It's that time of year again when along with
the drop in temperature comes the flu and
cold virus. To combat colds and flu, people
are being advised to take a flu vaccine,
commonly known as the 'flu jab'. But is there
another option available, as the flu vaccine
itself contains several powerful chemicals.
Some experts believe that the best remedy for
a common cold or flu is simply to rest. This
is because the virus that is infecting the
body is actually targeting the weaker and
dying cells in the body. These cells will
die anyway but the flu virus speeds it up.
So, in some way a cold or flu can be viewed
as a fast track clean out.
Viruses are unable to duplicate themselves,
unlike a cell which naturally replicates
itself and then divides into two daughter
cells. To overcome their inability to self
replicate, the virus (which is actually a
strand of genetic material coated in protein),
enters a cell at this point called the host.
Once inside it uses the cells resources to
replicate itself, eventually bursting the
cell and all the new viruses emerge to go on
and infect new cells. The bursting of the
cell is called lyses and effectively means
death to the cell.
Resting enables the
body's own defense mechanism to overcome the
flu virus. There are also several ways you
can speed up recovery:
Try gargling regularly with hot salty water
to remove the soreness in the throat.
A mentholated salve put on the skin under
your nose will soothe the irritation at the
base of the nose that often occurs as a flu
symptom. It also opens up the breathing passages.
Drink plenty of hot liquids so you don't get
dehydrated.
Echinacea, ginger and vitamin C are
highly recommended as effective cold and flu
busters.
So, there is more than one way to kill a
cold. Perhaps the best suggestion is that
prevention is better than cure, so eating a
healthy diet containing plenty of fresh high
water content foods will go a long way to
keeping the body resistant to colds and flu.
See also Acupuncture,
Homeopathy,
Nutrition
and Toxicity
Testing
