Guard Yourself Against the Flu the Natural Way

I have a confession. I haven't received the flu shot. In fact, I can't remember the last time I received one.

With the flu season leering around the corner, I have mixed emotions regarding the subject. I personally feel that the body must naturally combat and produce it's own defense mechanisms.
Strains keep mutating and overpower many pharmaceutical cocktails given to us ( see Strep, super bugs ). However, I know in certain circumstances, drug aid and prevention is inevitable and most advised. I am not a doctor or expert, this is written from a personal account.

These very specific items saved me from a 12 month period of a never-ending cycle of having strep-throat, infections of the ear, bladder, lung and sinus cavity. Antibiotics stripped my immune system like bleach; leaving me completely defenseless and unable to fend off crap. The cycle was vicious.
What the drugs depleted my body of, I had to restore.

Here was my daily regimen.

Garden of Life - Primal Defense
probiotic formula        1pill :: 3x daily

Liver Support - generic is fine
with Milk Thistle        1pill :: 2x daily

Source of Life - Nature's Plus
multi-vitamin & mineral    6x daily

Kyolic
aged garlic extract    2 pills :: 2x daily

A new surprise is Apple Cider Vinegar pills. It cut-off on-coming infections manifesting from a common cold, (so we thought.) My mom gargles with apple cider vinegar and honey. She battled chronic strep-throat most of her life. Ever since her gargling regimen, she has not had it in over 25 years. I can't go there, so I bought pills. Not sure if it has the same potency, but you can always go to gargling as a last resort.


Ginseng: immune booster, 100mg daily

Echinacea: immune function, 300mg 3 x daily

Green Tea extract: immune booster and anti-bacterial. Extract form, look for levels for polyphenol of 320mg or better. This is great stuff to drink daily.

Tea Tree oil: immune activator and strong antimicrobial agent. Put a few drops in and gargle. Kills antibiotic resistant streptococcus.

Vitamin C: to help immune function. Dosage; 1-2 grams daily. Drastically increase dosage if actually quite sick, but listen to your body. If too much, scale back.

Vitamin E: to support immune function. Dosage; 200IU daily.

Vitamin K: to replenish depletion of K caused by antibiotics.
Found in leafy green vegetables, such as spinach, kale, collards and broccoli. They are the best sources of vitamin K. The greener the plant, the higher the vitamin K content. Other significant dietary sources of vitamin K include soybean oil, olive oil, cottonseed oil and canola oil.

Beta Carotene: an antioxidant and immune booster. Look for natural pills, not the synthetic type.
Dosage: 25000-50000 IU daily. Avoid if you smoke, linked to increased lung cancer risk. May also deplete E so ensure to supplement that if you take this.

And lastly diet! Lay off the sweets, all processed sugars and saturated fats. It is an important aspect to maintaining health. The more natural, less cooked and less processed food, the better you will feel.