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The medical way involves taking flu shots or flu vaccination. Click the following links to discover why this way is:
In addition, doctors may recommend that you:
Rather than put your health at great risk by taking flu vaccines that are largely ineffective, you are much better off finding out how to prevent the flu NATURALLY. Here are some ways:
How to prevent the flu - Get adequate rest / sleep
Tiredness, rather than exposure to virus, is probably the single biggest "cause" or contributing factor in "catching" the flu. Think of the times when you caught the flu, or developed flu symptoms like runny nose, fever, fatigue and so on. When did they happen? Most likely when you had been tired, whether from too much work or too much partying.
And what happens when you do get the flu? You want to rest and sleep all the time. Just as inadequate rest increases your chances of getting the flu, adequate rest improves your chances of a fast recovery. Rest is very very important.
With regards sleeping, it is important to sleep before midnight. There are various explanations for this. Some people talk about cosmic energies re-charing your body during the period before and after midnight. Traditional Chinese Medicine talks about certain organs being more active at different times.
Whatever the reason, it is different if you sleep, say, eight hours from 10pm to 6am, versus eight hours from 2am to 10am.
Tiredness is a form of stress. Other forms of stress, like worrying, feeling unable to cope with job demands, financial problems, being unhappy in a relationship... all these will not only increase your risks of the flu, but also your risks of more serious ailments like cancer and heart disease.
There are many many ways to deal with stress - prayer and meditation, relaxation exercises, a walk in the park, listening to soothing music, playing with children, counselling, engaging in a hobby, etc. Find the ways that suit you best.
Most importantly, acknowledge that you may be under stress and do something about it. Pretending that you are in control will only add to the stress - and to your chances of getting the flu, or getting cancer.
Sugar - not just refined white sugar but also other forms of simple sugar, including honey - is probably the most important substance to avoid if you wish to prevent the flu.
Sugar depresses immune function, particularly the ability of immune cells to destroy bacteria and viruses. This effect kicks in about one to two hours after taking sugar, and it lasts for up to five hours. So if you take sugar several times a day, your immune system will be depressed throughout most of the day.
Many people have the mistaken idea that sugar is necessary for health. Carbohydrates are necessary, but not simple sugars. Before the Crusades of the 11th Century, sugar was only consumed in Polynesia and India. And for hundreds of years, sugar was a luxury item affordable only by the rich. Even at the turn of the last century, per capita sugar consumption of sugar in the US was about 5 lbs per year. Today, it averages 135 lbs per year.
Even if you do not take sugar directly, it is present in processed foods, soft drinks and lots of other foods. To prevent the flu, one of the first things to do is to drastically cut down your intake of sugar and processed foods. And this does not mean taking artificial sweeteners like aspartame in its place. Artificial sweeteners are a lot more harmful to health.
History is full of examples of strong men - warriors, kings and emperors, who died at a young age due to infection. They include Alexander the Great, King Henry VIII, Emperor Shih Huang Ti of China and others. During major disease outbreaks like The Plague of the mid-14th century, it was also observed that those affected were mainly strong young men, whereas women, children and the elderly were mostly spared.
People who eat plenty of meat usually have strong bodies - but weak immune systems. Meat weakens immunity in the following ways:
Vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals and fibre that help the body and the immune system to function effectively. Vegetables also help create an alkaline body condition that prevents viruses, bacteria and fungi from thriving.
Organic vegetables, in addition, appear to contain special protective factors that not only prevent the flu and other illnesses, but can also help the sick to recover. This was demonstrated about a hundred years ago when British agriculture scientist Albert Howard raised cattle on organic grass and then released them to mix with cattle infected with food and mouth disease The cattle remained healthy despite "rubbing noses with foot and mouth cases".
How to prevent the flu - Eat garlic
Garlic, of all vegetables, deserve special mention because it has wide-ranging antiviral and antibiotic properties. It destroys viruses and bacteria without harmful side effects. Unlike drugs that destroy only specific types of viruses and bacteria, garlic destroys a broad-spectrum of them. And again unlike in the case of drugs, viruses and bacteria do not evolve to become resistant to garlic.
So take plenty of garlic regularly. Cooked garlic is okay but raw garlic is probably best. In China and parts of East Asia, chopped raw garlic with soy sauce is served as an accompaniment to meat dishes, just like chilli. Alternatively, you can swallow chopped raw garlic with some water, or take garlic capsules.
Salt is helpful in two ways. First, it directly kills bacteria and viruses. Second, the rich mineral content of salt and salty foods create an alkaline body condition, which prevents bacteria, viruses and other microbes from thriving.
Many people, when they think about how to prevent the flu, think of vitamins, especially vitamin C. It is true that vitamins do help boost the immune system. But minerals, not vitamins, are even more crucial to immunity.
Doesn't salt cause high blood pressure? Not if you
You can also take salt that has been combined with foods in the form of salt-fermented products like miso and shoyu, as well as naturally-produced salted pickles like kimchi and sauerkraut.
Umeboshi, a Japanese salt-pickled sour plum, is particularly helpful for creating an alkaline body condition and preventing the flu and over a hundred other illnesses. Click here to learn more about the health value of salted pickles.
The above are just some of the ways to prevent the flu naturally. Click the following links to learn about how to enhance immunity and: