Everyone around me was getting sick with the flu here in LA. All of them were sick for exactly the same ammount of time, 2 weeks straight. I just got sick yesterday and I am having a HELL of a time... Last night I had a fever and had to resort to taking tylenol while eating ice cream and holding bags of frozen vegetables to my head ears and face.
So anyone know any way I can get this over with faster? Right now I am holding a Zicam under my tongue and crossing my fingers that this shit is not total BS (which I have always thought it totally is). I don't ever take echinachea, so would that help right now? What about goldenseal or cat's claw?
-caul
An echinacea liquid extract might work--- but it really has been shown to work best if you start regular administration as soon as symptoms appear. But it couldn't hurt, I guess. Hope you feel better soon, Caul!
The Zicam is sort of working, but maybe it is all in my head. At this point I really don't care. I am not eating much right now though so it kind of does a number on my stomach. Nothing I can't handle. I have to wait till I leave work today to go buy the echinachea. Unfortunately, my symptoms started around early Monday, when they were so slight I mistook them for allergies.
-caul
from the way i understand, the use of zicam only shortens the duration of a cold if taken within 48 hours of the first sign of symptoms. it does not provide acute relief, but simply ends the cold sooner. i dont know if it works at all for influenza.
hope you feel better.
p.s.
zicam has seemed to work for me in the past, when i've started taking it upon first noticing symptons. i've used the nasal inhaler. it's not very pleasant to snort, but such it goes.
Saute a bunch of shitake and garlic in olive oil, grind a lil' fresh pepper and sea salt over it to taste, serve on linguini for a nice immune system boosting meal.
We've seen entire public school systems shutting down in TN due to flu outbreaks recently. After spending half my winter break sick with the flu last year I was quick to get a shot this year before the shortage was discovered.
Vit C always seems to help me. The best thing to do is take it every day. Echinacea is supposed to be good too.
Stoney
I take a multi-vitamin every day. My co-worker just gave me a few bags of echinachea tea. This tea and the Zircam rapidmelts, have completely fucked up my sense of taste. I prepared some chicken ramen to get some food in my stomach and I just about had to force it down, it tasted horrible.
Are there not problems with echinacea?
A friend of mine used to take it on a regular basis but stopped after hearing that while it can temporarily boost the immune system, it can also cause damage to this delicate mechanism.
I hear a good dose of Kratom tea is good relief for flu symptoms only, you may also find yourself on the dance floor the same night no matter how crappy you felt before the tea. 8)
Ha....
QuoteAre there not problems with echinacea?
A friend of mine used to take it on a regular basis but stopped after hearing that while it can temporarily boost the immune system, it can also cause damage to this delicate mechanism.
I think your friend heard right. I've always heard/read that you're really not supposed to take echinacea on a regular basis, only during the onset and maybe the duration of illness--- to reduce the duration and perhaps the severity of symptoms. I think a lot of people are misusing echinacea the way your friend was.
I've heard it recommended that any herbal shouldn't be taken for more than 8 weeks at a time without at least a 2 week break--- to prevent any decline in benefit or any detrimental effects from over-use. I'm not a master herbalist, but it seems to be sound advice, so that's what I do when I take herbals.
Yeah I heard that too, and like I said, I don't normally ever take echinacea in any form. I took 4 ml of echinacea extract last night within the span of 4 hours. This morning I had 2 ml then another 1 ml at noon, and I've dissolved 2 Zicam today so far.
My temperature is back to normal on a consistent basis and I haven't needed any Tylenol for fever or headaches. My sore throat is gone. My runny nose has settled down a bit, but my congestion is worse. My cough has not improved at all.
I'm just glad I am no longer dizzy with fever, suffering from body aches and pains, or unable to speak due to a sore throat. Severe symptoms I can totally handle, but that shit sucked.
My family have some sort of immunity to the flu, i dunno how or why but we've never had it.
I do get colds though and my recommendation for healing would be to mega-dose on vitamin C and garlic.
I hate garlic so i take it by choppin it up small and swallowing like pills. As for the vitamin C, i believe in really big doses to help the body fight a virus or an infection. I would use between 3-6grams a day for this. If you have too much you get the 'loose bowell' reaction and you know to cut it back but one can't do damage by overdose.
Get Well Soon Caul!
Thanks Casser, I'm tryin.
There is the garlique capsule supplement that doesn't hav ethe odor of garlic.
I cannot imagine a garlic free lifestyle.
And it does seem to hold disease off.
I always lunge for it when the throat starts tickling and itching.
In sauce, salsa, soup, bread, eggs, guacamole.
Winder, garlic has some very good stuff in it. You're right about that. There are so many natural antioxidants and compounds that just seem so good for the health if used properly. I use moderate doses, I try to avoid mega doses. I take a bunch of them every day. Here are the major things I'm taking daily
Vit C
E
multvitamin
glucosamine
chrondroitin
lycopene
vinpocitine
co q10
saw palmetto
asprin
dhea
calcium
magnesium
yeast
fish oil (3gm)
And probably a few things I forgot. I have echinacea but I don't take it on a regular basis. Just when I'm sick which is very seldom. I believe it's been about 4 years since I had a cold. I can't remember the last time I had the flu, must have been when I was a kid.
Stoney
I take daily:
1 multi-vitamin
1 packet effervescent powder containing:
-Marine grade coral calcium
-Vitamin D
-Magnesium
2 to 4 spoons of olive oil in my dinner salad
4 to 6 liters of water a day
And us Filipinos put garlic in damn near everything, but always cooked, and there seem to be three schools of thought on garlic:
1. Garlic is garlic and benefits you regardless of how it is prepared
2. It actually is best if garlic is ingested raw instead of boiled or fried
3. Not only should it be raw, but for full benefits, it should be eaten whole with only the skin removed. Not sliced or crushed, but whole pieces uncooked.
I have added magnesium as a supplment lately as it helps with memory and is good for the heart.
I am also getting a load of antioxidants from my trail mix of:
walnuts
pecans
almonds
cashews
raisins
dried pineapple
dried papaya
I also take vtiamin C and a multiple and vitamin E.
I drink plenty of tomato juice for the lycopene (keep that prostate small).
Get my blueberries in yogurt.
If I could only find broccoli juice, I'd be set.
Garlic only gets potent in flavor and odor when cut or bruised, as enzymes are activated that create the highly potent odoriferous compounds.
QuoteAre there not problems with echinacea?
A friend of mine used to take it on a regular basis but stopped after hearing that while it can temporarily boost the immune system, it can also cause damage to this delicate mechanism.
indeed, as with any "drug" allowing the body to become accustomed with the extra "shot" echinicia and others give for the immune system, the body will become dependant on it and in the end be weaker without it...although, perhaps the system can regenerate with time....
I would suggest trying to find a propolis echnicia mix and take a bit once a day or so for a couple days...after which time, allowing it to do "its thing"...
you can also be all "buddhist" about it all and "become one" with the virus..."feel" the illness for all its worth....
I eat healthy food daily :P
I drink beer every weekend, smoke cigarettes and my diet varies from junk food to vegetable curries.
I haven't had the flu for 7 or 8 years.
:lol:
When may we expect the book tour: / Ashoka's slacker diet??? :D --senorsal
Melatonin is another good thing to take. It's an antioxidant and a hormone that all living things use. It's best to take it in the evening since it makes you sleepy.
Stoney
what doesn't kill ye makes ye stronger... it is rare that I get ill, but when I do...I generally let nature take her course....last time was ill...I didn't take anything to augment anything....I stilled was better quicker than the people I work with...it usually takes them a week to two weeks before they are healthy again...usually takes me 2 to 3 days to be healthy again...each to their own....I think its important to find a diet SUITED to you, the individual...as everyone is different...of course, this is all based on personal experience and speculation.....
Regarding melatonin...
Melatonin and sex hormones (//http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2005/02/07_melatoninfin.shtml)
Melatonin is found in all living creatures. It has been studied for many years and found safe. This study is interesting but it doesn't say what dosage levels were used or anything else. Also, it's hard to project from one species to another particularly from birds to humans. Did you know that there is no ld50 for melatonin? It's not needed by children but adult levels drop every year and supplementation is suggested. Melatonin shortages have been shown to be associated with disease including cancer.
I suffer sporadic bouts of severe insomnia. This led me to meletonin long ago, but I no longer take it. I have a few issues with taking melatonin. For one thing, OTC doses are VERY VERY small. A normal non-timerelease OTC dose of melatonin might make me a little ready to sleep if it has been a while since my last dose and I have not been experiencing any difficulty in falling asleep lately... But otherwise, I've had to take pretty high doses. And umm... Strange things happen to your dreams after a certain range.
I forget the scale, but after a certain ammount I remember my dreams would get very vivid and bizarre resulting in somewhat disturbing dreams which after waking were easy to remember but very difficult to describe. At really high doses I remember there is a tendency to experience somewhat frightening erotic nightmares.
I know this post will probably perk some boardies' experimental interest, but remember that all of the above is what led me to STOP taking melatonin, not endorse it. However, I do know a fair share of people who have said that a normal OTC dose of melatonin did help them sleep, but I don't think any of them ever really sufferred from recurring or consistent insomnia.
-caul
A few years ago, I decided to give Melatonin a whirl... I found that I needed 3 times the recommended dosage in order to attain sought after good sleep. I also noted that as the slight relaxation/sedation began to take hold, that the 'window of relaxation' was very tiny; say 10-20 minutes in which I felt relaxed enough to go to sleep... That said, I have never been one that could remember having dreams, even years at a time... After taking melatonin for approximately a week, I began to have dreams nightly. (don't know if they are bizzare or not, as I have no previous reference point to compare to.)---- To me, the dreaming was a fun new experience; like a free pass to the movies.... I only took melatonin for a couple of months, but I now dream well, almost every night....From what I have read, it is an excellent antioxidant as well... senorsal
5-Hydroxytryptophan works better for me than melatonin, although together, they are quite effective.
I take 5 htp and melatonin every night. They help a little but nothing major. I remember when I started taking 5 htp I started with a small dose and when I upped it to 200mg I got the best night's sleep I'd had in decades, seemed like. But it never did it again and I only get small benefits now. I've heard that high doses of 5 htp can have an anti depressant effect. Usually they take 200 to 500mg a day for that. I get instant benefit from salvia so I have no need to test that plus 5 htp is kind of expensive. In the vitamin shops its about 25 cents a pill for 100mg but you can find it cheaper if you look around the net.
Melatonin is overrated as a sleep aid though that's what it's usually recommended for. The health benefits are the real plus.
Never tried 5-htp... I fully agree with Stony that a bit of S.D. does the trick!! IMHO melatonin works, but on a fairly subtle level... One good thing I did note, was how cheap melatonin is. I was getting mine at a Family Dollar store; 2 bucks for 90 three mg pills.... Though melatonin did somewhat aid in restful sleep, I found its real benefit in that it truly turned on my 'dream switch'.... 'Course as already noted, Salvia is even more effective, more fun, rewarding, etc.......... senorsal
think about it
winder, very interesting post, quite an interesting article indeed...would be interesting to know the differences, if any, on the physiology of ppl living at different latitudes w/ different daylight hours...
I find the following combination quit usefull for most virus infection. No miracles but a help.
Chamomile. Helps a little against the virus infection and will lessen the risk for bacterial complications. Could maybe also calm the stomach down a bit. A recent study did show that this herb can help with colds.
Aloe Vera. Contains both aloin and emodin which both are effective against both virus and bacteries. It is surpricing effective at least if eaten fresh as I do. If I had to choose between chamomile and Aloe Vera I would choose Aloe Vera.
Licorese. Have been shown effective for several types of virus including herpes. Like the chinese I use if for everything. It is also a little bit stimulating.
Green Tea. A bit extra of an anti oxidative herb isnt bad since virus infections can damage the cells.
Good luck.
Herbs I used to cure common illlnesses. All herbs are to be fresh.
Thyme
congestion. This is not just congestion of the chest if you are congested anywhere it willl start flowing leaving you with fresh breath too. Beware you may need to shit.
Dosage one tbs fresh time eaten .
Sage
soar throat. Dosage one leaf make tea.
Basil antiibiotic use as needed
rosemary
natural asprine use for muscle ace and feaver
use as needed.
Chamomile tea stomach pain use as needed.
Lavender oil headaces place one drop on temples.
Loro
I also find Hibiscus flowers usefull but for bacterial infections.
I'm a semi-regular at another forum dedicated to preparedness in case the bird flu becomes a human pandemic. There is a lot of discussion there about elderberry tincture, that a certain name brand tincture has been proven in studies to lessen the severity and length of flu, at least as effective as that anti-viral medication Tamiflu that all those governments are stockpiling. (Apparently it keeps the virus from getting into new body cells that it wants to take over.)
Anyway, most of us are making our own elderberry tincture to keep on the back shelf until such time as it is needed. The recipe is: fill a quart canning jar 1/3 full of dried elderberries, add an entire 750 ml bottle of vodka or other clear unflavored 80+ proof alcohol meant for human consumption. Put the cover on tightly, shake, and keep in a paper bag in a dark nook somewhere, giving it a daily shake, for at least 2 weeks. Strain, then wring out the berries in cheesecloth. Toss the berries and save the tincture, store it tightly covered where it won't be exposed to light (brown glass bottles is a good idea if possible). It should stay potent for a few years.
edit: forgot to say how to use it!
Starting at the first sign of flu, 1 tablespoon (some say two) four times per day, seems to be the consensus.
disclaimer: I have not yet personally used elderberry tincture for flu
Besides elderberry which Israelis made a study on at norweidians, and besides the herbs which I recommended before I would use the following in case I thought a killer-flue was comming:
Uña de Gato
Hibiscus (lessen the risk of complications)
Olive leafs
0,5 g Vitamine-C every hour until the stomach "start to move".
Zinc
Garlic
I read the study on elderberry. It isnt really obvious for me how anyone could trust it as much as tamiflu.
Quote from: "Green2Herman"I read the study on elderberry. It isnt really obvious for me how anyone could trust it as much as tamiflu.
The thing is, IMO it is a better backup to have than nothing in the event there weren't enough TamiFlu to go around.
Quote from: "eShirl"Quote from: "Green2Herman"I read the study on elderberry. It isnt really obvious for me how anyone could trust it as much as tamiflu.
The thing is, IMO it is a better backup to have than nothing in the event there weren't enough TamiFlu to go around.
Yes sure thing. Good to keep elderberry around anyway. Usefull stuff.
Have some myself.
Feel free to post the link to forum if you still have it. Nice to check around after other usefull stuff.
Quote from: "Green2Herman"Feel free to post the link to forum if you still have it. Nice to check around after other usefull stuff.
OK; I wasn't sure if that was considered good form or not.
http://www.curevents.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=40 (http://www.curevents.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=40)
This is quite an active forum... it may not be a bad idea to get a snack before one starts reading. :D
Has anyone consulted a plant teacher about flu general or associated questions?
We have the terrorists, floods, earth quakes and soon sickness.
Seems fitting to talk to the spirits, and make peace with the world.
Do anyone else see syncronisms with earlier experiances in life or advice given by plant spirits? I was given the advice 4 years ago to read up on herbs against infections and get my body in chape. I did both which should come in handy.
Hi there eShirl ... i have a wonderful elderberry tree which is not toooo far away from flowering. How would one make a preparation using fresh elderberries?
Quote from: "Cassie"Hi there eShirl ... i have a wonderful elderberry tree which is not toooo far away from flowering. How would one make a preparation using fresh elderberries?
Good morning/afternoon/evening, Cassie. Oh, fresh elderberries! With fresh berries they are saying fill your glass canning jar 3/4 full of berries, then add the vodka until it reaches the top, put the cover on tight and proceed as with the recipe using dried elderberries.
Oh - these recipes are for black elderberries; there was some concern about whether red elderberries might be toxic.
Thanks so much eShirl ... yes! the red are toxic ... i know this coz i planted Sambuca aurea by mistake and then discovered it was no good. I have Sambuca nigra (the black one) planted as well now and the aurea acts as a pollinator. I'm wondering if i'll get berries in time for this pandemic...
:(
oooh, and what about elderberry wine , would that have the protective factor?
Quote from: "Cassie"oooh, and what about elderberry wine , would that have the protective factor?
Cassie,
I don't know.