Flu Do’s & Flu Don’ts

At the first sign of any cold or flu, a few simple measures can hasten recovery and prevent complications.

by Dr. Larry Wilson — 

Many people are worried about a possible swine flu epidemic. The virus has already claimed a few lives and could get worse during the winter months. Below are suggestions not only for preventing any case of influenza, but also for supporting your body so that it can heal itself naturally. These are not intended as treatments for the flu, however. You may also want to visit a competent health practitioner if you are unsure what to do.

Before discussing how to handle the flu, some general comments are in order. Influenza has been with humans for as long as we have inhabited planet Earth. Therefore, our bodies have had a lot of experience dealing with it.

Most flu strains are benign and known as “opportunistic organisms.” This means that if you are healthy, the flu virus either is not going to attack at all or, if it does, will be in the form of a mild cold or something similar, and is nothing to be concerned about.

However, if the body is weakened in any way, the flu can be a vicious illness, causing extreme fatigue, digestive upset, diarrhea, headache, respiratory problems and many other symptoms. If death occurs, it is usually due to a secondary infection, such as pneumonia (on top of the flu) that impaired respiration to the point that the patient could not breathe well enough.

The goal, therefore, is to keep yourself healthy so you will not need to worry about the flu — or most other illnesses, for that matter.

Prevention

Following are some simple steps you can take to protect yourself and your family this winter, especially if a flu outbreak occurs.

• Avoid crowds, especially in closed spaces such as auditoriums, stadiums, aircraft, crowded restaurants and even churches, if necessary.

• Wash your hands often, especially when out in public.

• Rest more. Make sure you are getting eight or more hours of sleep every night. This means going to bed early and allowing an extra half hour or more to fall asleep so that you get enough actual sleep. Children and teens need even more daily rest and sleep.

• Maintain an excellent diet and lifestyle. Eat many cooked vegetables (twice daily) and a little animal protein every day. Avoid all wheat and pork products and minimize your consumption of beef, as these are all less healthful foods today. Also avoid all sugars, most fruit and all fruit juices, as they are too sweet and not good for you. I know that many doctors approve of fruit, but I do not recommend it, except as an occasional dessert or snack.

• Drink about three quarts or more of either spring or distilled water each day. Children need less.

• Everyone should have four to six ounces of carrot juice each day. Fresh is best, but even buying carrot juice at the store and keeping it a few days is satisfactory.

• If possible, use a near-infrared sauna on a daily basis. This has myriad health benefits, including detoxifying the body and increasing your resistance to many types of infections.

• Do foot reflexology every day. You do not need special training, although it is very beneficial to take a class or read one of the many books about this practice. Basically, massage each foot all over, including the toes, the tops, bottoms, sides and heels. Work on any area that is tender or painful a bit longer, and usually the tenderness will go away. This balances the acupuncture meridians, often induces sleep and is generally helpful for your vitality.

• Basic supplements that everyone can take daily include about 3,500 mg of kelp capsules, 4,000 IU of vitamin D, 20,000 IU of vitamin A, about 1,000 mg of vitamin C and about 10 mg of zinc. A teaspoon or a few capsules of omega-3 fatty acids, daily, is highly recommended. This list is not precise, but it is satisfactory for most people.

Safe, natural treatments for the flu

At the first sign of any cold or flu, a few simple measures can hasten recovery and prevent complications:

• Continue to drink enough fluids, especially if you have a fever. Mild teas or distilled or spring water are the only beverages that count.

• Rest a lot more. Stay home from work or school. Stay in bed if you are very ill.

• Eat steamed or lightly cooked vegetables. Four to six ounces of carrot juice, wheat grass juice or other vegetable juice would be fine as well.

• A simple but powerful therapy is to buy a 250-watt, reddish heat lamp at a hardware store or Home Depot, along with a clamp-on socket for the bulb. Set it up so that the bulb shines on your thymus gland, which is located above the nipples at the level of the breast bone. Take off your shirt so that the light shines directly onto the skin and use for at least 20 minutes every hour or two all day long. The lamp also can be directed to any part of the body that is infected, such as the sinuses, an ear, the throat, the bronchials or lungs.

A few cautions with the lamp: (1) do not stare at the light, though it is probably safe, (2) move it as close to your thymus or elsewhere as you can tolerate, but do not touch the bulb as it gets extremely hot and can burn you, and (3) do not shine it on any area of the head for more than 10 minutes at a time in one hour. Too much infrared on the head is not healthful.

Vitamin and herbal supplements

The following supplements are helpful to maintain optimal health:

• Zinc lozenges — about three per day, each with about 20 mg of zinc

• Vitamin A — about 120,000 IU daily

• Vitamin C — about 4,000 mg daily or less if it causes diarrhea

• Echinacea — six capsules or more, or several cups of echinacea tea

• Other helpful  herbs — astragalus, golden seal, lomatium and others, although these can be somewhat toxic

• Colloidal silver — if symptoms persist for more than a day or two, add two to three tablespoons of a high-quality colloidal silver; for best utilization, take it 15 minutes before or after any food or beverage

• Bee propolis — take six capsules a day or, if in a liquid form, about 15 to 30 drops, several times daily

High fevers

Several treatment options are helpful for high fevers. Although it may not feel good, a fever under 103 F, or even a little higher, is fine and should not be lowered in any way, as it helps the body fight infection. If the temperature rises higher, preferably use natural methods to lower it, including: (1) sponging with cool water or alcohol; alcohol will cool you down faster, but can be somewhat irritating to the skin, (2) take a bath, slowly adding cooler water, but get out immediately if you become chilled. A baby can be placed in a smaller wash basin, as cool water is added very slowly and gently, and (3) take a coffee enema or colonic irrigation. If the body is fighting an infection, all of these methods can be repeated every few hours, as needed, to keep a fever below 104 F.

Physical healing methods for flus

In addition to the above techniques, another superb method of healing is fever therapy, which involves heating up the body a few degrees. This helps weaken or kill many types of bacteria or viruses. Effective ways to do this are in a sauna, wrapped in warm blankets or soaking in a hot bath — in that order of preference. For a more intense experience, drink a cup of hot warming tea, such as ginger tea, before you heat your body and sweat. Then follow the instructions below.

 1. Sauna. The best sauna, in my experience, is a near-infrared light sauna. If this is not available, the next best is a far-infrared type or a traditional sauna. Use it for 10 to 20 minutes at a time, four to six times daily. Be careful not to become too weakened by it. If you start to feel faint, get out of the sauna, then lie down and rest for half an hour.

Longer sauna sessions are usually not helpful when one is ill. Be sure to drink plenty of extra water before and after using a sauna. Do not put children under the age of five in saunas.

2. Warm blankets. If you do not have access to a sauna, you can wrap yourself in a bed sheet. Then, while in a warm room, have someone else (preferably) wrap you up tightly in warm blankets. This will also cause sweating — do this for at least an hour or two so that you sweat heavily.

3. A hot bath. This method is somewhat less recommended because of the chemicals in tap water, but can be done for about half an hour daily to sweat as well. Do not allow yourself to become too debilitated by the heat; make sure to rest by lying down afterwards.

4. Coffee enemas and colonic irrigation. These are superb methods for fighting any illness. They will temporarily lower a high fever, keep the bowels open and help remove toxic material through the liver and colon. A colonic irrigation and two to three coffee enemas can be done each day for a very severe flu condition. (Complete instructions for a coffee enema are available at www.drlwilson.com.)

Special instructions for babies and all young childen with the flu

• Babies and children can dehydrate faster than adults. Be sure that they drink enough water or tea. Chicken soup or a little carrot juice are also good options. Do not exceed four ounces of carrot juice daily and avoid fruit juices or milk, as the extra sugar and other components are often not helpful.

• Do not give children much milk or food when they are ill, unless they are very hungry. Most children will have no appetite, and it is best not to overfeed them, unless they seem agitated or uncomfortable from hunger and request food.

• Allow a fever to rise as long as it is under 103 to 104 F, or less if a child is having difficulty. Babies can tolerate a higher fever than adults, but check their temperature often. If it rises above 103 F, reduce it naturally with the methods described above.

Babies and children can develop seizures if a fever rises too high. This is not dire, but can usually be avoided. In my opinion, it is best not to give children drugs to lower fevers or for any other reason. Instead, use the natural methods previously discussed, such as a sponge bath or an enema.

• A reddish heat lamp shined on the thymus can be excellent for babies and children. Use it for no more than five minutes at a time, every hour or so. Do not shine the light in the baby’s eyes.

• Do not use a sauna for a child under age 5.

• If a baby or young child is vomiting and cannot drink water, it is imperative to rehydrate in other ways. Have the child sip water or suck on a wet sponge or rag to absorb the water through the mouth. You may also try using a bath or an enema. All of these can work well. If none are possible or available, then intravenous fluids are needed. Make sure the doctor uses a saline solution and not a sugar (dextrose) solution, as is often administered in hospitals.

Vaccines

Whether you should take vaccines is a personal decision. However, I do not recommend any flu vaccines or flu shots. The reasons include:

• The swine flu vaccine is untested. This has been admitted by the Centers for Disease Control. The manufacturers were in a hurry to produce it — but indeed, it will be tested on those who opt to try it.

• The vaccine may contain toxins such as mercury, formaldehyde, aluminum and other dangerous materials.

• The vaccine is most likely contaminated with other viruses. During the 1976 flu epidemic, more people were harmed by the flu vaccine than by the flu itself.

• The swine flu vaccine can cause severe neurological “side effects” that can permanently maim or kill.

• Its efficacy is unproven, and it likely does not work well.

• See www.mercola.com for current information about the swine flu vaccine. The truth is quite shocking and disgusting.

For more information, please see www.drlwilson.com.

Warning: These simple methods work in almost all cases. They are also very inexpensive and can keep you out of the hospital. However, if the methods above are not working, or you do not know what to do, please see a competent health professional.

Dr. Lawrence Wilson has a medical degree and has been in the health field for more than 25 years. His books include Nutritional Balancing and Hair Mineral Analysis, Legal Guidelines for Unlicensed Practitioners, Healing Ourselves and Manual of Sauna Therapy and The Real Self. He also co-authored Toxic Metals in Human Health and Disease and contributed to The Dangers of Socialized Medicine. www.drlwilson.com or 928-445-7690.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 28, Number 5, Oct/Nov 2009.