Flu

[GreenGuy]

Anyone else had the flu? I'm just getting over a light case...I say light, although it had me down for 8 days. I never get flu shots. I rarely get sick at all, so of course when I have something really uncomfortable, I'm a huge baby. Every female I know should feel sorry for me and wish to help, while all the men I know should secretly admire me for the stoic, manly way I forge ahead, no matter what.

As if. Mostly, I lie around and groan.

The last time I had flu was 1991. I remember the year because my son was still in the crib. My wife and I got sick together, and for a week we were as sick as I've been in my life. I can remember crawling down the hall on my hands and knees to feed the baby or change a diaper, because I was too sick to stand up. (Thank God my boy didn't get sick). It was the first time I understood how it is that influenza can actually kill someone.

In the meanwhile, I've become more of an herbalist and shurban (urban shaman, and yes I did come up with that), and this time was different. As before, the illness hit quickly. I went from feeling fine to really sick in under 24 hours. I knocked back the worst of it in 36 hours or less with herbal remedies, but the problem was that my lungs became half-full of fluid. I was coughing a lot, and for a week I felt like I was drowning. I had no energy because I couldn't get any oxygen. In the end I bought a package of guaifenisin (Mucinex, Robitussin) to help clear out my chest. But my herbal meds helped I lot, so I thought I'd pass along what kept me from experiencing the flu the way I did 22 years ago.

Guaifenisin itself is an extract from a tropical tree, although I expect the ingredients in the commercial products are probably "bio-equivalent" analogs.

Sage Tea

3-4 cups a day. In a cup, 6-8 dried white sage leaves (you can susbstitute garden sage), plus juice of 1 lemon, 1/2 tsp cayenne, 1/2 tsp crushed ginger root, 2-3 Tbs honey. Add boiling water, steep 5 minutes. Drink in sips.

Elderberry syrup

You can buy this (elderberry = sambuccus) at health food stores, but it's expensive. If you have access to elderberries, it's easy to make your own. First, remove as many of the tiny stems from the masses of berries as you can. Boil enough water to totally immerse the berries, and boil and steep the stuff (covered) for an hour or so. Let it cool for a while and strain it as well as possible. You can also run the berries through a juicer, and cut the juice with water. The point is to wind up with a pan of elderberry juice and water, which you're going to boil down to a syrupy consistency. I sweeten mine with honey, but I'll use sugar if I don't have any. You can make this as thick as jam if you want. I store the syrup in glass bottles in the fridge. It'll keep a year in the freezer.

Sip elderberry syrup throughout the day for congestion and drainage.

You also want to eat a lot of onions and garlic when you're sick. Some old traditional remedies incorporate all of the above.

White sage grows from Baja California north to around Santa Barbara. I grows above a thousand feet or so. It's the traditional herb for smudge wands, and was traded by the original peoples. It is more aromatic than garden sage, and has a richer, much stronger, flavor. It has many healing virtues, and it's a strong medicine that is my first go-to when I start to come down with something. If you catch a cold or illness soon enough, white sage tea can knock it down within 24 hours. You don't want to drink too much of it. 3-4 cups a day is plenty, and not for more than a week, or two at the most. It is strong medicine, and I'm told that too much can damage the liver.

There's a reason this plant was sacred to the ancient people. The spirit of this plant is a strong one. It was the custom to thank the plant for giving its leaves, and to leave a gift, perhaps tobacco or a hair in return. But if you can only get regular garden sage, it smells and tastes similar, and has similar properties. I have both in my small backyard garden.

Cayenne is so good for you on so many levels, that it's one of the most basic and important herbs I know. I grow my own, but I use a lot of it, too. I also grow my own lemons. Other herbs in my yard are mint, chamomile, calendula, nigella, rue, nettles, lavender, and plenty of kitchen ones.

This is totally basic herbal medicine that for my money is worth twice what the flu shots are.

Hope this info is NOT needed by any Avalonians!

[Lifebringer]

When I heard the h1N1 H1N2 and H1N3 were in VA, I buckled down with plenty of chicken flavor oodles of noodles and garlic cloves with onions. The garlic builds immune system to keep the germs out or not take, and the onions help with resting to get well and the chicken flavor packet has the sage so I add a little more garlic and onions and drink Orange juice for fast absorption to knock anything out right now. Love it and the family loves my soup when they are sick. Sometimes for protein and muscle strength, I add a stirred in egg to the oodles of noodles to make it stocky and filling. NO crackers but a teaspoon of iodized salt also green tea and lemon with honey will dry up that chest congestion and calm the coughing. Glad you took the Mucinex, because they said it's killing the young this time and they put all 3 strains out to sicken the whole population, but as you can see on their flu map, VA and South Carolina, have escaped the brunt of this pandemic that was set in place. I suspect they will attack the garlic crops soon, as they haven't been able to stop its natural medicinal values, and they can't sicken us until they do. Thank God for garlic, the body's natural antibiotic and virus remover.

[Tesla_WTC_Solution]

Don't get that damn H1N1 vaccine.
It's got synthetic gene sequences manufactured by Blue Heron/Synthetic Genomics. Gawd knows why.
It is also associated with a horrific and potentially fatal condition called "cytokine storm", caused by overstimulation of the immune system.
This affects primarily healthy, working-age people who would otherwise have lived long and healthy lives!!





p.s. might wanna read the Recombineering thread!

[GreenGuy]

Posted by Lifebringer (here)
Thank God for garlic, the body's natural antibiotic and virus remover.

Amen to that. Jaws drop when I tell people how much of it I eat. I plant garlic everywhere. It's a good companion plant as it helps repel aphids and other bugs. I have a small square dedicated to garlic and cayenne.

Posted by Tesla_WTC_Solution (here)
Don't get that damn H1N1 vaccine.

Amen to that too! I expect that simply weathering a mild case like I did, gives me about a much immunity. I didn't see a doctor, so I can't prove that I had the real deal at all, since there are quite a few "flu bugs" that merely have similar symptoms. But I'm pretty health conscious, and the symptoms were right. My herbal self-medication was specific, and recovery rapid except for the breathing problem. So I'm comfortable with my "diagnosis."

If you have a healthy body and a positive attitude you don't need medical attention, except occasionally. Neither my body nor my attitude is perfect, but I've seen worse, including in doctors.

[Becky]

Thanks for sharing these remedies, and I hope you feel much better soon. I had 2 years of flu shots and I was so ill after each one (and got flu anyway) that I will never have another one. Each year my GP asks me if I want the shot, and I say no - he looks at me, I look back at him and we have a silent conversation, then he gives up lol! It's the same every year now! I feel the vaccine causes more harm than good, but my elderly parents in law still have it religiously thinking it will protect them.

[Milneman]

Yes....I had it.
Explosive decompression in the rear cargo bay for three days.

Nuff said. :S

[sheme]

Really glad you are feeling better. Tarnish free (clear) high quality Silver colloidal would be my first choice of self remedy. plus lots of vitamin C . Something to dry up the mucus- we have sinutabs here they work for me, Often it is the secondary infection of the congested mucus membrane that causes a long drawn out illness.

[chocolate]

I have never had a flu shot, and as far as I can have a say about it, I never will.

I get sick only if I get tired emotionally and psychologically.
In that case:
I drink lots of herbal tea ( add some rosemary to the mentioned above), sage included,
coffee (coffee is my sinful pleasure, not part of a regime), and fruits;
honey dissolved in lukewarm water, lemon juice,
I add ginger and mustard root grated in teas and soups;
Propilis and ehinacea tinctures;
essential oil of marjoram or oregano, two three drops in a glass of water, in all the water one drinks;
Garlic too (no kissing while at it) .
Yogurt. Can't live without it, in good or bad.

I don't try to lower my temperature.
If my throat hurts, I use nasal drops that I make- camomille tea (concentrated steep) and honey in equal measures, in intervals of 1 hour. Works wonders and is tasty.

I watch movies, read books, listen to music, and dream looking through the window or just in simple sleeping.
And I don't like to pay attention to external stimuli which is poorly understood by those who like to attract attention.

In two three days depending on the background I am as bright as new.

ps. shurban sounds funny. I like it

was it only me who understood the flu with four letters/numbers to be a hoax? to make you panic, think about it, thus get something totally different, and submit to the flu shot panacea?

[greybeard]

I too have never had a Flu shot.
A few of my friends have had the injections and guess what they still get what's going round.
I tend not to.
My health is reasonable.
I believe we need colds and flu from time to time in order to boost the immune system.

Chris

[Conchis]

I came down with it last night, first symptoms. This morning....hack hack hack....I'm going to go get some smudging sage and tea it up....

[chocolate]

In many cases oscillococcinum (homeopathic remedy for flu) helps while at the starting stage. There are some other variations of such remedies in the different countries.
http://www.boironusa.com/products/oscillococcinum/

[Sérénité]

Ive never had flu *touches wood* but the majority of the people I know who do get the flu vaccine yearly, they are the ones who seem to get that virus, along with other various infections, more often and more intense than people I know who steer clear of it...those facts alone are all the proof I need to keep me from ever going near a nurse with a pointy pin!

Get well soon GreenGuy, remember to take some mints after that garlic

[Wookie]

I has it. Been 4 days and I think I'm starting to feel better. Have been very busy at work so I have had to work threw it, witch helped or made it worse? I would rather get the flu than the shot thank you very much.

Peaceful Journeys Wookie

[Valle]

Vitamin d have kept me and my family very healthy for 4 years.
We are supplement with 5000 ie / day

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=qeg-5NDyJ84

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=PVESA2Cr5mA

[Czarek]

My in-laws get the flu shot every year. I think they are the first to get it in the city. Every year, they get sick. This year was not an exception. Soon after they got sick, my kids got it and few days after, so did I. This year the virus seems to mutate just after you get over the first infection. At least, that's my personal experience. Well done big pharma!
I didn't get the fever but felt aches and pains, especially in my feet. Felt nausea and pain right in the middle of my skull (pineal area or sinuses) and lots of coughing/running nose. Taking HOT Epson salt baths with dead sea salts helped to keep me warm. So far, I can't seem to warm up my body. Wool socks help. I still have the bug. I'm not using any of my big guns on this bug unless I hear ebola is in the air. It's just a flu. Keep thing in perspective.

[Delight]

Posted by GreenGuy (here)
herbalist and shurban (urban shaman, and yes I did come up with that)

Shurban is a great benefactor to all us Urbans and I want to be one too when I grow up! Thank you very much for the advice and expect no one needs to use it now they know the details. Anticipation of health backed by confidence of working support as backup is super powerful.

[Mercedes]

Posted by Tesla_WTC_Solution (here)
Don't get that damn H1N1 vaccine.
It's got synthetic gene sequences manufactured by Blue Heron/Synthetic Genomics. Gawd knows why.
It is also associated with a horrific and potentially fatal condition called "cytokine storm", caused by overstimulation of the immune system.
This affects primarily healthy, working-age people who would otherwise have lived long and healthy lives!!





p.s. might wanna read the Recombineering thread!

I agree wholeheartedly. The thing is that even if the vaccine was as good as they intend us to believe, there are three types of human influenza, with each their subtypes and then strains and then more classification and then more. But also each virus will or not mutate with every season, so in the end we have a enormous quantity of viruses for which we will not be or cannot be immunized against by vaccines, there are too many and always changing. Best thing to do is just boost your immune system as best possible and sun, my dear people, lots of sun.

[Dennis Leahy]

For most of the past 30 years, I have usually been one of the few that didn't get sick from communicable diseases...

I think that my fight with IBS over the past 2 decades has had a cascading effect on my immunity, and I am recovering from my second flu in the past year. (The first was 6 months ago, was brutal, and was knocked-out with oil of oregano in about 24 hours.)

This flu came on really fast (like the last), but this time I got the oil of oregano (OoO) out immediately. Amazingly, in spite of the OoO, the symptoms grew exponentially. I can check-off every box of possible flu symptoms with this one. Influenza is a respiratory virus, and usually (despite what many people think), is not accompanied by nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. So, extra bonus points for me to be able to also check-off nausea and diarrhea - as if the flu symptoms were not enough fun.

The deep, intense, bone/joint aches were beyond what I've ever experienced. The headache was as if a band had been tightened around my head at the temples, then re-tightened, then to keep the band in place, screws were inserted about an inch deep into my temples. Turmeric Curcumin, which was the only "painkiller" that I had used for a recent back injury (bulging disk) and a knee injury, simply had no noticeable effect. I made a vow about a year ago to not take any pharmaceutical med for pain ever again, and again, was able to stick to it through the back and knee injury.

After 2 sleepless nights bouncing between t-shirt drenching sweats and severe bouts of chills and "the shakes", accompanied by the ever-present temple-throbbing headache and intense full-body bone aches, I gave in and took ibuprofin. That's how bad this flu is. After 2-1/2 days, the bone aches and headache went away (mostly), leaving me dealing with sweats and the lung component. As was true for GreenGuy, I have never before in my life gotten winded walking a flight of stairs, and wondered about diminished lung capacity due to pneumonia. I have kept going with the OoO, expectorating in a way that might have inspired an Ian Anderson lyric ("spitting out pieces of his broken lung"), and my lungs are getting better. Now in Day 5...

Is it my age and current immunity level that made this "seem" like the worst flu I've ever experienced, or are there some sons-of-bitches in a secret US bio lab reading this and slapping each other a high-five for their latest creation?

Wash your hands. Don't touch your nose. Don't get this.

Dennis

[Tesla_WTC_Solution]

You guys, I was googling stress vomiting today and found a page that had some great advice, actually (it addresses some weird health problems that lots of people here talk about lol).
What the BMGF etc doesn't address is that STRESS causes far more disease than any flu bug can!

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/42648940/n...-stressed-out/

By Emily Main

updated 5/30/2011 11:01:14 AM ET

In his recent book, "On the Brink," former Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson admits to getting so stressed out during the height of the 2008 financial meltdown that he would start to dry-heave, sometimes in private and other times in front of congressmen and staffers. Paulson isn't alone. Physical symptoms of stress, such as dry heaving, can manifest themselves in weird ways when the affairs of life get too overwhelming. And sometimes, you may not even realize that stress is the cause.

1. Vomiting: As Paulson found out, dry-heaving (or retching, in medical terminology) is one way that stress can rear its ugly head. But it's more often a sign of anxiety. Stress and anxiety can also trigger vomiting and a condition called "cyclic vomiting syndrome," a condition in which people experience nausea and vomiting over an extended period of time — often, starting at the same time every day. Dealing with anxiety-induced dry heaves or vomiting starts with getting plenty of rest and drinking water (vomiting can cause a loss of electrolytes), and then finding ways to calm down or eliminate the source of your stress, such as practicing walking meditation.

2. Hair loss: There are multiple reasons that your hair could be falling out, from genetics to medications. But stress is one of them. Among the conditions associated with stress-induced hair loss is alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder in which white blood cells attack hair follicles, causing hair to fall out. Another condition triggered by stress that has even more extreme results is called telogen effluvium, which is basically characterized by a sudden loss (up to 70 percent) of hair. This condition can be difficult to link to stress because the hair loss can occur months after a stressful event, for instance, a death in the family or childbirth, according to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology. However, the organization notes, it's usually a problem that corrects itself once the stressful event is over.

3. Nosebleeds: There is some debate as to whether nosebleeds are triggered by stress, but studies have shown that, in some cases, patients who experience nosebleeds get them after finding themselves in stressful situations. A 2001 article in the British Medical Journal suggests that this could have something to do with the spikes in blood pressure that are very common when you're stressed out. Keep your blood pressure in check by drinking hibiscus tea. Simply escaping the daily hubbub for a while to brew it could be enough to lower your stress levels a bit.

4. Memory loss: If you notice you can't seem to remember the details you just discussed during a stressful meeting, it could be an effect of your shrunken hippocampus, says Jeffrey Rossman, PhD, psychologist and director of life management at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, Massachusetts, and Rodale.com advisor. Chronic stress can expose the hippocampus, the area of the brain that controls your short-term memory, to excessive levels of the stress hormone cortisol. And that can inhibit your brain's ability to remember things. Dealing with the root cause of your stress is the best way to get your memory back, but until that happens, write down important bits of information and find other ways to supercharge your memory.

5. Weakened immunity: Perhaps the most noticeable effect that stress has on your body is a weakened immune system, and that happens for a couple of reasons. First, stress triggers the release of catecholemines, hormones that help regulate your immune system; prolonged release of these hormones can interfere with their ability to do that. Second, says Rossman, stress shrinks your thymus gland, the gland that produces your infection-fighting white blood cells, and it damages telomeres, which are genes that help those immune cells reproduce. A good way to deal with stress and boost your immune system is to exercise; if you're so stressed out that you can't fit in those 30 minutes a day, try these other tricks for boosting immunity.

6: Excessive sweating: Everyone knows that you sweat more when you're stressed out, but some people suffer from hyperhidrosis, excessive sweating, particularly of the palms and feet, says Rossman. Yoga and meditation can help reduce stress-related sweating, and if you think you might be suffering from hyperhidrosis, find a physician who specializes in the disorder. You may be helping more than just yourself. A study published last fall in the journal PLoS One found that stress sweat can give off certain signals that people around you can detect, possibly causing them to be stressed out as well, as a result.

[jp11]

I have never had a flu shot and never will!!

There was something on ProjAv a few years ago about Vit D, a particular doctor from Europe and a recommended video (maybe it was ProjCamelot) and since then I've taken a minimum of 5,000 international units of Vit D every day...and have not been sick with anything in almost all that time.

My contention is that the Flu statistics are BS...more likely it's a compromised immune system that has been aggravated by what's out there...but to control, manipulate and create fear in the populous they say it's the flu. All around me people are getting sick and yet I don't.

I have consciously eaten for years and years and I don't hesitate to change or incorporate something that is presented with updated info. I would say my immune system is very healthy and I'm not a spring chicken by any means...definitely fall into the senior citizen category and then some.

The Vit D video is great, the first one, especially at the 5:41 mark.

jp