Kick Colds and Flu Where the Sun Don't Shine

Head colds and flu off at the pass with these remedies...

Your friends are falling like flies. Your family is running between the bed and the bathroom. Even your dog is looking green around the gills. And like last year, you vow that next year will be different--you'll be prepared and you'll cut colds, flu and sinus infections off at the pass.

It's time for you to walk the talk and prepare to stay healthy during cold and flu season this year.

I'm going to give you some proven remedies that can help your body boost its natural immune system, avoid colds and flu, and short-circuit the bad bugs if they do indeed make their way into your system.

Prevention: Supercharge your immune system

To reduce your risk of colds and flu, start boosting your immune system well before your body actually needs to call upon your germ fighting reserves.

Some supplements to have on hand, to help your immune system stay in peak condition, include:

• Vitamin D3: This sunshine vitamin is being linked increasingly to staying flu-free in winter months. You can generally supplement with a D3 softgel at 2,000 iu per day, and up to 4,000 iu per day, if recommended by a qualified health practitioner. 

Note: Mega doses of Vitamin D3 (10,000 iu per day, for example) are not something I recommend to patients without first monitoring D3 levels with a blood test. A blood test is recommended to monitor D3 deficiencies.

• N-Aceytlcysteine (NAC): This antioxidant boosts your body's ability to respond to infections--and it also thins mucus secretions, making it easier to flush bacteria from your body. Most people benefit from taking 600 mg of NAC, twice daily, at the first inklings of a cold of flu.
  
  
• Echinacea: Used by Native Americans and other traditional healers for centuries, Echinachea is available in convenient extracts and capsules. Recent findings in the medical journal, The Lancet, found that in 14 studies, Echinacea helped fight the common cold--and may reduce your odds of getting a cold by nearly 60%. 

Management: What to do if you get a cold or the flu

As soon as you notice...no, make that as soon as you even think you notice signs of a cold or the flu, you have to get on top with an immediate plan of action.

This is time to jump in with both feet and start dishing out some crud-fighting remedies with these heavy hitting suggestions.

• Elderberry: The Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine did a recent study following 40 people who took Elderberry extract during their colds and flu.
  
  Within two days, 90% of the focus group said they had completely recovered from their syptoms.  Follow the instructions for taking an elderberry syrup, listed by the manufacturer. Buy a sugar-free variety if you can get it. 
  

• Zinc lozenges: This is a well tested suggestion--adding zinc to your cold and flu fighting regimen. Zinc seems to work by inhibiting the growth of cold viruses, and is best taken within 24 hours of your first signs of a cold.
  
  Take one 13 mg zinc lozenge every two to three hours at the first sign of--and during a bout with--a cold. 
  

• Vitamin C: Tried and true.  Take between 2,000-6,000 mg of vitamin C divided into two or three doses, when you first have cold or flu symptoms. Some people find vitamin C irritates their stomachs--in which case, an "Ester-C" form can be used, as it is gentler on the stomach. 
  

• Oscillococcinum: This homeopathic remedy is as tough on flu as it is to pronounce. It's pronounced "Os-sil-uh-cox-suh-num", by the way, which may save you some raised-eyebrows when you ask for it in the health food store.
  
  Oscillococcinum should be taken within 48 hours of your first signs of flu symptoms, and it can help reduce your flu symptoms within two days of taking it.
  
  Follow the directions for this, as listed on the manufacturer's label and start taking it at first signs of the flu. 

Take two of these, and call me in three days...

Even after your cold and flu symptoms start to diminish, you'd be well advised to stick with your supplements for at least three days after you think your symptoms are gone.

This means, take your supplements until you've felt back to your old self (or better) for at least three straight days.

During this time, you may cut back on some of your remedies, but watch for recurring symptoms as a sign that you need to get back to your full levels of supplementation.

For added benefit, you can include CoQ10 and L-carnitine to the mix--as both of these supplements help your body improve energy and can keep your strength up as you any battle flu-, and cold-related fatigue.

Your preparation starts now

Stock up on some of these remedies now, before you get caught flat-footed during cold and flu season.

When people around you start dropping like flies, you can calmly reach into your medicine cabinet, and be off and running on your battle plan to defeat this season's round of colds and flu.

If you're quick on the draw, you might dodge the cold and flu bullets for this...and future...cold and flu seasons to come.

To your best health!

Product related links:
Vitamin D3
Coenzyme Q 10
Ultra Greens for key nutrients to help your body recover faster

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