Monday, April 27, 2009

Swine Flu, what's a person to do?

And Joseph said unto them, fear not: for am I in the place of God? - Genesis 50:19

It seems like every few years there is a new kind of flu popping up, and I have to say..I am not usually an alarmist (although I can be high strung :-)), so I am not overly stressed about this either. I've read up on the facts about the swine flu (I have to admit, I'd never even heard about it until the reports began airing a few days ago), and I wanted to pass along the information to you. I am strong in my belief and faith and I know that I have no control over the various things that transpire in this world, but I do know where my strength and help comes from and so I am at peace.

That said, I do believe that we need to keep ourselves armed with knowledge and take preventive measures, so I've compiled a list of things we can do:

First, prayer - Prayer is our first line of defense. The power of prayer has been proven time and time again and it is our most powerful tool we can use against the many things that we encounter on a daily basis. Let's pray for our brothers and sisters around the world who have been affected by this horrible epidemic, and let's pray for each other. Let's pray that we will find peace and comfort, that fears will be stilled, and that we and our loved ones will remain healthy.

Second, Personal Hygiene - it is always a great defense against sickness and disease. We should wash our hands; if we are sick, we should limit our contact with others; avoid touching surfaces that are used by large numbers of people. Soap and water work much better than these expensive hand-sanitizing agents.

Third, we have to take care of ourselves - A healthy diet and lifestyle is essential towards living longer and preventing many types of diseases. One of the best things we can do is get back to the type of diet that incorporates fruits, vegetables and grain, with limits on or elimination of eating meats.

Fourth, know what you're dealing with. Here are some links to check out to get your questions answered.

http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/

http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_04_24/en/index.html

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/keir.clarke/flu.htm (this is a google earth swine flu timeline)

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/04/26/us/20090427-flu-graphic.html

Now, if you've read this far, I have a favor to ask everyone: If you know of any natural preventative herbs, oils, fruits, vegetables, etc that one can use to help boost their immune system or prevent viruses and/or bacterial infections, please take a moment to post your ideas here? That would be great! thank you again,

Michelle

Blessings!

Update: One of the readers sent in this link which I think is great: http://www.herbal-home-remedies.org/remedies/colds-flu.htm I hope this helps!

10 comments:

  1. A curious fact from a previous flu pandemic, workers at a cinnamon factory were unaffected by the flu. Researchers then did a study and discovered that the active ingredient in cinnamon had an anti-inflammatory effect. This action prevented the flu virus from getting a toehold in the cells of the person exposed. It has also been found that turmeric has similar properties. That with natural VIT C should take care of any worries about flu.

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  2. We have found astragalus to be a good immune builder.

    http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/astragalus-000223.htm

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  3. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  4. At the risk of getting labeled a freak I will say what I have done. I have gotten Sambucol/Sambucus - both have same ingredients and are available locally at My Organic Market- kids and adult strength (an Israeli study showed good results with flus with this elderberry based liquid), a good new vaporizor, kids and adult strength guaifenesin - an expectorant to clear lungs I have had good results with, fever reducers of various types (some reading suggested that in adults aspirin can slow a cytokine storm that some of these flus produce, but it is not conclusive for sure. I also can only give my one-kidney child certain medications), medicines for diarrhea for all of us and electrolyte solutions ( like Pedialyte). I also downloaded instructions with pictures of percussive techniques to help clear the lungs. Since we already homeschool I am prepared to quarantine at home if need arises and this thing starts to look like its getting out of control. I have a box of N95 masks and gloves that I have had unopened from past FEMA recommended disaster preparedness suggestions.

    I have to disagree with the advice to limit or eliminate animal protein. Chicken broth is fantastic for flus and easy to eat. Bone Broths in general are great for building back strength after a tough illness. Fish oil is a must for good health in my opinion.

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  5. I actually use chicken broth also and swear by it. No one here will think you are a freak :-) I think there is a lot to be said about homeopathic remedies and old remedies passed down through the generation. Thank you everyone, keep it coming!

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  6. Some information from the Mexican town where this originated.

    "Sufferers complained of symptoms including fever, severe cough, and large amounts of phlegm...
    High fevers, pain in the muscles and the joints, terrible headaches, some vomiting and diarrhoea. The illness came on very quickly and whole families were laid up."

    So in your preparation think about things that will help with these symptoms. Also if making bone broths add a couple teaspoons of vinegar to help draw the most nutrients from the bones.

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  7. Hey everyone, thanks for commenting. There is a really good discussion on my homeschool yahoo group. Here are some suggestions given:

    Adding some extra Vit D is being recommended by several health professionals. Vit C wouldn't hurt either!

    Julie

    goldenseal, echinacea, elderberry, if you go to my blog at www.queensedgefarm.blogspot.com I have a couple of links there for herbal remedies. type in herbal in the search link and if you scroll down a little there is some more info on herbal remedies. Hope this helps.

    Amy

    Basically, just have a diet with a lot of variety, very little cooked food
    and very little animal products (including dairy). Generally speaking, you
    will be healthier overall, and it's less likely that you'll 'catch' bird flu

    Dawn

    I really, really don't want to enter the fray, but am going to tell you about a new resource I've found out about that might have handy stuff. :) www.autismcommunitystore.com has all sorts of things for supporting the immune system. I've been looking into it for the biomedical treatments of autism and am learning quite a bit. There is also a lot of information about immune support on www.generationrecovery.com. It's focused on recovering from systemic bugs that can exacerbate autism, but anything that's annoying your immune system is bad, and things that can help it out are probably good. :)

    Rhonda
    A swine flu panic happened in 1976 and more people actually died from the
    vaccine than the actual flu. I always decline the flu vaccines and will this
    one also.

    We have our silver solution that I spray on the kid's hands when we are in
    public and sometimes in their mouthes. Tea tree oil solution or probably other
    antiseptic herbal oil solutions work also and the germs don't build immunities
    to these like they do hand sanitizer. The kids had one bout of sickness, a
    cold, in the last year since we started the regiment and that quickly went away
    when we bought a big bag of oranges to eat and used silver solution as a nasal
    spray.

    Just my two cents for what it's worth,

    Cydnie

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  8. Here's another comment sent to my email:

    Seems unlikely anyone could have suggestions specific to this virus, as no

    one has experience with it. Washing your hands regularly and not touching

    your face are usually steps 1 and 2 to avoid a virus. Interestingly, the

    1918 flu epidemic killed more healthy, prime of life people than it did the

    young or the old with weaker immune systems. Patients with the strongest

    immune response had the greatest lung damage, and then contracted bacterial

    pneumonia or other secondary infections which resulted in death.



    Cathy

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  9. My good friend Lorrie just sent me some things to post to the blog. I hope that you all will find this very helpful.

    Subject: notes about influenza from a naturpath

    The recent outbreak of swine flu may or may not become a pandemic. Earlier this winter I taught a class about influenza. Here is some information from that presentation that goes beyond the basic hygiene measures we should all be taking. These are just some ideas to consider, please remember that anyone can have a negative reaction to any supplement, so make sure that it is right for you.

    According to studies, the following supplements and herbs have shown some effectiveness with preventing and minimizing influenza: · Vitamin D 2000 IU/day
    · NAC (N-acetyl cysteine) 600mg bid with 1200mg Vitamin C (NAC can cause stomach aches and diarrhea in a small percentage of people and must be used with twice as much Vitamin C)
    · Extracts of Olive leaf, Elderberry (like Sambucus brand) and Astragalus

    Other preventive measures include:
    Keep mucus membranes moist and healthy Nasal saline Humidifier if house is dry Clean vents and furnace filter and other environmental irritants in the house Basic Immune Enhancing Measures for Influenza
    · Eat enough, not too much, not too little
    · Include 5 portions of colorful vegetable and fruit (especially for the carotenoids which help maintain the lining of the respiratory tract along with many other helpful attributes
    · Stay hydrated
    Peculiar to influenza:
    · Exercising it off is not a good strategy with influenza. The goal is to keep the pathogen from descending deeper into the bronchi and lungs from the throat and nasal passages. The deep breathing of exercise combined with our (usually) dry air can actually drive it deeper. If you suspect flu, because of body aches and such, stay home and rest.
    · Stay warm. The influenza viruses like a temperature of 95 degrees, which is part of why it flourishes in the airways where the temperature is cooler. Warm foods and drinks and covers help.
    Pharmaceuticals · The conventional anti-flu drugs do appear to be effective with this swine flu variant.

    From the symptoms reported in the media thus far, the homeopathic medicine with the best match is Baptisia. Not usually found it home kits, this would be a good one to add to your at home pharmacy in a 30C or higher potency. Washington Homeopathics out of West Virginia is a good source.

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  10. As a holistic mom doing biomedical for ASD kids..I have learned a lot about immune systems and germs and how to fend them off.
    Some natural remedies or helpful things for flu or viruses:

    -Olive leaf extract
    -Vitamin D-deficiency is the number reason for getting the flu.
    -Vitamin A
    -Zinc
    -Vitamin C
    -Beta Glucan
    -Echinacea
    -Astralagus Root
    avoiding sugar is huge in keeping the immune system optimal
    -Probiotics also help immune function
    -Neti Pots are wonderful for cleansing inhaled viruses out of the nasal passages before they can get you sick

    The other two things we use are a brand but only because no one else makes these
    products or something similar.
    -Ossillococcinum by Boiron is a homeopathic remedy for flu
    -Virastop Enzymes by Enzymedica digest the covering of viral cells so the
    immune system can inactivate them quickly.
    -EpiCor boost immune function, this is made by a few different companies.

    I have beat out or fended off more viruses in the past three years with these things. No one in our home stays sick for very long. I have actually succeeding in stopping a virus, by taking 30,000 IU of A, 5,000 IU of D, 2,000 mg of C, 500mg of Olive leaf, and 2 Virastop caps before going to bed on a day when I had a viral headache and felt like I was coming down with something. I am not recommending these doses per say for anyone, as it may vary on age/weight/level of deficiency. Just saying that these things do work and are potent.

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