Earl Mindell, R.Ph., Ph.D.
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 In 1992, a team of Israeli scientists and physicians conducted a double-blind study testing elderberry extract on 50 patients infected with flu virus. Half were given elderberry extract and the other half were given a placebo. Within 24 hours, 20 percent of the elderberry takers showed dramatic improvement in fever, muscle pain, and respiratory symptoms. Amazingly, by the second day, 75 percent showed a real change for the better, and by the third day, 90 percent felt markedly better. |
Attaining Medical Self SufficiencyDuncan Long
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| The researchers found that when a group in their 70s were given a vaccine containing three strains of flu virus, their declining immune systems were revitalized.170
"Youthful immunity: flu vaccine rejuvenates older immune systems," Prevention, 44(10) 14-16, 1992.
Geriatrician Dr. Janet E. McEIhaney, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Alberta, in Edmonton, reported, "We found that it [the vaccines] not only boosted responses against strains we targeted, but also others not included in the vaccine. |
Barnet Meltzer, M.D.
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 But if you follow healthy habits for a year, and then are faced with, for example, a flu virus, your body can call to the front an entire twelve months worth of wellness to combat the intruder. Make sense?
Primary nutritional food swings, then, are those first positive food swings needed to build the foundation for the long term while keeping you energized in the present moment. By providing your metabolism with the right nutrients, they begin the process of revitalizing it.
Food swings expose the personality of your eating habits. |
Bill Gottlieb
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 This classic herbal remedy for upper respiratory infections increases the production of white blood cells, lymphocytes, and macrophages, which are immune system factors that fight the flu virus.
• Three droppers of goldenseal tincture. It helps reduce the irritation and inflammation in the lining of your respiratory tract, soothing a cough or sore throat.
• Three droppers of cat's claw tincture. Used for centuries by people in the Andes, this herb is well-known among alternative practitioners as a powerful immune booster.
• A pinch of cayenne pepper. |
David Brownstein
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 Case Study
Jessica, age 37, was diagnosed with fibromyalgia at the age of 33 after becoming ill with a flu virus. She reported having most of the symptoms of fibromyalgia, including aching muscles, fatigue, and having a difficult time sleeping. "My life is miserable. I ache all over and I never feel rested. I feel like I have aged twenty years since I became ill," she said. My examination of Jessica revealed hypothyroid and hypoadrenal states. After being treated with appropriate hormonal and nutritional supplementation, Jessica made little improvement. |
the Editors of FC&A Medical Publishing
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 Certain chemicals in shiitake mushrooms help fight the flu virus as well as the top man-made drugs. And they seem to increase your resistance to fungi, parasites, and other viruses, too. Extracts from shiitake and maitake mushrooms may also jump start your immune system into making more natural killer cells. While the connection between eat ing whole mushrooms and these benefits is still controversial, adding a few of these delicacies to your daily menu can't hurt when it's cold and blustery outside.
Cans cancer. Consider mushrooms, too, when it comes to cancer prevention. |
Richard Leviton
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 The flu virus looks like the head of a Roman mace"
Implicit in the proliferation of military rhetoric is the concept that disease—a product of nature's fulsome cornucopia of pathogens—is inimical to human life and well-being. Pathogens and disease agents are the shadow side of nature, the predatory "man-eating" faces of a hostile environment, and must be kept at bay, if not decisively eradicated. |
Mark Stengler, N.D.
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 Flu
People get different symptoms, even with the same strain of flu virus. The symptoms depend in part on how your body reacts to the infection. Arsenicum is helpful for the flu bug that hits and gives you a double whammy of diarrhea and vomiting at the same time. Chills and restlessness are also characteristic of the flu that requires this remedy.
°fc> Ulcer
Ulcers and gastritis (inflammation of the stomach) can be helped by arsenicum, especially when the stomach pains are made better by drinking milk. This is the second most common remedy for ulcers after nux vomica. |
Earl L. Mindell, R.Ph., Ph.D.
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 And because the strains of flu that sweep through North America are different every year, the antibody response will only be protective if the manufacturers of the vaccine are lucky enough to pick the right flu virus! A study from the Netherlands showed that among two groups of elderly people, one that received flu shots and one that received a placebo, the group receiving the flu shot only had a 1 percent lower incidence of flu than the placebo group!
Flu shots are not without side effects. |
| She took his advice and was able to isolate some proteins that deactivated a flu virus in the laboratory.
20 WAYS TO SUPERCHARGE YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM AND PREVENT COLDS AND FLUS
1. Stretching helps your lymphatic system do its job of removing toxins from your body. Be sure to stretch your neck muscles, your torso, and to stretch your arms over your head.
2. Get an extra hour of sleep or go to bed early with a cup of chamomile tea and an uplifting book.
3. Zinc lozenges are powerful weapons in the fight against winter colds. Try the varieties with propolis and vitamin C added.
4. |
| The influenza or flu virus tends to sweep into an area and cause widespread illness. Symptoms tend to be more severe with a flu, including a higher fever, aches and chills, and nausea.
Neither a cold nor flu can be effectively treated with an antibiotic. Antibiotics kill bacteria and colds and flus are caused by viruses. While a cold or flu can cause a bacterial infection, you are best off allowing your own body to fight it off and heal it unless a doctor determines that you are at risk for pneumonia or some other serious infectious disease. |
| If you can stop the virus from entering cells, it can't get to the DNA to replicate itself. The flu virus invades cells by puncturing cell walls with tiny spikes called hemagglutinin that cover its surface. After watching viruses and elderberry in the laboratory, Mumcuoglu found that the active ingredients in elderberry actually disarmed the spikes by binding to them and preventing them from piercing the cell membrane. The viral spikes are covered with an enzyme called neuraminidase. This enzyme acts to break down the cell wall. |
| Others include palpitations, rapid heartbeat, chest tightness, angina (heart pains), tremor, dizziness, vertigo, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, joint and back pain, muscle cramping, generalized muscle aches, giddiness, susceptibility to flu virus and viral gastroenteritis, itching, dental pain, fatigue, rash, menstrual irregularities, nasal allergies, runny nose, laryngitis, bronchitis, dry mouth and cough.
Caution! Think Twice About Taking This Drug if . . . |
James A. Duke, Ph.D.
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 Several of the sulfur compounds in garlic are active against the flu virus, according to Heinrich P. Koch, Ph.D., professor of pharmaceutical chemistry and biopharmaceutics at the University of Vienna, and Larry D. Lawson, Ph.D., a research scientist at an herb company in Utah, authors of Garlic: The Science and Therapeutic Application of Allium Sativum and Related Species.
Again, I'm reluctant to point to any specific compounds in garlic, because
I suspect that they all somehow work together. |
Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
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 In laboratory tests, using fish oils prolongs the time needed for animals to recover from the flu virus.
Avoid dairy products, mucus-forming foods, and sugar.
Ll Get adequate rest. Although keeping active during a cold is a good idea, it is important to remain relatively inactive during a bout of the flu.
Do not give aspirin or any product containing aspirin to a child who shows symptoms of a viral infection. Aspirin use can result in Reye's syndrome, a potentially serious complication.
Ll If you are over sixty-five, see your health-care provider. |
Richard Leviton
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| The flu virus looks like the head of a Roman mace," says Time. Not only is there a first cause that precipitates our organic discomforts—genetic defects—but microbial scourges are malevolent and evil. The ancient struggle between good and evil, light and darkness is waged in our bodies in an organic morality play in which our physicians become our priests and redeemers.
Nature may be purposefully plotting against us, the allopathic logic implies. The defect might be intentional, part of a cursed teleology from our phylogenetic beginnings. |
Doug Dollemore, Mark Giuliucci and the Editors of Men's Health Magazine
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 These two compounds are active against influenza A, the only flu virus that kills. Just one caveat: You must get them from your doctor within 48 hours of when you come down with flu.
If you forget to get the pneumonia vaccine—or if you're unlucky enough to run into one of the pneumonias that's not in the vaccine—your doctor will prescribe an antibiotic that is specifically designed to kill the virus or bacteria that have attacked, says Dr. Mostow. If you have the form of pneumonia that affects those with AIDS, P. |
Robyn Landis
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 There are over 250 varieties of colds known to researchers, and the flu virus mutates constantly. You can be reinfected with every single one. The body develops an immunity to a particular cold virus once you get it, but there are 249 more out there that can still infect you, and new versions are always evolving. We can't hope the "supply" will run out.
Cold and influenza ("flu") share many of the same symptoms, especially at onset, and may be hard to tell apart. A little way into the infection, though, there are telltale differences. |
| Mumcuoglu found two chemicals in elderberry that prevent the flu virus from invading throat cells (its only way to reproduce), thus preventing infection. When Mumcuoglu returned to Israel, she developed an elderberry syrup containing the two compounds, naming it Sambucol. A flu outbreak in 1992 gave Mumcuoglu a chance to test the remedy. Half the residents were given 4 tablespoons of Sambucol a day at the first sign of a fever. The other half took Tylenol and cold formulas. After 3 days, 90 percent of the Sambucol users felt well again. The other group took twice as long to heal. |
Dr. Cass Ingram
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 Thus, indirectly hurricane Floyd could induce a violent 1999-2000 flu epidemic, which could cause tens of thousands of fatalities.
The flu virus is a rather weak germ. It is highly vulnerable to natural antiseptics. A study performed by Medical Science Research determined that both RNA and DNA viruses were completely destroyed, that is the viruses were disentigrated, by oil of oregano. Use the wild high mountain type if possible, since this is the type which is proven by research to be the most powerful. Other anti-viral oils included oils of rosemary, bay leaf, cumin, and lavender. |
| A flu virus induced national crisis is completely plausible. In 1999 the flu struck certain regions in the United States with exceptional ferocity, the East Coast bearing the brunt of the damage. Essentially, the entire state of of Connecticut was disabled. Hospitals were overwhelmed, and admissions were halted. This was a modern-day medical catastrophe. Thus, the flu is the number one agent that must be derailed in the event of crisis. Of even greater consequence are the repercussions of hurricane Floyd: millions of dead animals floating in a stagnant infection soup. |
Patrick Quillin, PhD,RD,CNS
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 Acemannan has also demonstrated a potent ability to fight the flu virus, measles and the HIV virus while also reducing the dosage required of the drug AZT.37 <) Anti-inflammatory. Drugs, like cortisone, that are effective at reducing inflammation also shut down wound recovery. Aloe has the ability to reduce swelling while also enhancing wound recovery. 0 Immune stimulant. Aloe has been shown to increase the activity of the immune system.38 Aloe seems to provide neutrophils with more "bullets", or toxic substances to kill cancer and invading organisms. |
Linda B. White, M.D.
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 Immunizations can be obtained against certain strains of flu virus. Effectiveness varies and wanes quickly, depending on the type of vaccine and immune health of the recipient. Side effects-, skin reactions at shot injection site,- less commonly fever, muscle aches. (A relatively new alternative to flu shots is getting a dose of the weakened virus intranasally,- so far, studies show this method is effective and has few side effects.)
More Herbal Cold Combinations
Sometimes flu or colds come with raw, irritated respiratory linings. |
the Editors of PREVENTION
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 A cold or flu virus creates hospitable conditions for bacteria to thrive in the sinuses, creating even more inflammation. A lot of other things can set off the nasal reaction, including fungus infections, hay fever, damp weather, intolerance to certain medicines, and even emotional conditions such as grief.
Incidence: More than 35 million Americans suffer from at least one case of acute sinusitis each year. |
the Editors of PREVENTION Magazine Health Books
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 A passing cold or flu virus could be responsible, for example. So could more serious things like tuberculosis, low thyroid function, diseases of the heart or lungs or liver problems.
"Unfortunately, one of the most common early warning signs for cancer is appetite loss, which is usually accompanied by changes in taste sensitivity," says Robin Kanarek, Ph.D., professor of psychology and physiological psychologist at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.
"Appetite loss is the body's defense against ingesting anything that could slow the healing process," explains David Levitsky, Ph.D. |
Natural Prescriptions: Dr. Giller's Natural Treatments & Vitamin Therapies For Over 100 Common AilmentsRobert M. Giller, M.D.
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| The average sore throat is the result of a cold or flu virus. For an overall treatment regime for colds and flus, see Colds, page 83. For the pain of a sore throat there are a number of treatments that will give great relief. Gargling with mixtures of water and salt, water and hydrogen peroxide if infection is present, or water and aspirin can all give relief.
Zinc lozenges, which are available in health food stores, can be dissolved on the tongue to relieve pain and fight infection. I think they are the simplest and most effective treatment. |
Jean Carper
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 If you are exposed to the flu, your body designs a set of antibodies to pursue only that particular flu virus. Antibodies usually are not microbial killers; they are like scouts that round up, disarm, and stick to microbe prisoners, then signal other immune-system troops to come in for the kill. Commonly, white "killer" cells rush to the scene, and envelop or literally swallow the invading microbe. Theoretically, the more antibodies on tap, the stronger the body's resistance to disease. |
Linda B. White, M.D.
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| Typical dosage: eight or nine 400- to 500-milligram capsules per day,- or 15 to 30 drops of tincture twice per day.
Asian Ginseng (Panax ginseng) and Siberian Ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus)
These two herbs have a strong reputation as overall health enhancers and immune-system rebuilders. Like astragalus, they are well-suited to long-term daily use. Typical dosage for Asian ginseng-. 100 milligrams of standardized products (usually standardized to 5 to 7 percent ginsenosides) one or two times per day,- or up to four 400- to 600-milligram capsules per day. |
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