Alternative Holistic Treatments for Cold and Flu

Cold / Flu

Natural Herbal Alternative Remedies &
Treatments for Cold / Flu

Alternatives to the Flu Shot

Many homeopaths are questioning the importance of mass vaccinations. If you do not want to get a flu shot or do not feel it's necessary there are many ways to build your immune system so as not to get the flu. If you do get the flu the severity of it will be small.

--eat a healthy diet
--exercise
--get enough sleep
--stay at your correct weight
--Limit refined sugars and saturated fats
--eat organic meats and essential fatty acids
--Supplement your diet with a multi-vitamin, B complex, C, E, zinc, selenium and Vitamin D3
--Immune supplement booster (there are many out there that work fantastic) Guna Flu, BaniFlu, Wellmune WGA are examples.

Flu

Influenza, or flu, is a respiratory infection. The most familiar aspect of the flu is the way it can "knock you off your feet" as it sweeps through entire communities.

The flu differs in several ways from the common cold, a respiratory infection also caused by viruses. For example, people with colds rarely get fevers or headaches or suffer from the extreme exhaustion that flu viruses cause.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates 5 to 20 percent of Americans come down with the flu during each flu season, which typically lasts from November to March. Children are two to three times more likely than adults to get sick with the flu, and children frequently spread the virus to others. Although most people recover from the illness, CDC estimates that in the United States more than 200,000 people are hospitalized and about 36,000 people die from the flu and its complications every year.

Flu outbreaks

Flu outbreaks usually begin suddenly and occur mainly in the late fall and winter. The disease spreads through communities creating an epidemic. During the epidemic, the number of cases peaks in about 3 weeks and subsides after another 3 or 4 weeks. Half of the population of a community may be affected. Because schools are an excellent place for flu viruses to attack and spread, families with school-age children have more infections than other families, with an average of one-third of family members infected each year.

CAUSE
Flu is caused by a variety of influenza viruses. Researchers identified the first virus in the 1930s. Since then, they have classified influenza viruses into types A, B, and C.

Type A is the most common and usually causes the most serious epidemics.

Type B outbreaks also can cause epidemics, but the disease it produces generally is milder than that caused by type A.

Type C viruses, on the other hand, never have been connected with a large epidemic.

TRANSMISSION
You can get the flu if someone around you who has the flu coughs or sneezes. You can get the flu simply by touching a surface like a telephone or door knob that has been contaminated by a touch from someone who has the flu. The viruses can pass through the air and enter your body through your nose or mouth. If you've touched a contaminated surface, they can pass from your hand to your nose or mouth.

You are at greatest risk of getting infected in highly populated areas, such as in crowded living conditions and in schools.

SYMPTOMS
If you get infected by the flu virus, you will usually feel symptoms 1 to 4 days later. You can spread the flu to others before your symptoms start and for another 3 to 4 days after your symptoms appear. The symptoms start very quickly and may include
Body aches
Chills
Dry cough
Fever
Headache
Sore throat
Stuffy nose
Typically, the fever begins to decline on the second or third day of the illness. The flu almost never causes symptoms in the stomach and intestines. The illness that some call "stomach flu" is not influenza.

DIAGNOSIS
Usually, health care providers diagnose the flu on the basis of whether it is epidemic in the community and whether the person's complaints fit the current pattern of symptoms. Health care providers rarely use laboratory tests to identify the virus during an epidemic. Health officials, however, monitor certain U.S. health clinics and do laboratory tests to determine which type of flu virus is responsible for the epidemic.

TREATMENT
Many people treat their flu by simply
Resting in bed
Drinking plenty of fluids

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PREVENTION

Healthy habits

Good health habits are also important to help prevent the flu.

--Wash your hands often to help protect you from germs.
--Avoid close contact with people who are sick, if possible.
--Keep your distance from others when you are sick, to protect them from becoming infected.
--Stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick, if possible, to help prevent others from catching your illness.
--Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
--Keep your hands away from your eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs are often spread when you touch something that is contaminated with them and then touch your eyes, nose, or mouth.

COMPLICATIONS
You can have flu complications if you get a bacterial infection, which can cause pneumonia in your weakened lungs. Pneumonia also can be caused by the flu virus itself.

Complications usually appear after you start feeling better. After a brief period of improvement, you may suddenly get these symptoms

High fever
Shaking chills
Chest pain with each breath
Coughing that produces thick, yellow-greenish-colored mucus
Pneumonia can be a very serious and sometimes life-threatening condition. If you have any of these symptoms, you should contact your health care provider immediately to get the appropriate treatment.

Flu complications in children and teenagers

Reye's syndrome, a condition that affects the nerves, sometimes develops in children and teenagers who are recovering from the flu. Reye's syndrome begins with nausea and vomiting, but the progressive mental changes (such as confusion or delirium) cause the greatest concern.

The syndrome often begins in young people after they take aspirin to get rid of fever or pain. Although very few children develop Reye's syndrome, you should consult a health care provider before giving aspirin or products that contain aspirin to children. Acetaminophen does not seem to be connected with Reye's syndrome.
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