7 Natural Solutions to Beat Colds and Flus

This is the time of year that people refer to as cold and flu season. Why does it seem like we catch colds and flus more this time of year? It has been scientifically proven that it really isn't about the colder temperatures we are exposed to in winter months. The old adage about wear your coat outside or you'll catch cold turns out to be false. Our bodies however are under more stress during cold weather as we move from heated homes and cars to freezing outdoor temperatures. We also suffer from the lack of moisture in heated environments. Viruses can enter the body through mucous membranes of the nose, eyes, and mouth. You can pick up or touch something with a virus, then touch your nose, mouth or eyes and presto, you have given the virus a way into your body.

The Immune System
Colds and flus are both viruses. When your immune system is not operating at its peak then you are susceptible to developing a cold or flu. According the "Natural Science Daily" it's your cells that catch the cold first, and that happens when the cold virus binds to a cell. Once a cell becomes infected the virus can spread by reproducing itself and infecting other cells.

Did you know that the health of your digestive tract has a direct effect on how healthy your immune system is? Most people don't realize that the majority of lymph nodes are around the digestive tract area. These protect the body from invader cells getting in through the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream.

Natural killer (NK) cells are an important part of your immune response. According to a paper published in "The Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association," NK cells play an important role in neutralizing foreign invaders, including pathogenic bacteria, viruses, parasites, and diseased cells in the blood, lymph, tissues, and organs of the human body. When NK cells come in contact with these foreign bodies, they secrete biochemicals that neutralize them. That is, of course, why they are called natural killer cells. Scientific research shows that natural foods and herbs such as blue-green algae, astragalus root, and ginseng all support and boost the activity of NK cells.

Macrophages, a type of white blood cell, also play an important  role in the immune system in defending against invaders. Macrophages have to be moving and circulating throughout the body to work. Scientific research shows that certain substances stimulate your body's macrophages. Key among them is a substance found in brewer's yeast: beta 1,3 glucan. Beta 1,3 glucan is a specially extracted ingredient of brewer's yeast and is not the same as taking brewer's yeast, which will not give you the same results. Beta 1,3 glucan, taken orally, stimulates your body's innate immune system to, among other things, produce white blood cells, mobilize cells to "recognize" foreign invaders, and produce anti-microbial agents.

Colds vs. Flus
How do you know whether you have a cold or a flu? Both are caused by viruses, but cold symptoms are milder than flu symptoms. A sore throat usually kicks off cold symptoms followed by runny nose, congestion and cough. There can be a low temperature, but it is rarely over 101 degrees, and colds do not usually manifest with a fever. Cold symptoms commonly start going away after about a week. If they persist much longer, then there is a chance you have developed a sinus infection, allergies or some other condition than a common cold. Symptoms that start quickly and then see improvement after about a week indicate you probably have the common cold.

Flu symptoms, like cold symptoms, also can manifest with a sore throat, congestion, and cough but are usually also accompanied by higher grade fever, a headache, and achy muscles. Flu symptoms also show improvement after about a week, but can leave you lacking in energy and not feeling quite in tip top shape for weeks. If other symptoms persist longer than a week, you may need to consult your health care practitioner as flu can sometimes lead to other conditions such as pneumonia.

Regardless of whether you have a cold virus or a flu virus, the treatments are much the same. Antibiotics are only useful against bacterial infections and therefore will not help with colds and flus. The best treatment of course is prevention by keeping the immune system strong and allowing your body to naturally resist catching a cold or a flu when it is going around. If you do have a cold or flu, there are natural solutions that can help to relieve symptoms.

Natural Solutions to Colds and Flus
1. Get extra rest so immune cells can regenerate.

2. Water, water, water. Use water two ways. Wash hands frequently with warm soapy water for 20 � 30 seconds to get germs off the skin. AND drinking water is the most important ingredient for healing since you need it to flush the colds and flus out of your system

3. Eat more foods with antioxidants like bright colored fruits and vegetables. Stay away from sugary and processed foods.

4. Feed your friendly bacteria in your intestine by supplementing your diet with probiotics. Probiotics, especially acidophilus, produce substances which are antiviral and antifungal. Probiotics also support the immune system by supporting the function of the digestive system.

5. Demulcent and expectorant herbs like marshmallow, slippery elm, comfrey, mullein, and fenugreek help thin and clear out mucous. You can find most of these herbs in tincture form at your local health food store.

6. Supplement your diet with Immusun from Simplexity Health. This immune system support product contains pure, whole particle beta glucan that helps with inflammation by mobilizing white blood cells to areas of injury or inflammation. These white blood cells (macrophages) remove damaged tissue quickly before it has time to trigger more inflammation. Adding a single capsule of ImmuSun each day to your diet causes your body to more actively defend against invading germs, viruses and antigens. The ImmuSun stimulates the macrophages into action, which in turn triggers an entire chain reaction of defense mechanisms in the body.

7. Take Vitamin C and bioflavanoid supplements as they will provide potent antioxidant benefits and support healing of the lung tissue.

Prevention is always the best medicine. So if you haven't caught a cold or flu so far this winter, now is the time to start strengthening your body's immune system and getting it ready to fight off the many viruses that can lead to colds and flus.

Photo Credit: http://pinterest.com/sandylygren/

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Snot and the Common Cold: 3 Things You May Not Know

Tis the season of tissues, snot, coughing and sneezing. Oh how jolly! Actually, these symptoms of the common cold should be welcomed as signs your body trying to get healthy ... even if they make you miserable!

Facts About the Common Cold
Obviously no one likes to catch cold and very few people appreciate the purpose of cold symptoms. When you "catch cold" and have cold symptoms, you are actually experiencing your body trying to get rid of toxins, foreign invaders, and other unhealthy substances in your body.

Without a cold, all of these toxic substances would literally be "stuck" in your body forever, wreaking further havoc and leading to more chronic illnesses. Hooray for the common cold! So that you can more fully appreciate the "value" of a cold, here are three things you probably don't know about snot and the common cold.

#1 - Snot is Good, Really
Whenever the body encounters something unwanted in the body, one of its first forms of defense is to dilute the substance and then move it out of the body. Hence, you get snot, as well as mucous, phlegm, and other such goodies. Diluting an unwanted substance in the body, like bacteria or viruses, makes the substance less harmful, and also helps move it out of the body.

Even though having a runny nose or watery eyes may make you feel miserable, you can be glad that your body is strong enough to put up this kind of defense. A less healthy body would not be able to mount this kind of defense, and the toxic substance would remain in the body. So every time you catch cold, instead of feeling miserable, you can congratulate your body on being healthy enough to defend itself!

#2 - Fevers Help Your Body "Clean House"
Although many western cultures don't acknowledge this, tribal cultures have long understood the value of a controlled fever (104 degrees Fahrenheit or less). A fever is another way your body rids itself of bacteria, viruses, germs, and other toxic materials. Fevers literally "burn off" toxic substances and kill foreign invaders, many of which cannot live at such high temperatures. That just about makes all the aches, pains, and crazy dreams associated with fevers worth it!

#3 - Germs Don't Cause Colds
Saying that germs cause colds is kind of like saying that fire trucks cause fires; since fire trucks are always at the scene of a fire, then they must be the cause of the fires, right? Not really. The same goes for germs. Germs are often "at the scene of the crime" when you catch cold, but that doesn't mean they are the root cause of the common cold.

You only catch cold when your body's immune system has been weakened, which then allows germs to set up residence, giving you the common cold. This explains why not everyone exposed to the same germs catches cold. Only people with weak immune systems catch cold. So there you have it ... the poor luckless germ has been blamed this whole time for the common cold when it is actually a wimpy immune system that is at fault.

3 Things You Can Do About the Common Cold
If you do end up with a common cold, for whatever reason, you can take steps to move the cold through and out of your system more quickly and effectively. Here are three things you can do:

1. Don't Suppress Cold Symptoms
If you try to suppress cold symptoms, you interfere with your body's defense mechanisms. This allows foreign invaders to stay in your body. Instead, your goal should be to help your body push these invaders out of your system faster. Just accept that you have a cold and try not to suppress the symptoms with too many over-the-counter medications. If you need relief from cold symptoms, try taking Echinacea tincture or Vitamin C.

2. Support Your Body's Immune System with Beta-Glucan
Beta-glucan is a substance made from brewer's yeast that has been shown to activate and support the body's microbe-killing capabilities. In studies, beta-glucan increased the body's ability to identify microbial invaders and also increased the communication among various parts of the body's immune system. Note that this effect was only achieved with beta-glucan that had been separated by a special process from brewer's yeast. Ingesting brewer's yeast alone with not have this effect. ImmuSun by Simplexity Health is an excellent source of beta-glucan.

3. Hydrate to Increase the Dilution Effect
Drink, drink, and then drink some more clear liquids. Whether you are drinking water, hot tea, or warm broth, take in as much fluid as you can since this helps your body dilute the effect of microbial invaders. If you have difficulty drinking cold water, try drinking either warm water with honey and lemon, or warm water with a bit of high-grade sea salt. Either will soothe your throat and produce the desired dilution effect.

The Common Cold: A Good Thing
It's never fun to catch cold, but if you do end up with the common cold then don't hate it. It's just your body doing its job and keeping you healthy. Do everything you can to support your body's immune response and know that you will emerge on the other side healthier and with a stronger immune system!

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