According to a LA times article on December 3, 2012, flu season is here early. It cites Dr. Thomas Friedman as saying this could be a bad flu year. Inevitably the CDC urges everyone to get a flu shot. While vaccinations are the great invention of our time, I wonder if this is the drug industry’s usual attempt to peddle their drugs. Is the flu shot being over used? After years of taking medications for Asthma, allergies’ and all sorts of ailments, I got really fed up with taking medication for everything. I felt like a drugged out Zombie. Cough syrups used to give me such terrible back aches I could barely walk. And the medications played havoc with my stomach. As a chronic sufferer of IBS it was a double whammy. Then I discovered most of these drugs destroy your liver too.
So I said no thanks to all these drugs. Definitely no to the flu shot. Maybe I will die from a virulent form of the flu. But in the meantime I am relying on natural ,remedies and saving the drugs for when I really need it. Here are some of my favorites anti-flu strategies. They were honed over 8 years in the ultimate hot bed of infections, a preschool. This is ground zero for the worst infections you can possibly imagine. So believe me they have been tested and verified.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Mix 2 teaspoons of Braggs Organic Apple Cider Vinegar with a glass of warm water. Do not use hot water or cold water. Do not exceed this dosage as you will get hives. Take this once every 8 hours for one day and then stop. At most over 3 days every 8 hours. If it doesn’t work then its too late and you need antibiotics. Your probably left it to fester before taking the ACV. But it works 99% of the time. You must take this within 10 minutes of getting an itchy throat, a nose irritation or allergies. Any longer and it’s too late. Works very well for dry hacking coughs. I have thrown away my Allegra. So did the Viagra. Just kidding. I sold it.
Ceylon Cinnamon Sticks
Boil a stick of Ceylon Cinnamon in two glasses of water. Add a teaspoon of fresh finely grated ginger. Bring to a boil and let it cool for two minutes. Pour into a mug and add a teaspoon of Honey. Do not add the honey when boiling as it will destroy the honey. Or you can make te de canela, which is basically the same thing except you do not add ginger or honey. Just a teaspoon of lime. Try it for breakfast everyday. Take it to drink in your car. It’s fantastic.
Lemon and Limes
Squeeze a dash of lemon or preferably lime onto your black tea. Do not add milk. Sugar if you must. Make a nice fresh lemon juice with some salt and sugar and drink it once a week.
Garlic
Roasted garlic is the best for a stomach ailments and keep away a whole host ailements. Roast them whole and then peel the skin and eat it fresh. On the weekends make meals that use garlic. Add a little extra, but don’t over do the use of garlic as it’s efficacy gets degraded if you use it too much. Strategic use of garlic is best. Besides you don’t want to be smelling of garlic at work and believe me it comes out of your pores and smells if you eat too much of it. Just enough to keep the devil away but not enough to drown both of you and your coworkers.
Exercise
Who wants to exercise in the middle of winter right? Well you must. It is shockingly effective. Just once a week is enough for you winter bears who like to hibernate.. But make sure you get a good workout for at least 30 minutes. That’s all. Do some pushups or run up a 15 story building. I used to visit a friend who had an indoor swimming pool to put in a few laps. Nothing like a warm pool while it is snowing outside. The variety of exercise is the key. Its keeps the exercise program exciting and unpredictable. It sure was until my friend’s boy friend made a surprise visit. The running I did after that was good for a month.
For an extra measure you can use our diluted Cinnamon oil to disinfect everything. Yes that means the interior of your car which is a hot bed of germs with the constant heating a cooling, the kitchen counter tops, the toilets, the trash can area, kitchen sink, the refrigerator (both inside and out) and the door knobs. Especially the door knobs! And wash all your clothing especially bedding every week. No exceptions.
Happy Flu Season! Those who follow my advice survive. Those who don’t perish. Your choice.