A Slice of range

V o l u m e 5 I s s u e 5 M a y 2 0 1 1

R E F R E S H I N G Y O U R H E A L T H

Beat flu
naturally
YOU CAN COME BACK FROM FLU WITH SOME HYGIENE,
TENDER LOVING CARE, AND A FEW KITCHEN TRICKS.

A Slice of Orange is a newsletter

designed to help clarify basic health
information and offer juicy tips on
uplifting your health.

Editorial team
Alvin Delfin
Christine Llenes-Delfin
Ivan Olegario, MD

M AY ALWAYS BRINGS WITH IT MAY SHOWERS—AND BY THE TIME THIS MONTH IS OVER, SO
WILL THE SUMMER SEASON. WELCOME THE RAIN, FLOODS, CHILLS—AND THE FLU.
F
lu is a contraction of the word,
“influenza”, an infectious disease
caused by one of the many strains
of the influenza virus. The virus is
transmitted through the air, or through direct
contact with nasal secretions. The virus is
so easy to transmit that every year, up to
500,000 people are afflicted worldwide,
49,000 of which die—mostly the elderly,
young children, or those with other diseas-
es, such as heart disease, lung disease,
cancer, liver disease, kidney disease, or
other diseases that weaken a person’s im-
mune system.
But if you are an everyday healthy Joe/
Jane, you should be able to recover from
Beat flu symptoms
Here are some natural ways to ease the
bothersome cough, nasal congestion, sore
throat, and other symptoms of the flu:
1. Nasal irrigation. Adults with stuffy
noses can clear their stuffy nose of mucus
and viruses by irrigating their nasal cavity
with salt-water. Get a glass of sterilized
warm water. Mix 1/4 teaspoon of salt and
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda (not baking
powder). Using a bulb syringe, squirt water
into one nostril. Let it drain. Repeat two to
three times, and then treat the other nostril.
This can be uncomfortable or painful at first,
but you will get used to it after a while.
For children, use commercially available sa-
line (salt water) nasal sprays.
Do not repeat more than three times a day.
2. Gargle. Gargling with warm fluids
can soothe an itchy throat. You may use
warm water with a pinch of salt, or if it’s
really itchy, use tea. Tea has tannins, which
have an astringent effect that tightens in-
flamed membranes of your throat. You may
also add honey, which has an antimicrobial
V o l u m e 5 I s s u e 5 M a y 2 0 1 1
the flu within a week—that is, after it bat-
ters you down first with a barrage of de-
bilitating symptoms: fever, cough,
colds, body aches, sore throat, fa-
tigue, headache, and watery eyes.
AN EXCEPTION, OF COURSE, IS THE
INFLUENZA A/H1N1 STRAIN, WHICH
CAN BE DEADLY NO MATTER HOW
HEALTHY YOU ARE. IF YOU HAVE
CHEST PAIN OR DIFFICULTY BREATH-
ING, VISIT THE EMERGENCY ROOM.
Fortunately, there are perfectly natu-
ral remedies that you can do to
help you beat the flu.
property. Just make sure you use real, and 5. Sleep with an extra pillow under your
not artificial, honey. Gargle as often as re- head. This will help drain the mucus away
quired. from your sinuses and nasal passages.
3. Steam. This is a remedy that I have 6. Drink lots of fluids. Keeping your-
proven to myself when getting sick over- self hydrated will help liquefy thick mucus.
seas. Cold air is dry, and can dry up and Warm liquids are better than cold ones.
irritate your nose and throat. What I do is Drink at least 8 cups of warm water, tea or
sit inside a closed bathroom with the hot juices every day.
shower on, creating steam. This is much
7. Drink a hot toddy. Do this ONLY
safer than to sit under a pot of boiling wa-
if you are having a hard time sleeping be-
ter, where you can burn yourself with the
cause of nasal congestion—and you do not
flame, water or steam. But if you do decide
have liver disease. First, make a cup of hot
to use boiling water, throw in a few slices
tea. Add one teaspoon of honey and one
of ginger into the water for a more soothing
small shot of whiskey or brandy. Add some
effect. Repeat every four hours.
lemon juice. Do not drink more than one
4. Hot or cold packs. This is to soothe serving, because too much alcohol can ir-
congested and painful sinuses. To make a ritate the membranes of your nose and
throat.
pack, fill a bottle with warm/cold water,
and then wrap the bottle with a washcloth
so you won’t burn your skin with the heat/
cold. Apply on your sinuses (just above or
below your eyes) for five to 10 minutes. Re-
peat three times a day. During the first day
of illness, a cold pack is best. Thereafter,
use a warm pack.
 V o l u m e 5 I s s u e 5 M a y 2 0 1 1

Beat flu faster

HERE ARE SOME NATURAL WAYS TO GET WELL, FASTER: Echinacea boosts the immune system, re-
lieves pain and inflammation, and may
have hormonal, antiviral, and antioxidant
effects. Echinacea supplements are avail-
able in many health shops. To be effective,
take a dose at the very first sign of the flu,
and every four hours after that until you are
well.

Echinacea can be very potent, and may

1. Sleep. The flu virus is extremely taxing
on your immune system. Sleep will balance
the hormones in your body and conserve
nutrients to ensure that your body can com-
bat the virus faster.
2. Eat foods that boost your im-
mune system. Load your body with
vitamin C by eating fruits, bell peppers and
tomatoes. Stack up on beta-carotene with
carrots and squash. Onions and garlic
have phytochemicals that also boost your
immune system.
3. Hot chicken soup. Naturally made
chicken soup has been clinically proven
to help shorten a flu’s duration. It may be
because of the warmth, or some chemicals
from the chicken or the vegetables, but no-
body’s sure. All we know is that it works.
4. Echinacea. Nature’s wonder drug,
sometimes cause allergies, asthma attacks,
nausea, vomiting, unpleasant taste, stom-
ach pain, diarrhea, sore throat, dry mouth,
headache, numbness of the tongue, diz-
ziness, insomnia, disorientation, and joint
and muscle aches.
If it is your first time to take it, stop as soon
as you feel it is not working or develop any
of the mentioned side effects. Visit a doc-
tor. Also, do not take Echinacea if you are
drinking coffee or other medications, or if
you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have
other diseases.
In less than a week, you’d be up and
about, healthy, naturally!

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all matters relating to your health, particularly for symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention. Dying to ask
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