Avoiding - Lessening Impact of Swine Flu (H1N1)-The Formula

I am not a Dr. I am no scientist. I am a Gramma, who is recovering from what I feel is almost certainly H1N1.

Since there isn't enough vaccine to go around AND there is great controversy about even taking the vaccine (see SCARY video of young cheerleader who can no longer walk normally due a severe neurological disorder caused by flu vaccine at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mScGC7nFDxM&annotation_id=annotation_114677&feature=iv), I want to share my experience of mitigating the seriousness of what I believe is swine flu. I am convinced it made my bout with H1N1 bearable and might be helpful to you and your family. I would love to hear from others who work with any of my formula and what your results are.

First, I am going to share my formula of dos and don'ts, a few of which I think should be helpful in preventing contracting it in the first place (I wish I had used these steps for prevention). After sharing the formula, I will share my personal experience and the conclusions I came to as a result of using the steps of the formula, and Why I think a given step works.

THE FORMULA:


PART I: PREVENTION. We are all exposed every day. The primary steps for avoiding flu:

1. Bathe Nostrils EACH DAY with warm salt water, using a neti pot or a bowl of salt water.

• Neti Pot: Use Daily to irrigate each nostril with warm salt water. Watch the following video to get the basic concept: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8sDIbRAXlg

• Neti pots are often available in natural or health food stores chains, or those sections of major grocers. They cost about $10.
  

• If you do not own a neti pot, cannot find or afford one, simply place 1/2 c. warm water in a small bowl, dissolve 1/4 tsp of non-iodized salt (I prefer sea salt) in the water, then cup one hand and pour about a TBSP into the palm of your hand as you stand over the sink in your bathroom, and breathe in the salt water solution as far up your nostril as possible, hold it for a second or two if possible, then blow the water out into the sink. It will be messy and icky if you have mucous, so have tissues available. Repeat once or twice in each nostril. Then thoroughly clean the sink to prevent spread of germs/virus.
  
• The saline environment deters the growth of mucous in the nasal cavity, the primary route for the disease process to begin and gain a foothold in your body.

2. Thoroughly wash hands often.

3. Avoid any contact with those who are ill, coughing, sneezing, and with your own eyes, mouth and nose.

4. Carry alcohol based hand purifier with you in your car, purse, desk drawer for frequent use.

5. BEING PREPARED FOR IMMEDIATE RESPONSE TO ANY ONSET OF SYMPTOMS MIGHT HELP YOU TO AVOID IT ALTOGETHER by giving yourself the best possible chance of warding off H1N1. If you end up getting ill, it could help keep your symptoms at a minimum and is at least worth a try. Keep a stock of the following on hand throughout the flu season for you and your family members in the event flu symptoms begin:

1. Oscillococcinum (a homeopathic flu remedy available in natural & health food stores & sections of many major grocery chains). Cost $10-14 for one box of two regimens of 3 doses.

• Keep one regimen on your person (I carry mine in my purse), so you can begin taking a 3 dose regimen immediately, when you first realize that you have sore throat, body ache, a worse than normal headache, fever, congestion & cough and the combination of these (and some people have diarrhea and nausea). The combined symptoms is almost a sure sign of onset of flu if you are otherwise healthy. Take one tube of the tiny sugar pills WITHOUT TOUCHING THEM by simply tossing them under your tongue and allowing them to dissolve over the next few minutes. Do not take anything else by mouth for 15 min. Take the next 2 doses at 6 hour intervals. Go to bed as soon as possible and rest.
  

2. Lg container of Epsom Salts.

• Take an epsom salt bath (at least 1 c. in your hot bath water) at least once a day while you are ill, submerging everything but your face for at least 10 minutes in water that is as hot as you can reasonably tolerate.
• This draws toxins from the body

3. Keep a box of DETOX tea (any brand) on hand in the house. Drink a cup or two a day. Don't overdo this, it will drain your body of important minerals if you do.

4. GINGER-LEMON TEA. Make your own. Don't buy boxed tea, it won't be strong enough. Keep some organic ginger and lemon on hand. Slice 8 - 12 penny thin or grate 4-6 Tbsp of ginger into about 6-8 c. water, boil gently for about 5-10 minutes, squeeze 1 tsp. lemon juice into it, and strain before drinking. Add a bit of maple syrup, honey, or unrefined sugar if you need sweetener. Reheat and drink throughout the day from the pot. Make more if you need to. You can go heavier on the ginger if you wish.

5. REST!!! Rest!!! REST!!!

6. If you continue to feel ill (most frequent first signs are sore throat, body ache, bad headache and fever), take day and nighttime cold/flu over the counter medicines to control fever, aching, headache , any developing congestion and to get sufficient rest.

7. Be sure you are totally symptom free for 2 days before resuming any normal activities, exposing others, and risking a relapse.

8. If your fever gets high and your lungs get involved, get to a doctor or an emergency room asap.


PART II: MY EXPERIENCE WITH THIS FLU:

• I didn't do the preventative regimen. I came up with it after getting sick. I developed it based on my experience of using different elements (and skipping some of them) while sick. My sister's doctor uses a neti pot every day during flu season to keep from getting ill, and she doesn't get ill, which led me to include it in treating my own flu.
• My adult daughter had what we assume to be a moderate case of H1N1. She was pretty miserable for 2 weeks at a time when 98% of the viruses circulating in our area were H1N1. What distinguished it from a typical cold was the severity of the headache and the fairly consistent fever that she continued to experience. She wasn't tested. She doesn't take my health advice. She was extremely busy on a national media project with a deadline, so she had to keep working at home despite being ill, and I had to be around her to help her every day that she was ill for up to 8 hours a day. I kept Oscillococcinum in my purse.
  
• I started to get a bad sore throat, some achiness and a headache on the third day she was ill. I immediately took 4 consecutive doses (1 regimen of 3 doses + 1 more dose, each at 6 hour intervals) of Oscillococcinum. ALL of my symptoms had COMPLETELY DISAPPEARED by the next morning. I continued to help her each day to finish her project without catching what she had.
  
• 3 weeks later, I started having the same bad sore throat, noticeable achiness in my neck and shoulders, and a bad headache. I immediately took a dose of Oscilliococcinum while driving home, stopped at the grocery store, bought some Epsom Salts, drank a cup of detox tea, took a hot epsom salt bath, and went to bed. I took the next 2 doses of oscillococcinum at 6-8 hour intervals. The next morning, I woke up late, totally symptom free. I remained symptom free throughout the entire day and evening. But I got agitated during the evening and couldn't sleep, so I sat up until 5 a.m. on the internet. BIG MISTAKE. At 5 a.m., my throat was hurting again. My headache was back. Relapse time.
• I slept all day the next day, drank detox and ginger/lemon tea throughout, took nyquil tablets. Slept all night. Felt better the next day. On third day, thought I had kicked it. Went out, had a relapse coming home.
  
• Then I remembered my sister's Dr.'s neti pot. So I started beginning each day with a saline wash of each nostril and drank my ginger/lemon tea throughout the day. I was comfortable, but still sick. If I neglected the saline wash because I was too comfortable, the mucous would build up, and I would get achy, the headache would get bad. The minute I would gargle with the warm saline water and do the saline nasal wash, (I used a bowl, cupping my hand). All the mucous would clear from my sinuses in no time and I would feel good throughout the remainder of the day, sipping on my ginger/lemon tea and occasional cup of detox tea (now one cup every other day).
• So, I didn't always take my own advice. But now, I am doing my saline wash every day, religiously. Occasionally, I have taken a dose of nyquil or dayquil capsules, but mostly my symptoms have been controlled with the saline wash and the ginger lemon tea. I ran out of epsom salts, and haven't bought more. But I should have. And tonight my throat is sore again, so I am gong to do another saline wash before I go to bed. (I am on my 3rd or 4th relapse, but my symptoms are remaining mild and I am able to function.)
  

My flu has remained very MILD...though it has lingered with relapse after relapse over the past week and a half. I have barely had any fever at all, only broken one or two barely perceptible sweats. I am convinced that is because I have kept eliminating the colonies of mucous each morning and then have kept them from building up significantly each day with my ginger/lemon and detox teas and saline nasal washes. My headache is never there if I do my saline nasal wash. If mucous starts to build up during the day, I do a second wash and to eliminate it and gargle with warm salt water. I have only taken minimal over the counter cold/flu medicine, but it helps to keep congestion from building up as well, and it is very helpful for getting significant amounts of sleep to fully recover.

At least this gives you SOMETHING you can do for yourself to give yourself the best shot of avoiding contracting this, and what I think offers a very good shot at controlling your symptoms if you do catch H1N1.

I wonder if maybe my case was milder than my daughter's (she had lots more fever, much more severe headache and congestion than I have throughout her bout) because I had a chance to build up a little bit of immunity by using the oscillococcinum for the 1st 2 times I had the symptoms.

GOOD LUCK, AND LET ME HEAR FROM YOU!!!