Treating a Cold and Flu the Holistic Way

Instead, he would use a black elderberry extract, a remedy found in a few small studies to help shorten the length and severity of flu. Adults can take one tablespoon, four times a day for the first three days of flu symptoms. Beyond that time frame, he feels it's less beneficial.

(ABC News)
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Shore Up Your Immune System

Lynne Shinto, N.D., naturopathic physician for the Neurology Wellness Clinic at the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Ore.

Cold prevention: To stay healthy, Shinto is conscientious about her diet and sleep habits, and suggests that people should not underestimate the effect of their lifestyle on immune function. She says she believes that for people who get frequent colds, it's an indication that their immune system is sub par. She also says she thinks that too much sugar can weaken immunity.

If Shinto feels as if she's getting rundown, she'll take 500 to 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C every few hours. But she warns that taking too much of it too quickly can lead to diarrhea. And she'll also take one or two capsules daily of a combination Chinese remedy containing the herb astragalus, which is thought to stimulate the immune system.

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Cold treatment: When she gets a cold, her philosophy is to let it run its course. She'll turn to the usual suspects: bed rest, more fluids and chicken soup -- or because she's Japanese-American -- miso soup with shiitake mushrooms, fungi known for their immune-strengthening compounds. These approaches may make the symptoms feel better, she admits, but they likely won't make a cold go away faster.

Flu prevention: Shinto doesn't get the flu shot and neither does her young daughter. "I'm not opposed to it, but we're very healthy people and don't get sick a lot."

Flu treatment: She follows the same treatment advice for a cold. And if Shinto's sinuses are congested, she turns to an "old naturopathic therapy" thought to stimulate the immune system. Called hydrotherapy, she might stick her bare feet in hot water for three minutes then in ice-cold water for 30 seconds, and she repeats this hot-cold sequence three times.

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