| What our team has been learning about fending off winter bugs and other nasty infections …
Here’s the deal… although we are basically intelligent folks, many of us fall into some bad habits around cold and flu management:
• We get sick when we don’t need to or stay sick longer than necessary
• We rely on prescription antibiotics for things they simply won’t help
• We further drain our immune systems and create further compromise to our systems
Our team has become masterful at heading off colds and flu before they get the best of us. Not perfect, but far better than most people we know. And we do it through nourishing our bodies rather than masking our symptoms with over-the-counter chemicals.
Of course, the first and best way to keep your system healthy is to eat a nutrient-dense diet, avoid junk foods and get plenty of sleep. A sound and lofty goal, but even the best of us have times where we can't make it work or its just not enough.
The products we discuss here have helped us and others avoid getting sick and will kill bugs, even viruses which prescription antibiotics never help. Secret #1 is to have them on hand and use them AT THE FIRST SIGN OF SYMPTOMS and STICK WITH THEM FOR A DAY OR TWO AFTER SYMPTOMS HAVE PASSED.
For the flu:
Oscillococcinum is a wonder homeopathic remedy for flu symptoms. We always keep two boxes (12 doses) around “just in case”. They are small little pellets that get placed under the tongue until they melt. They taste like sugar so kids take them without resistance. We take them at the first sign of flu type symptoms (fever, nausea, body aches, etc.) We don’t worry if we don't actually have the flu - if we don’t need this remedy it just goes right through the system without impact. If we do need it, however, it will take effect and make the flu less severe and considerably shorter. Sometimes we catch it early enough that the bug just disappears!
We also take Oscillococcinum if we know we have been (or will be) exposed to someone with the flu.
Oscillococcinum is available at some traditional drug stores, but we usually pick it up at health food stores because they have a special deal for two boxes. It comes in a narrow white box with yellow, orange and black details (see photo below). We tell you this because its kind of hard to pronounce and many people in traditional drug stores will not recognize it by name. (You will have to tell them you want the homeopathic flu remedy that comes in the white box with yellow, orange and black on it…yada yada). Don’t let them tell you they don’t have it… ask the manager. We have found that almost every major drug store carries it.
The best value we have found is online at Swanson Vitamin.
For a Cold
We use Airborne® to both treat and avoid colds. What makes Airborne® such a popular health product is that it actually works! Airborne® can both help prevent colds and also shorten the length of a cold. Airborne® is technically not a cold medicine; rather it is a dietary supplement that uses an effervescent formula to provide 100% immediate absorption of its 17 herbs and nutrients known to support the immune system and battle nasty bugs.
There are two ways to take Airborne®. First, take an Airborne® tablet as a cold prevention - before entering crowded, potentially germ-infested environments. Places like airplanes, offices, stores, shopping malls, classrooms, subways, preschools, buses - okay during the winter months just about anyplace is germ-infested! In any case, one Airborne® tablet will provide 3 hours of protection against the common cold.
The second way to use Airborne® is to take them at the first sign of a cold symptom. If you catch the onset of a cold quick enough, you will be able to prevent the cold from turning into a full blown nasty cold. If you feel that itching in your throat and start to sneeze, take the Airborne® right away.
You can buy Airborne at any drug or health food store.
We also use Thieves Oil to avoid colds and other airborne bugs. The proprietary Thieves oil blend was created based on research into the concoction used by the thieves during the 15th century bubonic plague. Specifically, a group of perfumers and spice traders used a special concoction of herbs and oils to avoid the plague while robbing the dead and dying. In 1997, studies conducted at Weber State University showed Thieves Oil to have a 99.96% success rate against airborne bacteria.
We simply put a drop of Thieves oil on our throat to kill airborne nasties. We also put a drop or two into a bottle of water and drink it throughout the day when it feels like we have something coming on.
We can get it at a great price if you are interested… info@softhandswarmheart.com.
Other Critical Immune Boosters
CELLFOOD is a “natural antibiotic/antiviral” we use for infections.
Here is a brief blip on Cell Food from the company’s literature:
CELLFOOD “Liquid Life” is a colloidal mineral supplement that contains 78 minerals, aerobic proteins, 17 amino acids, 34 enzymes, neutrons, electrolytes and dissolved oxygen. It eliminates toxic compounds in a stimulating chain reaction that creates an oxygen rich environment in which harmful bacteria, viruses and scavengers can no longer thrive. It has been around for more than a century. Oxygen therapy is a term that uses oxygen enhancing product to diminish bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungus, yeast pathogens and free radical scavengers.
Don’t get hung up in the mumbo jumbo –just know that putting oxygen into my blood is a good thing. In addition to creating an environment that bugs can’t do well in, it enhances nutrient absorption and increases metabolism. It promotes great availability of vitamins, minerals and herbs you might already be taking.
The 1 OZ bottle lasts about a month if taken every day. When we are sick or getting sick, at the first sign of a problem, we take 20 drops in a glass of water or juice 2-6 times a day. We know we can’t take too much, so we take it whenever we think about it.
AS A SIDENOTE: Cell-food-store.com also offers a short book that describes more about Cellfood if you want more details (you get a free copy of the book with your first order). If you or someone you know is either dealing with cancer or is at increased risk for cancer, we’d highly recommend learning more about Cellfood.
We have found that it is also important to take Zinc and vitamin C. We use C-packs from the health food store (get the low sugar ones as sugar is never a good thing to take but especially true when my immune system is compromised). These are flavored mega doses of C that are added to hot water and offer a real blast. Keep in mind that C is a water soluble vitamin, so your body will push through whatever it can’t use rather than store it and use it when it’s needed. This means it needs to be taken throughout the day.
We also take a good quality immune booster that is primarily antioxidants. Antioxidants help fight off all the various stressors on the system. Go to a health food store and ask for a suggestion or write us and ask for one.
Finally, if we have an issue is involving the lungs we will take NAC (N-acetyl cysteine). This is a terrific free-radical defender and the body's most powerful antioxidant amino acid. NAC is an important weapon in the war against free radicals and particularly effective for issues with your lungs. You can also find this at Swanson or any health food store. Below is the Swanson link.
http://www.swansonvitamins.com/ProductDisplay/catalogId/10051/productId/12895/R/5213
Echinacea, golden seal and elderberry are also helpful, natural healers. We are careful not to take Echinacea for more than two weeks in a row as we have read that after a while it starts to have a negative impact on the immune system.
In review, our bottom line shopping list:
Things we would never be caught without:
- Oscillococcinum
- Airborne
- Cellfood
- Antioxidant formula
- Vitamin C
- Liquid Zinc
Things that seem to further support or boost our immune system:
- NAC
- Echinacea
- Golden seal
- Elderberry
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