Prevent The Flu The Natural Way This Season

Walking out of the grocery store one day, there was a huge sign offering FLU shots beginning in the fall. Instead, they should give out free lottery tickets for the protection it would offer so you would not have to worry about the dangerous side effects.

Flu shots are not the way to go because there are as many as one hundred strains of the flu virus that could rear its ugly head by winter. The various strains of these viruses are constantly mutating so a flu shot is a hit or miss proposition.

Adverse reactions have been known to occur in as many as half of all those who get a flu shot. The laws make the pharmaceutical companies immune from liability law suits and the success of any flu shot program is based on fear, not effectiveness.

You would think you would be doing the right thing by getting a flu shot for prevention of the flu, however, the fact is they do not work as well as promised. For the elderly, they could be worse off because it puts unnecessary stress on their immune system. Preventing the flu by building your immune system naturally is the way to go.

Here are some techniques and supplements that will help keep you from contracting the flu:

1. Take 1,000 mg. of Vitamin D3 daily - especially during the winter months when sunlight hours are diminished. Vitamin D deficiencies are the reason flu epidemics are seasonal in this country. This very important vitamin increases the production of natural killer cells in the immune system that attack invading pathogens causing their destruction.

2. If you are susceptible to the flu, make sure you take enough Vitamin C, garlic, turmeric and selenium, all of which are readily available at your local health food store.

3. Increase your glutathione levels which is an amino acid found in whey protein powder shown to be a natural way to prevent the flu. You can add whey protein to a smoothie or sprinkle some in your morning oatmeal.

4. Eat cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and kale to increase glutathione levels which are powerful antioxidants. Glutathione helps your body detoxify waste products, drugs, and environmental toxins. It will help increase your natural killer cells which are your first line of defense against any form of invasion in your body. It doesn't matter if they are bacteria, viruses, fungi or even cells that have turned cancerous. NATURAL KILLER CELLS DO NOT HAVE TO BE EXPOSED TO A VIRUS OR ANTIGEN BEFORE THEY CAN TARGET AND KILL INFECTED CELLS.

5. If you insist on getting a flu shot, start taking Ginseng extract at least a month before the shot and continue for another eight weeks after you get the shot. Ginseng has been shown to increase the activity of natural killer cells in the body.

If you still manage to come down with the flu, you can nip it in the bud sooner by taking Elderberry extract at the first sign of the flu. You should take it after you have eaten a meal to avoid any stomach upset.

Breathing the fumes of eucalyptus oil can knock out infections in the nasal passages, sinuses, bronchial tubes and lungs rather quickly. Eucalyptus oil can be purchased in health food stores and herb shops.

Every day we hear more and more about the dangers of a flu epidemic. The media likes to overplay the dangers at times but it all boils down to keeping your immune system strong. Something as simple as taking Vitamin D3 will do wonders for protecting you from getting the flu.

We are all exposed to the flu bug or some other type of pathogen and not everyone gets the flu. It is certainly not because the bug chooses NOT to infect that person. Rather, it is because their immune system is strong enough to keep the flu at bay. The next time you see a sign for flu shots, take a moment and decide to fight the flu by building your immune system the natural way.