Flu Supplements - Flu Supplements and Regimen

Flu Regimen

For so-called "Stomach Flu," which may actually be a rotovirus infection, instead of using antivirals one can used instead large quantities of a beneficial bacteria supplement such as PB-8, Jarrodophilus, or even just plain acidophilus.

In flu, the main infection appears to come from the intestines or digestive tract, as opposed to colds where the infection mostly comes from the sinuses and respiratory system. It may be beneficial to also add the beneficial bacteria supplement when suffering standard influenza problems, too.

For serious viral infections including deadly strains of flu, much of the damage that occurs to the body appears to be a form of acute scurvy, a vitamin C deficiency, since the body uses its vitamin C stores quickly in fighting the disease. In this case, using high to ultra high dose vitamin C can be crucial.

Antiviral General Regimen

Summary: Use high dose vitamin C, oregano oil, olive leaf extract and echinacea. Follow The Water Cure and use Colloidal Silver if necessary.

Echinacea should be used in high dose as soon as possible at the onset of an acute illness. Echinacea helps stop viruses from spreading by increasing the resistance of cells to virus penetration. It should be taken at triple recommended as soon as possible for the first day of the regimen. This would be 3 to 5g of the root or tops of a high quality product. For echinacea extracts, use 3 to 5 times the recommended dosage. Herb Pharm makes a fine liquid echinacea extract, but the best is Gaia Echinacea Supreme Extra Strength. A warning regarding this Gaia product. One of the hallmarks of a good echinacea extract product is it temporarily numbs the tongue. A few drops of Gaia Echinacea Supreme Extra Strength taken straight can numb the entire throat, making it feel constricted and uncomfortable. Use it with care until one is used to this sensation, or mix it with a good deal of water before use.

Oregano oils such as North American Herb and Spice Oreganol are prediluted with olive or other carrier oil in about a 1:4 ratio (oregano oil to carrier oil). This type is used at 10 to 15 drops mixed in some water, juice, or vitamin C water three times or more per day.

Use Now Olive Leaf Extract, Gaia Olive Leaf, or other guaranteed potency extract as recommended up to double recommended.

If an acute condition is not improved 90% within 48 hours, increase vitamin C to very high or ultra dose, use at least double recommended of the oregano oil and olive leaf extract, perform The Water Cure, and use Colloidal Silver if available (1 tsp of 10ppm mixed in a cup of water 8 times per day). For this purpose, either pure ascorbic acid (like Now Ascorbic Acid Powder) or sodium ascorbate forms of vitamin C may be used. If an acute viral illness is known to be very serious, such as a deadly strain of flu, start with the ultra high dose vitamin C immediately, as much as 1 teaspoon per hour.

Although not usually recommend for acute illness, astragalus is often used for flu and other viral illnesses. It appears to stimulate immunity at a deep level, and is probably effective to help prevent viral infections. It can be simpled.

The top antiviral supplements as recommended by some books include elderberry extract, zinc, St. John's wort, and astragalus. eRegimens does consider elderberry extract as a good antiviral supplement when large servings are used, such as one or two ounces at a time of the most popular elderberry preparation. At this cost, though, it is not as economical as other good antivirals such as olive leaf, oregano oil, and vitamin C.

Zinc is also a good antiviral, and very economical, but causes stomach cramps in many people. 15mg is 100% RDA, and enough to cause cramps in some people. It is the ingredient which most often causes this problem in multivitamins. It certainly is a good supplement to use in moderate amounts as included in a multivitamin or other low-dose form to keep the immune system functioning properly.

St. John's wort is most often used to fight depression and other mental conditions, but is also a good antiviral. It is most effective when using the purified extract of hypericin in IV form, but products which are standardized for hypericin are still useful, at recommended dose, for chronic or severe acute viral illness. It should be used only as directed and not long term. Long term use can cause sensitivity to sunlight. For depression, see the Depression regimen.

A complete description and lists of ingredients for supplements above is provided at Flu Supplement Descriptions

Maggie Fox
Reuters

Spray could stop spread of flu

Tuesday, 30 November 2004

Stopping the spread of the flu and other deadly diseases could be as simple as breathing in (Image: iStockphoto)

Some people exhale more germ-laden droplets than other people when they breathe, but a simple saline spray could prevent the germs from spreading, say a team of U.S. and German researchers.

The team, led by Prof David Edwards from Harvard University, published their findings online ahead of print publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The study could provide a way to help control flu and other viral epidemics, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), the researchers said.

The researchers studied the breath of 11 healthy male volunteers, giving them an oral saline spray and then measuring how many particles they released when coughing.

Some of the participants produced many more bioaerosols, small droplets of fluid exhaled from the lungs that may carry airborne pathogens, something also seen by investigators of the SARS outbreak that spread from China to cities around the world, killing 800 people.

That could mean that about half the population produce more than 98 percent of all disease-spreading droplets, the researchers said. Such "super-spreaders" could be responsible for several clusters of viral infection.

"We found a sharp demarcation between individuals who are 'high' and 'low' producers of bioaerosols," said Edwards.

"Roughly half our subjects exhaled tens of bioaerosol particles per litre, while the other half exhaled thousands of these particles."

Edwards said the number of exhaled particles varied dramatically over time and among subjects, ranging from a low of one particle per litre to a high of more than 10,000.

The researchers said that more droplets were spread when people breathed with their mouths open, as some people do habitually and which cold sufferers often must do, than when they coughed or sneezed.

Spray stops spread
The volunteers inhaled a salt spray for six minutes via a jet nebulizer, often used in the treatment of asthma. After the spray the high droplet producers' output decreased by an average of 72% for up to six hours after the inhalation, the researchers said.

Using a cough machine designed to simulate normal human breathing, the researchers linked the saline spray to surface tension of fluid inside the lungs.

"Administration of nebulized saline to individuals with viral or bacterial illnesses could dramatically reduce spread of these pathogens without interfering with any other treatments," Edwards said.

"This work could also point the way to new hygiene protocols in clinical settings as well as enclosed spaces."

Viruses known to spread from humans and animals through breathing, sneezing, and coughing include measles, influenza, adenovirus, African swine fever virus, foot and mouth disease, chickenpox, infectious bronchitis virus and smallpox, among others, the researchers said.

Bacteria spread in airborne droplets include anthrax, Escherichia coli and tuberculosis.

The researchers noted much more study was needed before a saline spray device could be marketed to prevent the spread of diseases.

The study was funded by U.S. biotechnology company Pulmatrix.

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Following is the eRegimens family of Supplement suggestion websites which include reprints of some of the regimens from eRegimens on their own websites:

Allergy Regimen and Supplements

Alzheimer's Regimen and Supplements

Asthma Regimen and Supplements

Backache and Sciatica Regimens and Supplements

Digestion Regimen and Supplements

Fibroid Regimen and Supplements

Flu Regimen and Supplements

GERD Regimen and Supplements

Gout Regimen and Supplements