Food Bytes

Perhaps taking a "bunch of over-the-counter remedies" and then "turned to the flood of food-related home remedies" was perhaps aiding your continual symptoms?

I don't believe there is one food item that can remedy the flu. I think the only thing you can do help your own immune system fight the virus by continuing to eat a balanced, nutritious diet. Those little white cells need energy, and eating a non balanced diet during a bout of the flu doesn't seem to be a good idea.

Suggest skipping the flu shot as most doctors and health care professionals don't get it due to its dubious record of protection and side effects.

You have the flu and went to the doctor's office twice? Irresponsible. There is nothing the doctor can do, and you tied up valuable time that could've been used by a patient who could've received effective care.

Suck it up. Live healthy. You won't get sick.

It's been several years since I got my last
flu shot,yet I have never got the flu.
Also,it's been several years since I last had a cold.
How do I manage to avoid getting the flu or a cold? Simple: I eat two raw cloves of garlic every day.
I slice the raw garlic and mix it in the salad and /or in the bowl of home made vegetable soup,eating it raw.
When I feel a cold coming,the beginning of
a sore throat,or fever caused by some infection,I peel one garlic clove and suck on
it as one does with a piece of hard candy,
biting the garlic occasionally to release the
juices,and keep sucking and chewing it for an hour or so,until it is all gone.
Sometimes I have to do it again but,so far,
I have managed to keep the sickness away.
Sure,garlic stinks,but it works.Just take this "medicine" after work,and take a good shower in the morning.

Cold milk as a cough remedy replacement:
Yes,I drink 1/3 to 1/2 glass of cold 1% or
2% milk when I feel a cough coming,and it seems to work for me. J.

No flu shot for me! Don't believe in it. I drank tons of hot fresh squeezed lemon tea with unpasturized honey, tons of water, fresh veggies and rice. Any live healthy food I could find and yummy rice crackers. A good hot sweat in the tub with epsom salts and wool socks to bed. Dealing with day time tv is good motivation for getting better.

when i feel it coming on, i go for the garlic, like Jorge! i drink lots of pressed fresh garlic, ginger and lemon in hot water and add extra raw garlic to the foods i eat. i also take a really hot bath and try to sweat it out (with the idea that i'm beating the fever to the punch by overheating my system).

Avoiding dairy products is a great first step once you've got the flu. Dairy promotes mucus secretion which adds to the stuffed up feeling.

I find that natural remedies have varying effects on each individual since we are all so different.

If you are going to use honey, make sure it is un-pasturized so that it's healing properties are intact.

Garlic can be an excellent immune boosting tool but can be harsh for people with liver problems and acts as a natural blood thinner.

I find that olive leaf extract will work on certain ailments.. Immediately.

I have friends who swear by oil of Oregano. Personally, my body reacts strangely to it.

At the end of the day, by consulting a wholistic nutritionist, or naturopath, you can get great personalized advice on hoe to stay healthy.

As for the flu vaccine, I have seen published studies that found no significant reduction in amount of people contacting the flu who had been vaccinated over those who had not.

Vaccines are also known to have harmful additives, including heavy metals which for some be disasterous to their health.

Look into what the vaccine has it and investigate. The flu strain contained in the vaccine that you are supposed to be protected from is gone, and you are battling a new one that the vaccine cannot stop.
Suggestion,and take this seriously. Drink cold or hot water with fresh lemon or lime or the lemon in bottles, once or twice a day for the rest of your life. It neutralizes your system from acidic to alkaline. Sickness thrives in an acidic body. Diana

I don't normally like to post on these sorts of things, but some of the comments I saw on this topic were beyond belief. Here are a few counter points to the more ridiculous comments.

Most health care professionals have programs in the hospitals they work in to ensure as many workers as possible get the flu shot each year. The risk of any side effects from the vaccine are nothing compared to the risks associated with flu infection.

You don't need to believe in a vaccine for it to work. It turns out your immune system will still use the vaccine to protect you from certain strains of the flu even if your brain is thinking about honey and garlic.

Sickness doesn't necessarily thrive in an acidic body, and even if it did, drinking lemon or lime juice, both of which are acids, would not make your body alkaline. This comment in particular suggests a review of your high school chemistry notes is in order.

Keep up a healthy life style and your body will better protected from disease- no health care practioner would deny this. For even better protection from influenza, spend twenty bucks on a flu shot.

Going to a doctor’s office during flu season is a good way to catch the bug. And once you’ve got it -- or it’s got you -- there’s nothing you can do.

I am taking Tamiflu, which needs to be prescribed. Is it working? Or it is the endless ginger ale, hot lemon tea with honey and freshly squeezed oranges? I think what is working is having a definite point in mind when I will be better again. Rohit.

It's called FIRE CIDER or Google 'horseradish' plus 'tonic" and you can find the recipe on holistic health sites. It contains only:
Garlic, Onion, Ginger, Horseradish, Hot Peppers, Apple Cider Vinegar. Make your own and buy organic where possible (though horseradish root is a bit hard to find year-round; use Crazy Horse or Beaver Extra Hot in a pinch).
You puree almost equal amounts of these ingredients in a blender or food processor using enough apple cider vinegar to get it moving and smooth (some people prefer it chunky) then put the puree in a large glass jar and add enough apple cider vinegar to cover. Store in a cool dark place for a few weeks, or put in the fridge and use right away.
Two big tablespoonfuls twice a day in the midst of a 'flu outbreak, or just a teaspoon or so per day as maintenance. Some people like only the liquid, others just take a scoop and swallow bits and all.
It is surprisingly good as a salad dressing mixed with some olive oil or on noodles with some sesame and lime IF you like spicy food.
As a person with low-or-no immunity I swear by this.
BTW, you might smell of a hint'o'garlic for the first week or so of taking it, but once your system is cleansed a bit and/or the fever sweats of 'flu have diminished the odor will go away. Promise ;)

Good health to you!

I had the flu (cold) for three days. My best guess for quick recovery is, lots of rest, and ginger tea (boil fresh ginger with lemon and honey).

I'm feeling better already, and my husband who says it taste terrible, is still with a flu after one week.

"If you don't want the flu - don't take the flu shot" (This should be a confusious says quote)

Hey Jessie,
Lots of salted kumquat in hot water is real good for sore throat! It really works!

Wow, I'm late. But it never hurts to add on, right?

If you've got the flu, don't take dairy of any kind. It will curdle in your stomach (think of when you leave it out and it gets sour) and cause nausea. Fruits, though acceptable and far better to enjoy than milk products, are difficult for your system to digest; try sticking with bland, complex carbohydrates. Crackers, dry toast, rice, tomato soup, even, will help settle your stomach. Ginger anything tends to lend a hand in fighting the flu, as well as soda water and lemon/lime. Green tea, ice water, etc. Stay away from Caffein.

As for the cold, my dad (who is also a doctor) used to crunch up two ibprofins into jelly and make me swallow it. Instantly, it opened up my throat and made me feel a million times better.