General advice on disease prevention and a healthy lifestyle can be found in the library article "General Advice - for healthy as well as for ill ones" in the VitaHealth section under Focus Articles. You can also test your health by taking our "Health Check".
Prevention
You can prevent the disease by living healthily, by maintaining a proper level of hand hygiene, by making sure to cleanse out the body 1 - 2 times a year, and by supporting the cleansing organs (the liver, the gastro-intestinal system, and the kidneys). This can be done by means of juice fasts and cleansing cures. A daily supplement of 1,000 µg of vitamin D in the winter half-year may lower the risk of an outbreak.
You can avoid being exposed to the flu virus by avoiding crowds and keeping away from people who sneeze or cough. Moreover, kissing is a very effective method of infection.
Alcohol and smoking can weaken your resistance - especially smoking which is harmful to the respiratory passages can increase susceptibility to the flu.
The most common form of prevention against the flu is vaccination which ordinarily is recommended for all elderly people and all people who suffer from chronic diseases. Amantadine can be recommended if you have not been vaccinated, but because it might cause side effects it is recommended to take elderberry extract instead.
Vitamin C against the flu
At the very first, weak symptoms where you feel a slight uneasiness or soreness in the body, take 1 - 2 g. of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). This must not be long-acting (slow-release) tablets, however. You should take a similar dose every hour until the flu symptoms disappear. Remember to drink plenty of water.
Under normal circumstances, as large amounts of vitamin C as this would cause diarrhoea, but it does not happen in this case because the body needs the large amount to fight off the infection.
This "diarrhoea limit" can be taken as a measurement for how much vitamin C the body needs to fight off the infection.
- Elderberry juice: Take some elderberry juice or a supplement of bioflavonoids together with the vitamin C.
- Vitamin A: You can take 15,000 - 25,000 I.U. of vitamin A for up to four days.
- Zinc supplement: Beneficial in case of viral infection. Take 50 - 100 mg. a day between meals.
If you have become ill, you should avoid infecting other people. Cleanliness is important and people affected by the flu should avoid contact with elderly and weak persons and should not go to work.
Precautions in case of disease
It is important to rest as exhaustion can worsen the viral attack. You should eat lightly; predominantly fruits and vegetables, soup, and drink plenty of water (with lemon to taste), fruit juice, or vegetable juice - also even if you do not really have any desire to consume anything.
It is recommended to stay warm, make sure that your feet are warm, and make sure to have good ventilation so that you breath fresh air every day. It may also be beneficial to have a higher humidity which can relieve caughing, a dry nose, a sore throat, and a stopped up nose and chest. It may be a good idea to smear your nose with a cream to avoid being too affected by blowing your nose all the time. If you can get someone to give you a back massage it will - apart from being pleasant and soothing - activate the immune system which will help fight the flu virus.
You can also gargle your throat with warm salt water if it is very tender and hoarse: mix 1 tsp. of salt with 1/3 litre of boiling water and let it cool down before using it.
Elder
The best remedy against the flu virus is an extract of elderberry and -flowers, Sambucus nigra, which has always had a place in folk medicine in the treatment of, for example, cold and flu. Israeli research has shown that elderberry extract can have a preventive effect on flu, shorten the course of the disease, and make it milder. Elderberry contains a substance which makes it impossible for the flu virus to penetrate the cell walls.
Other useful health products:
- Andrographis paniculata strenghtens the immune system. Dosage: 3 g. a day (prophylactically) or 6 g. a day if you suffer from a viral infection.
- Anise (Pimpinella anisum) is a good expectorant: Make a tea of 1 - 2 tsp. of crushed seeds in 1 cup of boiling water, let it draw for 10-15 minutes and strain it. Drink 3 cups of tea a day.
- Bird cherry (Prunus serotina): The berry contain large amounts of vitamin C and taste good. They can be eaten or crushed and put in fruit juice.
- Blackcurrants (Ribes nigrum) The juice and the berry have a high content of vitamin C, increase the resistance to infection, and is therefore a good remedy for the flu. The leaves can be used as a gargle against a sore throat.
- Blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus) has an expectorant and antiseptic effect and is very effective against the flu - either as pastils, capsules, ethereal oil, tincture, or extract.
- Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) as an extract together with Thyme, Thymus vulgaris, is an effective remedy in case of a stopped up nose with thick, green mucus.
- Cardamom seeds (Ellettaria cardamomum) crushed in a mortar has a flu-inhibiting effect.
- Chilli/cayenne (Capsicum frutescens), ginger (Zingiber officinale), Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), and Clove bud (Eugenia caryophyllata), all have sudorific effects - together or separately.
- Echinacea decoction of 10 g. of the root: drink 2 - 4 cups a day. You can also take it in the form of tincture, capsules, or tablets several times a day.
- Lemon (Citrus limon): Fruit and organic peel, garlic (Allium sativum), and Ginger (Zingiber officinale), are effective remedies for flu if used in combination: Squeeze the juice from 1 lemon, crush a large clove of garlic and a similar amount of ginger, and mix it with 1 tsp. of honey. Add boiling water, stir it, and drink up to 3 cups a day.
- Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), Elder flower (Sambucus nigra) and Thyme (Thymus vulgaris), can be taken combined as a tea in case of flu-provoked muscle pains. Drink up to 5 cups of tea a day or use a decoction or a tincture.
- Marjoram (Origanum vulgare), is beneficial in case of viral infections and tender joints.
- Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria), relieves pain and has a slight antipyretic effect as it contains salicylates.
- Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) strengthens body resistance and is therefore good as a prophylactic measure. It is not as good for acute cases in case of infections etc.
- St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) has an inhibiting effect on flu vira.
- Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) is a good remedy in combination with boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) for conditions involving thick mucus and a stopped up nose.
- Willow (Salix alba), contains the substance salicin which is the precursor for acetylsalicylic acid which is used in case of flu symptoms like muscle pains, sore throat, headache, and light fever. ½ tsp. of dried bark (100 mg. of salicin) per cup of tea.
If the headache becomes too violent, Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium), can be used: Fresh leaves, tincture, capsules, or tablets.
Fever is the body's defence against harmful bacteria etc., but if the fever profoundly increases, the following herbs (used as single remedies or in combination) may be relevant:
- Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)
- Chili (Capsicum frutescens)
- Ginger (Zingiber officinale)
- Cardamom (Ellettaria cardamomum): 2 crushed seeds
- Clove (Eugenia caryophyllata)
Pepper (Piper nigrum): 2 - 3 crushed peppercorn, and Yarrow (Achillea millefolium): 1 tsp. of each herb and a pinch of chilli in each cup of tea. Let it draw for 5 minutes and drink it hot - up to 4 cups a day.
Gentian (Gentiana lutea), and Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) which are both very bitter, have a cooling effect on the body and are therefore good in case of high fever.
Also propolis has an immunostimulatory and anti-viral effect.
Conventional remedies
There are remedies that counteract vira, but generally they are not very effective and they have a long line of side effects.
In non-complicated cases of the flu you can consider using ordinary analgesic (pain relieving) remedies. Acetylsalicylic acid, however, is not recomended for children on account of the risk of developing Reye's syndrome, which presents itself with vomiting, increasing symptoms of damage to the central nervous system, liver damage, and too low blood sugar. This disease has a mortality rate of 50%. Paracetamol, therefore, should be used instead in children and youngsters. This can be combined with codeine if violent cough is present (codeine requires a prescription from your doctor.)
