I'm up at two in the morning with a scratchy throat and I'm concerned that I'm coming down with the flu. With all this scary stuff in the news, it has me a bit worried. I'm looking forward to a very merry christmas and this isn't what I had in mind.
If I do have the flu, are there any recommendations to fight it best? Many of the original ideas are high in carbs (like chicken noodle soup, oj, etc). And does anyone have any general advice (apart from rest and lots of fluids?)

thanks.

take some extra vit C and take an echinacea supplement!! Hope you start feeling better soon!!

I hope it's just a cold and not the flu........poor you!
Eat raw garlic *never mind the smell* I swear it helps. I add it to cream cheese or sallads.

Take care!

Alina

Along the lines of garlic is "oil of oregano" (e.g., effective not pleasant - lol).

You should be able to find it at your health food stores. A drop under your tongue. DO NOT OVER DO IT! And do not get it up your nose! lol Strong irritant. Speak to someone in the shop about it re: concentration levels etc.

My mom who is an asthmatic and prone to bronchitis finds this really very helpful.

Here is a wee bit of info I have saved on my HDD re: oil of oregano. When I find the source again, I will give credit to the author! Apologies to the author in the mean time!

Oregano is one of the most effective Oils known, and can be used to aid the body in responding to all kinds of infections. It is widely considered to aid in the body's ability to address a number of serious health conditions and research into the uses of Oregano Oil continues to yield new and more powerful benefits. It stimulates the stomach and appetite, treats hiccups and helps the functioning of the stomach in cases of dyspepsia. Oregano Oil also has found almost miraculous uses in the strengthening of the respiratory system as well.

It is also a general support and strengthener of the immune system, which is responsible for helping the body avoid coming down with any illness. It can greatly aid someone who is often sick or who feels continually tired. Topically on the skin, Oregano Oil in very low dilution helps the body respond to a wide variety of conditions and common skin problems. It can help relieve menstrual irregularities in a Massage, or when used in a Bath treatment. It has also been used in Massage Blends for soothing the joints.


Feel better!

...and just in case it's NOT the flu (yet)...(this is good advice for everyone!)

Wash your hands at least 10 times a day. Do not touch your face with your hands unless your hands have been freshly washed. Buy a container of Purell and carry it with you so you can disinfect your hands between washings.

I can't stress this strongly enough. I work in a Microbiology lab so I wash my hands constantly -- I haven't had the flu in more than 10 years.

Good luck!!!!

Jeannie

Make sure to take your suppliments. Eat as healthy as possible and remember to get adiquet calories and sleep so your body stays strong.

The entire family here is got the flu in one form or another. i was up at midnight with a puker :P So far I've been lucky and all I've gotten is exaustion, which could be stress related.

Wash everything, especially when your out and around sick people. Door knobs, phones and so on are coated in germs. Those alcohol based hand sanatizers aren't a good idea and can actually make things worse by drying your hands and making cracks form where germs can hide. Instead use a gentle antibacterial soap and a good lotion often.

If you do start to get sick, have some very low sodium broth on hand. Set up your crock pot and make up a soup. Keep it plugged in on warm and have a comfoting cup of soup anytime you want it. As your stomach feels better add in chicken breast and other gentle on the tummy fillers.

For some strange reason when ever my son or I have an upset stomach we both crave peanut butter. I don't know what it is, but for some reason it seems to settle my tummy, it's also quick and easy to grab a bite of when I feel weak.

For colds, zinc lozenges that you suck (despite the questionable metallic taste) are great for pain of sore throat. The zinc actually prevents the virus from replicating. Suck one every 2 hours - up to 5 of them per day. But only do this for a few days as daily doses of zinc can lead to too high levels of it.

In the US, there is a product called Zicam which is zinc to be sprayed in the nose to kill the virus.

Extra Vitamin C prepares the immune system and helps fight the cold/ flu if you get it.

Oscillococcinum (O-sill - oh -koh- sign- um) taken at the first sign of the flu can bash it away. Get it at health food or herbal medicine stores.

There are also various "flu buster" or "flu preventive" things at herbalists.

those zinc supplements are great. I remember reading coconut oil is supposed to have some antiviral properties as well. Maybe a little in a cup of hot tea would help.

Thanks for all the great advice. It's definitely the flu as well as a secondary infection...at least that's what the doc said this morning. I now have incredible pain in the joints, a mild fever, chest pain, a painful cough etc.
I made some chicken soup but there are some carbs in it that I'm trying to avoid. They make the broth a bit tastier...like carrots etc.
I'm bummed out. I teach, so it's not surprising where I probably got it.
I'm taking vit C and zinc. The doc put me on antibiotics...again. I'm not fond of antibiotics, but I'm a bit freaked out by this flu going around. How bad is it you folks' areas?
Any other lc eating/ drinking ideas (apart from the good old water?)

Ok, I take coconut oil by the spoonfull. I use it in cooking, mix it in desserts and generally love the stuff. But the idea of putting it into tea just made my stomach turn :P ick

It's like someone suggested a while back of putting butter in tea to make a hot buttered rum tasting drink. It did not work, tasted nasty, and made me half ill for the rest of the night. *shudder*

The antibiotics ar eprobably for the secondary infection. They would have no effect on flu or cold as those are virus not bacterial. They are having problems with all the new antibiotic resistant strains of certain things because for a while antibiotics were so over perscribed they strengthened the bugs.

In Colorado the flu is really bad. I've heard of at least 4 child deaths, ranging from an 18 month old to an 11 year old. It's moving north to here, which isn't suprising as much going back and forth as there is across the border. I called the doctor about flu shots for the kids, but was told unelss they have asthme, diabetis, or cronic heart conditions there was no way to get the shots. High risk children are put on a list and healthy ones are considered able to handle it. There is a nation wide shortage of the vaccanine is the problem.

I think all my supplimenting and eating veggies has paid off. That or I just don't have time to be sick atm and it will hit me like a ton of bricks out of no where soon.

There are a few antiviral meds we are giving our elderly patients in my nursing home. Flumadine, Amantadine, and Tamiflu are all used for early symptoms/exposure to the flu. It is given in addition to the flu shot and helps arrest the severity of symptoms. One facility in town had 5 deaths overnight from Flu, and another is under quarantine. We are giving prophylactic courses of Amantadine to everyone as there has been a run on the other two.

Do you worry about the carbs in the zinc lozenges? I have been making my husband take them, but he is worried about the carbs. I can't find any sugar-free versions.

~~Amaara

I do count the carbs but its only one per lozenge and the most I've ever had is 3 in one day.

This does seem a nasty flu, but from what I'm hearing people who aren't immunized from it are fairing much better than those who were, so that should be in your favor. (I heard of a small retirement center where they administered the vaccine. Within 3 hours, one person was dead, and within 3 days 10 more were gone. That's only one of them I heard of. Just makes a person sick to think about it.)

Most important thing to me when I'm sick is to make sure to eat enough and get enough sleep. You can make some super LC soups using celery, mushrooms, a little onion, zucchini, etc. If the tummy can't handle the veggies, drink the broth. I know someone recommended super low sodium, but I've often found that salt will help if I'm nauseated. It also helps to retain water which in turn helps your body not get dehydrated so quickly.

So far (knock on wood) no one around here has managed anything real serious since LCing--hopefully that will continue.

I've just recovered from the flu. The nasty one going around Europe. I was off work, it was so bad...

Anyway, other than lots of rest, aspirin, and water, the doctor had little else to add to help! This gives you the chance to really ensure you're drinking your water! Kept taking my vitamins, but no more than usual. Basically, I ate soup the first night (hang the carbs, I was sick and couldn't care less), eggplant parmesan the next, and was well enough after that to eat what "the locals" (eg, DH) was eating. I think I recall having yoghurt for breakfast, and cheese and a mandarin orange (vitamin C!) for lunch. Lots and lots of herb tea, plus one honey and lemon tea on the worst day. Ricola cough drops for the throat, plus a few Strepsils when it was really bad. Other than that, I don't recall much because I was always asleep!

It is all over, and no damage done. Those of you with it, wishing you a speedy recovery.