Now that autumn is approaching, it is a great time for thinking about supporting your family’s health and increasing their resistance to the seasonal bugs, especially flu. Remember, only your body can heal itself and therefore the strength of your immune and detoxification systems decide how you will respond to viruses and bacteria in the environment. Natural health has much to offer you and your family in practical ways of increasing your resilience.

So instead of worrying, which produces lots of stress hormones and leaves you depleted, take action to support your and your family’s robustness.

1)      Drink a minimum of 1 ½ litres of filtered water per day at room temperature, that is 6 large glasses. Children need this quantity too as their water needs are high due to them growing. Men are likely to need 2 litres or more. Measure how much your glasses contain or pour out the required quantity in a jug at the start of the day so you can see if you have drunk your quota by bedtime.

When short of water, your body rations the little that it has, which reduces your stomach acid and then prevents proper digestion and absorption of nutrients. Your levels of toxins will build up due to the lack of the nutrients required to combine with them before they can be excreted safely.

Tip: Working at the computer is especially dehydrating to your cells, so make     sure you always have a drink of water handy.

2) Include unrefined sea salt in your diet. Drinking this quantity of water will cause you to become depleted of minerals unless you include unrefined sea salt in your diet. This contains the same minerals that make up your cells.

3) Cut down on dehydrating drinks which contain caffeine, such as coffee, tea, fizzy drinks, energy drinks, cola, Red Bull etc.

Tip: Have a drink of water with your coffee or tea.

4) Reduce your sugar consumption, especially of white sugar (it’s had all the minerals removed, but they are still in brown sugar). Digesting refined sugar depletes your body of important minerals.

  • A small bowl of frosted flakes contains more than 4 teaspoons of sugar.
  • A 12 oz. can of Coke or Pepsi contains 10 teaspoons of sugar.
  • Fruit juice ‘drinks’ normally contain added sugar. Drinking diluted fruit juice is preferable.

Research shows that your immune system can be weakened for up to 5 hours after eating an excessive amount of sugar.

Tip: Check out how many teaspoons of sugar are in the products that you buy using this conversion:

One teaspoon of granulated white sugar is equal to about 4.2 grams. If you are buying a bottle of cola with 44 grams of sugar, you would divide 44 by 4.2 which is equal to 10 teaspoons of sugar.

5)      Increase your fruit and vegetable intake to at least five portions per day. Your immune system needs nutrients to operate effectively and these are best absorbed from your food. Cooking fruit and vegetables destroys the enzymes contained in them. Therefore try to eat some raw fruit and vegetables each day. Try making smoothies with a blender using lots of fruit and mixing in some live natural yoghurt, if you’re not dairy intolerant, or nut milk. Raw vegetable sticks with humous make a nutritious snack.

6)      Avoid Echinacea and elderberry extract which appear to over-stimulate the inflammatory processes involved in viral infections, such as flu.

7)      Transfats and hydrogenated (processed) oils found in margarine and refined vegetable oils increase inflammation and stop the body using essential fats. It is a myth that they are healthy! Try replacing them with virgin olive oil or butter. For cooking, the oils that don’t break down with heat are butter, ghee and coconut oil. I sell a type of coconut butter which has virtually no taste.

8)      Take moderate exercise – daily walks of 30 minutes or more or go to the gym on non-consecutive days to allow your body to recover. Over-exercise strains your body.

9)      Take vitamin D3 which modulates the immune system. This is available in liquid form which improves absorption, especially if placed under the tongue. See www.biocare.co.uk or www.regenerativenutrition.co.uk

Most people unless they are eating largely a raw diet tend to be deficient in minerals. The problem can worsen as we age. Liquid minerals are more easily absorbed and make an excellent nutritional supplement.

10) Essential oils like lavender and tea tree have anti-viral properties. Diluted, these can be used to clean surfaces such as phones, keyboards, work surfaces etc. You can also spritz them in the air in your home or work place. People with multiple chemical sensitivity may be intolerant to certain oils.

Other oils which may be beneficial include cloves. cinnamon, thyme, oregano, sweet marjoram and peppermint.

Tip: You can make your own room spray using a plant -sprayer with 1 – 5 drops of essential oil for every 3 tablespoons of distilled water.

Alternatively, Home Scents have produced an anti-viral surface sanitizer and room spray using essential oils, called Bugs at Bay which I am now selling. See www.homescents.co.uk to buy direct.

11) Find out the facts before agreeing to be vaccinated with Swine flu.

The Health Protection Agency have warned senior neurologists to expect an increase in the number of cases of a serious brain disorder following swine flu vaccination in a confidential letter leaked to the Daily Mail and reported in the paper on 15th August. The letter tells neurologists that they must be alert for an increase in Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) which could be triggered by the vaccine. GBS attacks the lining of the nerves, causing paralysis and inability to breathe, and can be fatal.

This is only one of the potential dangers of the vaccine which has not been adequately tested and even then, with the most dangerous constituents missing.

12)Homeopathic medicine was highly effective in treating previous flu epidemics.

For example, in the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918 I the USA 24,000 cases of flu treated with conventional medicine had a mortality rate of 28.2% while 26,000 cases of flu treated with homeopathy had a mortality rate of 1.05%.

If you or family members develop flu-like symptoms and want to use a natural form of medicine, consult a qualified homeopath who will prescribe the appropriate remedy for your complaint. There is no one remedy for flu, but rather a remedy is chosen according to how the illness affects you. Homeopathic remedies stimulate your body’s own healing processes and don’t try to stop them like most conventional drugs. Your level of health after the illness therefore tends to be better when treated homepathically.

Please email me at hellis@discoverholistichealth.co.uk if you would like more detailed information about the swine flu vaccination which has been drawn from the scientific literature. This is information you will not receive from your doctor or the government.

Remember, swine flu is generally a mild disease and need not be feared by people who eat a healthy diet and use natural medicine, such as homeopathy,  to increase their resilience.