Hi all,

Yes, it's flu season; my advice to my patients with a cold or flu is to
"juice fast" on a variety of fresh juices, then after feeling relatively
normal, gradually add back fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, fresh fish over a
period of a few days.  And eat only organic.  It works great for every one
of my patients who try it.  I have observed that dairy, sugar, fried foods,
flour, and any cooked starches will generally worsen all the symptoms.  I
see patients every year, all winter who have the "flu" and I really think
it is a problem with toxicity that beats up the immune system.  I
never/rarely get sick with a cold, and if I feel something coming on I will
immediately juice some carrots and fruit and usually prevent myself from
becoming ill.

> Dear friends:      Even though this is the flu season and everyone in
> the around you or in the  office is sick  and people are hacking and
> coughing...

Also, I believe that eating non-toxic food, meaning organic unprocessed
foods is really really important.  I have a significant other who used to
get colds and flu in the winter every year.  We met five years ago.  At
first he inevitably got sick every year after being exposed to sick people
and take a minimum of 2 weeks to completely recover and become symptom
free; and more if a severe one hit him.  I didn't/don't get ill with colds,
although I used to all the time.

I would give him fresh organic juices each time and he'd recover
"remarkably fast" (according to him).  During the past years we have eaten
the majority of our meals at home and had nearly all organic food; lots of
fresh fish (raw and cooked), a lot of raw foods and cut down on refined
carbs, especially any type of grains (especially flour, including whole
grain organic flours) drastically over a period of months.  He was not been
ill for two years.

Then these past two months he had a heavy work schedule and ate many more
meals "out" when working, and consequently much less of our usual organic
regimen.  He just caught a bad cold for the first time in about two years.
 I immediately insisted he have organic juices for two days, plus my
chinese herbs.  He isn't completely well yet but compared to his previous
state, he'll be over this one in about 90% less time than he would have
been 5 years ago (for a cold of the same severity).  He was a complete
skeptic about food and immunity 5 years ago.  He is not a "true believer"
yet but is now convinced I have some useful tips as he will absolutely
follow my advice on juice fasting etc.  It took him 4 years to admit that I
have the right ideas about this stuff.

A useful supplement for those who want more help is twinlab's brand immune
protectors supplement.  Single traditional chinese herbs that are useful
include mentha (peppermint), lonicera, forsythia, chrysanthemum; fresh is
best; second best is dried herb made into tea.  For sore throats, licorice
root is useful; take a small piece and chew it until the flavor is all
gone, allowing saliva to go down the throat and coat it while the flavor of
the root is in your mouth.  If peppermint is unavailable fresh mints of any
kind are great; take the leaves and eat them instincto style.  Other common
items that are useful for colds that can be consume instincto style
include:  bulb of scallion; crushed fresh garlic; chopped onion. Oh with
peppermin the entire stems, if tender enough also are good.

Hope this helps anyone susceptible to the flu or colds.  Oh BTW I also
think over eating is very bad for your immune system.

Also, ask yourself if you have anything invested in being ill.  Most of the
time people cannot say they need to rest or take time off during the
holidays and are very stressed; and their bodies simply decide that they
WILL rest.  In other words, if you can't decide to get a certain amount of
rest, and respect the limits of your health, your body will decide for you.
 I have nothing invested in being ill unless faced with very unusual
circumstances.  I mean, if you have an unreasonable boss or killer job,
isn't it better to be ill and resting at home than to be at work?  Being
ill is sometimes a safety valve and a red flag that a person needs to take
better care; rather than something to be "conquered" it could be a gift
from
your body giving you a message that it needs some kind of attention.

Happy holidays,
Roberta