Article Update

Please note that I have previously endorsed the use of grapefruit seed extract. I have since discovered that it is not so natural afterall. Please read: Citricidal for more information.

Healthierlife is fairly informative about Bird ‘Flu’
It’s time to think about the unthinkable: a worldwide epidemic of H5N1.

H5N1 – also known as A(H5N1) – is just one strain of the bird flu virus. But it’s a particularly deadly strain, and it’s the one that has health officials on the edge of their seats.

This virus has been with us for a long time. It was first identified in 1961 among birds in South Africa, but it took more than 35 years for a human case of bird flu to emerge. Today, more than 100 cases have been attributed to H5N1 and about half have resulted in death. All of these cases are believed to be the result of transmission from infected birds. In other words, there is no evidence yet of human-to-human transmission.

If that moment should ever arrive, the confirmation that a patient with H5N1 has contaminated another person will likely be one of the defining moments of the 21st Century.

That’s the bad news. But there is some potentially good news concerning the bird flu virus. It’s not much, frankly, but with any luck it may be enough.

It is difficult to know whether to take a flu jab or not because of the repercussions to an ME system when you have ME or any medical condition. It seems to be a devil and the deep blue sea thing. But surely the flu jab is preferable to having flu despite the side effects of the jab?

However here are a string of conditions that have disappeared when a test for food allergies has been taken and the suspected food eliminated from the diet:
ADD/ADHD
Arthritis
Asthma
Autism
Candidiasis
Celiac Disease
Chronic Fatigue
Diabetes
Ear Infections
Fibromyalgia
Headaches
Hay Fever
Hyperactivity
Hypertension Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Leaky Gut
Migraine & Cluster Headaches
Skin Rashes
Sinusitis
Stress/Tension
Weight Challenges & Obesity

So you may like to explore this avenue first before you worry about flu. I have ME and food allergies, since eliminating the suspect foods I have not had a cold or flu virus since but then I also use many natural remedies when I feel that I might be getting ‘something’ – tea-tree being my favourite!! (But I still have ME and I am exploring the possibility of being allergic to another food source and so I am thinking of taking the York Lab IgG blood test.)

If you do have food allergies then you may not want to take the flu jab as it may have substances in that you cannot tolerate, or it may have been cultured on substances that you cannot tolerate.
It could be why some sufffer side-effects when taking the flu jab.

My symptoms that arise from eating a food I am allergic to are not always an obvious allergic reaction. My throat will feel tight from the glands being swollen as they try to fight the allergen, my muscles will feel achy as if I have flu. These are just two of the many symptoms but they are also symptoms of ME.

In the event you do not want to go the flu jab route, you may like to consider some natural remedies for colds, flu and boosting the immune system.

The folowing is from USAToday

*The enemy within*

But every year more than 50 million Americans are sickened by colds and influenza, or flu for short. And knowing the difference between the two can literally mean life or death, because, according to the CDC, influenza causes more than 100,000 hospitalizations and claims more than 20,000 lives annually.

The most important indication you have flu rather than a cold is high fever,” says Michael Hirt, a Harvard-trained internist and founder of the Center for Integrative Medicine in Tarzana, Calif. “Common cold fevers can tend to be 99 or 100.6 – rarely higher than that. The flu fevers tend to be at least 102.5, 103, or 104 – even higher in children. Flu is also associated with severe muscle ache. It hurts to move or to breathe. You feel like you’ve been hit by a truck.

The influenza virus is spread by little respiratory droplets from sneezing or coughing. It is also spread by hands contacting an infected surface and introducing the virus into the body by rubbing your eye or eating with your fingers.

Washing your hands is recommended any time you’re going to touch your face and before eating and drinking,” Hirt advises. “A lot of people would avoid illness if they were mindful of this, not in an obsessive way, but a more diligent way.

But if you do get the flu, there’s still hope.

Tamiflu is a medication that treats influenza A and B, the two major strains of influenza, by disrupting the virus’s ability to copy itself. It has few side effects and, when taken within the first 12 to 36 hours of flu symptoms, can significantly shorten the duration of the flu and limit the intensity of the symptoms.

But because influenza is the only thing that Tamiflu treats, and most of what people get is not the flu but the common cold or flu-like illnesses, Hirt says he also treats a lot of patients using some effective, well documented natural treatments.

The number one treatment, with some good data behind it in terms of shortening the duration of the illness, is black elderberry extract,” says Hirt, who recommends one type called Sambucol. “It works by being a direct anti-viral agent. Sort of like a natural Tamiflu for both influenza and flu-like illnesses.

Seymour takes Sambucol herself. Black elderberry extract can be found in a syrup form, lozenges, or capsules. Hirt advises taking it at the first sign of symptoms but cautions that diabetics use a sugar-free version.

Natural arsenal

Hirt also prescribes these natural cold and flu fighters:

Green tea: Hirt recommends capsules which are more potent than tea. Green tea works as an immune system booster, an anti-viral and it also has anti-bacterial properties. “I take it twice a day, every day on the frontlines in primary care medicine to keep me from getting ill,” Hirt says. “Decaffeinated green tea is probably the best way to take it so that you’re not hyped up and unable to sleep which definitely lowers your immune system.

Garlic: Nicknamed ‘Russian penicillin,’ this herb has broad antiviral, antibacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-yeast properties. Hirt recommends against using odorless garlic because it means the manufacturer has removed all traces of the most essential nutrient. Instead he advises taking enteric-coated garlic pills that dissolve deeper in your digestive track and therefore doesn’t produce garlic breath or give you garlic odor. Enteric-coated garlic is absorbed better so it can get into your system and seek out and destroy flu and flu-like illness viruses.

The caution here is, that like aspirin, garlic is a blood thinner, notes Hirt, who is also board-certified clinical nutrition specialist. “So if you’re already taking aspirin or more serious prescription blood thinners you have to be careful and consult your doctor.

Echinacea and goldenseal: While there have been recent reports that question the efficacy of Echinacea, Hirt notes that like anything else in human disease and treatment people respond differently to different treatments. “The same is true for Echinacea,” Hirt explains. “It doesn’t work for everyone but Echinacea has been around for a long time because it is effective for some number of people, maybe not the majority.

While Seymour also takes zinc lozenges and as much as 10,000 mg of vitamin C when she feels symptoms coming on, she swears by Echinacea.

Echinacea can help boost your immune system at the onset of a cold,” the actress says. “Or it can be used at a lower dose to help prevent cold or flu. We use it a lot and it works extremely well.” Since Echinacea is an immune stimulator, it is not recommended for those whose immune systems are over-stimulated.

And Hirt has a general caution for all herbs.

With any of the herbs it can be a problem to insure that what is on the label is actually in the bottle,” Hirt states. “Sticking with national brands always tends to be your best bet. There are also organizations like Consumerlabs.com that review the quality of certain manufacturers and supplements.

The website USAToday speaks about Jane Seymour and the remedies she takes. She also uses homeopathy a lot and what I don’t understand is how she knows which it is that is helping her, the homeopathy or the 10,000mg of Vitamin C she takes plus all the other remedies. As I can’t work out what it is in homeopathy that is doing the healing, I would rather avoid it. Please read my article about homeopathy especially the comments from an homeopathic doctor. On the USA today website Jane Seymour says that homeopathy works by like treating like, the homeopathic doctor commenting on my article says it is spiritual.

To recap:
Sambucol from black elderberries – anti-viral, anti-biotic
Green Tea – anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant
Garlic (allicin not the oil) – anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-yeast, also thins the blood which may cause stomach problems in sensitve individuals
Echinacea – immune boosting properties
Goldenseal – immune boosting properties
Vitamin C – anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-histamine, immune boosting, anti-oxidant
Zinc – immune support, healing
And here are a few others:
Tea-tree – anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, analgesic
Neem oil – anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal
Citrocidal this is now thought not to be natural but if you don’t mind chemicals – it does have kill virus, bacteria and fungal – anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal – this can be ingested and is great for stomach upsets, colds, sore throats – use diluted.
Colloidal Silver – silver is anti-bacterial and anti-viral and is gentle enough to be used in the ears, nose and throat.

My recipe to help the body fight ‘flu’:
Each day:
Vitamin C x 2 grams (a gram is 1000mgs) every two hours (to go into battle against the illness)
Zinc citrate powder x 15grams (to support the immune system and the gut)
Echinacea tea x 3 cups a day (to support the immune system)
Citricidal x 12 drops in evian water x 3 times a day (to kill the virus in the body)
Tea-tree baths x 6 drops in bath once a day and soak for 20 minutes (to kill any virus on the skin)
Tea-tree neat on glands around the neck and throat (to support the work of the glands)
Colloidal silver spray in the throat and nose x 3 times a day (to kill the virus in the nose and throat)
Keep the body cool with cold packs on the forehead and groin or take painkillers. If you take aspirin and the allicin (garlic) you may experience bleeding or stomach problems.
You should also continue with any supplements you have been taking especially the omega oils as they support the hormonal system and energy.

This seems a lot to take when you are going to be feeling very ill, so don’t be on your own and make sure your carer is aware of what you want to take.

And for me, I will be praying and trusting in God to see me through. I believe He gave us the herbs for our use, and with His Will, I will pull through.

I know the threat of bird flu becoming a human flu virus that can kill is a terrible concept. The thought of which is made worse if you have an immune system disorder, because of the fear that your poor immune system may not cope. But there are so many possibles to kill us each day that kill others: fire in the home, car accident, plane accident, terrorist attack, earthquake, tsunami, flood or cancer, have you ever asked yourself why you haven’t died through some disaster or accident?

A friend of mine who was caught up in the tsunami on boxing day last year told me: “I guess it wasn’t my time.”

Please read my article: What is Heaven?