My Favorite Self-Help Stuff

I don’t have the flu. But it’s flu season nonetheless, and so I find myself giving advice to various people about what I would do if I were to fight off the flu (and what I did last time. So it’s time for another flu season remedies column.

The last one I did was back in 2009 when I managed to catch the swine flu. Here’s my swine flu remedies column. It’s been more than a year and a half, yet just rereading it, not a whole lot has changed.

Though I’ve learned a few new things, and I’m going to add them in here, plus elaborate a bit:

1) Sleep

Sleep seems to be the most important ingredient in an infection-fighting regimen. Just take all the naps your body will let you take and sleep as long as you like. Your body needs that snooze time to fight the germs.

2) New: Vitamin D

I learned since last time that Vitamin D appears to have a powerful strengthening effect on the immune system, which makes it a great part of my flu season remedies collection. I now take it regularly, along with a combo of Calcium and Magnesium that helps also with weight control (another column).

3) A Power Multi

A really good multi, preferably one that includes lots of B vitamins and selenium and zinc and stuff, and of course C.

4) Airborne

Not sure if I’m just superstitious or if i simply am a fan of fizzy vitamins (which I am), but I really like it, and I have made it a regular component of my flu season remedies.

5) Miscellaneous immune strengthening concoctions

There’s a rotating stash I have, including an echinacea-goldenseal concoction, the special Gaia Quick Defense capsules that I mentioned in the other post (those are great!), and of course NAC and Olive Leaf, and loads of garlic!

Another secret weapon, especially for big congestion, is a German remedy called Gelomyrtol. In Germany I usually get the “forte” version (and it’s on my list of things to buy on my next trip), but I’m happy enough to be able to get the regular version at my favorite outfit for German stuff, which is Smallflower.com (no affiliate link).

Finally, after suffering through the worst case of post-nasal drip I’ve ever experienced, I discovered that Mucinex, or rather the generic Mucus Relief DM works pretty darn well. Surprise! Seriously, I should have gotten that stuff years ago.

And if needed, I also use the regular Sudafed, the old kind, the one that you now have to get from behind the Pharmacy counter. That stuff really clears out the nasal passages so I can sleep.

It’s also great for when you have to fly with a cold — it prevents some VERY painful problems with ear pressure…

6) My Chicken Power Soup

The last recipe included Shiritaki noodles. Well, I picked those because they’re low-carb, but when I’m not on a strict low-carb diet, I sometimes use pre-made soups from the grocery store, or, preeferably MSG free versions of Ramen Noodles. Anything I can just put in a bowl and add hot water to.

But I don’t stop there. I also chop up (finely) garlic and (not so finely) ginger, and maybe green onions, and add them to the soup. Depending on how spicy the original is, I add a touch of Cayenne, and a bit of sesame oil. Yum.

If I get around to it, I also like to go out and get a big bucket of Thai soup: Tom Kha Gai, which is the coconut chicken soup. I may or may not add some garlic, but it works great all by itself.

Sometimes I use them for other types of infections as well… Or when I’m a bit under the weather and want to fight off a bug that is trying to get me.

7) Vicks VapoRub Power Treatment

Most people use Vicks VapoRub on their chest and maybe back and/or neck, and so do I. I use an old t-shirt as a scarf, to keep the area covered and warm, and not smell up my regular clothes and/or PJs.

But here’s something I also do — and I forgot where I first learned about it:

I put it on the soles of my feet (at night and/or during nap times) and wear warm socks. That seems to really power up its effectiveness.

What else?

I’ve refined my regimen of salt water treatments… both the gargling and the neti pot treatment.

About the gargling:

I’ve learned that gargling with warm salt water is just one possibility. I have also started to spike the salty water with a bit of oregano oil and colloidal silver. And sometimes I just drink it (leaving the salt out) instead of gargling with it.

And I’ve also started adding a couple of drops of the stuff to my neti pot salty water for extra immune power.

And here’s the totally new thing I learned: gargling with warm salt water is great for killing off germs. And guess what, so is ingesting warm salty soup. Well, duh!

That makes sense, doesn’t it? So now I have upped my soup consumption considerably, all in the name of keeping myself healthy. And it seems to help too!

Am I nuts? The thought occurs to me (and maybe you) when I read my long list of stuff I do to keep myself healthy – or get healthy again when I get sick.

Then again, maybe I’m just thorough. It all seems to help keeping the flu at bay, and if it doesn’t qute manage to do that, at least I get over it faster than I normally would.

It’s a matter of priorities. My father used to say, “The healthy person has many wishes — the sick person has just one.”

To that I can just add: Amen!

What else…

I’ve been getting more vigilant about washing my hands after shaking other people’s hands, and about not touching my face etc. unless I’ve washed my hands.

I also really like mentholated tissues, though I’m not claiming any particular health benefits — I just really like them, as I said.

They have those in Germany: Tempo Menthol
And yes, that’s also on my list of stuff to get, along with Gelomyrtol, and my favorite earplugs (Ohropax), though I do have two sources for that here in the US.

Hope you won’t need any of the above, but if you do, I hope my flu season remedies are helpful. Just don’t take them all at once! And remember, I am NOT a doctor of medicine, just one of philosophy. My father WAS a doc though, and I have learned a ton from him, but still… the usual disclaimer applies.

To your health!

Elisabeth

Does your back hurt, either on occasion or a lot of the time? There are lots of possible reasons, but the most common ones have to do with stress, either general stress or putting too much stress on the back.

Now why is stress causing back pain? My chiropractor told me that the three T’s are the main causes for back pain:

Trauma, Toxins, and Thoughts!

Yup, that’s right. Thoughts. Specifically thoughts that cause you stress. So that’s a good place to start when it comes to relieving back pain.

How can you think thoughts that produce less stress?

It’s much like the stuff I’ve been writing about all along:

1) Think about what you want and avoid thoughts about what you do not want.

2) When you catch yourself thinking about things you’d rather NOT have in your life, ask yourself, so what DO I want?

3) Focus on taking deep, slow breaths

4) Go for walks in nature. Focus on enjoying the walks and your surroundings.

5) Meditate

You can also get my Stress Relief book… It’s on special, along with all my other books right now, to celebrate Halloween. You can find it here:

Products on Sale

More about saving your back:

You can also do a number of things that take care of your back. They can strengthen it, and they can take the pressure off of it, and they can minimize ongoing pressure.

One thing that puts a surprising amount of pressure on your back is sitting too much.

So get up, move around, and even lie down for a bit.

And here’s a FREE report on what to do about your back pain:

http://www.lowerbackpain-treatment.com

Now that I’ve survived the swine flu myself, I’ve been getting useful tips in my email about how to prevent it in the first place. Wish I had known! The Swine Flu (or H1N1 Flu) was NO fun!

The email had been forwarded lots of times but the original was from an expert in India (I will have to go back and find the name).

In the meantime, I’ll share the info for everyone’s benefit so you’ll be able to avoid getting that swine flu bug.

You already know about the handwashing and that you’re supposed to avoid touching your face, right?

So I’ll go right to the important and new stuff:

1) Gargling with warm salt water.

I knew that this helps with sore throats. But what I did not kinow is that the reason it works is that it kills bacteria and viruses that are proliferating in the throat — which is the gateway where flu viruses gain entrance to our bodies.

So gargling with warm salt water reduces the number of swine flu and other germs greatly and prevents them from gaining a foothold. It was recommended that you do this twice a day.

Also, if you don’t want to gargle all that much, you have an alternative: Eat/drink warm (supposedly salty?) liquids, i.e., soups etc. They kind of work in reverse.

While the gargling removes the H1N1 flu germs as you spit them out, the soup will flush them into your stomach, where the stomach acid will kill them. Works either way.

2) Use a Net Pot

Sort of gargling for the nose

The nose is the OTHER main gateway for the flu and other viruses to gain entrance to our bodies. So it’s important to flush thit out too and remove excess viruses and bacteria.

So Mr. … reocmmends that we use a neti pot and flush our nostrils once a day (thank God not twice a day!) with warm salty water.

Once again, I’ve had one of these contraptions and have used it occasionally. However, I never fully understood exactly what was to be accomplished. Now I know.

It take a bit of practice and getting used to, but it’s not terribly unpleasant to do once you get the hang of it. Keep plenty of tissues around for blowing your nose though. It does clear the sinuses very nicely.

Actually, I’ve encountered a neti-pot less technique that sort of accomplishes the same thing — to basically inhale warm salt water through the nose. Personally, I think the neti pot is MUCH more comfortable!

So this is it:

I’ll add those two things to my routine. Maybe not EVERY day, but I’ll try to remember to do it as much as possible, and even though I already had the swine flu. You never know just how immune I am from getting it again.

Speaking of which… I’m debating whether I should get that swine flu shot. Would that be a good idea or redundant? What do you think?

Please leave a comment if you have an opinion (especially if it’s an informed opinion) about that.

There are more things you can do to prevent H1N1 flu or swine flu or any other kind of flu or cold, and I’ll write about those in another post…

Meanwhile, get yourself a neti pot and start rinsing out those nostrils

Hmmm. Come to think of it — maybe I should explain the procedure for those who are not familiar with it… I’ll do this in an upcoming post.

Meanwhile:

Happy Halloween, and stay healthy!

Elisabeth

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