: Natures Clinicals Wellbeing by World Organics :

COLDS AND FLU's natural treatments

• What are colds and flu's?
• Preventative care for colds and flu's
• How can I treat colds and flu's naturally?
• Colds and Flu's: natural treatments and remedies
• Diet for colds and flu's
• Supplements for colds and flu's
• Herbs for colds and flu's
• Homoeopathy for colds and flu's
• Lifestyle guidance for colds and flu's

What are colds and flu's

The common cold is an upper respiratory infection caused by a virus. Influenza, or "flu," is a common infection also caused by a virus affecting the respiratory tract (like the nose and upper airways). Its symptoms are usually more severe than the common cold and are more likely to affect other parts of your body like your stomach and muscles. The flu is very contagious – spreading easily from one person to the next. While most cases run their course in one to two weeks, life-threatening complications such as pneumonia are possible, especially in the elderly or people with chronic illnesses.

Preventive Care for colds and flu's

Although anyone can get a cold or flu, there are a few things that you can do that may help improve your immune system and make you less susceptible to getting colds:

Exercise regularly
Eat a diet high in vegetables and fruit. Eating highly processed foods as well as those that contain synthetic colours, sweeteners, flavors and textures can decrease your immune function and be a major factor in increasing your body's susceptibility to cold and flu viruses. These foods can cause a drain on your overall health.
Get sufficient rest at all times
Minimise your stress and your reaction to stress. Consider meditation, yoga, tai chi, or other forms of relaxation on an ongoing basis.
Wash your hands frequently, especially after coming into contact with someone who has a cold.

How can I treat colds and flu's naturally?

The most important aspect of treatment is rest and fluids. Certain foods, herbs, supplements, and homoeopathic remedies may help some of your symptoms and speed up recovery time.

Colds and flu's- natural treatment and remedies

Diet for colds and flu's

Drink a lot of water to help loosen secretions
Eat fresh fruits and vegetables. These foods provide lots of antioxidants (substances that may help boost your immune system), especially vitamins A and C. The best sources of vitamins C, A and carotenoids include carrots, spinach, cabbage, kale, red bell peppers, mustard greens, oranges and melons. Also eat foods high in Vitamin E as these foods are critical for maintenance of our white blood cell function. Foods rich in vitamin E include the green leafy vegetables, sunflower seeds and almonds.
Cut right back on sugar in any refined form. Excessive simple sugar intake can reduce the responsiveness of your immune cells and lower your immune defences.
Enhance the body's ability to fight the infection with immune enhancing and diaphoretic herbs.
Reduce congestion of the mucous membranes with anticatarrhal herbs and herbs that tone the respiratory mucosa.
Enhance the body's ability to fight the infection with immune enhancing and diaphoretic herbs.
Reduce congestion of the mucous membranes with anticatarrhal herbs and herbs that tone the respiratory mucosa.
Reduce the viral infection by the use of antiviral herbs.

Have a chicken broth including 1 tsp of turmeric, crushed fresh ginger, a pinch of crushed peppercorn, shitake mushrooms, garlic and seaweed. This will greatly assist your immune system

Boil some fresh thyme and sage from the garden with some onion, garlic and a little salt in 2 cups of water for 20 minutes. Let cool, gargle with it and then drink. This has antiviral and antimicrobial properties and will help the immune system fight the virus
Drink plenty of freshly squeezed lemon juice in hot water with a little manukau honey
Slice a large onion into rings and put into a deep bowl. Cover with manuka honey and let stand overnight. Strain and take a dessert spoons full 4 -5 times a day.
Mix fresh sliced ginger, 1 stick of cinnamon, 1 tsp of coriander, 3 cloves, a sliced lemon and garlic together in 2 cups of water. Boil for 15 minutes and sip.

Supplements for colds and flu's

Vitamin C. Quite high doses of vitamin C supplements (1000 mg) at the onset of cold or flu symptoms, or just after exposure to someone with one of these ailments, can shorten the duration of your cold or ward it off altogether.
Zinc plays an important role in the immune system, which may explain why it seems to be helpful in protecting against infections such as colds. Zinc lozenges may reduce the intensity of the symptoms associated with a cold, particularly cough, and the length of time that a cold lingers.
Lactobacillus acidophilus. Lactobacillus is a probiotic, which means that it is an organism that actually helps fight, rather than cause, infection.

Herbs for colds and flu's

The use of herbs is a time-honoured approach to strengthening the body and treating disease such as colds and flu. Herbs can be used to

Enhance the body's ability to fight the infection with immune enhancing and diaphoretic herbs
Reduce congestion of the mucous membranes with anticatarrhal herbs and herbs that tone the respiratory mucosa.
Reduce the viral infection by the use of antiviral herbs.

Here are just some of the herbs that are used for colds and flu's

Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus) Astragalus has been used traditionally to enhance the immune system, including possibly preventing and treating colds and flus. Astragalus should not be used if you are taking certain medications for HIV or other viruses.
Celery seed (Apium graveolens) Celery seed has been used for thousands of years for a variety of reasons including by Ayurvedic physicians (practitioners who practise Ayurvedic medicine, an ancient Indian from of health are) to treat colds and flus.
Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) One of the most popular herbs in America today is the Native American medicinal plant known as Echinacea (also called coneflower). Echinacea is primarily used to shorten the duration of the common cold and the flu and to alleviate the symptoms associated with them, such as sore throat (pharyngitis), cough, and fever. .
Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) Eucalyptus is commonly used in remedies to treat the common cold and its symptoms, particularly cough. It can be found in many lozenges, cough syrups, and vapor baths throughout the United States and Europe. Herbalists recommend the use of fresh leaves in teas and gargles to soothe sore throats. Ointments containing eucalyptus leaves are also applied to the nose and chest to relieve congestion. Eucalyptus oil helps loosen phlegm, so many herbal practitioners recommend inhaling eucalyptus vapors to help treat coughs and the flu.
Garlic (Allium sativum) Garlic has been used as both food and medicine in many cultures for thousands of years, dating as far back as the time that the Egyptian pyramids were built. Today, garlic is used for many health related purposes including to try to reduce symptoms from a cold, such as cough.
German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) Chamomile has been used to treat a variety of symptoms related to colds including chest and nasal congestion as well as sore throats.
Goldenrod (Solidago virgaurea) Goldenrod is used by herbalists for a wide range of health problems including colds and flus.
Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) Goldenseal is often combined with echinacea in preparations designed to strengthen the immune system. Many professional herbalists recommend goldenseal in herbal remedies for hay fever (also called allergic rhinitis), colds, and flu.
Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) Licorice root has been used in both Eastern and Western medicine to treat a variety of illnesses including the common cold, cough, and sore throat. It is important to note, however, that people who regularly consume large amounts of licorice (more than 20 g/day) may inadvertently raise blood levels of the hormone aldosterone, which can cause serious side effects including headache, high blood pressure, and heart problems.
Linden (Tilia spp.) Linden is used in many cough and cold remedies. Active ingredients in linden help promote sweating, which may be helpful if you have a fever.
Marshmallow (Althea officinalis) Herbalists may recommend marshmallow for cold, cough, and sore throat.
Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus/Acanthopanax senticosus) Siberian ginseng may help the body deal with physically and mentally stressful exposures such as viruses that cause the common cold. By strengthening your system, it may, in theory, also help prevent illness.
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) Yarrow is often used for colds and fever. It brings down body temperature by promoting perspiration.

Other wonderful herbs are coltsfoot, horehound, pleurisy root, platycodon, kumarahow, thyme, sage and boneset.

Homoeopathy for colds and flu's

Professional homoeopaths may consider the following remedies for the treatment of the common cold based on their knowledge and experience. It is important to note, however, that cold symptoms are viewed in homoeopathic medicine as the body's natural way of eliminating a virus. For this reason, homoeopathic doctors may recommend no treatment at all in the case of a cold. If a remedy is selected, the intention is generally to boost the body's natural immune response. Before prescribing a remedy, homoeopaths take into account a person's constitutional type. A constitutional type is defined as a person's physical, emotional, and psychological makeup. An experienced homoeopath assesses all of these factors when determining the most appropriate treatment for each individual.

Cold

Aconitum -- for symptoms including fever, anxiety, and thirst, that start abruptly, often following exposure to a cold climate or draft; most effective during the first 24 hours of the illness
Allium cepa -- for colds with clear watery discharge that burns and/or irritates the nostrils; red, burning eyes; and symptoms that worsen in warm rooms and in the evening
Arsenicum album -- for colds with watery, burning discharge from the eyes and nose, throbbing headache, nasal congestion that is not relieved by sneezing, dry mouth, sensitivity to cold, and a thirst for small sips of fluid
Belladonna -- for colds with sudden onset of high fever, flushed face, watery nasal discharge, sore throat, throbbing headache, earache, and cough that tends to worsen at night; this remedy is most appropriate for individuals who are often agitated and sometimes delirious; these symptoms may cause children to cry
Bryonia -- for chest colds with spastic cough that produces only a small amount of mucus and sharp chest pain that worsens with inhalation and while coughing; a dull headache, little to no nasal discharge, and sneezing may also be present
Euphrasia -- for colds with excessive, non-irritating watery discharge that tends to worsen in the morning and when the person is lying down
Ferrum phosphoricum -- for the early stages of a cold with slight fever, flushed face (redness may be patchy), and fatigue; may also be used in children with nosebleeds or bloody nasal discharge
Gelsemium -- for colds that have gradual onset with watery nasal discharge that causes irritation, a feeling of fullness or tickling in the nose and/or the back of the throat, muscle aches, fatigue, lack of energy, lightheadedness or spaciness, and a headache with pain in the back of the head
Hepar sulphuricum -- for late stages of a cold when nasal discharge turns from watery to thick, yellow, and foul smelling; symptoms tend to worsen in the evening and with cold and wind
Mercurius -- for fluctuating body temperature and thick, yellow nasal discharge with a foul odour; symptoms may also include bad breath and a swollen tongue
Pulsatilla -- for coughs and nasal congestion with thick, yellow-green mucus that does not burn the skin; symptoms tend to worsen in warm, stuffy rooms and when the person is lying on his or her back; this remedy is most appropriate for children (even newborns) and adults who are weepy, have mood swings, and are easily influenced by others

Flu

A combination remedy including Aconite, Gelsemium, Eucalyptus, Ipecacuanha, Phosphorus, Bryonia, and Eupatorium perfoliatum
A mixture of Anas barbarice hepatis and Cordis extractum
Gelsemium -- for chills, weakness, lack of energy, fever, and headaches in the back and top of the head; this is one of the most common homeopathic remedies for the flu
Eupatorium perfoliatum -- for deep aches, sneezing and coughing
Nux vomica -- for violent vomiting, irritability, dry cough, chills, and a stuffy nose that develops into a watery, irritating discharge

Lifestyle guidance for colds and flu's

Stress definately lowers the immune system and leads to regular colds and flu's. Relaxation techniques on a regular basis may help reduce the number of days that you have a cold or the flu. If you feel yourself getting stressed try to take some time out and to get back in balance. If you start getting a cold or flu hop into bed for a couple of hours with a good book. It might be the best prevention there is.

Foot baths. Dissolve 1 tablespoon of mustard powder in 2 litres of hot water , soak your feet in this, (and cover your head with a small sheet at the same time).

Steam inhalation: Put essential oils (1 drop) of eucalyptus, tea tree or manukau in a bowl of hot water. Cover your head with a towel, and inhale the vapour.