There has been much talk lately about the swine flu and the vaccines that are promoted to help defend against it. As a physician, I am not opposed to vaccines when used correctly and produced appropriately. However, as an alternative health care provider, I tend to look for natural ways to prevent and treat illness before I go to a highly promoted and sometimes dangerous medical route. As this post is meant to educate and inform, here are some alternative routes to prevent infections and some methods to help treat symptoms if you feel the flu coming on.

Influenza is caused by a virus that is able to change or mutate rapidly, a process called mutagenic drift, which forces our immune system to play “catch-up” with the virus[1]. Our immune system remembers previous viral attacks, and is able to defend against them quickly, but if the next flu is a new twist of an old flu, we have to make new cells to attack it. One way to promote the production of new flu fighting cells is to increase the amount of Vitamin C or Ascorbic Acid taken. Vitamin C increases the production of the immune cells that attack viruses and it will help eliminate the virus after it has been destroyed[2]. Vitamin C has been shown to decrease the severity of flu symptoms, reduce the number of days spent in the hospital, and decrease the number of cases of pneumonia resulting from the flu[1]. A study in The Journal of Nutrition presented that adequate Vtamin C levels reduce the amount of lung inflammation caused by the flu virus and may speed the responsiveness of the immune system at the onset of the viral infection[3]. Vitamin C has been shown to be helpful in doses from 2g to 10g per day. However, doses of Vitamin C at and above these levels can cause gastrointestinal side effects, most notably what we call flushing, or multiple runny bowel movements. To find your optimal level of Vitamin C, consult your healthcare provider.

Besides Vitamin C, other natural substances have been shown to help prevent or fight viral infections. Vitamin A supplementation has been a recommended treatment for measles and is suggested when receiving the measles vaccine[4]. Selenium, a trace mineral, is important in many antioxidant and detoxification processes. A study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that deficiencies in selenium or glutathione peroxidase, an enzyme that depends on selenium, allow the virus to mutate to a more debilitating form[4]. N-acetylcysteine, used to make glutathione, has been shown to reduce the severity of symptoms when taken at a dosage between 300mg and 600mg twice daily during the six-month flu season[1]. Vitamin D3, taken in doses of 2,000 IU per day for one year, virtually eliminated self-reported cold and flu incidents[5]. Along with these vitamins and minerals, there are herbs that many practitioners will use to fend off the flu once it has started. These include Echinacea, Goldenseal, Elderberry, Osha, and Isatis among others.

To find a list of foods that contain the highest amounts of vitamins and minerals click here.  Preventative health care for the cold and flu season starts now. Call us to find out how to improve your immune system to prevent suffering from a serious viral attack this year.