to sleep, rest more or to eat less.

The truth is in every instance that your body recovers from a cold or flu, it is a universal fact that it is Nature that cures so doing things that strengthen your immune system Vs attacking the disease or suppressing the symptoms. In fact the body heals you not because of the medicine but in spite of the medicine. So why tax your body when it already knows what t do. You just need to yield to your body’s special needs during these time. The recovery is better and often faster.

Yours in Health,
docMIKE