Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Natural Ways to Beat the Flu Blues




It's that time again! Tis the season to be stuck in the house with yet another nasty cold. Here are some ways of beating the flu blues and getting back on your feet naturally.


Drink Plenty of Liquids

Your body uses more water when you are sick because it flushes out your lymphatic system that helps your immune system to work; therefore, you need to drink more fluids to help provide your body with the necessary water it requires to get you feeling better. Dehydration could become a problem if you are not getting enough, as well.


Don't Only Rest

Rest is good in a small degree, but spending most of your time sleeping and lounging around the house is actually bad for you. A few minutes outside a day can do wonders if you have a cold, and being active causes your lymphatic system to be more productive in fighting off your illness. Sweating is another way of ridding your body of toxins; therefore, moderate movement can be helpful.


Steam and Eucalyptus

This makes for a wonderful combination! I recommend putting a few drops of eucalyptus oil into a warm bath and soaking in it or putting a small amount in a vaporizer in your room while you sleep. It can also be applied to your chest and under your nose and throat; this is a soothing affect that will also help break up some of the mucus. If you are having a hard time sleeping because your nose is stuffed up, you can apply a few drops of eucalyptus oil to a warm washcloth and let it rest over your nose and mouth while you fall asleep.


Say No to Drugs

Unless you or your child has a fever that is steadily increasing to dangerous levels then I suggest you try the natural approach before medicine becomes necessary. Medicine only serves to treat the symptoms rather than the whole illness, so you're not doing very much by feeding yourself pain reliever and fever reducer. As long as you maintain a healthy immune system, it will work hard to fight off this illness quicker; give your body the chance to fend for itself before deciding to take medicine.


Here are a few suggestions for naturally treating those irritating flu symptoms.

Fever

Fever is your body's natural reaction to fighting off illness, and it is a good sign that your system is working properly; granted temperatures above 104 degrees needs to be watched closely to ensure that there is not a more serious illness. Here is a website that tells a little more about fevers if you are still concerned http://www.drrisley.com/html/fever.html. Since high fevers can be painful, I recommend reaching for the vinegar instead of the Tylenol since vinegar can help to actually draw out the infection versus treating the symptoms. Take a warm (not hot) bath with about 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar and soak in it for about 20 minutes then rinse. You may also soak a washcloth and your socks in vinegar water and rest with the washcloth over your forehead while wearing the socks on your feet; sounds odd but it does help.

For Sore Throats

There are a few options that you can try to help to alleviate a sore throat. Honey is very good in coating a sore throat and it tastes wonderful. Take one teaspoon by itself or you can put it into some hot tea for an added soothing trick. Hot liquids are wonderful for soothing a sore throat. You may try tea and honey, hot water and lemon, or mix all three! Green Tea and chamomile are wonderful choices of tea when you are sick because they have a powerful soothing aroma and they taste great. Another trick is to gargle with a little bit of salt water; add just enough that you can taste it but it shouldn't be like gargling the Dead Sea.

Ear Infection

This can become dangerous if an ear infection goes untreated for a long period of time; they are usually a result of an upper respiratory infection and are a common flu symptom. Here is a link to an eHow that explains all the steps to naturally get rid of an ear infection and it starts to work almost immediately http://www.ehow.com/how_5906435_naturally-rid-ear-infection.html.

Chicken Soup for Your Health

Chicken soup is great when you're sick, but try to stay away from those high priced, high sodium, bad for you soups that are in your grocery store. Most soups today have high levels of sodium regardless if they say that they are reduced or not. Also, the ingredients in most soups are so highly processed that they aren't even healthy any longer. Here is a link to a recipe that I came up with for wonderful homemade chicken noodle soup. http://www.ehow.com/how_5940830_make-homemade-chicken-noodle-soup.html

Oranges

It's no secret that vitamin C is good for you, but getting your nutrients from the source is a lot better than those concentrated ones that you get from the store. Juice your own or eat it plain, either way an orange works well with boosting your immune system as well as making a tasty treat.

Prevention

The best form of protection from the flu is prevention through eating right and exercising. While the flu may be inevitable sometimes, your recovery depends on how well you've been taking care of yourself. Drink plenty of fluids regardless of how well you feel and try to stay away from a lot of sugar and salt that breaks down your immune system.