It’s Cold and Flu Time Again – Boost Your Immunity with these Natural Remedies
For those who seem to catch “everything that comes around,“ cold and flu season can be a nightmare of one illness after another, lost days of work and generally feeling lousy. Do you get colds that frequently turn into coughs and respiratory problems lasting two weeks or even two months? Don’t despair. There are natural things you can do to boost your immunity, reduce the number of illnesses you get each year, and drastically shorten the number of days your are sick.
Some natural remedies don’t cost anything at all:
1. Getting enough rest is one of the most important things you can do to stay healthy. Don’t let you body get run down in the first place, especially during times of stress or when others around you are ill.
2. Drink lots of water- It keeps all the toxins and impurities flushed out of your body.
Here’s some natural remedies which are inexpensive, easy to find, easy to use:
1. Nasal irrigation -To ward off colds and greatly improve your allergies, try nasal irrigation-Use a small, inexpensive bulb syringe and a cup of warm water with a quarter teaspoon of salt or baking soda. Squirt water into one nostril and let it flow out the other. Repeat on other side. Do this until the water in your cup is gone. Nasal irrigation will also greatly reduce or eliminate sinus infections by keeping the germs rinsed out of the nasal cavities.
2. Take vitamin supplements to start each day. A good multi-vitamin is important as well as Vitamin C (500 to 1,000 mg) and Zinc (10 to 25 mg) help boost the body’s immunity.
3.Take Astragalus, an herbal extract which boosts your immune. Astragalus doesn’t lose it’s effectiveness over time so it can be put into juice or water daily to help ward off illness.
Natural remedies include foods and teas to boost the immune system:
1. Green tea
2. Berries – Add blueberries and other berries to your diet. They are good sources of antioxidants which help boost the immune system
3. Ginger-use ginger tea or candied ginger-also an anti-inflammatory and a great remedy for an upset stomach.
If you do start to feel tired, feel you have an illness coming on or are exposed to someone who is ill, try these natural remedies for a few days to boost your immune system:
1. Echinacea herbal extract. Extracts or liquid form hold their potency better than pills which vary in potency and can sit on shelves for months. Limit your doses of Echinacea to one week each time you use it or it will lose its effectiveness to fight illness.
2. Elderberry extract can kill a virus before it takes hold in your body-be sure and take elderberry with some food as it may upset the stomach
3. Garlic-fresh garlic fights and defeats virus’ in your body. Make some toast and butter. Put one clove of garlic through a garlic press and spread on the toast.
4. Cayenne pepper-Chinese medicine says if you have a cold or respiratory problem, you should heat your body. Make a bowl of soup and put as much cayenne pepper in it as you can tolerate.
Homeopathic remedies have been around for over 100 years and if taken at the first sign of sickness, they can greatly lesson the severity of symptoms. These natural remedies contain no harsh chemicals or anything for people to be allergic to, Since flu can strike without warning, it’s good to have an arsenal on hand, just in case.
One homeopathic flu remedy is Oscillocococcinum, which comes in small vials of powder. Also shop for homeopathic cough syrups which are very effective. A knowledgeable health food store associate can help you choose homeopathic remedies to fit your needs.
Herbal extracts can be expensive so shop around for the best prices. For those on a budget, try growing your own herbs and drying them or purchase dried herbs which are sold by the ounce and offer the same protection. You can make tea by boiling some water and steeping two teaspoons of herbs for 3 minutes. Strain and drink. Fresh ginger can also be steeped this way. If the taste bothers you, add a little honey, which offers anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal protection.
Remember, medications may have a short term affect by masking symptoms but many produce side effects and toxins which must be filtered through your liver. Natural remedies allow the body to heal itself with virtually no side effects. Be sure to discuss these remedies with your doctor if you do become ill.
The time to begin boosting your immune system is before you become ill because prevention is easier than treating a cold or flu once you have it.
If you are a person who is sick frequently, take a look at your overall health program. Rest, exercise and proper nutrition are the core of any wellness and immune boosting regimen. Happiness and a positive attitude also helps the body maintain good health.
Here are some great recipes to take at the first sign of illness: path2healthyliving.com/RecipesToBoostImmuneSystem.html/ path2healthyliving.com/RecipesToBoostImmuneSystem.html/
© Copyright 2006 by Joan Jones
Joan Jones is an award winning freelance journalist who has written extensively on health, nutrition, gardening and healthy recpies. For more weight loss and healthy living tips, plus recipes, book reviews, info on wellness vacations, mindful living and more, go to
Path2HealthyLiving.com/ Path2HealthyLiving.com/
Medication Of Asthma
Asthma medications and treatments come in many forms. They all are used to achieve the same effect, that is to reduce or eliminate the symptoms of the disease. Asthma, as of now, is an incurable, lifelong ailment that afflicts millions of people world wide. For those afflicted with asthma, an asthma attack can be life threatening. So it is imperative that those with the disease make aware of the many different therapys and asthma medications on the market today. Until a cure is found, asthma medications are the only relief available for those who suffer from this debilitating disease.
What almost all asthma medications do in general is focus on reducing and preventing the onset of an asthma attack and or minimizing and eliminating it once it has occurred. Asthma manifests itself with swelling of the bronchial airways, overproduction of mucus and phlegm, coupled with a cough. The result is difficulty in breathing. Asthma medications work to bring down and eliminate the swelling in the airways and slow the production of mucus which in turn will stop the coughing. Once an asthma attack has begun it is imperative that the asthma medication that is taken for the symptoms be effective.
The most important type of drug therapy for the asthmatic involves the use of anti-inflammatory drugs. These are given to prevent asthma attacks from occurring on an ongoing basis. That is, they are preventative, or proactive treatment. Corticosterouds, also commonly referred to a steroids are an important type of anti-inflammatory asthma medication commonly used to effectively treat the swelling in the bronchial airways of the asthma sufferer. Steroids accomplish this by making the airways less sensitive to and therefor less likely to react to triggers that can cause the onset of an asthma attack.
Bronchodilators are another commonly used asthma drug that works to relax the muscle bands that circumvent the bronchial airways. These drugs are used in a in reaction to constriction of the airways that can cause difficulty in breathing. With the airways opened and less constricted the person suffering the symptoms can more freely breath and clear their airways by coughing up the excess mucus from the lungs and airways. These drugs are generally taken after some symptoms apear.
Xolair is a new asthma medication that is available to asthma sufferers. It works by blocking or inhibiting the allergic reaction to the irritant that often induces the asthma attack.It has been shown to be effective in stopping proteins in the immune system from becoming activated. By doing so, it eliminates one of the major underlying causes of asthma attacks. If you suffer from asthma it is imperative that you keep yourself abreast of all currently available asthma medications, therapies and treatments
Research to find a cure for asthma is still ongoing but until one is found proactive and reactive medical therapies for the symptoms are what is available to bring relief for the asthma sufferer. Understanding what each type of asthma drug does to reduce or eliminate the symptoms and how they work in conjunction with one another is something every asthma sufferer strive to achieve. This is how you will be able to determine what asthma drug therapy is most effective for you.
Article by Sven Ullmann, who runs deservedhealth.com/ Deserved Health – information on health for you and your family. Read more about deservedhealth.com/medication-of-asthma/ asthma medication. Get our deservedhealth.com/newsletter/ health newsletter.
Optimum Health Mathematics
Optimum health math is based on four simple elements.
Food, energy, health and wealth. Once you see the relationship, your energy levels, productivity, and bank accounts will skyrocket.
I use this simple equation for the foods I eat and the lifestyle I’ve adopted.
Dead food = dead energy.
What does this mean?
If the food is dead or cooked, you’re not getting the best nutrition possible.
It doesn’t necessarly mean that you stop eating everything cooked or eat raw meat, it means that you just accept the formula and with that knowledge you can create massive energy or just cruise along at medium altitude at what ever you do–just with the foods you eat.
The more raw, the better.
Many people interpret this as being a vegetarian or being a vegan. Sometimes just being a vegetarian isn’t enough.
I’ve seen many that are a little tight around the waistline and wonder–if they’re not eating meat, what’s going on… they should be thin and healthy, right?
Well there’re pasta-tarians, and bread-aholics and rice-a-ronis and a bunch more. Is being any of these bad? Nope. It just means you’re not gearing yourself for maximum success…
Now let’s look at another optimum health equation:
Optimum health = maximum wealth.
What you eat is directly related to the thickness of your wallet.
Why?
Because you’re the one who’s calling all the shots. If you’re worn down, tired and eating foods that don’t fuel your body for maximum results, you’ll shoot off the mark.
The more your body is fueled with minerals, vitamins, phytonutrients and superfoods the more you’re able to create. Creation comes from a clear head, right?
So if you’re stopped up, so is you ability to succeed massively.
So keep those equations in mind.
The best way to transition from where you are now to where you want to be is to add not subtract.
So instead of eliminating dead foods all together, add a bunch of live foods and eventually you’ll lose the taste for some of the cooked stuff. This doesn’t mean you have to become a complete raw foodist… just look at the math. 20% is better than 0%. 50% is better than 20%.
And if you keep adding, you WILL have boundless and intense energy–which is something most people don’t want to give up.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kevin Gianni is founder of liveawesome.com/” target=”_blank LiveAwesome.com, the awesome-est, no-BS resource for optimal health, weight loss tips and motivation. Visit LiveAwesome.com today for a free subscription to the revolutionary “50-Second Fitness Quick Fix” Video-zine and get health and fitness tips delivered–by video–to your inbox!
Kevin is also the co-author of “The Busy Person’s Fitness Solution.”
Modern Naturopathy History: A Chiropractic Legacy
Dr. Benedict Lust (M.D., D.C., N.D.) a German doctor and chiropractor who emigrated to the U.S. in 1892, was America’s first naturopathic physician. Although ridiculed by the establishment for his ‘revolutionary’ ideas of exercise, vegetarianism and healthy living, Benedict Lust, founded the first health food store as we know it, and crystallized the focus of naturopathy on diet and nutrition as the chief route to health. He also started the country’s health spa, in Butler NJ, and founded the first naturopathic college, the American School of Naturopathy and chiropractic in 1902, in New York.
“Where there is no official recognition and regulation, you will find plotters, the thieves, the charlatans operating on the same basis as the conscientious practitioners… Frankly such conditions cannot be remedied until suitable safeguards are erected by law, or by the profession itself, around the practice of Naturopathy.”
- Benedict Lust, circa 1902, the founding father of naturopathy.
Naturopathic medicine grew through the 1910s and 1920s, but by the 1930s and 1940s, pressure from the pharmaceutical companies, political leaders, the rise of antibiotics, and numerous other factors caused a severe decline: In 1910, when the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching published the Flexner Report which criticized many aspects of medical education in various institutions (natural and conventional), it was mostly seen as an attack on low-quality natural medicine education. It caused many such programs to shut down and contributed to the popularity of conventional medicine. Schools were closed, sanatoriums shut down, and doctors had their privileges revoked. However, because chiropractic colleges excided the standards of education forced upon the medical institution by the “Flexner” reform, most of them stayed open and flourished. But Naturopathic medicine, with its herbs, Nature Cure, and holistic view of the body was considered unscientific and based on unproven folk tradition. It therefore was almost lost.
However naturopathic medicine did not go away. It was kept alive by chiropractors in Portland, Oregon where graduates of the Western States Chiropractic College could enrol in a 2-year postgraduate course of study and receive a degree in naturopathy. This lasted until 1956 when the program was dropped. To keep the practice of naturopathy going, several naturopaths and chiropractors founded the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in 1956 in Portland, Oregon. It moved briefly to Seattle and then returned to Portland where it is today. Very slowly Naturopathic medicine began to rise.
CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS LEADING TO THE BIRTH OF MODERN NATUROPATHY
Chiropractic education was introduced in Portland as early as 1904 when Drs. John and Eva Marsh opened Marshes’ School and Cure. In 1909, the college changed its name to Pacific College of Chiropractic.
The institution absorbed the Lindlahr College of Naturopathy in 1926 and introduced one of the first four-year courses in the profession in 1928.
Pacific College of Chiropractic entered a new phase in January 1929, when the college was purchased for $20,000 by the former dean of the National College of Chiropractic in Chicago, William Alfred Budden, DC, ND (a chiropractor and naturopath). The timing was terrible, for the U.S. stock market crash and the onset of the Great Depression were only nine months away. Dr. Budden would struggle for years to keep the school afloat, eventually re-chartering the institution as the non-profit Western States College, including instruction leading to degrees in chiropractic and naturopathy. During his tenure at the reins of the institution (he died “in the saddle” in 1954), the Western States College, School of Chiropractic and School of Naturopathy, would exert a profound influence on the course of the profession, both through Budden’s activities within the National Chiropractic Association’s Council on Education (today’s CCE), and by way of the several exceptional doctors he trained.
In 1932 the Pacific Chiropractic College was reorganized and became Western States College and Drugless Physicians (1932 – 1956). The College also offered a degree in naturopathy from the mid-thirties through the mid-fifties. Now called the Western States Chiropractic College (1956 – present).
Western States College has struggled on through the decades since Budden’s demise. The school eventually divorced itself from naturopathic education, as the NCA had been urging since 1939, but maintained a very broad instructional program. Chiropractic and naturopathy were taught together until about 1955 when the National Chiropractic Association stopped granting accreditation to schools that also taught naturopathy.
In the mid-1950’s, when Western States Chiropractic College in Portland decided to discontinue naturopathic training, Dr. Bastyr knew it was time to take action, so he and few colleagues decided to open a school in Seattle. In 1956 National College of Naturopathic Medicine was born and Dr. Bastyr and other practitioners became teachers. Dr. John Bastyr, the naturopathic physician for whom Bastyr University in Seattle is named.
A chiropractor, Dr. John Bartholomew Bastyr, N.D., D.C (1912-1995), is credited with being the Father of Modern Naturopathic Medicine. Because of Bastyr’s influence naturopaths have been at the forefront of the rebirth of homeopathy in this country. He made sure that homeopathy shared equal emphasis with nutrition, hydrotherapy and botanical medicine in naturopathic education. Dr. Bastyr considered manipulation the most important therapy in his practice.
He immediately went on in his studies of choice and received doctorate degrees in naturopathy and chiropractic from Northwest Drugless Institute and Seattle Chiropractic College, respectively. He became licensed to practice naturopathic medicine in 1936.
National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM) is the oldest programmatically accredited naturopathic medical school in North America. NCNM had its beginnings in the early 1950’s, in response to the termination of the naturopathic program at Western States Chiropractic College. Members of the profession from Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia planned the founding of the College and in May 1956, in Portland, Oregon.
Dr. Sylvain Desforges
B.Sc., D.C., D.O., N.D.
Director of Research and development for Momentus Technologies