What are some preventative and recuperative methods for the Flu?

How to prevent the flu?
It is possible to prevent the flu though some simple, yet highly effective, lifestyle, dietary and supplement methods. Not only is possible to prevent the flu using these three methods, it is possible to help prevent colds, general fatigue and other common illnesses.

How to Prevent the Flu using Lifestyle Methods

  1. Ensure proper sleep. If you cannot sleep well, this must be improved. Taking magnesium and vitamin B6 before sleep has helped many. Magnesium Plus contains both in a good amount. Also eating a protein snack before bed helps many as well if the issue is waking up in the middle of the night.
  2. Engage in some form of active activity: aerobic and weight training are both excellent.
  3. Reduce stress as stress reduces immune function
  4. Rebounding is an excellent way to exercise, have fun and reduce stress. Myself and my kids are witness to this daily as we have a rebounder in our living room.
  5. Eat every two hours to balance blood sugar as high blood sugar and elevated cortisol weakens immunity
  6. Maintain a clean environment which is free of mold, musty carpets, polluted air and chemicals in general.
  7. Be happy. Watch comedy, hang out with friends, play sports, read books, write, whatever you enjoy - do.

How to Prevent the Flu using Dietary Methods

  1. Have some form of protein with each meal. Protein balances blood sugar and eating frequencly reduces the urge to binge on sugar which shuts down your immune system.
  2. Chew. Chew. Chew. Chewing your food is what helps your body assimilate the nutrients from food. Simply eating nutritious foods is not enough as your body has to absorb the nutrients from them. So chew.
  3. Limit the amount of drinks you have during meals as too much fluid in your stomach dilutes stomach acid and pancreatic enzymes thereby reducing the ability for your body to absorb nutrients.
  4. Eat foods which are brightly colored as they contain high amount of antioxidants. Blueberries, kale, raspberries, sweet potatoes (with the skin) are some excellent choices.
  5. Sugar, refined foods and processed foods have little to no nutrient content. These foods simply are easy to grab and fill up the void in the stomach. They also make you 'feel good' but nutritionally, they deplete you setting you up for the flu, colds, sinus infections and other common illnesses.
  6. Whole food meals are ideal. The more you cook, the better you'll feel and the more you will be able to prevent the flu and overcome it quickly.

How to Prevent the Flu using Vitamins and Supplements

  1. Vitamin D3: It is interesting to note that the flu and colds are common when the sun is not out that much. During the darker months, adults should take 5,000 IU of Vitamin D3 a day and kids should take 1,000 IU of vitamin D3 for every 50 pounds of body weight.
  2. Glutathione: Ensuring that your body has adequate levels of glutathione is paramount. Healthy lungs, kidneys, liver and brain have high levels of glutathione; people with the flu, lung conditions, smokers or chronically ill have low glutathione levels. Increase glutathione levels by taking N-acetyl-l-cysteine. Taking supplements containing glutathione are very expensive and not that effective as the glutathione can break down if it not bound in lyposomes. Lyposomal glutathione is effective at increasing glutathione levels as is lyposomal vitamin C. However, I find that the most effective and least expensive method to increase glutathione is via n-acetyl-l-cysteine. Ensure that you take n-acetyl-l-cysteine with a large glass of water.
  3. Probiotics for Adults and Kids over 3 yrs old: Given that 70% of our immune system comes from the beneficial bacteria in our digestive tract, it is imperative that we maintain these bacteria. If one takes or has taken antibiotics, the amount of beneficial bacteria is very low causing one to be susceptible to getting the flu and getting the cold. Even if one has not had antibiotics, the amount of beneficial bacteria are low as most beneficial bacteria are transient and temporarily reside in our digestive tract. This is why it is important to constantly replenish beneficial bacteria in high amounts. Taking a probiotic with 1 billion or 5 billion beneficial bacteria does nothing. One needs a minimum of 25 billion, in my opinion, to make a difference. Why so many? Our digestive tract has over a trillion bacteria in it. The ratio then is apparently slanted to non-beneficial bacteria if one is not taking multiple strains and billions of bacteria. I recommend taking one to two capsules of the multiple strain probiotic, ProBiota 12, after dinner. Always take probiotics with a meal and after dinner is the best time.
  4. Probiotics for Infants and Toddlers under 3 years old: The same benefits apply to infants and toddlers; however, the importance is even greater as infants are born with nearly sterile digestive systems making them highly susceptible to flus, colds and yeast infections. Give your child at least 1/4 teaspoon of ProBiota Infant daily after breastfeeding or a meal.

Following the methods described here, one can easily increase their ability to prevent the flu, prevent colds and get over the flu and cold quickly.

The only things I would like to add:
If you get a fever with your flu, make sure you only eat broths and vegetable juices. Eating heavy meals such as meats, beans and nuts are too hard to digest. This takes away from your body allowing it to overcome the flu and cold.

If you have a lot of diarrhea or vomiting with your flu, ensure you are getting plenty of electrolytes otherwise you will get dizzy, fall down or head to the ER possibly.

Do post your comments, thoughts and questions below.

What do you find helps you prevent the flu, prevent the cold or overcome it? Did the above suggestions help you? Please comment.

In health,

Dr Ben