Healing from flu with naturals products

Odyssey said:
Rest and sleep. Rest and sleep. Then rest and sleep some more. IMO, rest and sleep during a cold and flu come first and all the supps and broths are second.
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I agree. I've seen people who had the flu in december and powered through it, now they're coming back with a relapse. Some don't have bacterial infection complications, but nevertheless, they're having up to 39.5 C of high fever. This flu season is particularly bad. Young people have been hospitalized and the elderly too due to complications. Most people that I've seen in the clinic had that in common, they're were just powering through and demanding that they need to work ASAP.

Last time I got sick was back in September-October. I slept for at least two entire days. Now I'm still holding up, but I'll implement the above plan if I get sick again.
 
Thank you Laura for the advice, and the others also. I hope that all of you will cure very soon. It is not fun at all to have the flu. I remember the last one I had in 2010, I am sure it was the H1N1 I had, so sick I thought I will die. Never in my life I was so sick. I asked my husband to be ready because I was dying. I am not dramatising even if I am Spanish. I think also when you are sick you need what helps alot is to be comforted, to be loved, and if you don't have this from someone then try to comfort yourself, talk gentle to your body, give him big hugs and tenderness and if you are in your bed read a good book, a good friend that will be with you during this illness. When we are sick we feel very lonely, medicinal plants are good friends also, nature is the best help.
 
Odyssey said:
Rest and sleep. Rest and sleep. Then rest and sleep some more. IMO, rest and sleep during a cold and flu come first and all the supps and broths are second. Trying to power through and carry on with usual activities just makes a sickness linger on more than it needs to and possibly go deeper and cause a secondary issue. Though I understand if someone has to try to power through for various reasons, the power of sleep in healing the body cannot be understated.

When I have been sick -- and I had what I considered the mildest flu I've ever had a month or so ago -- my body has an uncanny ability of coming down with the flu on the weekend. I'll start feeling something coming on on a Friday, sleep the whole day on Saturday and through the night and by Sunday I'm on the mend. Monday is like I was never sick. This has happened every time I can remember, at least as an adult (except for that time I powered through a flu and ended up with a lingering bronchitis). Even this last time, now that I don't usually work on Fridays, I started feeling under the weather on Thursday afternoon! What's up with that? :lol:
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Agreed on the rest and sleep in repeating cycles for healing, along with high doses of vitamin C and also fresh ginger tea. Also interesting about how you're coming down just when you're off work. I've heard about that experience from other people a couple of times, especially when their vacations start.
 
Thank you for starting this thread and for the recommendations. My experience with combating and preventing cold this year (and twice!) was with the use of a natural pharmaceutical – the good old aspirin.

It was a bit after news year’s when I started feeling symptoms of cold/flu. I was not surprised because everyone around me was already sick; the whole of France (along with the UK, Italy, Spain and Greece) had the flu. I did not want to be sick, so I already was taking vit C, NAC, iodine, zinc, herbal teas, and was hoping that my immune system would protect me. It didn’t. I woke up with a headache, sore throat, chest heaviness and coughing. I knew what was coming. I recalled then how when I was a kid my mother would give me aspirin when I had a cold/the flu, and I decided to give it a try. I had one aspirin tablet of 300 mg after breakfast and I didn’t take any other supplements that day, just lots of teas and clear water, and ate as normal. By midday I was feeling better, felt tired towards the evening and went to bed and slept for about 10 hours. Then next day I felt fine. That lasted about 2-3 weeks, and I never took aspirin again, just the regular protection from the cold supplements, until last Friday.

Again, I woke up with the same symptoms (plus running nose this time). I had my regular breakfast and took one more aspirin pill. Again, by midday I felt better, but I felt body pains, my nose was running and I was sneezing a lot by evening. I slept about 8 hrs that night, and the next day I felt heavy and tired, but not sick with a cold or the flu. And it lasted until today, so I thought I’d share in case it helps others too. I also did some research and found that there is indication that aspirin can fight certain viruses. Here’s some info.

Antiviral activity of aspirin against RNA viruses of the respiratory tract—an in vitro study [pdf]

Aim: Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) has been used for more than 115 years in medicine. Research exists to show that aspirin has antiviral effects in vitro, for example, by blocking influenza virus propagation via NF-κB inhibition when used at high concentrations and short-term incubation steps. The aim of this study was to confirm the antiviral activity of aspirin against influenza virus and further elucidate the activity of aspirin against other respiratory viruses.

Methods: Tests to detect antiviral activity were performed using plaque-reduction assays. Aspirin was administered to the virus-infected cell cultures one hour after infection. Prior to these assays, the non-cytotoxic concentrations of aspirin on cells used for propagation of the respective viruses were determined. Results: Aspirin was found to be highly effective against influenza A H1N1 virus. The antiviral activity against further respiratory RNA viruses was less distinct. Respiratory syncytial virus was minimally inhibited. However, the activity of aspirin against rhinoviruses was more pronounced. Aspirin demonstrated antiviral activity against all human rhinoviruses (HRV), but the effect on members of the “major group” viruses, namely HRV14 and HRV39, was greater than on those of the “minor group,” HRV1A and HRV2.

Conclusions: These data demonstrate a specific antiviral activity of aspirin against influenza A virus and HRV. The mode of action against rhinoviruses is still unknown and requires further investigation, as does the possibility of aspirin being effective in vivo to treat the common cold.
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(you can read the entire study in the link above)

This one is from 2002

Aspirin might combat common viruses

Already hailed as a wonder drug, the humble aspirin might also combat viruses that attack fetuses and patients with damaged immunity.

Aspirin was originally developed to numb pain. But it also helps prevent heart attacks and strokes by inhibiting blood clot formation, and even shrinks polyps that otherwise develop into colon cancer. Now, Thomas Shenk and his team at Princeton University in New Jersey, US, have shown that close relatives of aspirin can block common viruses.

“For a 100-year-old drug, aspirin never stops springing surprises,” says Nick Henderson of the charity European Aspirin Foundation. “Every year, aspirin re-invents itself.”

Human cytomegaloviruses (CMV) are members of the family that cause cold sores and herpes infections. They are present in one tenth of the population, and usually pose no threat. But CMV can cause hearing problems in babies born to infected mothers and kill patients with reduced immunity, such as those with AIDS or transplant recipients taking anti-rejection drugs.

Shenk and his colleagues have now shown that aspirin-like drugs can stop CMV from replicating in infected cells.

Chemical commandeering

The drugs do this by blocking production of cyclooxygenase 2, an enzyme better known as COX-2. Normally, COX-2 helps to manufacture prostaglandin E2, a chemical that triggers fever and inflammation. But prostaglandin E2 can be commandeered by viruses to help them multiply.

Shenk showed that fibroblasts (taken from human foreskins) infected with CMV made 50 times more prostaglandin E2 than normal. But the cells stopped making E2 altogether as soon as they were exposed to the aspirin-like drugs. At the same time, virus production by the cells dropped 100-fold.

The amount of virus increased again when Shenk and his colleagues dunked the cells in prostaglandin E2. Reliance on this “outside supply” proved that the drugs worked by blocking prostaglandin within the cells.

Shenk believes that at low doses, aspirin-like drugs might have preventative benefits for pregnant women and patients with reduced immunity. “Lower concentrations might prove to be therapeutically beneficial,” he says.

Further work is needed to reveal whether aspirin-type drugs could be effective against other viruses.

Journal reference: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (DOI: 10.1073/pnas.052713799)
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This one is VERY interesting too:

Could Aspirin Slow Ebola?

It is recommended that aspirin be avoided in the symptomatic management of Ebola. (1) However, the upregulation of heme oxygenase by cobalt protoporphyrin has been shown to have an attenuating effect on the viral replication and transcription rates of the Ebola virus. Aspirin also induces heme oxygenase. Therefore it may also slow Ebola replication.

Although there are a number of therapeutic agents under development, none have yet been approved for Ebola (EBOV), and at present treatment consists of IV fluids, maintenance of oxygen status and blood pressure and management of secondary infections. Once the disease is advanced prognosis is poor. If the progress of the disease could be slowed during early infection while arrangements to travel to hospital were being made, outcomes may be improved.

EBOV infection of macrophages and monocytes leads to hypercytokinaemia, which causes superoxide-mediated endothelial damage and the characteristic haemorrhaging, and activation of the coagulation cascade, which causes thrombosis.

Thus treatment of patients with EBOV depends not only on the inhibition of the virus but management of hypercytokinaemia. Heme oxygenase has been shown to have a mitigating effect in both these areas.

Heme oxygenase (HO-1) catalyses the degradation of heme to carbon monoxide, free iron and biliverdin. It can protect from septic shock and the oxidative injury experienced in hypercytokinaemia. (2). Upregulation of HO-1 with cobalt protoporphyrin has been shown to inhibit EBOV replication. This was shown to be an HO-1 dependent effect. Entry and budding were not affected, but viral replication and transcription were attenuated. (3) This may be due to the up-regulation of IFN-stimulated genes and the anti-oxidant effect of HO-1.
Other inducers of HO-1 include statins, rapamycin, paclitaxel, nitric oxide, probucol and aspirin.

Aspirin has been shown to produce significant dose-related increases in HO-1 in vivo (4), and in cultured human endothelial cells aspirin increased (HO-1) protein levels in a concentration-dependent fashion up to fivefold over basal levels. (5). Therefore viral replication and transcription of EBOV should be attenuated by aspirin.

Aspirin induces HO-1 by enhancing the production of 15-epi-lipoxin A4, (6), which stimulates NO production. This leads to an increase in HO-1 concentration. Other cyclooxygenase inhibitors such as indomethacin do not induce HO-1. (5). In vitro models show that aspirin is associated with an increase in O2 -scavenging, protecting endothelial cells from free radical-mediated toxicity. (5). Thus aspirin could mitigate the effects of hypercytokinaemia.

Conclusion

Although aspirin will not stop entry and budding of EBOV, it is likely to slow replication by the induction of HO-1, and could lessen cytokine-mediated endothelial damage by the scavenging of superoxide radicals. Therefore aspirin at the first onset of symptoms and in tandem with rehydration therapies may have a beneficial effect.

I declare no competing interests.

References

1. Beeching, N.J., Fenech, M, Houlihan, C.F., (2014) BMJ 2014;349:g7348. “Ebola virus disease.”
2. Pae HO ,Chung HT, (2009) Immune Network 9:12–19. “Heme oxygenase-1: its therapeutic roles in inflammatory diseases.”
3. Hill-Batorski, L, Halfmann, P, Neuman, G, Kawaoka, Y. (2013) doi: q10.1128/JVI.02422-13 J. Virol. December 2013 vol. 87 no. 24 13795-13802 “The Cytoprotective Enzyme Heme Oxygenase-1 Suppresses Ebola Virus Replication.”
4. Hennekens, CH, Schneider, WR, Pokov, A, Hetzel, S, David DeMets, D, Schröder, H, Victor Serebruany, V. (2009) Circulation 2009;120:S405.) “Usual Doses of Aspirin Markedly Increase Nitric Oxide Formation in Humans.”
5. Grosser, N, Abate, A, Oberle, S, Vreman, HJ, Dennery, PA, Becker, JC, Pohle, T, Seidman, DS, Schroeder, H. (2003) Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Vol 308, 956-960. “Heme oxygenase-1 induction may explain the antioxidant profile of aspirin.”
6. Nascimento-Silva V, Arruda MA, Barja-Fidalgo C, Villela CG, Fierro IM. (2005) Am J Physiol Cell Physiol, 289(3):C557-63. “Novel lipid mediator aspirin-triggered lipoxin A4 induces heme oxygenase-1 in endothelial cells.”
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And for you gardeners, apparently, aspirin helps boost the immune system of the plants

Plants feeling under the weather? Give them aspirin water!

"Take two aspirin and call me in the morning."

We've all heard that advice from doctors. And moms have been dispensing this all-purpose cure-all to their families as a standard way of providing relief from headaches and sniffles, muscle aches and joint pain.

Then it should be no surprise to learn how an important aspirin ingredient--salicylic acid--is being used as an Earth-friendly first aid for warding off plant diseases.

Meet Martha McBurney, the master gardener in charge of the demonstration vegetable garden at the University of Rhode Island. In the summer of 2005 she tested aspirin water on tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, basil and other plants after reading about it in a gardening publication called the Avant Gardener (PO Box 489, New York, NY 10028). The results were well, astonishing...

"What caught my eye in the original Avant Gardener article was it said that aspirin is an activator of Systemic Acquired Resistance (SAR). And that plants, when under stress, naturally produce salicylic acid, but not fast enough and in sufficient quantities to really help them out in time. So the bugs get them, and diseases get them, and they show even more stress.

"But if you give them aspirin, it helps boost their immune system, kind of like feeding people echinacea so they don't get a cold.

How much, and how often

The dosage that Martha used was 1.5 [uncoated] aspirins to 2 gallons of water. She also added 2 tablespoons of yucca extract to help the aspirin water stick to the leaves better. (The yucca extract can be substituted with a mild liquid soap.) Martha explained that the yucca (or soap) prevents the aspirin water from beading up and rolling off leaves of broccoli and kale leaves. Finally, she sprayed the plants every 3 weeks.

The summer when Martha first started testing aspirin water, was not the best, weather-wise. It was cool, rainy and damp. "But what happened was, by the end of the season, the plants in the raised beds with the aspirin water looked like they were on steroids!

"The plants were huge, and green and with no insects. We even saw some disease problems that reversed themselves. We think we got a virus on the cucumbers, and they aspirin water seemed to reverse it. The cucumbers ended up being very healthy."

Aspirin improves seed germination

Martha also sprayed the aspirin water on the seeds they directly sowed in the ground. The result, they discovered was 100 percent seed germination, compared to spotty germination in the other trial beds.

Scientists at the University of Arizona and with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), curious about findings such as what Martha experienced, are studying how salicylic acid prods plants into releasing their natural defenses against harmful fungi, bacteria and viruses. According to an article by Dean Fosdick of the Associated Press, "They envision it as a commercially viable alternative to synthetic pesticides in a natural way to extend the life of susceptible yet popular crops."

Is it organic? Well, not really. Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) is 'derived' from the white willow tree, Salix alba. Studies are now being conducted on plants using pure willow extracts to compare the effects to aspirin.

Cut flowers that last forever?

Well, not quite. But current research may explain a modern-old wives' tale of adding an aspirin to a vase of cut flower to keep the blooms fresh longer. Here's the explanation: The cutting of flowers is perceived by the plant as a wound, and so it stimulates the production of a substance that not only helps the plant fight off bugs, but also hastens aging or wilting, such as in the case of a cut flower.

Aspirin halts the formation of the substance, which in turn, keeps the flowers looking young and not wilting prematurely.

Scientists laughed, at first

Plants weren't the only things affected by the aspirin water. At first, scientists at the University of Rhode Island gave Martha a bad time about her experiments. Teased her, mostly. But by the end of the summer, they were so impressed that they are now conducting their own formal investigations.

"I've recommended it to just about everybody. The people who've tried it, that is, people who grow from oats to orchids, have found that plants do remarkably better when given small amounts of aspirin water. I've tried it on my houseplants, and it does really well. Plants are more vigorous and I'm having fewer problems with aphids and the typical things that can build up on houseplants over the winter."

"Uh, Martha," I broke in. "My husband is losing his hair. Maybe I should try aspirin water."

Martha didn't miss a beat. "Well, hey, you could give it a go!"

So the next time your plant is looking a little feverish or flushed, consider reaching for some aspirin for treating what ails it.
Meanwhile, keep your hands in the dirt, and your dreams on a star.
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Of course, anyone who wants to try out aspirin, make sure you read up on the possible side effects and how it reacts when taken with other substances. Knowledge protects, as always.
 
Re: How healing from flu with naturals products

Altair said:
What helps me most is a teaspoon of Vit. C in a glass of water mixed with a couple of drops of DMSO. But the quickest way to get rid of any flu is Vit. C intravenous, though it might be pretty expensive. I had a severe cold some months ago and decided to do it. The treatment lasted only 30 minutes and felt improvement already after 5-10 minutes.
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By the way, all the components for doing intravenous injection of Vit. C are available on amazon (at least on the German one). This is exactly the same Vit. C solution which my doctor was using (ready to inject, 7,5 mg of ascorbic acid, 50 ml): _https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00E5Y1Y0M/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=X5Y08IFCFPE3&coliid=I1BMEZBLUGGG5D

It's much more cheaper when doing it at home (it costed me 50 euros at doctor's, the above Vit. C solution costs about 15 euros on amazon.de). Of course, you have to know how to do it on your own. I haven't tried it yet.
 
Hi Alana. Thanks for the info on aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid). I remember when I young, aspirin was the go to remedy for aches and pains and colds along with chicken soup! :)
I find Martha McBurney's experiment with plants very interesting and I'll keep it mind, maybe even do a little experiment of my own! :D
 
Alana said:
Of course, anyone who wants to try out aspirin, make sure you read up on the possible side effects and how it reacts when taken with other substances. Knowledge protects, as always.
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Yep. Aspirin can deplete vitamin C and if taken in high doses can cause internal bleeding. Aspirin has been implicated in the high death rate during the 1918-1919 Spanish Flu but those docs were giving really high doses (in Grams not milligrams) which caused massive fluid buildup in the lungs and internal bleeding. I question the reasoning in using it for Ebola. It's already a haemmorhagic disease why throw a blood thinner on top of it? To avoid aspirin induced vitamin C depletion even if taking a small dose always take with vitamin C. And you never want to give aspirin to a child with the flu. It can cause Reye's Syndrome (brain swelling which can be fatal).

Here's more info:
Did 1918 Spanish Flu Deaths Result From Aspirin-Induced Scurvy (Vitamin C Deficiency)?

Is Modern Medicine Hastening The Death Of Central Africans Stricken with Ebola?
 
Nancy2feathers said:
I find Martha McBurney's experiment with plants very interesting and I'll keep it mind, maybe even do a little experiment of my own! :D
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Me too. Last year my roses got a kind of fungus that wouldn't go away even when I tried natural (and later commercial) ways to deal with it. So I am curious to see if some aspirin spraying makes a difference this year.

Odyssey said:
Alana said:
Of course, anyone who wants to try out aspirin, make sure you read up on the possible side effects and how it reacts when taken with other substances. Knowledge protects, as always.
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Yep. Aspirin can deplete vitamin C and if taken in high doses can cause internal bleeding. Aspirin has been implicated in the high death rate during the 1918-1919 Spanish Flu but those docs were giving really high doses (in Grams not milligrams) which caused massive fluid buildup in the lungs and internal bleeding. I question the reasoning in using it for Ebola. It's already a haemmorhagic disease why throw a blood thinner on top of it? To avoid aspirin induced vitamin C depletion even if taking a small dose always take with vitamin C. And you never want to give aspirin to a child with the flu. It can cause Reye's Syndrome (brain swelling which can be fatal).

Here's more info:
Did 1918 Spanish Flu Deaths Result From Aspirin-Induced Scurvy (Vitamin C Deficiency)?

Is Modern Medicine Hastening The Death Of Central Africans Stricken with Ebola?
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Yes, I read that during the Spanish influenza the doctors were administering from 8 up to 32 Grams of aspirin. Thank you for the links, and the reminder to always take vit C with it.
 
Dr Ray Peat has written extensively about aspirin. From what I've read on the topic, it seems to be a bit of a wonder drug which was wrongfully blamed for many problems it was not necessarily responsible for. It has been implicated in literally thousands of studies to help with virtually most conditions known to man!! It is truly quite amazing to see that the information is not widely known/ spoke about. Everything ranging from fever to cancer can be significantly aided with aspirin supplementation. It seems like this was one of the original supplements that were widely acknowledged back in the day, similar to iodine, that have been replaced with Big Pharma cocktails.

One caveat is, though, aspirin is probably not good in ketosis. Aspirin increases the respiratory capacity of the mitochondria to oxidise glucose, and halts the oxidation of fats, and this is partly why it is touted to be so beneficial. So people who are aiming on burning fat may not do so well with aspirin.

added note: This is not to say that there a no side effects. Just that it can be used successfully as a therapeutic intervention when needed.

I don't want to derail the thread, so will start another one at some point with some research.
 
To add to the excellent data base. Internally, boil away the infections.

Traditional Finnish-Style Sauna
Sauna-photo-225x300.jpg

_http://www.albanysauna.com/finnish-saunas/
The original 1930s furnace has been maintained to the original design. We have four private rooms set around the brick furnace with fresh air circulating in each room to ventilate and push the hot air up.

This Sauna will warm your body throughout leaving you feeling refreshed, relaxed and virtually glowing.

We light the furnace every morning at 5am to heat up the river-cobble sitting just above the burner. The intensity of the heat of the rock pile is the secret to the quality of steam produced: fine, transparent, and dryish.

The moist steam (it is clear so you can’t see it!) alleviates the aches and pains of joints, tendons, and muscles. It opens pores, stimulates circulation, and helps cleanse and clarify your skin.

To cool off, there is a small ‘waterfall’ tap above the bench with cold water to pour on your head and shoulders. All rooms have a shower and water buckets.

Taking a Sauna is perfect to counter the cold of the Bay Area’s microclimate. Come in and get WARM! Warming your muscles while you stretch after a work out or before a Massage is a great way to listen to your body; and, the design of the rooms allows you to control the level of heat in the room. In Finland, the Sauna is a cure-all. If you feel a cold coming on, visit us for a Sauna and even young families will find that taking a Sauna together is a perfect way to break a shared cold cycle.
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Spa Hopper
(Link for Links within)
Fight the Cold and Flu in a Hot Tub or Sauna
_http://wanderlustandlipstick.com/blogs/spahopper/2014/01/16/fight-cold-and-flu-in-sauna/
When cold and flu season is in full swing, it makes sufferers miserable and eager to stay home in bed. However, you may find it beneficial to try a relaxing soak in a hot tub, either at home or at a spa. A nice, long soak can help relieve some of your symptoms and is certainly a relaxing and soothing experience. Can it really help? Here are some things to try to fight the cold and flu off. Judge for yourself!

1. Feel the Heat

2. Soak as Often as You Want

3. Be Sure to Drink Lots of Fluids

4. Use Some Salve

5. Steam Away Your Cold in a Sauna

6. The Salt Room (Iodine)

7. Home Remedy
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The Salt Room

Salt Therapy has proven to help alleviate symptoms (Links within)
_http://www.saltroomorlando.com/Your-Town/Symptoms/Cold-and-Flu/cold-flu/Salt-Room.aspx
Salt therapy also reduces stress which might otherwise weaken your immune system and helps rejuvenate your natural defenses. A complete treatment regiment of 7-15 sessions will provide benefits for as long as 6-12 months
Clinical studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine (2006) observe: “Inhalation of hypertonic saline produces a sustained acceleration of mucus clearance and improved lung function. This treatment may protect the lung from insults that reduces mucus clearance and reduces lung disease”. The Journal of Aerosol Medicine (1995) reports tremendous improvements in patients suffering from various types of respiratory diseases (bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive and non-obstructive bronchitis, bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis) who underwent treatment with halotherapy in a placebo-controlled clinical trial. The best remedy for cold and flu treatment and prevention is a blend of science and nature.
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cold-flu.png


The Salt Room testimonial - Sinusitis
_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFpuCVY0shY
 
Thanks for all the good info here. In the last week everyone has been sick in my family, it started with the kids(5 of them). One day I started feeling quite bad, fever, achy, sore throat. That day I started taking Thieves essential oil blend from Young Living. I was a member of this company 8 years ago and I still have a lot of oils which are still potent! I added 5 drops to 2/3 cup of water, 4 times a day, 4000 mg vit c, Elderberry syrup, iodine (usual dose 1 drop). Took a nap. The next day after waking most of the worst symptoms where gone.

The Thieves oil is a bit expensive so I'm considering making my own with buying the individual oils, clove, cinnamon, Eucalyptus Radiata, rosemary. Adding the inhaled oils with a diffuser mentioned here would be a excellent addition. Also a cup of warm,diluted apple cider vinegar(organic) with cinnamon and a little honey, a few drops of lemon oil was helpful to me. My plan is to have all the adults chip in for the oils and have it handy to take FIRST thing when getting sick. This isn't going to work for the kids though since its very strong, and stings when taken orally, so I need to figure something for them. They need to be up on their vit c for one.

The story about the Thieves blend is said to come from the days of the Black Plague. It was used by robbers to prevent infection while they stole the loot. Dont know how valid that is.
 
Thanks for all the great suggestions for overcoming the flu. Haven't had flu in over 10 years and realize I'm a big baby when it comes to being sick. Husband came down with it last Friday, his biz partner last Monday, so it seems to have a 4-5 day incubation time before symptoms begin. I started taking all the following remedies at the same time hubby got sick just as a prophylactic, figured I might not escape it. And right on schedule, woke up with a splitting headache this morning, with pain radiating down my jaw line and upper back and neck. Dosed with ibuprofen first thing to knock down the pain and inflammation; I think its important to keep inflammation under control to allow all the tonics and nutrients to get to where they need to go, as well as keeping all the toxins moving out. They also make it possible to function so I can take care of myself.

Both of us have been on iodine protocol for over a year, now, and believe that has helped keep the flu to a milder version. Those we've heard who've had the flu had it for a week or more, and were VERY ill. Hubby's back to work today, not 100% and should have stayed home another day, but it's 65 degree F here today! (5th day in a row! and breaking records...), so at least no chilly weather to drive sickness deeper.
We're already taking the B's, NAC, magnesium, selenium and Vit C and E, Chlorella and Alfalfa.

For the flu, we've added:
Olive leaf infused extra virgin olive oil for congestion/inflammation. 1 T with meals, needs bile to extract active properties.

Biden tincture, which I made last Fall for just this purpose (also good for Lyme co-infectons); it has a wide range of anti-microbial activity. Taking it in tisane of crimson berry tea which contains elderberries(anti-viral) and cranberries, unsweetened... *pucker up!*

Chicken soup, with generous amount of Lemon, Thyme leaf and Rosemary which I need to make more of, but made a root soup type borscht to use up veggies in fridge, figured it'll help replace electrolytes and help out liver.

Also increasing intake of infusion of Ashwagandha Rt, Rhodiola Rt (Stonecrop), Schisandra berries, all of which I had on hand for dealing with suspected Lyme co-infection, but all are also useful as neuro-protective, immune modulator/support, and symptoms caused by cold/flu and opportunistic intruders. I learned about these beneficial nutritionals, and others, in Stephen Harrod Buhner's "Healing Lyme Disease Co-infections"; he gets very technical for the medical practitioner, but also includes easy to understand information for the Herbalist or natural health novice.

Hot cayenne/ginger tea for sore throat(Do not boil); gargle a couple times and drink down rest, chases chills away as it increases circulation.

Berberine containing Golden Seal and Barberry combination; used to use just Golden Seal but it has gotten very expensive; taking for the anti-microbial effect but also is a good digestive tonic.

Fresh ground clove in caps seems to help with cough and aches. (We cap our own so we know they're fresh)

Pleurisy root (butterfly weed) tincture and Elecampane tincture on hand, for bustin' up chest congestion, but also good for influenza and stubborn fevers from multiple causes. (per Dr.John R Christopher and Alma Hutchins)

I'm only on day 1 of flu, so time will tell if my preemptive measures will shorten the length of the flu. Hoping that my husband's speedy recovery is indicative of how well I'll bounce back.

Here's hoping all of you out there battling the flu find the TLC and right combination of remedies to help you get back to health ASAP.
 
Almost two weeks to the day, and finally feeling the flu is OVER. What a weird illness, though. Second night I laid in bed with dull headache and chills and felt a dense anger..., about Israel of all things. I hadn't read anything recently to stir up animosity, but remember laying there trying to force myself to think about something pleasant without success. Finally got up, and still had this underlying anger about nothing in particular. It persisted intermittently for a few days, waxing and waning like my headache. Woke up one morning and both wrists ached like I had physically overworked them the day before even though I mostly laid around or did some easy chores. Rubbed Thieves oil into both of wrists and that helped relieve the soreness, but it returned the next morning.

Talked to a friend, who's a massage therapist, about this and said she had a couple of clients with the same complaint of coming down with something and having anger feelings at nothing in particular.

Anyone else experience this? I'm sure being sick makes everyone kind of cranky, but this was more like a seething anger.

Brain still feels foggy, kind of like I got injected with novocaine, but hoping this will soon clear as I continue to recover.

Could this symptom of anger be related to the topic of Iodine, frequency fence and radiation in this session with the C's?:
https://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,40125.0.html
(Perceval) It's good to start the day with the salted water as soon as you get up. Then after breakfast, take your iodine.

(Alana) That's what I do.

(L) Yeah. So, is that good?

A: Yes.

Q: (L) Okay. And it is said that a person needs to take not only way more than the RDA, but even more than that to keep up with the ongoing toxicity that we are exposed to every single day. Clearly, we can’t get that level of iodine from our food so supplementing is the only option.

(Chu) So, could this be like the antidote to the effects of the frequency fence?

A: Yes.

Q: (L) So if you don't have any metals poisoning your body, and you don't have any critters colonizing your body, then the frequency beaming of the PTB can't get to you. Is that it?

A: Yes more or less.

Q: (Galatea) And also it blocks radiation in general.

A: Yes.

Q: (Perceval) The frequency fence probably works on people because they're toxified and weak.

A: Yes absolutely. People will be amazed at how strong their will becomes!

Q: (Galatea) I wonder if it also works against skin cancer?

A: Yes

Q: (Galatea) Yay! I can go outside.

(nicklebleu) It's usually said in terms of nuclear radiation or fallout that iodine is only good to protect the thyroid. Does it have other protective effects in this regard?

A: Protects all the glandular systems which are your interface with higher densities.

Q: (Galatea) YAY!
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Think I need to increase my Iodine and salt water. :/
 
Great thread everyone. I signed up to Dr Mark Sircus' newsletter after hearing him on SOTT radio not long ago and received a newsletter that says baking soda is also a cure for colds too:

Over 150 years ago Dr. Austin Church formed a business to produce and distribute Baking Soda. ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda is derived from a natural occurring mineral called trona. It is 100% pure, safe, and natural. Baking Soda (also known as sodium bicarbonate) is a substance that is found naturally in all living things. Its purpose is to maintain pH balance in the bloodstream, which is necessary to sustain life. Due to its chemical and physical properties, sodium bicarbonate has unique medicinal capabilities that every healthcare practitioner, doctor and patient needs to know about.

The only problem is that Arm & Hammer Baking Soda can replace many more expensive medicines and this does not make the medical industrial complex happy.

Baking Soda Uses

In today’s modern world of medicine the FDA just will not let companies that sell products make medical claims about them unless they have been tested at great expense and approved as a drug. But this was not always the case and as we can see in the information in this chapter, which is from a 1924 booklet,[1]published by the Arm & Hammer Soda Company. On page 12 the company starts off saying, “The proven value of Arm & Hammer Bicarbonate of Soda as a therapeutic agent is further evinced by the following evidence ofa prominent physician namedDr.Volney S.Cheney,in a letter to the Church & Dwight Company:

“In 1918 and 1919 while fighting the ‘Flu’ with the U. S. Public Health Service it was brought to my attention that rarelyany one who had been thoroughly alkalinized with bicarbonate of soda contracted the disease, and those who did contract it, if alkalinized early, would invariably have mild attacks.I have since that time treated all cases of ‘Cold,’ Influenza and LaGripe by first giving generous doses of Bicarbonate of Soda, and in many, many instances within 36 hours the symptoms would have entirely abated. Further, within my own household, before Woman’s Clubs and Parent-Teachers’ Associations, I have advocated the use of Bicarbonate of Soda as a preventive for “Colds,” with the result that now many reports are coming in stating thatthose who took “Soda” were not affected, while nearly everyone around them had the “Flu.”

Recommended dosages from the Arm and Hammer Company for colds and influenza back in 1925 were:

During the first day take six doses of half teaspoonful of Arm & Hammer Bicarbonate of Soda in glass of cool water, at about two hour intervals.

During the second day take four doses of half teaspoonful of Arm and Hammer Bicarbonate of Soda in glass of cool water, at the same intervals.

During the third day take two doses of half teaspoonful of Arm and Hammer Bicarbonate of Soda in glass of cool water morning and evening, and thereafter half teaspoonful in glass of cool water each morning until cold is cured.

Well the sodium bicarbonate cure for colds and sore throats. A friend called as I was reading about it, I told her to try it. She is rapt! Relief in a few hours, and she went to work the following day! And she was miserable and could hardly talk,[2]had just woken with it full on, and was planning on missing work.”

In order to secure the best results with Arm & Hammer Pure Bicarbonate of Soda (Baking Soda) when taken internally, certain simple rules must be observed. Materia Medica, pharmacology and Therapeutics (Bastedo, Page 88) clearly outlines these rules to follows:

“The effect of an alkali in the stomach will vary according to the nature of the stomach contents at the time of administration. In the resting period (after food is digested) sodium bicarbonate merely dissolves mucus and is absorbed as bicarbonate into the blood, to increase its alkalinity directly.

“In the digestive period it reduces the secretion of gastric juice, neutralizes a portion of the hydrochloric acid, liberates the carminative carbon dioxide gas, and is absorbed as sodium chloride.

“In cases of fermentation or ‘sour stomach’ it may neutralize the organic acids and so result in the opening of a spasmodically closed pylorus (the opening between the stomach and the small intestine); while at the same time it acts to overcome flatulency (accumulation of gas in the stomach and bowels).

“The time of administration must, therefore, be chosen with a definite purpose. Usually for hyperchlohydria (excess of acid) one hour or two hours after meals will be the period of harmful excess of acid.

“In continuous hyperacidity and in fermentative conditions a dose an hour before meals will tend to prepare the stomach for the next meal; or sometimes a dose will be necessary immediately after eating, because of abnormal acid or base having been present at the commencement of the meal. (For the average person one-half hour after meals is recommended).

“A dose at bedtime tends to check the early morning acidity, or a dose on arising cleans the stomach of acid and mucus before breakfast.”

Whenever taking a bicarbonate solution internally the soda should be dissolved on cold water.

This is all very valuable information coming from the horses own mouth, the Arm and Hammer Baking Soda Company, which sells aluminum free baking soda. Clearly they knew what they had in their hands one hundred years ago; and its long use in medicine sustains the companies published medical views:

“Besides doing good in respiratory affections, bicarbonate of soda is of inestimable value in the treatment of Alimentary Intoxication, Pyelitis (inflammation of the pelvis of the kidney), Hyper-Acidity of Urine, Uric Acid disturbances, Rheumatism and Burns. An occasional three-day course of Bicarbonate of Soda increases the alkalinity of the blood, assists elimination andincreases the resisting power of the body to all Infectious Diseases.”

Baking Soda uses extend much further than even Arm and Hammer were aware of and it’s now been used to help with everything from sunburn, ulcer pain, kidney disease, diabetes, and cancer.

How to use Sodium Bicarbonate

Getting out pH to a more alkaline state is beneficial to anyone with any kind of disorder and using sodium bicarbonate as a "jump-start" to a more alkaline state is helpful but should not be depended on solely, it must be done with lifestyle and dietary changes that will allow more alkalinity in our body on a long term basis.

pH must be checked daily if using bicarbonate of soda to ensure that we don't become overly alkaline (which can cause severe problems) and to guide our dosing of the sodium bicarbonate.

Sodium Bicarbonate dosing is judged by your daily pH level and doses adjusted up or down accordingly. Get some pH paper available on the Internet or in health food stores. You adjust the dose according to your readings of pH.Dosing also depends on what is being treated and the amounts for treating cancer is very different from that for heartburn or prevention. There is no "one-size-fits-all" dosing. It MUST be guided by your pH.

Make sure that the sodium bicarbonate you buy states 100% sodium bicarbonate. By law this should mean that no aluminum is in the product or added to it. Arm and Hammer and Bob's Red Mill baking soda are safe to use...do not get baking powder, which it totally different and may contain aluminum.

You can find much more information on this and how to do it in the e-book :

Sodium Bicarbonate; Rich Man's Poor Man'sCancer Treatment

Generally will take 4-6 weeks for your body to really stabilize in pH.Often the saliva and urine pH will be different but you need to check consistently for about a month and then can better see the pattern or consistency.

Sodium bicarbonate should be taken 1-2 hours before orafter a meal so as not to interfere with the hydrochloric acid needed for digestion. Sodium bicarbonate will temporarily neutralize hydrochloric acid. So if you are taking it for general maintenance take it early am or before bedtime. This should not affect the mealtime production of hydrochloric acid.

After using this recommendation, take a break from the sodium bicarbonate for at least a week before restarting at that dose.Too high alkalinization can be very harmful and cause many problems too. Work to decrease the amount you need as soon as you can. Too much sodium bicarbonate can also deplete folic acid (one of the B vitamins) so you might want to supplement with that.

Target pH for urine for good daily maintenance is no higher than 7.3 or 7.4.This level is fine during infections and inflammation unless otherwise directed by a health care professional. Many believe that 6.8 isin adequate range for urine pH, though Dr. Sircus likes to see it a bit higher. Under 6.8 is too low and too acidic. For treating cancers, it is necessary to go higher up to @ pH of 8 and to stay there for a week or two, then stop and repeat the process again. The amount of sodium bicarbonate taken each day will be guided by what your pH readings are.

Bicarbonate and Inflammation

Anyone experiencing the pain of an acute gout or rheumatoid arthritis attack would sell their soul to get relief from their pain. It seems like no matter where we turn these days, we hear the word inflammation because at the heart of almost all diseases is an inflammatory process. It is no surprise since our lifestyles have become increasingly sedentary, and many rely on junk food to sustain themselves. Add in unfathomable stress levels, allergens and environmental toxins, not to mention increasing radiation coming from the environment and medical tests together, plus many pharmaceutical drugs themselves will increase inflammation because they strip the body of alkaline minerals.

Bicarbonate ions neutralize the acid conditions required for chronic inflammatory reactions. Hence, sodium bicarbonate is of benefit in the treatment of a range of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. To reduce and eventually stop destructive inflammations the body needs to be alkalized, which means CO2 levels along with oxygen need to be raised. This is done over the long haul with mineral-rich vegetables, especially green leaf-vegetables and green protein powders such as Spirulina, chlorella, and wheat grass or barley grass powder. However, until the inflammation is under control it is often helpful or necessary to use alkalizing remedies such as sodium bicarbonate for almost instant relief of many inflammation symptoms. Baking soda elevates salivary pH and reducing inflammation in the mouth. Magnesium is the ultimate anti-inflammatory and so is oxygen. Magnesium bicarbonate drinking water combines the best of magnesium and bicarbonate therapy.
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