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what can a pregnant mama do for swine flu?

6K views 44 replies 35 participants last post by  MyLittleWarrior 
#1 ·
I have been thinking on this the last few days and was wondering if anyone can tell me what to do if I would happen to get the swine flu? What natural things can I take such as herbs, homeopathic etc to fight it off?
And what can I be doing now??
 
#2 ·
For now I am taking garlic, 4000iu of vit D, and cod liver oil. If I catch it homeopathy will depend on how my body is dealing. Not really a one size fits all with that. And if I got sick I would up my vit D and be asking around about what else to do. The normal illness support I suppose.
 
#4 ·
I was given this information:

The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).

2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap)..

3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected o ne. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water . *Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population..*

5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.
 
#6 ·
To prevent it? Eat well, exercise, wash hands (avoid sanitizers and anti-bacterials), ditto the salt water gargling and drinking hot liquids like green tea.

When you get it or think you have it? Eat well, rest, push fluids.

I am pregnant (23 1/2 weeks) and have had swine flu (ahhh, call the CDC!!!) and did nothing other than rest and give myself some TLC. DS didn't get anything other than a runny nose for a few days and a slight cough (oh, the power of breastmilk!). I was downright miserable for a week. Runny nose, horrible dry cough that turned wet and mucusy, fatigue, etc. The media is pumping up H1N1 to be way more of a big deal than it actually is.

I would definitely advise NOT to vax, but we are non-vaxers so I'm a little biased.
 
#7 ·
I was worried a few days ago that I had gotten it. We have been traveling a lot, and I really felt awful once we got back home. I had a slight fever, major runny nose, sore throat, body aches, and just had that "I'm about to get full blown sick" feeling.

I combined one whole lemon (with zest), ginger, honey, and boiling water. Drank that. Many times. Took Vitamin C. Drank LOTS of fluids - from water to green tea. Ate two heads (not pieces - heads) of garlic (roasted with a little bit of olive oil) per day. I really love garlic so this wasn't a problem for me. Though, dp was suffering, lol. I also had some raspberry syrup in my tea. I don't know how effective that was, but in Poland raspberry syrup is drank in hot tea whenever you're sick. It's supposed to help. As a bonus, it's extremely tasty.

Literally, in 3 days, I was feeling 100% myself again. I can't say what I had, as I never went to the doctor. I just didn't feel it was warranted. Though I had a fever, it wasn't life threatening ... so I just chose to cure myself.

If you have the flu, you can take oscilinuum - ah, I can never spell it. It's that homeopathic "drug" used for the flu. Very popular in Europe, at least where I'm from even regular doctors will give it to people who have the flu. It's tasty, safe, and (IME) effective.
 
#8 ·
I'm doing the neti pot immediately after I get home from going somewhere, usually 2-3 times per day. That flushes out your sinuses, which prevents any virus that got in from establishing itself. You can also gargle with salt water or drink hot tea to flush out your throat.

My son had a cold a couple of weeks ago, and I usually always catch his colds (and they are worse for me!) but this time I did the neti pot frequently, especially after interacting with him, and I didn't get sick at all.
 
#9 ·
I just saw someone else recommended the neti pot. If you have never done this before, do some research. There are some very important things to realize.

1. Use sterile water. I usually just boil tap water and then let it cool. You could also use distilled water.

2. Use sea salt, not table salt (or the kind you can buy specifically for nasal rinse at Walgreens). Google for ratios.

3. Dry your sinuses sufficiently afterward. There is a technique you can Google, but basically, bend over and blow until there's no more moisture coming out.

I actually use this squeeze bottle called NeilMed that I got at Walgreens. It comes with pre-measured salt packets. I find this to be very convenient, and I prefer the way the squeeze bottle works to the traditional neti pot, but that is just my preference.

Also, there is a technique for rinsing the back of your sinuses and throat, which I prefer to gargling. Basically, when the water is in your sinuses, you just inhale slightly (or sort of snort) to bring it into your mouth and then spit it out.

So there's my tutorial, which is not complete probably. Just what I thought of off the top of my head. I absolutely adore sinus rinsing. If I ever start to get a sinus headache I do it and it goes away.

Oh, also, if you can't do the full on rinse, you can also buy nasal saline spray which will moisturize your sinuses. Keeping them moist is also supposed to help keep viruses from getting established.
 
#10 ·
Monday night my 10 yo came down with what the Dr said was H1N1. She had a fever until last night but seemed to break during the night. I have been taking xtra Vit D, Vit C, and still taking prenatals, fish oil, CLO....hand washing too. Yesterday afternoon I had a small sore throat and started a round of osci-can-spell-this-word as that was how my daughter started down hill. I feel no worse today so hoping life keeps on ticking.

If is was H1N1, it was sorely unimpressive, given all the hype.
 
#11 ·
Has anyone used elderberry? I've heard conflicting reports about both it's effectiveness with H1N1 and it's safety for pregnant women. Anyone have experience or an article to share? Thanks!
 
#12 ·
A study was done in July I think... published last month... About Elderberry preventing H1N1. They already have studies showing that it inhibits other flu strains... It's now proven effective with H1N1 as well.

Google H1N1 and Elderberry and it will pop up with the stories and references to the study.
 
#13 ·
I had H1N1 in my first trimester. It wasn't bad.

Get lots of fresh air and sunshine. I took the homeopathic flu remedy Oscillococcinum. You can even get it in drug stores around here. But it worked really well, I took it for 2 days and I noticed I felt better when I would take it.

I also treated my cough with conventional stuff because that's the biggest concern. The reason swine flu is worse for some healthy people is because the depth to which it gets into the lungs. So I took some decongestant and cough medicine when the cough was really bothering me.

I also used the neti pot.

Mostly just rest if you get it and get lots of sunshine if you can, if you can't take 1,000-2,000 IU of Vitamin D. I think the elderberry is great. Our pediatrician used to recommend it throughout the flu season. I didn't use it, but it won't hurt.
 
#14 ·
Great ideas here!


One thing I wanted to mention that people might not be aware of is that green tea depletes your supply of folic acid. Something to think about, esp if you're in the first trimester. Perhaps supplementing extra folic acid would do the trick? I don't know tons about it, just what I've picked up reading here at MDC, but thought it was worth mentioning. If anyone can chime in with more info that would be great!
 
#15 ·
I just had H1N1. I am 19 wks along. I had fever of 100-101 for 3-4 days, severe muscle aches, cough, slight sniffles, fatigue. My husband caught it first from the school he works at. He brought it home and within a day, our 3 kids and I caught it. All of us had the same symptoms.

My kids bounced back from it pretty quickly and did great. I am usually a very healthy person and can ward these things off but this one seemed to take a little longer to ward off. But still doable. We eat healthy foods, take cod liver oil, vit. D, do homeopathics, etc. We never take fever suppressants. I tried to get as much rest as possible. My husband had to miss work to watch the kids so that I could rest. We're all over it now.

One thing to be cautious of. Health care practitioners and even people on here say to take fever-lowering drugs. This is a big mistake, I believe (unless there is some kind of super high emergency fever going on). If maternal fever is below 102, it is considered safe for the babe as long as mama is staying super hydrated and rested, etc. Yet, people will try to pressure / guilt you into lowering your fever if you're pregnant. Remember: fever is there for a reason. Fever greatly helps to kill off the germs that are multiplying in your lungs, etc. But when people lower their fever with drugs, the germs are able to multiply more quickly and the person can get much sicker and more prone to secondary infection (remember that the problem with swine flu is secondary infection). Plus, fever-lowering meds make it harder on your already-taxed liver and your immune system in general. And for kids: remember that 102 is an ideal temp for their little bodies to fight off those germs. Please do not lower their fevers if it is just 102 because it could put them at risk for secondary infection. As a rule, I do not give my kids fever-lowering drugs (again, unless there is some super high fever emergency which we thankfully haven't had)

Gotta run to the kids.


Good luck!
 
#16 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by KoalaMommy View Post
I also treated my cough with conventional stuff because that's the biggest concern. The reason swine flu is worse for some healthy people is because the depth to which it gets into the lungs. So I took some decongestant and cough medicine when the cough was really bothering me.
.
Question: does anyone know what other remedies (herbal, homeopathic, etc) that are SAFE to use during pg can be used to treat a cough that's gone deep in the chest?
 
#17 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by KoalaMommy View Post
I had H1N1 in my first trimester. It wasn't bad.

Get lots of fresh air and sunshine. I took the homeopathic flu remedy Oscillococcinum. You can even get it in drug stores around here. But it worked really well, I took it for 2 days and I noticed I felt better when I would take it.

this stuff is diluted duck liver and heart (diluted 200 times--so it is basically water?) and sugar.
 
#19 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by carmel23 View Post
this stuff is diluted duck liver and heart (diluted 200 times--so it is basically water?) and sugar.
All homeopathic remedies are diluted to be basically water and whatever the base of the pellets are (generally some kind of sugar). That's pretty much how homeopathy works, and one reason it's safe for pregnancy. I can tell you without a doubt that the remedy worked and decreased my symptoms for hours when I took it.
 
#21 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by KoalaMommy View Post
All homeopathic remedies are diluted to be basically water and whatever the base of the pellets are (generally some kind of sugar). That's pretty much how homeopathy works, and one reason it's safe for pregnancy. I can tell you without a doubt that the remedy worked and decreased my symptoms for hours when I took it.
: I may have had SF. The one day that sucked, and I felt "flu-y" I took the hyland's homeopathic flu remedy for kids. I took the 12 year old dose. It worked great
I don't care if it's a placebo effect or not, if it works it works.
It worked great for my kids when they had it too.

Beyond that, I drank garlic/lemon/honey tea and took CLO and vitamin C. Also had home-made bone-broth chicken noodle soup, which was delicious
What I had was pretty mild, but if it was a cold it was a very strange cold. My mw suspects swine flu, but I didn't get tested - honestly only the one day I was feeling really bad would I have considered not going to work back when I was working (except now because of the media hype, I might have thought twice)
 
#22 ·
Quote:
Great ideas here!

One thing I wanted to mention that people might not be aware of is that green tea depletes your supply of folic acid. Something to think about, esp if you're in the first trimester. Perhaps supplementing extra folic acid would do the trick? I don't know tons about it, just what I've picked up reading here at MDC, but thought it was worth mentioning. If anyone can chime in with more info that would be great!
Green tea doesn't deplete folic acid, the tannins in tea just prevent it from being absorbed, same thing for iron. So don't drink green tea when you're eating a meal rich in iron/folic acid. I just don't drink green tea with meals. First thing in the morning I'll have a cup with honey, and then my Kleen Kanteen of water (27 ounces) and then about an hour and a half goes by until I'm eating (oatmeal with a little molasses for iron, 2 eggs, fruit, soy yogurt) and then about 2 hours after my evening meal I'll have another cup. The key is to plan when you drink anything with tannins (coffee, but caffeine in preg. is another story, or any black or green tea). And don't overbrew your tea, that releases even more tannins (and gives you bitter tea!). Don't squeeze the teabag/tea leaves after you steep your tea, either.
 
#23 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Juvysen View Post
: I may have had SF. The one day that sucked, and I felt "flu-y" I took the hyland's homeopathic flu remedy for kids. I took the 12 year old dose. It worked great
I don't care if it's a placebo effect or not, if it works it works.
It worked great for my kids when they had it too.

Does anyone else see the irony of the duck liver and heart and the fact the ducks say, "QUACK QUACK?"
(that is a joke...)

Hey I'm all for the placebo... if it works, it works, right?
 
#24 ·
Re: fever - that is a really good point a poster brought up. I noticed a big obsession among mainstream drugs to "lower fevers". Practically all of them do that.

A fever is actually a good sign - one's body fighting the infection. Although, you feel really crappy, it's actually a good idea to let the fever do its job. Now, obviously, I'm NOT saying to sit around at home with a fever of 106 and do nothing. I'm talking about non-emergency fevers!
 
#25 ·
I always think it is funny, as everyone assumes you just HAVE to reduce the fever. It is everywhere you look.

I don't give things to bring the fever down. Fever is a good thing. The only thing I have given my children (we are just getting over our rounds of something, probably swine flu) is high doses of Vit. C and an cool rag when necessary. Only twice did I give a pain reliever/fever reducer and that was solely for a massive headache that my son could not take and some cramps that were unbearable for another one.

I stopped trying to remove fevers when my daughter began getting her high fevers several years ago (she routinely got them up around 107, and once even as high as 109). We found that she recovered much faster when we allowed the fever to just do it's thing and only ice packed her head to keep it cool. If we reduced her fever medically, it would prolong the virus twice or three times as long.

Really is something to think about.
 
#26 ·
For those of you that had H1N1 and it "wasn't bad", then I think that you got lucky. One of my coworkers' 17 month old daughter just got out of the hospital with it. She was unresponsive to treatment and didn't wake up for days. Then she had some form of encephaly? that paralyzed her left side.

We all JUST got the news in the last couple of days that she would pull out of it.

I am not trying to be a "doomsdayer" or anything, but I am saying that it affects some people lightly, and others not lightly at all. And that is where we all have to be careful.

I work with teenagers. Lots and lots of them. I am still considering my options. I am wondering if you can get it multiple times. That may play a part in my decision making.

http://www.healthwatchcenter.in/swin...twice/2009/08/

Quote:
If one is infected now and the virus then once against mutates or changes, then that same virus in a changed form will have infected you again. This one of the apprehensions that the medical community currently has about this current Swine Flu pandemic, that it will mutate and change form.
 
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