Yesterday, you felt fantastic.
Today, you feel 100 years old and counting.
Your head aches, your skin feels sore to the touch, and youre chilled to the bone even though your forehead is on fire.
Welcome to the wonderful world of the flu virus.
People use the term *flu* to describe any viral, upper-respiratory-tract infection. But strictly speaking, influenza is a very distinctive viral agent.
Flu viruses occur yearly and attack almost exclusively between the months of October and April
While there are two major strains of the flu virus-influenza A and influenza B-each strain changes slightly from year to year, so being infected one year does not guarantee protection against the flu the following year.
Regardless of the strain, the symptoms are generally the same.
They include a high fever, sore throat, dry cough, severe muscle aches and pains, fatigue, and loss of appetite.
Some people even experience pain and stiffness in the joints. Usually, the aches, pains, and fever last only three to five days. The fatigue and cough, however, can hang on for several weeks.
If you do not manage to outrun this relentless bug, you can do a few things to ease some of the discomforts and give your body a chance to fight back.
This is especially important due to the high fever that accompanies the flu. This should not be hard to do considering fatigue is one of the main symptoms.
You will not feel like doing much other than lounging in bed or on the couch. Consider it a good excuse to take a needed break from the daily stresses of life. And if you absolutely must continue to work, at least get to bed earlier than usual and try to go into the office a little later in the morning.
This does not mean alcoholic beverages, of course. But drinking plenty of any other nonalcoholic, decaffeinated liquid (caffeine acts as a diuretic, which actually increases fluid loss) will help to keep you hydrated and will also keep any mucous secretions you have more liquid. Juices are good for keeping some nutrients coming in when you are not eating much else.
- Humidify your home in winter .
Influenza viruses survive better when the humidity is low, which explains why they tend to show up more during the winter, when we use artificial heat to warm our homes . Humidifying your home in the winter not only helps to prevent the spread of flu, it also makes you feel better once you have it. When you are really sick, a little extra humidity in the form of a warm- or cool-mist humidifier works wonders.
- Encourage a *productive* cough .
A cough that brings up mucus is considered productive and should not be suppressed with cough medicines, because it*s part of the healing process. Drinking fluids will help bring the mucus of a productive cough up and will ease the cough a little as well.
Herbal remedies for flu
If you take the correct herbs, you can expect a shorter duration of a cold or flu, and less likelihood of recurrence or lingering symptoms.
Astragalus boosts the immune system, increases T cells, protects against viruses. Reduces duration and frequency of flu if taken prior to the season.
Chamomile is good for colds, flu and fever. It*s a sedative that relieves pain, associated cramps, colic, calms irritability.
Garlic has natural antibiotic properties, effective for many types of respiratory infections, including colds flu bronchitis as well as ear infections.
Effective against a wide spectrum of bacteria, viruses, fungi, strep.
My ebook " How to blast your allergies away forever " describes even faster and more effective natural remedies and herbs to heal colds and flu .
