How Effective Is The Flu Shot?: 10 Ways To Heal Naturally

Please note that I am not qualified as a medical professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this website. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

It’s the same thing every year.  Kids go back to school and sickness follows not long after.  When someone inevitably brings home a bug, it quickly spreads like wildfire from person to person. 

When I was pregnant with my first two children, and when they were babies, I didn’t question getting the flu vaccine.  My doctor said that I should get it and so I did…no questions asked. 

Ask Questions!

We often do things without giving it much thought or researching the facts for ourselves.  Instead, we rely on our medical professionals to give us their “expert” opinions. 

However, when I started my natural and chemical-free journey back in 2014, I started to question everything and everyone. 

I believe that everyone should be educated and be given the right to make an informed decision.  I also believe that just taking your doctor’s word for it and getting the flu vaccine, without any further questioning, is precarious. 

It is no secret the flu vaccine is highly promoted.  When I first started researching this topic, I set out to research both sides of the debate equally.  And I did.  But it was very difficult to find opposing viewpoints on the matter.  It became clear that there was one side of this argument that certain powers that be do not want us all to see.  I had to dig real deep.    

Please remember that I am not a doctor and that none of this should be taken as medical advice.  I am just a concerned mother of 4 children who is sharing the information I have found to be useful in treating myself and my family. 

Although I highly recommend that you do your own research, I hope that this article gives you some things to think about and will set you on your journey to make an informed decision of your own.  Please, do your own research and question all medical recommendations. 

Do I Have “The Flu”?

Technically, the “flu” refers to Influenza, which is a respiratory illness.  Today, there are three known types of influenza, collectively referred to as “the flu:”

• A Type (infects humans, animals and birds),
• B Type (infects humans mostly) and
• C Type (which does not cause severe symptoms in humans or other mammals).

Although there are only three main types of influenza virus, several subtypes of each type exist.  

There are estimated to be 144 different subtypes of Influenza type A, alone.  However, only two subtypes, H1N1 and H3N2, commonly affect humans.  The genes of these two subtypes mutate all the time, which is why the seasonal flu vaccine is changed annually to adjust for the current virus strain mutation.

The Influenza type B virus, on the other hand, mutates at a much lower rate.  Consequently, there is less of a need to adjust the seasonal flu vaccine to accommodate virus strain mutations.

What Are The Flu Symptoms?

Illness from the flu can range from mild to severe, depending on several factors, including the viral strain, the patient’s age and the patient’s health.  Note that certain groups of people, including the very young and elderly, are at a higher risk of having serious complications from the flu than others.

Coughing and sneezing transmits the flu through the air.  If you’ve ever had the flu, you know that the symptoms include:

• fever,
• chills,
• coughing,
• sore throat,
• runny or stuffy nose,
• muscle aches,
• headaches,
• fatigue,
• vomiting and 
• diarrhea. 

Note that, in addition to the influenza virus that affects humans, there are also nearly 200 other viruses that cause flu-like symptoms that aren’t actually “the flu”.  In fact, researchers found that, at most, half and perhaps as little as 7 to 8 percent, of flu-like cases are actually caused by the influenza virus in a given year.  Taking a Q-tip swab of the patient’s mucus in their nose or throat and running a test is the only way to know if someone actually has influenza.

Could It Just Be A Sugar Detox?

In addition, it just so happens that flu season runs from mid-October thru the spring, which also closely corresponds to increased sugar intake throughout the holidays (beginning with Halloween and ending with Easter) and a lack of sunshine.

When overindulging in sugar, your body creates mucus in an attempt to eliminate it.  This can also create runny noses, sore throats, coughs, swollen glands and low-grade fevers, which can often be misdiagnosed as a cold or flu.  Additionally, sugar negatively affects the body’s ability to fight infections.  An elevated blood sugar level decreases the ability of white blood cells to work. Add to that a decrease in vitamin D levels, due to the lack of sunshine, and you have a recipe for sickness.         

How Much Protection Does The Flu Shot Provide?

And let’s not forget that the influenza virus types A and B are constantly mutating.  The strain we get vaccinated for may not be the mutated strain that is circulating currently. 

Given this information, the flu vaccine will NOT protect against all flu-like symptoms.  And without testing, we don’t even know if we have “the flu” in many cases.  Yet, it appears we are assuming that all flu-like symptoms mean that we do in fact have “the flu” and we are treating it as such.  

By the CDC’s own admission, over 80 percent of all flu-like illnesses that occur during “flu” season are not influenza and, therefore, cannot be prevented by a flu shot. 

What’s In This Vaccine?

Most people who vaccinate their children do not realize the kind of ingredients contained in the vaccines.  And even if they do know, they may not fully understand what that particular ingredient does or what it means.

Each seasonal vaccine is only designed to protect against THREE strains of the flu, including two type A strains (H1N1 and H3N2) and 1 type B strain. It can take up to 8 months for the flu vaccine to be produced, from the time three strains are chosen to be targeted by the World Health Organization (WHO) to the time the final product is ready to be administered.  

Workers wear protective gear, covering them from head to toe, while they brew up batches of live, genetically-modified flu viruses.  Tiny doses of virus fluid are injected, robotically, into glass vials, which are shipped all over the country. 

“What does go into a batch of the flu vaccine,” you ask.  After lots of research, I found a laundry list of ingredients that are added to various flu vaccinations.  Commonly, you will find the following:

1. Aluminum salts

Aluminum salts are added to most vaccines to enhance the body’s response to the vaccine and to help it work better.  Although aluminum is present in food, air, water, and soil and is thought to be harmless when swallowed because the body doesn’t absorb it well, aluminum put directly into the blood stream is a whole other issue.

According to the FDA and the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics), aluminum builds up in the bones and brain and are toxic if more than the maximum required dose (of up to 5 mcg per kilogram of weight), is administered.  Aluminum can cause neurological harm, including cognitive impairment in healthy adults. Aluminum overdose can be fatal in patients with weak kidneys or kidney disorders or in premature babies.    

2. Antibiotics

Antibiotics , including neomycin and gentamicin, are added to the brew to stop bacteria from contaminating a vaccine.  Taking too many antibiotics is causing viruses to become antibiotic-resistant. So it would be wise of all of us to avoid taking antibiotics unnecessarily.

3. Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide

Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTMB) is used as a buffer solution for extracting DNA.  It is labeled “hazardous,” as it is a skin irritant, a serious eye irritant, hazardous if inhaled and harmful if swallowed. It may cause respiratory irritation, and it is dangerous to the environment, particularly to aquatic life.

4. Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) is a binding agent added to vaccines to make them more stable.  EDTA may be toxic to our organs.

5. Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde (or Formalin) is a gas that is soluble in water and is added to the vaccine to inactivate the flu virus.  The CDC claims that most of the formaldehyde is removed from the vaccine solution before being packaged and sent to medical professionals.  However, there are no studies to support this claim. Formaldehyde is a carcinogen that is linked to asthma, neurotoxicity, developmental toxicity, liver damage, kidney damage, breathing and eye and throat irritation.

6. Glyphosate

Glyphosate (the active ingredient in the weed killer Roundup) was detected in 5 childhood vaccines tested by Moms Across America in 2016.  It was found to be cancer-causing and should be avoided.

7. Inorganic, foreign nanoparticles

Inorganic, foreign nanoparticles , including lead, stainless steel, iron, chromium and nickel, that are neither biocompatible, nor biodegradable, and induce an inflammatory reaction in the body have been detected in vaccines.  GlaxoSmithKline’s Fluarix vaccine for children featured eleven different types of metallic particles.

8. Ovalbumin

Ovalbumin is the main protein found in egg whites.  Antigens are made from these proteins produced from animals (such as cows, monkeys and chickens, as well as human cells from aborted fetuses called diploid cells).  If a foreign animal protein makes it into our bloodstream without being broken down by digestion into amino acids, as in people with leaky gut syndrome, the body may have an autoimmune response. 

By injecting things never meant to be in the bloodstream, we are not only bypassing our natural defenses, but wrongly activating other defenses.  When we inject amino acids and foreign animal or human proteins into the body, instead of eating and digesting them to make amino acids naturally, we get autoimmune disorders like Addison’s disease, celiac disease-sprue (gluten-sensitive enteropathy), dermatomyositis, Graves’ disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, pernicious anemia, reactive arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus and type I diabetes.

9. Polysorbate 80

Polysorbate 80 (Alkest, Canarcel and Tween 80) is an emulsifier used to keep all of the ingredients evenly incorporated into the solution.  It assists in the delivery of compounds in the vaccine, including mercury and aluminum, across the blood-brain barrier (BBB).  This BBB is weak and easily trespassed during the first 2-3 years of life and during senior years.  It can increase cell permeability, damage and bursting. 

After injection, it can quickly break down into sorbitol and ethylene oxide. The sorbitol may increase the risk of diabetes as well as cell death, mitochondrial failure and DNA fragmentation. The Hazardous Substances Data Bank of the U.S. National Library of Medicine warns that sorbitol “is not to be injected.”  When combined with polymyxin B, risks to infants increase and may cause hypersensitivity reactions and anaphylaxis.  A 1993 Slovakian study suggests that it might also cause infertility. 

10. Sucrose, sorbitol, gelatin & monosodium glutamate

Sucrose (sugar), sorbitol (artificial sweetener), gelatin,and monosodium glutamate (a.k.a. MSG, a flavor enhancer) are added to vaccines to keep them stable.  They maintain the potency of the vaccines, even when exposed to heat and light.  Many people have allergies or sensitivities to MSG, which can cause conditions including headaches, sleeping disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease, attention deficit disorder, seizures, stroke and anaphylactic reaction. 

11. Thimerosal

Thimerosal is added to multi-dose vaccine vials to prevent bacteria and fungi from getting into the vials.  It is almost 50% ethylmercury (as opposed to methylmercury), which has been shown to be toxic in large doses.  The ethylmercury in vaccines is far more toxic to and in the brain, where it can accumulate as inorganic mercury with an estimated half-life of 27 years!  This dangerous chemical has only ever been tested in humans once, in 1929, in a study in which all twenty-two subjects died shortly after receiving it. 

The proponents of the vaccine claim that only a trace amount of thimerosal remains in the vaccine before administered.  However, there is 2,000 ppb of mercury in flu vaccines labeled with “trace” amounts of mercury and 50,000 ppb of mercury in a multi-dose flu vaccine given to everyone, including infants and pregnant women.  These are far greater amounts than the 200 ppb of mercury found in liquid waste that renders it a toxic hazard.

What Are The Side Effects Of The Flu Shot?

About 5%-10% of people experience mild side effects, such as headache, nasal congestion, low-grade fever, sore throat, or muscle cramps. Some individuals may also experience short term side effects, including dizziness, nausea, and/or soreness or a mild rash at the injection site. 

It is thought to be a myth that the use of inactivated (dead) or attenuated (weakened) live viruses causes some people to contract the flu from the vaccine, since there are either no live viruses in the vaccine, or the viruses are so weak that they replicate poorly or not at all in people with normal immune systems and in good health.

Many vaccination supporters claim that the vaccine is entirely safe and should not cause much harm, aside from the effects listed above.  One justification is that the wrong dose of anything, found in nature or man-made, can be very dangerous.  However, the amounts found in the vaccine are so tiny that they should pose no harm to the average person.

What Does The Package Insert Say?

However, a look at the other “possible” side effects listed on the vaccine package insert lists many side effects that no one is talking about. They include:

• Allergic reaction causing serum sickness,
• Bell’s palsy,
• Brachial plexus nerve disorder,
• Cellulitis,
• Decreased blood platelets,
• Disorder of nerve,
• Disorder of brain,
• Giant hives,
• Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS),
• Inflamed spinal cord,
• Life-threatening allergic reaction,
• Stevens-Johnson syndrome,
• Sudden blindness,
• Difficult breathing and
• Death.

It is worth noting that no flu vaccine (or any other vaccine for that matter) has ever undergone a gold standard, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in any population. It takes years for a new drug to be clinically tested and approved.  The seasonal influenza vaccines that manufacturers create each year, on the other hand, are exempt from this lengthy process.

What About The Affects On Pregnant Women?

It is more disturbing to note that post licensure studies in the US and in Canada show that women vaccinated with the inactivated influenza vaccine are 3.7 to 7.7 times more likely to spontaneously abort their unborn child within 28 days of vaccination! 

Added to that is the fact that the thimerosal included in the vaccine passes more easily from a mother’s bloodstream through the placenta than does methylmercury.  Because of this, fetal cord blood mercury levels are typically about double the mother’s mercury blood levels, causing unborn children to be increasingly more likely to be exposed to thimerosal in utero.

More Research, Please!

Research is also showing that the seasonal flu vaccine actually increases the risk of severity of pandemic influenza type A (H1N1) illness.

Several concerned citizens are calling for more testing to find the real truth of whether these vaccines are having harmful effects on people, not just from stand-alone doses, but from multiple doses over many years, combined with other vaccinations and daily chemical product use.  It seems only wise to do so when our health is at stake.

How Effective Is the Flu Vaccine?

Much of the research showing the effectiveness of the flu vaccine is grossly inflated.  Most mortality rates provided are actually estimates and do not just count deaths from influenza, but also deaths from other respiratory, circulatory, cardiac and pulmonary deaths that “might” have been associated with influenza.  In fact, the CDC quietly admitted on their website that the “CDC does not know exactly how many people die from seasonal flu each year.”

What Are The REAL Numbers?

The largest number of deaths from influenza ever recorded was in 1941, at 21,047 deaths.  Since then, the rate of death from influenza has actually been declining.  The most deaths recorded in a single year since 1979 was only approximately 2,900 deaths, which was in 2009 during the H1N1 swine flu pandemic.   

The flu comes and goes with the seasons and often does NOT kill people directly.  Rather, it contributes to death by making the body more susceptible to secondary infections like pneumonia and bronchitis.  This is why researchers typically look at deaths from all causes during a flu season and compare the vaccinated and unvaccinated populations.     

Current Effectiveness

For the 2017-18 flu season, the CDC reported that the vaccine for the most prevalent strain, influenza A (H3N2), was only 25% effective.  Canada and Australia reported only a 10% effectiveness for that same strain in adults.  Even worse, was an independent, gold standard, Cochrane Review, published in 2018, which reported that flu shots have an astounding 98 to 99 percent failure rate.

The Healthy-User Effect

Also mentioned in various research was the “healthy-user effect.”  It is hypothesized that people who choose to get the flu shot are already healthier and are less likely to die anyway.  Sadly, this hypothesis was studied by Lisa Jackson, a physician and senior investigator with the Group Health Research Center.  Although her results supported this hypothesis, her research was rejected by the medical community, who simply refused to believe them. 

Effects On The Elderly

In any case, studies show that 90% of the deaths that occur from the seasonal flu are of the elderly, whose health was already declining.  Moreover, when the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases researchers included all of the deaths from illnesses that the flu may have been associated with, including lung disease and chronic heart failure, the flu accounted for, at most, 10% of the winter deaths among the elderly. 

It is unclear whether the flu vaccine actually saves lives.  In fact, statistics from the past 200 years actually reveal that infectious diseases declined at least 90% before vaccines were ever even introduced.  “Experts attribute the cessation of epidemic diseases, not to mass vaccination, but to a major sanitation reform movement that swept Europe and America during the late 1800s and early 1900s.”  Until a thorough testing of the flu vaccine is performed, the jury is still out on this matter.

How Does The Flu Vaccine Work?

Did you know that we have two immune systems?

1. The cell-mediated immune system is responsible for eliminating intracellular (inside the cell) organisms.

2. The humoral immune system is responsible for producing antibodies that target extracellular (outside the cell) infecting agents or foreign proteins.

In a normal situation, our cell-mediated immune system produces white blood cells that essentially digest and then excrete cells that are dead and infected with a virus or bacteria. During this time, we feel sick (i.e. fever, rash, cough, mucus, etc.).  These sick feelings are not caused by the virus, but by the body’s response to the virus.  Therefore, the severity of any particular sickness we have is a function of how many cells are infected and the strength of our cell-mediated response.

The humoral immune system, by contrast, targets extracellular (outside the cell) infecting agents or foreign proteins and produces antibodies to remember what happened so our cells don’t get infected with the same pathogen again.  Whether we repeatedly get sick is related to whether we can make an effective antibody response.

Effect of Vaccines

When we receive a vaccine, on the other hand, we are deliberately trying to bypass the cell-mediated immune system and only provoke a humoral response.  This causes a problem in that the vaccine recipient is left with a humoral immune system that is too strong and cell-mediated immune system that is suppressed.

If our cell-mediated immune system is suppressed, we have no way to clear the poisons that we have just been injected with from our tissues.  We end up with chronic inflammation, as our bodies struggle to clear these inflammatory toxins (such as mercury, formaldehyde, and dead viruses).  In addition, an overactive humoral immune system leaves us with increased susceptibility to chronic disease and often leads to auto-immune disease, where the humoral immune system attacks our own tissues.

How Can I Prevent Getting the Flu?

Even if you get the flu vaccine, you are not guaranteed immunity against future infections, since new strains of the flu appear constantly.  And let’s not forget that the flu is not the only virus that can cause flu-like symptoms. 

So, how else can we avoid getting the flu or flu-like symptoms, without vaccination?  Try taking these steps to reduce your risks naturally:

• Wash your hands with warm water and a gentle, chemical-free soap often, especially before eating.  If you cannot wash your hands, use a hand sanitizer to cleanse your hands. 
• Keep hands away from your face as much as possible.  This is especially difficult for our little ones.  We need to teach them to keep hands out of their mouths and away from their eyes and noses.  
• Keep your distance from others that look sick. 
• Disinfect your home and work space, especially surfaces that people touch often, when someone in your home or office is sick. 
• Cover your nose and mouth with your elbow or a tissue whenever you sneeze to avoid contaminating your hands and the surfaces and people around you. 
• Avoid sugar!  This may not only cause flu-like symptoms, if you overindulge in it, but it will weaken your immune system and make you more susceptible to foreign invaders.

How Can I Heal From The Flu Naturally?

If you do get the flu, many healthcare professionals recommend that you take an antiviral (such as Tamiflu) to shorten the duration of your sickness.  However, these are also toxic drugs that come with side effects.  In addition to reducing stressors and getting lots of rest, the following 10 ways can help you heal yourself from the flu and other flu-like symptoms naturally, without side effects.

1. Follow The Homeopathic Protocol

I definitely recommend taking homeopathic medicines.  Although a licensed and trained Homeopath should be consulted for chronic, long-term cases, homeopathic medicines can give you some control over your family’s health in acute situations. 

Homeopathy works by NOT suppressing symptoms with fever-reducing drugs, but by introducing medicine that might actually CAUSE flu-like conditions in a person to augment the person’s immune and defense system to ignite.  The theory is that “like cures like.”  No side effects have been reported. 

In the case of influenza, it is recommended that homeopathic medicines only be administered after the first symptoms have occurred. Most remedies should be taken twice daily or every 3-4 hours, if severe. Discontinue use when you start to feel better. 

At the first sign of influenza, the ultimate homeopathic protocol is to take Influenzinum 30C.  However, if it is unknown whether the illness is due to influenza or another virus causing flu-like symptoms, including fever, chills, body aches and fatigue, Oscillococcinum 200CK, (pronounced o-cill-o-cock-i-num), is recommended.   

If improvement is not seen or felt after 6 doses, it is recommended that the treatment be discontinued. It is possible that there is another remedy that is better suited to treat the illness. 

Other remedies that may be taken to combat flu-like symptoms include Arsenicum Album 30C, Byronia 30C, and Gelsemium 30C.   Gelsemium, specifically, may be taken when severe fatigue, malaise and achy muscles accompany a virus.

2. Use Essential Oils

Essential oils may be used to relieve flu-like symptoms, clear nasal passages, reduce headaches and lower inflammation.  See my article on essential oils to learn 9 ways to use them.  Following are the 13 best oils for fighting the flu:

1. Cinnamon Oil

Cinnamon oil is a yellow to brownish liquid that has a warm and spicy scent. It is often extracted from the dried inner bark of new shoots from the cinnamon tree. This oil has antiviral and antibacterial properties and can be used to effectively disinfect household surfaces in place of bleach, as well as be used in a diffuser to cleanse the air.

2. Clove Bud Oil

3. Eucalyptus Oil

Eucalyptus oil is a colorless oil that is extracted from the dried leaves and young twigs of the gum tree. It inhibits bacteria, virus and fungal growth. It is used as a natural antibiotic for several infectious diseases. 

Eucalyptus oil also acts as an expectorant and eases the respiratory system.  It has the ability to stimulate immunity and provides antioxidant protection, among many other benefits; some of which include clearing sinuses and relieving congestion, helping you breathe through a stuffy nose. 

4. Fighting Five Oil

5. German Chamomile Oil

German Chamomile oil is extracted from the flower heads of the daisy-like herb. The oil may be an inky-blue liquid, with a strong, sweet, herbaceous scent. It has anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and nerve sedative properties. It relieves cold and flu symptoms, tension and pain from headaches and muscle aches. 

6. Lavender Oil

7. Lemon Oil

Lemon oil is extracted from the outer part of fresh lemon peels. The oil is a pale greenish-yellow liquid. It is a phenomenal decongestant.  This oil is also an effective antiviral agent.  It clears nasal passages and allows for steady breathing, while lifting spirits.

8. Oregano Oil

9. Peppermint Oil

Peppermint oil is a pale yellow or greenish liquid extracted from the flowering herb. This oil, with its minty, camphoraceous scent, can soothe headaches and chest congestion, as well as reduce fevers, coughs, sinusitis and throat infections.

10. Rosemary Oil

11. Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil is extracted from the leaves and twigs of a small tree or shrub in the Melaleuca family. The oil can be colorless or a pale yellowish-green color. It is antibacterial, antimicrobial and antiviral.  It is a great expectorant, which can improve congestion.

12. Thyme Oil

13. Yarrow Oil

Yarrow oil is extracted from the dried perennial herb. The oil can be a dark blue or greenish olive liquid and has a sweet and slightly camphoraceous odor. It has anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and expectorant properties. Yarrow oil has been shown to inhibit respiratory disease-causing microbes, like pneumonia and bronchitis.  It may also help calm the mind.

3. Consume Immune Boosting Tinctures

Tinctures are a key component to traditional herbal medicine that has been around for millennia.  In fact, 80% of the world relies on herbal treatments, like tinctures, to treat some of their ailments.    

Herbal tinctures are concentrated liquid forms of one or more herbs.  They are made by soaking herbs (berries, leaves, roots or bark) in alcohol (such as vodka or brandy) or vegetable glycerin for several weeks.  By soaking the herbs in the alcohol or vegetable glycerin, the active components of the herbs, such as resins and alkaloids, are extracted, resulting in a strong tonic.

Although this process is actually very easy to do, you need lots of time and foresight to make a tincture.  Not to mention, you need to be educated on which herbs should be used, as some are toxic.  In addition, some tinctures may cause reactions with other medications you might already be taking.

But generally, herbs must steep in a sealed jar for 3 to 6 weeks and be shaken frequently, if not daily.  Once steeped, the herbs must be strained before use.  The resulting strong tincture can be consumed in small amounts orally or as a throat spray. 

If you are not interested or do not have time to make your own tincture, there are lots of tinctures pre-made for sale at health food stores or online.  I use the Kick-Ass Immune tincture by WishGarden Herbs whenever I feel an illness coming.  The company also makes a Kick-It Immune for Kids tincture that I give to my children.  Both tinctures seem to aid my family’s wellness.

4. Hydrate with Water & Tea

Stay hydrated with filtered and non-fluoridated water.  Consider also drinking herbal teas to promote healing. Teas not only keep you hydrated, but can soothe a sore throat and break up congestion, not to mention they are comforting.  The 10 best teas for fighting the flu include:

1. Calendula tea

Calendula tea activates innate healing abilities. 

2. Chamomile tea

Chamomile tea or Chamomile with Lavender tea tea is calming and relaxing,

3. Cinnamon tea

Cinnamon tea is a warming, antioxidant rich spice.

4. Chai tea

Chai tea is a blend of black tea, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves.  The cloves in this tea have antiseptic properties that boost the immune system and help the body to fight infection. 

5. Ginger tea

Ginger tea relieves sore throats and can loosen up congestion. 

6. Green Tea

Green Tea is rich in polyphenols, catechins and flavonoids, which show antioxidant, antimicrobial, alkalizing and immune-stimulating qualities.  Catechins inhibit the growth of bacteria and some viruses, such as influenza, and lower the risk of infections.

7. Honey Lemon Throat Comfort tea

Honey Lemon Throat Comfort tea soothes the throat.

8. Lemon tea

Lemon tea is full of vitamin C, which can help reduce the duration and severity of your symptoms.

9. Peppermint tea

Peppermint tea contains menthol, which naturally calms and numbs the body and helps relieve congestion.  

10. Turmeric tea

Turmeric tea reduces inflammation and gastrointestinal discomfort.

5. Drink Nourishing Bone Broth

The saying goes, “feed a cold, starve a flu.”  However, if you do get hungry, be sure to eat an organic, nutrient-dense, nourishing traditional diet that includes lots of nutrient-dense, gelatin-rich bone broth or soup made from bone broth.

It is commonly recommended that people eat chicken soup during an illness.  But it is important to note that, although this is a way to keep hydrated, the body will not be getting the minerals it needs from store-bought chicken soup, alone. 

Bone broth that is made well, not only keeps you hydrated, but also provides minerals, such as Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorous, Silicon and Sulphur, that you need to boost your immune system.  In addition, bone broth is a good source of gelatin, which provides the body with amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. 

It is recommended that you make bone broth ahead of time and store it in your freezer in small portions for times in need.  In addition, it is best if your broth or soup contains garlic, as it contains bioactive compounds that provide extra benefits for when you are sick.  Note that, although you can buy beef bone broth and chicken bone broth in the store or online, you should beware of additives and try to avoid brands that include them.  Also be sure to look for organic, pasture-raised and grass-fed options that will be more nutrient-dense.

6. Take a Tepid Bath

If you must reduce a common fever, try taking a tepid bath (a bath where water is slightly cooler than the body’s normal temperature).  It will keep a person calm and cool.  When you take a bath, the water helps to release the heat from your body. A steep decline in temperature can be seen after a bath during fever. Though this does not mean you don’t need the medicines.  Note that a tepid bath is not a cold bath, ice bath or alcohol bath, which can be dangerous and should not be taken (or given) when one has a fever.

7. Avoid Reducing Fevers

Try NOT to reduce a fever using acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen, unless it is unusually high (more than 103⁰F, except in infants). 

Despite popular belief, a fever is actually considered to be one of the body’s important defense mechanisms.  The body increases its temperature to fight viral infections.  During this time, the body increases it’s secretion of interferon, an antiviral chemical, as well as T-cells and B-cells. 

If a person takes a fever reducer, which is commonly recommended, the body doesn’t secrete as much of this antiviral chemical and the virus is able to overwhelm the sick person, perhaps prolonging their illness and/or making it worse.

8. Get More Vitamin C

If you’ve ever watched Mary Poppins, you’ll remember when she sings “A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down…”  Little did Mary Poppins know that, unfortunately, sugar can actually sabotage your health.

Sugar, The Anti-Nutrient

Did you know that sugar is an immune suppressor?  As little as 3.5 ounces of sugar (equal to 7.94 tablespoons or 99.3 grams) can suppress your immune system up to 50%!  In fact, your body requires nutrients and pulls minerals from your body to metabolize sugar.  By doing so, your body depletes itself of vitamins and minerals and impairs white blood cells from doing their job.

Moreover, excessive sugar, or glucose, intake can actually inhibit your body’s absorption of Vitamin C.  Researchers learned in the 1970s that sugar and Vitamin C have a similar structure and enter cells using the same pathway, called GLUT receptors.  Unfortunately, these receptors prefer glucose, meaning they will choose sugar over Vitamin C, if given the option.

This can be detrimental to the body, since white blood cells need 50 times more Vitamin C than the surrounding blood plasma to effectively protect the body from invaders.  This is why it is so important to, not only avoid sugar at all times, but especially when illness strikes.   What makes avoiding sugar difficult is that many high-dose Vitamin C supplements often contain up to eight times more sugar than Vitamin C, which virtually makes them ineffective.

Vitamin C Sources

So, what’s a better way to get more Vitamin C in your diet, you ask?  First, start by avoiding sugar and refined carbohydrates as much as possible!  Next, try to get 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C a day to fight off an oncoming infection and take up to 4,000 milligrams a day to get rid of an infection.  You can take a supplement such as Alma C or you can eat foods high in Vitamin C. 

Foods high in Vitamin C include kale, bell peppers, broccoli, thyme, parsley, spinach, kiwi, Brussel sprouts, lemons and strawberries.  However, foods high in sugar should be avoided, as well as citrus foods, including oranges, since the acids in the fruit can irritate a sore throat.

9. Get More Vitamin D

Although we often call it a vitamin, vitamin D is actually a hormone.  Our bodies make this wonderful hormone when enough sunlight is absorbed in our skin daily.  It is responsible for keeping inflammation levels low, preventing depression and boosting our immunity, which is important in treating the flu and flu-like symptoms.

According to Dr. Mercola, the optimal vitamin D level is 50-70 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml).  Mercola believes the best way to obtain an optimal amount of vitamin D is to get it from sun exposure.  

Vitamin D Sources

Although you can certainly make vitamin D from sunlight, according to the Westin A. Price Foundation, most of our ancestors obtained vitamin D from their food.  They recommend that you supplement with High Vitamin Cod Liver Oil, which will provide the body with 10,000 IU of Vitamin A and 1,000 IU of Vitamin D daily. 

It is essential that you get a 10:1 ratio of Vitamin A and Vitamin D, respectively, so that the body can assimilate the two vitamins effectively.  If less Vitamin A is consumed, it will result in a Vitamin D deficiency, and vice versa.  However, a diet rich in butter, fat, cheese, egg yolks and livers, all from grass-fed animals, as well as oily fish, may provide us with enough Vitamins A and D, naturally.

Vitamin D Supplementation

It is wise to have your blood levels of vitamin D tested before and during supplementation.  Dr. Mercola claims that the correct test to order is 25(OH)D – also known as 25-hydroxyvitamin D – because it is the better marker of overall D status.

Vitamin A & D dose recommendations per the Westin A. Price Foundation website are as follows:

Note: There is no way to know if the above recommendations are correct for you personally, as they are only guidelines. The ONLY way to know is to test your blood. You might need four to five times the amount recommended above. Ideally, your blood level of 25(OH)D should be 60ng/ml.

10. Use Colloidal Silver

Consider taking Sovereign Silver Bio-Active Silver Hydrosol.  Colloidal silver is a liquid with small silver particles that are small enough to be measured in nanometers.  Unlike silver, which is a naturally occurring chemical element, colloidal silver is produced using a generator. 

Steve Barwick, of the Silver Edge, claims that many adults have found that “by taking between a tablespoon to an ounce of 10 ppm colloidal silver per day, they’re able to either avoid catching colds and flu altogether….Or, if they do catch a viral infection, it’s often of shorter duration and lower severity than what their counterparts who did not use colloidal silver had to suffer through.”

When Should I Seek Medical Attention?

If you suspect that the flu is getting worse or has progressed to some other infection, such as pneumonia, a sinus infection, an ear infection or anything else that might worsen your condition, you should contact your doctor immediately. 

You should also contact your doctor or go to an emergency room if you experience any of the following:

• Trouble breathing,
• Swelling of the eyes or lips,
• Hives,
• Weakness,
• Fast heartbeat, or
• Dizziness.

In the absence of better evidence, the flu vaccine (and antivirals) must be viewed as only a partial and uncertain defense against the flu. More studies are needed to truly gage its effectiveness. Without the proper studies, we are using treatments based on illusion and faith rather than sound science. 

It is also worth mentioning that there is a lot of money to be made in the vaccine industry.  The global market for seasonal flu vaccines is approximately $3.6 billion and the U.S. is reported as being the single biggest customer in the world market!

There are plenty of other ways you can protect yourself from sickness that are proven to be effective, natural and much less expensive!  Unless you feel that you are at an increased risk of disease, these other methods are worth giving a try.  You might even find that they are more effective in keeping you healthy! 

How will you be staying healthy this flu season?  Please share!

Related Articles:

• The Ultimate Guide to Healing Throat & Tonsil Infections (Even Strep & Tonsillitis!)
• 10 Essential Oils Every Household Should Have (And 9 Ways To Use Them)

Resources:

1. A History of Vaccines:  Influenza
2. The History of the Flu Vaccine
3. CDC Seasonal Flu Vaccine Effectiveness Studies
4. Influenza Hemagglutinin (HA) subtypes and Flu Virus Strains
5. What Ingredients Are in the Flu Shot?
6. Scared of the flu vaccine?  Let’s see what’s really inside it.
7. Bacterial Pneumonia Caused Most Deaths in 1918 Influenza Pandemic
8. Influenza Deaths:  The Hype vs. the Evidence (This article includes a very compelling video regarding freedom of choice.)
9. The Logic, Wisdom and Scientific Evidence for the Homeopathic Treatment of Influenza
10. Flu Shots May Not Protect the Elderly or the Very Young
11. Does the Vaccine Matter?
12. Is the Flu Shot Safe? Effective?
13. The Truth About Flu Shots (And What To Do Instead)
14. Seasonal Flu? It’s Really More “Sugar-Flu”
15. What you eat when you’re sick may determine if you’ll get better
16. Vaccines and Pregnancy
17. Vaccines Did Not Save Us – 2 Centuries Of Official Statistics
18. Homeopathic treatment for influenza
19. Preventing and Treating the Flu
20. The Ongoing Thimerosal Travesty Needs to End
21. Adjuvants in Vaccines
22. The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils, by Julia Lawless
23. How to Use Essential Oils for the Flu
24. Top 7 Essential Oils for Colds and the Flu Season
25. Six Best Teas for Fighting the Flu
26. Is it OK to take a bath when you are down with fever?
27. Another Great Reason to Use Colloidal Silver During Cold and Flu Season: Flu Can Be Spread Simply By Breathing
28. What You Need To Now About Herbal Tinctures
29. Vitamin D Protects Against Infections
30. Cod Liver Oil Basics and Recommendations
31. How Sugar Sabotages Your Vitamin C Intake
32. What Are the Benefits of Bone Broth?