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Posts Tagged ‘Common Cold’

Time-Proven Remedies For Conquering Colds And Flus

19 Apr



Occasionally the stresses of life reduce our immune system defenses and the door opens just wide enough to let a cold or flu sneak in and take hold. Here are some of the best tested immunity boosters in existence. Use them well to build your strength back and show that cold or flu the way to the exit sign!

Special Virus-Killing Foods:

Garlic is a commonly used cold medicine. It is widely used in Russia and is known there as “Russian Penicillin”. Garlic supports immune function and it can kill bacteria, parasites, fungus and the flu virus. One test-tube study showed that fresh garlic kills various viruses, including one which can cause flu like symptoms (1). Aged garlic extract can also protect against the flu (2). One good way to benefit from garlic is to cut up a couple raw cloves into small pieces and swallow the pieces whole at the first sign of a cold, then eat one clove per day until fully well.

Horseradish is another plant that can ease throat and upper respiratory tract infections. It has good antibiotic properties. Horseradish has been shown specifically to destroy the flu virus and reduce the severity of flu infections in animals (3). This plant is a member of the mustard family. You may have found that eating horseradish can make your eyes water and nose run. Indeed, it can create a similar release of watery fluids inside the bronchial passages of the lungs which helps to flush them out and wash away congestion. For this reason, hot foods and spices in general are also very good for colds and flus.

Echinacea: The Immunity Herb of Choice

Studies of echinacea show that it plays a critical role in fortifying the immune system to fight illness. Although scientists have had little success developing drugs or vaccines to eradicate the common cold or flu, echinacea improves immune function in humans, and especially improves the virus-fighting white blood cells, even when given in very low doses (Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 1995, vol. 1). Echinacea can cut the duration of a cold in half (4).

Hearty Vitamins for Colds: Vitamin C and Zinc

A Scandinavian researcher recently conducted a review of 21 studies that tested between 1 and 8 grams (1,000 to 8,000 milligrams) of Vitamin C for the common cold. He concluded that “in each of the twenty-one studies, Vitamin C reduced the duration of the cold and the severity of the symptoms by an average of 23% (5). Even much lower amounts of vitamin C such as 100 milligrams have been found to be beneficial (6). In addition to enhancing the activity of immune cells, Vitamin C acts as a vital component in the production of collagen, the principal protein found in all connective tissues. By helping maintain the strength and integrity of connective tissue structures, vitamin C keeps infections from spreading throughout the body (from the Handbook of Vitamins).

Zinc accelerates the growth of immune cells while inhibiting the replication of the cold-causing viruses. Zinc also helps maintain the health of the thymus gland which is one of the organs of immunity. Located at the base of the neck, the thymus produces white blood cells for fighting off foreign cells and toxins. In one study, zinc gluconate lozenges of 13.3 milligrams each were tested against a placebo in a group of 100 patients with cold symptoms. The people took one lozenge every two hours while awake. Coughing disappeared within 2.2 days in the treated group versus 4 days in the placebo group. Sore throat disappeared after 1 day versus 3 days in the placebo group, nasal drainage in 4 days (versus 7 days), and headache in 2 days (versus 3 days). (Annals of Internal Medicine, 1996, vol. 125).

Friendly Acidophilus:

Supplements of Lactobacillus acidophilus and other friendly bacteria, and the growth factors that encourage their development in the stomach, may help to protect the body from harmful organisms that cause infection (7,8). Acidophilus and other friendly bacteria are known as probiotics, which means “promoting the growth of microorganisms”. Lactobacillus has been shown to increase the numbers of circulating immune cells and elevate the body’s antibody responses. Its best to use probiotics that also contain a prebiotic such as fructooligosaccharides (FOS). FOS are carbohydrates that support the growth of probiotic organisms in the gastrointestinal tract. A recent study showed that FOS molecules can bind to disease-causing bacteria and prevent their attachment to the body’s cells (Lancet, 1996, vol. 347).

Usher that cold or flu out right out the door and keep it away by eating healthy, whole foods, drinking pure water, and taking the right cold-fighting foods and supplements.

 
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8 Warning Signs That You Have High Stress Levels

29 Jul



Possibly the biggest problem with treating stress is that people don’t know they are under stress or choose to ignore it as a consequence of working hard to get ahead. In other words they are ignorant or apathetic to the issue of stress.

It is important to get informed about stress and take action to reduce or relieve it in some way. Unrelieved stress can lead to all sorts of health complications from catching the common cold to life threatening cardiovascular disease.

Here are some signals that may help you to identify that your stress levels are getting high.

Sudden Anger

You become suddenly angry and lash out at the people around you (generally verbally), such as your family, friends and work colleagues? There may be no apparent explanation for the outburst.

Feeling Overwhelmed

The everyday things in life tend to overwhelm you. You feel that your usual routines are just too much and that you want to get away from it all.

Constant Worry

You tend to be anxious or worried for most of the day about nothing in particular.

Depression

You feel a general sense of depression or lack motivation. Things that you used to enjoy and give you pleasure are hum drum and dull. You find that life just doesn’t excite you like it used to.

Exhaustion

You get very tired without doing much and then have trouble sleeping because you are worrying about things. Do you have trouble staying awake at night after work ?

Constant Colds

You seem to pick up every cold or flu bug that is doing the rounds. Then you find it hard to shift the illness and it takes longer than other people around you. You may start to notice that you are sick more often than your friends or colleagues.

Lack of Concentration

You can’t concentrate on one thing at any time. You find it hard to focus on things and your memory tends to be unreliable. You frequently starting to do something and then drift away and forget what you were doing.

Mood Swings

Your go through the full range of emotions from happy to sad to angry to tears all in a few minutes of each other with no obvious reason.

Often you may think these symptoms are caused by other issues in your life but lurking underneath many problems that we have in life is unmanaged stress.

 
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Is There Possibly A Natural Cure For Aids?

11 Apr



Back in the days when Aids was talked about every day (about 5 + years ago), it seemed logical that by now they would have found a cure. As recent as last week, on national TV, I was shocked to find out that in a survey amongst our youths in colleges and high schools, that they practiced unprotected sex because they’re under the impression that Aids can now be cured or at the very least controlled.

It seems to me that someone has failed in ‘public awareness’. First and foremost, I doubt if our youths even understand what ‘Aids’ stands for. The translation is ‘Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome’. Let’s leave out two words, Acquired and Syndrome, and focus on Immuno-Deficiency. The word ‘Immuno’ stems from the word ‘Immune’ and ‘Deficiency’ speaks for itself. So broadly speaking, your immune system is deficient or not strong enough to ward off diseases, many diseases, but the most common associated with Aids, being some form of cancer.

The HIV virus, which is the virus that is depleting your immune system, basically allows one to catch anything as as simple as a common cold which doesn’t go away, develops into different variations of pneumonia, candida, other forms of diseases, including sarcoma cancer etc. It is said that symptoms of Aids vary from diarrhea, sudden loss of weight, fevers and rashes, swollen glands etc.

It still amazes me today, that given the statistics on Aids around the globe, much of which can be found on the internet, that people in general still don’t understand why the variations of sicknesses from one country to another. Before 1993, on or about the year they finally labeled the problem, the predominant disease in a certain country was associated with that countries lifestyle. As the HIV virus gained strenght, obviously you had more people getting sick of that same disease, whether it was pneumonia in Africa or cancer in the USA, because more people’s immune system was being affected by the mutating HIV virus.

Now of course, this is just my view and I’m no medical doctor or researcher. I’m just a very arguementative, logical, and analytical person who hates BS, when it comes to issues of the general public’s awareness and welfare. Aids is not even a disease per say. It is a virus which affects the immune system in such a way that the human body becomes more susceptible to getting all forms of known diseases. In other words, one person having sarcoma cancer without the HIV virus is said to have ‘cancer’, while the other with sarcoma with the HIV virus is said to have Aids, which brought on his sarcoma!

Is this confusing to you? It should be since it even baffles the medical community and researchers on Aids. But here is what most people don’t know, because it is not extensively being made known or getting enough attention as it should. Experts agree, including the co-founder of Aids, that increasing ‘glutathion’ levels in your cells naturally, builds-up your immune system. They also said, that in experimental research and clinical studies, high levels of ‘glutathion’ in your cells demonstrated convincing results in the treatment of major diseases, including aids, cancers, and high-grade bacterial infections. Actually, studies with advanced cancer patients in Canada and Japan confirmed earlier studies which demonstrated significant reductions in the size and incidence of malignant tumors.

Now, that tells me that someone is purposely withholding information to the general public, at least on a wide scale. I’m not at liberty, short of being threatened or sued, to disclose any more information online. But your guess, I’m sure, is an accurate one.

 
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Flu Season – The Most Miserable Time Of The Year!

08 Feb



Introduction

Flu (influenza) season means the months of the year when a lot of people have it and it’s easy to catch. Outbreaks usually begin suddenly and occur mainly in the late fall and winter. It is a respiratory infection caused by a number of different viruses. Vaccines are usually given in the fall, before flu season starts and are available as a shot or nasal mist. Shots are most important for: people 65 or older, nursing home patients, children over 6 months old, people with health problems such as asthma or with long-term diseases, such as HIV or heart disease, children or teen-agers who must often take aspirin, people who are often around older people or those with health problems. Symptoms can be mild or severe – and if they’re mild can become severe without notice.

Symptoms

If you get infected by the virus, you will usually feel symptoms 1 to 4 days later. Signs of the flu may include: fever, chills, headache, muscle ache, dizziness, loss of appetite, tiredness, cough, sore throat, runny nose, nausea or vomiting, weakness, ear pain, diarrhea. They come on suddenly and are worse than those of the common cold however; having these symptoms does not automatically mean that you have the flu. Many different illnesses, including the common cold, can have similar symptoms. It is very difficult to distinguish the flu from other infections on the basis of these signs alone.

If you develop flu-like symptoms and are concerned about your illness, especially if you are at high risk for complications, you should consult your health-care provider. Based on your signs, your doctor can usually tell if you have influenza, especially during times when a lot of it is going around. After 5 days, fever and other signs have usually disappeared, but a cough and weakness may continue for a while. All symptoms are usually gone within a week or two.

Vaccine

Two kinds of flu vaccines are available in the United States: The “flu shot” – an in-activated vaccine (containing killed virus) that is given with a needle, usually in the arm OR the nasal-spray – a vaccine made with live, weakened flu viruses that do not cause influenza (sometimes called LAIV for “live attenuated influenza vaccine” or FluMist

 
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4 Best Tips to Beat the Flu

19 Jun



Many people suffer from the flu or the common cold during the winter season. It is usually difficult to predict when and where one was infected with the virus, but it is possible to prepare yourself against the bug. Vitamins, proper nutrition, and plenty of sleep, are just a few of the ways to avoid getting sick.

The first step towards a healthy winter season is attained by getting a flu shot. This shot is usually offered from October until December. It is important to note that this particular vaccine protects us only from the flu, not from the common cold. The common cold is easily spreadable and it has many different causes therefore it is more difficult to develop a vaccine for it.

Another way to protect yourself during the winter months is by washing your hands. Colds and the flu can be easily passed around through coughing, sneezing, and touching. An infected person can simply sneeze on their hand and place their hand on a commonly used doorknob. Therefore, it is important to wash your hands very often during this season. Another way to avoid the flu and cold is to limit your exposure to infected people. Viruses spread easily that is why it is better to avoid people who have been infected. However, if you have to be around infected people, it may be wise to protect yourself by taking extra vitamins.

The final step towards avoiding the a cold is to practice healthy lifestyle habits. Healthy nutritional habits, plenty of sleep, and regular exercise can all help you reduce your chances of becoming infected with a virus. A healthy lifestyle along with all of the other tips provided earlier in this article can help you reduce your chances of becoming infected this winter season.

 
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