Re: Preventing winter virus's
Originally Posted by
carol
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However - I wasn't actually debating the flu jab.
I was wondering about the benefits of taking Echinacea and vitamins as protection from all virus's.
Yep, but you also told us that :
"Every year at the start of winter I seem to get a virus that leaves me feeling low & depressed and with a chesty cough that lasts for weeks."
and asked us :
"I was wondering if any of out members do anything to prevent winter bugs? "
So the aside regarding flu vaccine is highly relevant.
What do I do to prevent getting winter bugs?
First and foremost I DO NOT have the flu vaccine. Highly important. I truly believe if you stop having the vaccine you won't get these regular bouts of illness.
Secondly I try to maximise the amount of sunshine I can get immediately prior to the winter season. 6 days worth of sunshine can provide enough Vitamin D in your body to last up to 49 days without sunshine. I get as much sunshine as I can without that being in any way uncomfortable or risky in terms of sun burn. I NEVER ever use sun creams.
Thirdly I purposely incorporate lots of garlic and ginger into my evening meals. Garlic is hugely beneficial to lots of things.
Fourthly I cook fresh meals EVERY day using fresh ingredients. I ensure that we get a wide range of vegetables which provide lots of iron and other useful minerals which all contribute to the immune system.
In a typical week we will go through:
A bag of courgettes, one large butternut squash, 2-3 packs of stringless beans, a bag of sprouts, 4-5 heads of broccoli, many potatoes, 2 packs of chestnut or portabello mushrooms, a bag of parsnips, various red onions, 2 garlic bulbs, ginger etc.
Alongside that we eat plenty of good sourced meats and fish. Typically in the week we have, pork steaks, chicken breasts, ribeye steaks, low fat minced steak, shin beef or mutton in a slow cooked stew and either sea bass or plaice or mackerel fillets. At the weekend we'll have a brunch breakfast with good sausages, bacon, black pudding, eggs, mushrooms and plum tomatoes.
When I go to the supermarket I ALWAYS ensure that I have a bag of unwaxed lemons on rotation plus plenty of fresh ginger. I incorporate the lemons into the above dishes where I can, usually with the chicken and fish.
At the first sign of any cold or sore throat or associated symptoms I blitz an entire lemon with a chunk of fresh ginger in some hot water and make a hot drink with it with a little honey. That kills off any bugs pretty quickly and ensures I never get any long lasting bugs or viruses.
At the same time I always have a bottle of Grapefruit Seed Extract on hand for a wide variety of uses, both internal and external. If I start with any symptoms I put 3-4 drops of that in my cups of tea which again helps kill off any bugs.
For any stomach type upsets it cures the problem in minutes.
So there you go.
You will see that I don't have a regime of potions, pills and vitamin supplements. I know Echinacea and Vitamin C are good things, but the capsule forms of these things are largely poor quality and ineffective.
So I take my vitamins and other goodies directly from the products of Nature where they are the most potent and where they haven't been processed (which looses much of the goodness).
Hope some of that helps. Predominantly you'd improve your lot tremendously by not having the silly flu vaccine each year.