# Tips for staying healthy this winter



## Candy (Aug 19, 2009)

We've been hearing so much about the Swine Flu from the media that it's no wonder they don't scare people half to death. Anyway I thought I would post a thread to help people stay healthy the natural way. I usually copy this and print it out in the winter and hand it out at work so people know there are natural products that can keep your immune system working well. Anyway if anyone else has anything they would like to add such as.....Grandma's old remedy or something you've also found that helps you I'd love to read about it. I don't take any flu shots and my kids don't either I just don't like the idea. I feed them whole foods and I try to not give them foods that have preservatives or processing so their cells can function properly. These are twelve things that might help you this winter.  

12 Cold-Weather Remedies


The 12 cold-weather herbal remedies recommended here should help you stay well, or at least help cut the duration of most winter health challenges. There are remedies for sore throats, chapped lips and even chest congestion in this list. 


Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus): Antiviral and immunity-enhancer. If you tend to get every bug that goes around during the winter, you can build up your resistance to disease by taking this Chinese tonic herb on a daily basis. It's safe to take indefinitely.

Garlic (Allium sativum): Antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer and cardiovascular tonic par excellence. The best home remedy for colds is to eat two cloves of raw garlic at the onset of symptoms. Chop or crush the cloves to release the allicin (a sulfur compound with strong antibiotic effects) and put them on a sandwich or swallow them in apple sauce. Don't chew and the garlic won't stay on your breath.

Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) and sage (Salvia officinalis): Decongestant and antibacterial. Inhaling steam that contains eucalyptus or sage is an excellent remedy for respiratory problems, including chest congestion, bronchitis, bronchial cough and sinusitis. The aromatic oils from eucalyptus and sage leaves help halt bacterial growth and reduce the risk of getting secondary infections. Do the steam routine at least twice a day. As a variation, try several crushed garlic cloves in the water. If you have a sore throat, drink sage tea.

Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea): Antibiotic, antiviral and immune-enhancer. This native American plant is a fine first-line treatment for colds and flu. At the first sign of trouble, begin taking echinacea and continue until the illness runs its course. Children under 10 can take half the adult dosage.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale): Warming, anti-inflammatory and anti-nauseant. Ginger root tea helps relieve head and chest congestion while staving off chills. Grate a one-inch piece of peeled ginger root. Place it in a pot with two cups of water, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for five minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper and simmer one minute more. Remove from heat. Add two tablespoons fresh lemon juice, one or two cloves of mashed garlic and honey to taste. Let cool slightly, and strain if you wish.

Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis): Antiseptic. Speed healing of sore throats by gargling with a warm goldenseal/salt-water solution for a few minutes at a time, at least four times a day.

Mullein (Verbascum thapsus): Expectorant, antitussive. Tincture of mullein relieves chest congestion and dry, bronchial coughs. Mullein oil can be used to treat ear infections.

Calendula (Calendula officinalis): Soothing. Calendula lotions and salves, made from the bright orange flowers of this popular ornamental plant, are gentle and effective remedies for chapped skin and chapped lips. Apply as needed.

Tiger Balm: This Chinese herbal remedy, based on camphor and menthol, is great for easing bronchial congestion. The camphor and menthol have a warming action that brings more blood to the area. Just rub Tiger Balm on the chest and cover with a warm towel.

St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum): Antidepressant (effective for mild sedation). If you suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), St. John's wort is a useful complement to light therapy. Take 300 mg of a standardized extract containing 0.3 percent hypericin three times a day. You can taper off this dosage as the days grow longer. Since St. John's wort may take six to eight weeks to work, start this well before the dark days of winter. In theory, an over-stimulated immune system could aggravate allergies or autoimmunity.

An immune support formula with Asian mushrooms.

Vitamin C: Vitamin C functions as a powerful antioxidant that has a role in the repair and regeneration of tissues. It may also support healthy immune function. 

To be prudent, people with diseases like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus should avoid long-term use of any of the immune-enhancing botanicals. But it is perfectly fine for them to take echinacea or astragalus short-term (up to 10 days or so) to treat colds and other minor infections


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## Isa (Aug 19, 2009)

Thank you so much for the list Candy it is very helpful


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## Candy (Aug 19, 2009)

Isa said:


> Thank you so much for the list Candy it is very helpful



Your welcome Isa. I've just been happy with the results I've had using these natural products. We always talk about taking the best care we can of our tortoises, but sometimes I question whether we do this for ourselves or not. My boys just know that as soon as the sniffles hit they are to take Astragalus and within 3 days they're almost all gone (I also up their vitamin C to 500 mg. 3x a day). It's wonderful because they don't have to take chemical products. I once asked my sons pediatrician what she gives or does for her own children when they get sick with colds and such and she said that she does nothing to my surprise. She said that she puts them in the steaming shower to help loosen things up and she might shoot some saline up their nose to help clear things out. She said that the only time you would want to give them something is if they're not sleeping well (same for us) because rest is a big factor in getting better. I am a very alternative medicine type of person and love to read whatever comes across me in this field.


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## Stazz (Aug 19, 2009)

I only ever ever ever use natural products. My mom is a health rep....she markets and sells health products. So whenever I have a problem with tummy or anything, I call her and say "what healthy healthy can I get" hehe. Thanks for the info Candy


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## Candy (Aug 20, 2009)

Stazz said:


> I only ever ever ever use natural products. My mom is a health rep....she markets and sells health products. So whenever I have a problem with tummy or anything, I call her and say "what healthy healthy can I get" hehe. Thanks for the info Candy



Gotta love your mom Stace.  I'm so glad to hear that and that your mother is a rep. you're lucky she can even send you stuff for free.


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## Stazz (Aug 23, 2009)

Hahaha ohhhh yeah, I used to take full advantage of free health stuff through her hahahaha. Awesome!


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## Laura (Aug 23, 2009)

Wash your hands, keep your hands away from your face and i just read something about Vit D being very important to help your immune system fight colds and flu. we dont get as much of it in the winter,, so supplements might be useful. 
I drink EmergenC from Trader Joes. lots of diff flavors. Its a powder packet that you mix with water.


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## Candy (Aug 23, 2009)

Laura said:


> Wash your hands, keep your hands away from your face and i just read something about Vit D being very important to help your immune system fight colds and flu. we dont get as much of it in the winter,, so supplements might be useful.
> I drink EmergenC from Trader Joes. lots of diff flavors. Its a powder packet that you mix with water.



Yes since I work with children I'm washing my hands a lot. Yes my husband takes Vitamin D3 supplements. It's taken him a while to get it up to level though. I tell him to get in the sun more often, but the medical establishment has scared people so badly about getting in the sun now everybody's low on Vitamin D and now they're surprised. I'm not a big believer in sunscreens they scare me more then the sun. I've never taken the EmergenC from Trader Joes I'll have to look at that when I go there next.


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## dmmj (Aug 23, 2009)

on a personal note I am fair skinned so sun is bad for me. I burn in under five minutes so I avoid it every possible chance I get, but like I said I am fair skinned. I do take a multi vitamin and I also try to eat a baalnced diet myself. oh and I wash my hands alot since I am frequently handling tort and turtles.


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## ZippyButter (Aug 26, 2009)

Candy,

Thanks for these extra tips. I would like to add some to your list if you don't mind.

These general recommendation during the flu season:

1. Common sense - you have it , use it.
2. Frequent hand washing.
3. Avoid swimming during autumn + winter, especially for susceptible 
children + adults.
4. Get plenty of REST.
5. Avoid becoming chilled, wear extra thin layer of clothing.
6. If your child is ill, keep him/her at home.
7. Minimize JUNKFOOD (refined sugar compromised the immune system).
8. Take the homeopathic flu product called Influenzinum (available at 
most homeopathic doctors). 
9. Stock up on Vitamin D3 (3000 IU per person), Vitamin A, Vitamin C,
fish oil, and Zinc.

Last but not least, don't let the media SCARES you.


Minh


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## Candy (Aug 27, 2009)

dmmj said:


> on a personal note I am fair skinned so sun is bad for me. I burn in under five minutes so I avoid it every possible chance I get, but like I said I am fair skinned. I do take a multi vitamin and I also try to eat a baalnced diet myself. oh and I wash my hands alot since I am frequently handling tort and turtles.



I do realize it's hard for some people because they are extremely sensitive in the sunlight. I think it's good that you know how you react it's just that sunscreens scare me especially were my kids are concerned. Your skin is your biggest organ and we should be more concerned on what we're putting on it. I do agree washing hands especially after the torts and turtles. 



ZippyButter said:


> Candy,
> 
> Thanks for these extra tips. I would like to add some to your list if you don't mind.
> 
> ...



I love when people chime in and tell me about another homopathic medicine that I haven't heard of yet. I'm going to my pharmacy(they also have a homopathic section) and going to ask them to show me this Influenzinum, I've never heard of it. Have you used it for long? I also agree that parents keeping their children home when they are sick is one of the best ways to keep everyone well. Since I work with children I'm often surprised at how many parents will send their children to school even when they are running fevers (especially if there's a test to be taken). Thanks for the information.


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## chadk (Aug 27, 2009)

On a similar note... My wife has been on the war path with colds and the flu the last several years. She's always trying to get me to take various homeopathic concoctions, vitamins, eating vegetables, etc etc. Some years she makes the whole family get the flu shot, other years it is a more natural approach. Each time I just tell her, Ã¢â‚¬Å“when I get sick, and you donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t, then IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll be convinced.Ã¢â‚¬Â So far, she gets sick more than I do. But to balance that out, when I do get sick, I often have worse symptoms. But still not enough to convince me to jump on the bandwagon. 

HereÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s one for those with kids that my neighbor is always telling me about his grandmaÃ¢â‚¬Â¦ Whenever one of their kids got sick, sheÃ¢â‚¬â„¢d break out a sucker and make all the kids take a few licks and share it. That ensure all kids got exposed to the same germs and had the cold at the same basic time. Now I donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t know about thatÃ¢â‚¬Â¦ But I can say that often, with as many kids as we have, it seems that it can take forever for a cold to work its way through the family, and by the time it should end, it morphs into something new (or our lowered immune system from the previous cold makes us more prone to a new one) and we start all over again.


Oh, and I think the scare tactics regarding the swine flu are hyped up in the name of $$$. The gov't got a few billion for it (money we don't have...), pharmaceuticals are going to make a killing off it and the vaccines, the medical (traditional and homeopathic) stands to make a pretty penny as well with all the hype.


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## ZippyButter (Aug 27, 2009)

Candy,

The Influenzinum, I got this infos from my sister-in-law's colleague whom I've met during my annual trip back to New England to visit my siblings and all the nieces and nephews. No, I've not taken it, this is the first time I've heard about this product. Here is more infos about it.

In Europe, people has been used this for years during the flu season. It is reformulated year to year to help prepare the body. It has no side effects and you can purchase over-the-counter. Beginning in November, take 8-10 pellets weekly for 4weeks and then once three weeks later. I think this product strengthens the immune system to protect our body from catching the flu virus. 

Personally, I and my familly eat healthy, get plenty of rest, supplement with vitamin C, D, Cod liver oil, and see my chiopratic friend twice a month.

About healthy food, we purchase grass-fed meat and free ranged animals meat ( beef, pork, chicken). For fishes, shrimps we buy only wild-caught and stay away from farmed-raised. Eat organic fruits and vegetables. I know this sounds costly, but life is short, and we are what we put in our bodies.



Chad,

I agree with you 100% about who benefit when the WHO declared a pandemic about this H1N1. Hard-working people like the majority of American people are robbed legally by our government and the BIG Pharma of our tax dollars.

Eat well and stay healthy.



Minh


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## Candy (Aug 27, 2009)

Chad I do think for a mother it is a guessing game (guilt maybe) and a little bit of what if? My husband is a teacher so he gets a flu shot every year at his school site. I don't because I hear that's a guessing game also on which flu they might be targeting this year. I don't like taking meds, never have actually offered all my pain medicines throughout the years to my sister (big mistake) she ended up having an addition to them (Charter Hospital here she comes). I love vitamins and minerals and reading most things that deal with alterative medicines. I myself have a doctor who I go to who is 81 years old and has more energy then I do. I love asking the kids at school what they had for breakfast when they come into my office sick. It's amazing what they eat (or don't eat) before they come to school. And what's more amazing is what our cafeterias are feeding them. I do think people need to get cold's I think it's a natural cleansing process that the body goes through. You just have to keep an eye on it. Rest is number one. Anyway the sucker incident is very interesting and I have heard of such things before, you never know do you? Might just work. 



ZippyButter said:


> Candy,
> 
> The Influenzinum, I got this infos from my sister-in-law's colleague whom I've met during my annual trip back to New England to visit my siblings and all the nieces and nephews. No, I've not taken it, this is the first time I've heard about this product. Here is more infos about it.
> 
> ...



Minh, just got to love Europe so far ahead of us. The main goal of going to a doctor there is to stay healthy not just when your sick. I am still going to ask the pharmacy about the Influenzinum and see what they say about it. I also eat mostly (not all) organic. I don't eat much meat, but I do try to insist it be organic (although sometimes it doesn't work out especially in restaurants). The fish has to be wild caught though. I teach my children to read labels and they take their lunch to school. The hardest thing that I find is getting my husband to follow the program he likes to cheat. He actually bought them gum the other day with Aspartme and food dyes in it (I don't think so) it went back to the store. I know I sound obsessed sometimes about these things, but I want them to know a different way and what I think now is a better way.


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## dmmj (Aug 28, 2009)

not to ruffle any feathers but the swine flu is being hyped, IMHO. Wal mart wants to be the only to market the vaccine and make a lot of money. Remeber the normal flu kills like 18K plus people a year, so far the swine flu is a lightweight. Not trying to be insensitive.


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## Stazz (Aug 30, 2009)

Yep you are totally correct Dmmj, my friend is a scientist in SA and works in a lab where they've been sending cases to them to be tested and worked out, and HE says its just the normal flu, just spreads faster. You are also right, the normal flu does kill people too. It has been such a hype about it, its good to be informed but the media are just using some serious scare tactics. The people who have died from it are people with very low immune systems, i.e: HIV positive and AIDS sufferers for example.


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