Teach me about "natural" ways to prevent cold & flu......

[danalyn]

I've basically just done Vit. C & Vit. D3, but I'm interested in learning about herbs, essential oils, ect. that help build strong immune systems, in hopes of preventing colds & flu.  I have 7 kids, ages 3m, 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, & 15.  We don't vax.  Please give me info on what else I could/should be doing..... also, I'm somewhat confused about Ascorbic Acid & Sodium Ascorbate, and the Acerola powder.  (did i spell that wrong?)  Thanks!  :)

[cameragirl]

Try to include fermented foods in your diet, like yogurt, kefir, and lacto-fermented foods. I love lacto-fermented pickles, green beans, and ginger carrots. The pickles and green beans are especially kid-friendly. Another great tool for cold and flu season is a neti pot. I swear by mine.

[danalyn]

I'll have to find out what "lacto-fermented" means.  And what a neti pot is....?  i can search it out, or you can chime in.....  :)  We are pretty healthy, for the most part, but we do have usually one round of a cold for each of us in this family of 9.  And then perhaps one round of a stomach bug, usually in the early spring.  Right now, my 3m old, 26m old, 4 yr old, and I have colds (not that severe) and my 3m old and 4 yr old are coughing.  I'm really not happy about that, obviously.  And I don't give the baby any kind of vitamin.  my 24m old still nurses, so that's good.  :)

[cameragirl]

Lacto-fermented is just fermenting the old fashioned way. Have you had pickles that were fermented instead of just soaked in vinegar? The good bacteria eats the sugars and turns the liquids sour, and prevents spoiling in the food. Vegetables, meat, and fruit were preserved by fermenting before refrigeration. You can speed up the process by using whey from strained yogurt, as well. You get several strains of probiotics in lacto-fermented foods.

Neti pots look like little bottles for genies. You can use a solution of salt, or baking soda and salt, to rinse out your sinuses. You put the little spout of the neti pot in one nostril, tip your head the other way, and water runs through the nostril and out the other nostril. The warm water flushes out any pollen, viruses, or mucus in the sinuses. It works much better than just using a squirt bottle of saline solution. It is a little strange the first time, but it works so well that it is easy to get used to.

[Mittsy]

We also supplement with echinacea and elderberry syrup around this time of year.

[1love4ever]

Manuka honey has antibiotic and antiviral properties.  I give it to DD during cold/flu season or any time I think she's getting sick, I use YS Organic Bee Farms Raw Manuka Honey from vitacost.  DH and I also take it when one of us is sick(last year I got the flu, I hadnt been taking honey.  EVERYONE who even came near me got it except DH and DD, I think because DD was still BFing and was taking the honey, and DH was taking the honey.  Even my dad who seriously Never gets sick got it!).   Probiotics are always a good thing.  Garlic, especially fresh raw garlic, can help with sickness too!  I have also heard of using goldenseal but I am not sure how to go about using it or what the benefits are or anything....

[isabchi]

I think somehow we're been pretty good to keeping colds, flu and other illness on bay. We get cold every few years. My tips are, lacto-ferrmented food, Vit D and Elderberry syrup in Fall and Winter seasons. Supplement here and there with Zinc,but for sure with the first sign of any illness. If somebody get a cold, supplemented with raw and local propolis. Try to keep away  sugar from our diet and eat low carbs as possible. Eat plenty of greens and berries. Breastfeed as long is possible (CLW).

Some of my other tips is not be affraid to some dirt at play. We never be affraid to go play with many different kids and people. In others words, don't be germophobic!

Edited by isabchi - 9/18/11 at 5:34pm

[cameragirl]

Speaking of vitamin D - you are far enough north that you can't get enough vitamin D from sunshine from November-March. I highly recommend cod liver oil, or at least a D3 supplement. I like Carlson cod liver oil, and it is free of contaminants. My daughter loves the lemon flavored chewables, and they also make lemon flavored liquid for kids.

[heatherdeg]

We use Carlson D3 drops (2,000) for the kids.  One tiny, tasteless drop/day(we adults take 5,000IUs/day).  We put it in their black elderberry syrup--which we take daily from just before Labor Day onward.  It's gone through two double-blind clinical trials--one of which showed it to cut the lifecycle of the flu by 50% and that's when taken AFTER onset.  And then probiotics (which the lacto-fermented foods will give you, but only half the people in my household can tolerate the taste of fermented foods.  I'm not one of them.  Sorry guys--I'm SO. TRYING!!)

Otherwise, the other things we use are reactive.  I did finally buy a neti pot and pray I can get over the feeling of it.  But we keep Oscillo and Yin Chaio in the house for colds/flu (combined with "intensive" dosing of the elderberry syrup) and that has saved me from recurrent bouts of pneumonia (I'm really prone).  And we have a great congestion tea remedy: three shakes of ground thyme, 1 dried bay leaf (mine are kind of old, but work), 1/4 of a lemon (maybe 1-2 Tbls. if you just have the juice), steeped in warm water with honey to taste (we use raw, local honey).  This past year is the first time we were given intensive dosing of D3 when sick.  We relocated and found a new Dr. who gave us something like 40,000 IUs/day when sick.  I can't remember.  I know the pills were 25,000 IUs each and we took more than one, but I think it was in conjunction with another dosage.  Honestly, I didn't really track whether it worked or not.  It clearly didn't make an impression on me, but I will try it again this year just to be sure.

So far, that's done in anything we catch no matter how bad.  And some have been BAD.  We're never knocked out for more than 24-48 hours total.

Of course, I got nothin' for sore throat.

[danalyn]

Thanks for all of this valuable information.  Tell me about the elderberry.  I recently bought a bottle of Sanubocol (sorry, can't recall the exact correct spelling) BE syrup.  I looked online and found there are "pills' and a spray.  Also, are there drops? 

[heatherdeg]

Originally Posted by danalyn 

Thanks for all of this valuable information.  Tell me about the elderberry.  I recently bought a bottle of Sanubocol (sorry, can't recall the exact correct spelling) BE syrup.  I looked online and found there are "pills' and a spray.  Also, are there drops? 

I truthfully only know of the syrup, but I honestly haven't looked for anything else.  Everyone here has always loved the syrup so it wasn't a big deal.  I haven't found the actual Sambucol for a long time.  I almost wonder if a patent ran out (you used to pay more for that brand because it was the exact formulation used in the clinical trials) but the Sambucus by Nature's Way is minus an ingredient I didn't love in the Sambucol anyway--so we use that.  Just the regular one--nothing extra, no kids version.

[GoddessKristie]

Lots of great stuff here already, I just wanted to add that my Herb Encyclopedia says that a study was done in the 50's including 11,000 people and 14 MD's. They all agreed that providing 500 mg of Siberian Ginseng a day without letup provided those studied "100% protection from every viral infection known to man."

I took this herb for a long time while I was healing my adrenals and that entire time I did not get a single cold or the flu. 

[heatherdeg]

Originally Posted by GoddessKristie 

Lots of great stuff here already, I just wanted to add that my Herb Encyclopedia says that a study was done in the 50's including 11,000 people and 14 MD's. They all agreed that providing 500 mg of Siberian Ginseng a day without letup provided those studied "100% protection from every viral infection known to man."

I took this herb for a long time while I was healing my adrenals and that entire time I did not get a single cold or the flu. 

Wow... that is amazing.  Is this something  you take in capsule form?

[GoddessKristie]

Yes. I have bought it in health food stores and ordered it from Amazon. It's a powder in a capsule. Totally easy to take.

[dbsam]

Like pp's we use vit C, vit D, elderberry syrup, echinacea and the netti pot...but we are not always good about taking things daily.

So, if we do feel a bug coming on, we take oil of oregano.  It tastes horrible but it seems to prevent or shorten an illness.

[gabbyraja]

Originally Posted by dbsam 

Like pp's we use vit C, vit D, elderberry syrup, echinacea and the netti pot...but we are not always good about taking things daily.

So, if we do feel a bug coming on, we take oil of oregano.  It tastes horrible but it seems to prevent or shorten an illness.

You know, I just read an artcile from Herb Mentor yesterday about Bee Balm (aka wild bergamot). Good for yeast, colds, etc, more powerful than oil of oregano and easy to grow in your garden.  http://www.learningherbs.com/news_issue_71.html  Very interesting stuff. And here Susun Weed talks about Bergamot, and shows you what the mature plant looks like.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZo4uU3J0Rs&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL7B7CE3C4BEBC3B3E

[dbsam]

Originally Posted by gabbyraja 

You know, I just read an artcile from Herb Mentor yesterday about Bee Balm (aka wild bergamot). Good for yeast, colds, etc, more powerful than oil of oregano and easy to grow in your garden.  http://www.learningherbs.com/news_issue_71.html  Very interesting stuff. And here Susun Weed talks about Bergamot, and shows you what the mature plant looks like.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZo4uU3J0Rs&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL7B7CE3C4BEBC3B3E

Thanks for the information.  I've had bee balm in my garden but never used it for anything...just enjoyed the plant.

[sunnygir1]

Great suggestions so far.  Here's what really helps us:

Wash hands frequently.  I'm not a germaphobe and will NOT use antibacterial soaps, but being diligent about hand washing for myself and the kids makes a huge difference.

Keeping kids out of school/daycare.  When my kids were in daycare they were sick all the time -- now that they're home with a babysitter when I work they are almost never ill.

I try to keep up on a probiotic supplement, vitamin D drops in the cold weather seasons, fish oil (haven't gotten one that ds likes yet), and a tonic of ginger tea with lemon juice and local honey.  If I suspect we've been exposed or someone is having some questionable symptoms (or if I just get a feeling I should), I will give garlic honey, echinacea tincture, elderberry tincture, vitamin C, and/or zinc daily.

[1love4ever]

Originally Posted by sunnygir1 

Great suggestions so far.  Here's what really helps us:

Wash hands frequently.  I'm not a germaphobe and will NOT use antibacterial soaps, but being diligent about hand washing for myself and the kids makes a huge difference.

Keeping kids out of school/daycare.  When my kids were in daycare they were sick all the time -- now that they're home with a babysitter when I work they are almost never ill.

I try to keep up on a probiotic supplement, vitamin D drops in the cold weather seasons, fish oil (haven't gotten one that ds likes yet), and a tonic of ginger tea with lemon juice and local honey.  If I suspect we've been exposed or someone is having some questionable symptoms (or if I just get a feeling I should), I will give garlic honey, echinacea tincture, elderberry tincture, vitamin C, and/or zinc daily.

Huh!  I never even thought to mention hand washing LOL, but I totally agree that helps!  And with the daycare and school, Absolutely!

This does remind me of something though that I think I should share- my friends DS is the same age as DD.  She is and always has been a stay at home mom with him, and he gets sick ALL THE TIME(he is rarely around other kids/people and does not even go outside that much).  I mean, even during the summer he only goes a few weeks without at least a minor cold, flu, or ear infection, and he is constantly on antibiotics.  My DD is around him quite a bit and has NEVER gotten sick from him, even when they share cups.  There is nothing wrong or abnormal with him.  Here is the only difference between our families: My family eats fresh organic fruits and veggies all the time, we drink raw milk (I didnt start giving DD probiotics until about a month ago so I'm not counting that here), and we dont eat processed foods/drinks.  We eat meat, bread, etc just like them, but it is all organic and whole foods.  So, because of this(and other similar experiences), I truely believe that GOOD nutrition has a lot to do with preventing as well as treating illness.

I also think that when a person does get sick, antibiotics should be a last resort and in this poor little guys case thats not how it is, and I think that is adding to his problems
 

[gabbyraja]

I was going to say, another HUGE difference btwn your families is that poor boy is on atibiotics all the time. Probiotics and avoiding your food allergens would be 2 HUGE tips on my list of ways to stay generally healthy. I would bet money he's sick to begin with (EIs and all) because of food allergies, and then he's treated not by making his body LESS likely to attack itself (probiotics) but by making it more likely, and him sicker and sicker.