Effective Natural Remedies and Recipes for Cold and Flu Season

By Raluca Schachter

Contributing writer for Wake Up World

Have you ever wondered why it is that only some people become sick when exposed to a pathogen? Why don’t all the members of a group from work get sick, when a colleague – a sneezing, stuffy, coughing cold virus carrier – exposed them to an illness? Why don’t all the kids in your child’s classroom get sick, when it seems that just a few “give the start” to the flu, all the time? It’s not about luck or the lack of it. It’s about how prepared your immune system is to fight with the pathogens. And this involves a very complex mechanism that takes place in your body daily, even from the day you were born!

Why that early? Because a baby’s and future adult’s immune system can be deeply affected by a potential toxic load the mother is transmitting, her nutritional deficiencies, her gastrointestinal problems, the lack of breastfeeding and consumption of commercial formula, as well as pharmaceutical drugs (taken either by the mother or baby, or both) and vaccines. If these continue with the standard processed diet widely available in the modern society and the typical stressful life, then the recipe for ill-health and a poor immune system are guaranteed.

What I personally witness today is people who don’t have time to have a cold… Who can’t afford to feel sick… due to a heavy load of responsibilities… Who need to get back on their feet fast, because that deadline is there and waiting… Although I totally understand these aspects, I must say, the “fast relief” that people reach for when getting sick, is exactly the one which will pave the way to harder and harder to treat illnesses, later on.

That is why I want to share with you — that there IS another way and you must make time for illness when it happens, like you make time for everything else. That’s because your body is screaming to you: “Stop, it’s enough! Take care of me now!” And for goodness’ sakes, there is no excuse for not doing it naturally, and in a non-invasive way!

Effective Natural Remedies and Recipes for Cold and Flu Season

So you got a cold, or the flu. What to do now? First, don’t panic! Don’t reach out for that symptom suppressing drug, because you will pay later with toxic build up and an even poorer immune system. When the cold season is near, make sure you have some staples available in your home, so you can overcome it in a natural way. Below are my suggestions:

Probiotics

Many people have a very low level of beneficial bacteria in their gastrointestinal system, where lies 80% of the body’s immunity. A dysfunctional gastrointestinal system determines a low resistance to infections. Probiotics function as a “barrier” against pathogens and are essential for immunity. In my health programs I recommend high quality probiotics like Bioimmersion, Klaire Labs and sometimes Bio-Kult, which never let me or my clients down over the years. Don’t forget about fermented foods though, if you can tolerate them! Foods which are traditionally fermented using anaerobic lactic acid fermentation are a natural and potent source of probiotics for the body. Use jars like the Pickl-it system to ensure a healthy lactic acid fermentation, without toxic aldehydes, which many people are very sensitive to!

Saturated Fats and Cholesterol

Our immune system needs cholesterol to repair damaged cells. Saturated fats found in butter and coconut oil, which contain myristic and lauric acid play key roles in immune health. Without saturated fatty acids, the white blood cells fail to recognize and destroy foreign invaders, such as viruses, fungi and bacteria. A rich source of myristic and lauric acid having potent germ-killing ability is mother’s milk.

Four-carbon butyric acid found mostly in butterfat from cows, and six-carbon capric acid found mostly inbutterfat from goats have antimicrobial properties, protecting us from viruses, yeasts and pathogenic bacteria in the gut. Short- and medium-chain fatty acids found in butter do not need to be emulsified by bile salts and are absorbed directly from the small intestine to the liver, where they are converted into quick energy. These fatty acids also have antimicrobial, antitumor and immune-system-supporting properties.

Cholesterol is a precursor to vitamin D, a very important fat-soluble vitamin needed for healthy bones and nervous system, proper growth, mineral metabolism, muscle tone, insulin production, reproduction and immune system function.

Natural Remedies

The constant consumption of antibiotics, fever reducers and other drugs contribute to a low immunity and toxic build up. Suppressing of fever with drugs determines more frequent and long lasting infections. Fever is a natural, beneficial mechanism and the body’s way to fight against disease. This will reduce the number of pathogens which start multiplying once infection is present. Fever also reduces the severity of disease and lowers the chances for secondary infections (usually respiratory), useless doctor visits and tragically, antibiotics.

There is a long list of natural remedies against fever, homeopathics, antivirals and natural antibiotics, which are very effective and don’t cause negative effects like drugs do. Some of these are raw propolis, goldenseal, garlic extract, grapefruit seed extract, oregano oil, “lemon socks” or “vinegar socks” to reduce fever, homeopathics; doing inhalations with eucalyptus oil can be helpful for a clogged nose.

Also see: Nature’s Most Powerful Antibiotics (Recipe Included!)

Bedtime

I rarely meet any people who go to sleep at a reasonable hour these days! Long working hours, long school hours and a long daily to do list determined a late bedtime, which can affect immunity in a big way. Your adrenals are at risk of being exhausted if you don’t get good quality sleep between 10 PM – 2 AM. Many people I work with usually perform all kinds of activities during these hours, from working, to cleaning up the house, but once they try to get an earlier bedtime they mostly feel surprised by the huge impact this change has on their mood and appetite next day, as well as on immunity. The truth is, when your immunity is low, even a sleepless night is enough to make you vulnerable to illness.

Exercise

You’ve probably heard this already way too many times. It’s true, for the most part. Physical exercise is needed to get your immunity up. But when you suffer from various imbalances and illnesses, strenuous cardio exercises could actually be detrimental. Choose the right exercise for your body (C.H.E.C.K practitioners are the best ones I could recommend in this regard) and don’t push yourself too hard, otherwise you’ll end up doing more harm than good. Good functioning adrenals and a steady blood sugar level are some of the things you need to focus on, before you can go running for long stretches or do intense aerobics.

Highly beneficial physical activities are also brisk walking in the park, gardening, swimming, doing yoga or tai chi in nature… Even better than sweating in an air conditioned, crowded gym!

Hands Washing and Disinfectants

Modern times have propagated the idea that everything needs to be sterilized with aggressive use of disinfectants, full of toxic chemicals. But it’s a very known reality that frequent use of disinfectants and antibacterial soaps not only kill pathogens, they also kill the beneficial bacteria on our hands, meant to protect us from disease. Through continuous use of these, modern society successfully developed super bugs, which are resistant to drugs and so a common cold could easily morph into a serious, hard to eradicate illness.

Just use plain, natural soap with hot water and a natural disinfectant. They work great to protect you from spreading and catching an infection, without the negative side effects.

Also see: How to Make Your Own Natural Hand Sanitizer – 2 Easy Recipes!

Coughing and Sneezing

This would be a topic which I would rather explain to children, but to my surprise, not many adults think of it either, so I thought to include it here. It’s simply not a good idea to cover your cough or sneeze in your hand! Unless you’d wash your hands after, every single time, which is unlikely. So unless you can use a tissue every time you cough and sneeze, I suggest you do it in your elbow and so reduce the risk of spreading germs.

Building Up a Healthy Immune System, Long Term

Real prevention of disease and a strong immunity overall actually means focusing on two important aspects: a healthy, unprocessed, personalized diet and solving all existent biochemical imbalances. There is really no “magic” nutrient or pill which will “solve” your immunity problems, at least not long term, and mostly not even short term. But a complete healing program can offer you all the necessary tools to bring your body where it needs to be in terms of health. Asking yourself the endless question” what is good for me?” when it comes to food and nutrients can finally have a correct answer today through the use of Metabolic Typing.

Solving your health imbalances needs a profound, holistic and functional approach to health, where your unique nutritional, biochemical and genetic requirements are fully met. There are many imbalances that can affect immunity: from mineral deficiencies like zinc and selenium, to digestive dysfunction, to heavy metal toxicity and hidden pathogens. They all determine biochemical chaos and need to be addressed properly, to obtain a good resistance to infectious disease.

Also see: Immune Support Tonic – Delicious Natural Recipe!

Gargle Recipe for Sore Throats

If you haven’t tried this recipe yet, I suggest you do at the first signs of sore throat and you’ll convince yourself how powerful natural plants can be!

1 Tbsp dried sage leaves
1-2 Tbsp unrefined salt
1 tsp organic, goldenseal root powder
a pinch of cayenne (optional)
1/2 cup organic, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar

To make the gargle: pour 1/2 cup boiling water over the dried sage. Cover and let steep for 30 to 45 minutes, then strain. Add the salt, goldenseal powder, and cayenne, if using, to the still warm tea and stir to dissolve. Stir in the apple cider vinegar.

To use: gargle a tsp or two of this mix every 1/2 to 1 hour. The longer you can stand to gargle, the better. Don’t swallow: it won’t be harmful, buy it won’t taste too good.

Cough Recipe for Stubborn Coughs

There are many teas that can help with coughs. A combination of herbs like sage, thyme, mint, echinacea, basil and hyssop can work well on coughs, But what I have found to be a rapid relief for stubborn, lingering coughs is the recipe below:

1/2 tsp ginger powder
1 pinch of pippali or black pepper
1 tsp ghee or coconut oil or coconut cream
(preferably ghee because it helps with nutrient absorption in the intestines)
1/2 tsp raw honey (optional)
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1/2 tsp turmeric (optional)

You combine all ingredients and form a paste of ghee and spices. Pour hot water and sip slowly. Ginger is the one to have a fast action on cough relief and it’s also anti-inflammatory. Ghee acts as a “gastric band aid”, especially because ginger and pepper are strong together but also very warming!

Enjoy the benefits and stay healthy!

Article sources:

• www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/the-skinny-on-fats/

Recommended articles by Raluca Schachter:

• Vitamin D Supplementation: This is Why It Can Be Wrong
• Hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s? What You Need to Know and Why It Matters
• Understanding Cannabis Oil
• 6 Steps to Solve Your Blood Sugar Problems Permanently
• Antibiotic Resistant Infections: The Dangers… and How You Can Avoid Them
• What Really Happens When You Take Antibiotics?
• Understanding Inflammation and How to Eliminate It Naturally 
• Listen to Your Body. Correct Food Ratios. Reverse Disease.
• Cholesterol Myths Debunked
• Follow The Money In “Sick-Care”: What’s Behind The Drugs And Needles?
• What Happens In Your Body When You Suffer From Thyroid Disease?

About the author:

Raluca Schachter is a dedicated Clinical Nutritionist / Natural Health Practitioner a.k.a “The Health Detective”. Raluca was able to naturally reverse chronic health conditions she was struggling with most of her life, and now uses her knowledge to help as many people as possible do the same. Her health programs and diet plans offer a very unique and comprehensive approach to health, where individual nutritional and biochemical requirements are firstly met using specific nutrients and foods that each metabolism thrives on. Raluca offers her services to international clientele and her practice is fully online based. You can connect with Raluca at www.metabolicenergy.net and https://www.facebook.com/raluca.schachter.metabolicenergy