My daughter had the flu yesterday and today and described it as getting hit by a truck. The symptoms are usually headaches, chills, muscle and joint aches, fatigue, and a high fever. Since the influenza virus is the source of the flu antibiotics are typically ineffective as a treatment. The virus is highly contagious in most cases and can be spread by casual contact or through contaminated surfaces. This means that prevention is the best method of treating the flu. frequent hand washing, avoiding contact with individuals known to have the flu are good starts, but one of the biggest preventative measures you can take is to keep well rested. Plenty of sleep, low stress levels, and good balanced diets are the foundation to avoiding the flu.
Even with a pound of prevention, most people will get the flu eventually. There are very few true natural cures for the flu, but there are several natural items that will help alleviate symptoms or reduce the duration of the flu. These same natural items can also help keep the flu from becoming a severe case where advanced medical care is needed. You should seek advanced medical attention if any of the following are true:
- A fever above 102 degrees with fatigue and aches or a fever lasting more than 3 days.
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- Chest pain or pressure
- Fainting or loss of consciousness
- Confusion or disorientation
- Severe or continued vomiting
- Severe sinus pain
- Very swollen glands in the neck
- Symptoms that last for more than 10 days or get worse instead of better
The old natural remedy of chicken soup is more than a folk tale to a lot of people. The steam of the soup alone helps loosen congested airways and begin bringing relief to an individual suffering from the flu. Doctors everywhere will advise you to get plenty of rest and drink a lot of fluids. And what is chicken soup if not mostly fluid. In fact, when you have the flu you may be more in the mood for a mug of chicken broth instead of a bowl of hearty noodles and carrot chunks.
One of the key ingredients in my chicken soup recipe is garlic. Well actually garlic is a key ingredient in most of my recipes. Garlic is a source of allicin. Allicin is not actually found in cloves of garlic, but is produced when the amino acid, alliin, reacts with the enzyme allinase, also found naturally in garlic, when garlic is crushed. Unfortunately the allicin breaks down when heated so the best time to add the garlic as a medicinal is at the end of the cooking process. Another herb to add to your chicken broth is ginger. Ginger is known to help improve circulation and relieve headaches. I always add a touch of ginger to the broth. Just enough that I can’t taste it but I know that something is there.
Ginger can also be used in teas. Ginger will help relieve many of the aches and pains associated with the flu. There are also those that will attest to it acting as an anti-nausea compound. I prefer peppermint for that personally, but the ginger may be worth trying for you. I remember as a child being give ginger ale when I was sick with the flu. Maybe mother did know best. An herbal tea of ginger, peppermint, and elderberry would be very beneficial.
Elderberry is an excellent antiviral herb. There is a commercial product called Sambucol derived from it that has millions of people buying it as a cure for the cold and flu. You can go this route or consider an herbal tea with a bit of elderberry in it as a low level preventative.
Quercetin is an antioxidant found in elderberry, red onions, apples and other fruits and vegetables. A gold standard research project at ASU showed that there was a statistical significantly different response to athletes who took 1000 mg per day of quercetin vs those who took less than 50 mg. It was the first study to show a plant compound to act as a viral preventative.
Enjoy, eat up, and rest up to stay flu free!
