Preventing the Flu Naturally

One of the main topics flooding the news is the activity surrounding the flu virus. Flu virus activity usually runs from October to May. Although people have received or are getting the flu shot, they are still getting sick with the flu. If people are still getting sick, then what's the remedy? The key to flu prevention rests primarily on having a strong immune system. When properly cared for, your immune system is the number one defense to staying healthy all year round. Here’s what you can do naturally to fight off and prevent the flu.

Your Blood Stream Naturally Fights Off Sickness & Disease

The blood also known as the River of Life, has the natural ability to ward off sickness and disease with agents known as antibodies (1). Antibodies which are a part of the immune system, prevent infection from gaining a foothold in our bodies, while our white blood cells fight off infection as it occurs in the body. The flu vaccination contains various strains of the flu virus. When the virus is injected into the bloodstream, antibodies recognize the infection, increase in large numbers and go to work to kill the virus. However, if the person receiving the vaccination has a weakened immune system, the antibodies and white blood cells are not strong enough to fight off the infection and the individual becomes sick and the vaccination serves no purpose other than contaminating the bloodstream with a virus.

People Still Getting Sick with the Flu

Have you or someone that you know gotten extremely ill after receiving the flu shot or a vaccination? More than likely, it may have been due to an adverse chemical reaction or a weakened immune system. If an infected person comes in contact with another person with a weakened immune system, there is a strong possibility they will become sick. Two of the most vulnerable populations that fall into this category are young children, because their immune systems are still being developed, and the elderly, due to environmental toxins, sedentary lifestyles, and poor eating habits that may have weakened their system. The decline in American health and the increased number of autoimmune disorders and other diseases of the blood puts even more individuals at risk. The CDC makes it clear that there are no guarantees that flu vaccinations will work based on factors such as age, health, and virus strain matching (2).

During years when the flu vaccine is not well matched to circulating viruses, it’s possible that no benefit from flu vaccination may be observed. During years when there is a good match between the flu vaccine and circulating viruses, it’s possible to measure substantial benefits from vaccination in terms of preventing flu illness. However, even during years when the vaccine match is very good, the benefits of vaccination will vary across the population, depending on characteristics of the person being vaccinated and even, potentially, which vaccine was used.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Based on the CDC's findings, getting the flu vaccination to prevent the flu is hit or miss. In most cases, instead of preventing the flu, flu vaccinations interfere with the body’s natural process of fighting off infection and disease.

How to Build Up Your Immune System

The most effective and powerful way to prevent the flu is to build up your immune system by consistently nourishing your body with fresh air, routine exercise, organic whole food, clean water, proper rest, and by eliminating toxins from your environment.

Fresh Air

Breathing is a process that we don’t give much thought to. Our bodies are divinely fashioned to perform this automatic function day in and day out. When we inhale fresh air, oxygen enters the lungs and moves throughout the blood. Breathing is responsible for several vital functions, which include: supplying our kidneys and brain with oxygen-rich blood, removing toxins like carbon dioxide from the body, regulating physiological and psychological functions, balancing our nervous and circulatory systems, and controlling our metabolism.

Since oxygen is one of the most essential elements to regulate and sustain the human body, getting out into the fresh air must be one of the primary areas of focus when addressing flu prevention and physical health. You can get more fresh air into your body by practicing focused breathing during brisk walks for at least 15-30 minutes daily 5 times a week. Be sure to concentrate on your breathing i.e. inhaling deeply through your nose and exhaling completely through your mouth. If walking during the colder months, be sure to wear layers to stay warm.

You Must Get Up and Out, It’s Time to Move…

One of the most important aspects of exercising is to adopt a variety of activities that are unique to you. These activities need to be simple, fun, enjoyable, and rewarding. Exercising outdoors boosts your health even more. When exercise is practiced on a regular basis it improves your chances of living longer and healthier, helps prevent bone loss or osteoporosis, reduces the risk of heart disease and diabetes, lowers blood pressure, relieves symptoms associated with depression, improves sleep, prevents weight gain, enhances cognitive abilities and improves heart, lung, and muscle fitness.

If you’re just beginning to exercise, remember to be patient with yourself and start out slow. As little as 20 minutes of outdoor exercise such as brisk walking three times a week in green space is a great place to start. If you need a little motivation to help you get started, find a fitness trainer in your area or partner with a friend to help you reach your health goals. The beginning of any journey always begins with one step.

Healthy Eating

Make a commitment to eliminate refined sugar and processed food from your diet. Both of these greatly weaken the immune system, making you more susceptible to the flu virus. Incorporate organic, Non-GMO whole foods, humanely raised meats, cold water fish, fruits, vegetables and healthy oils into your daily meals. Processed foods are stripped of essential minerals, vitamins, and nutrients, and are converted into toxic food products with little to no nutritional value. Because our blood cells are living organisms, they need whole living food to stay healthy. Unprocessed, whole foods are considered living food and provide our blood cells with an abundance of nourishment and healing. Processed food products contain no life and are nutritionally dead. Living whole food in the form of fresh fruits and vegetables and clean meats are natural medicine for the body.

Drink More Water

Water is an extremely vital nutrient, and is more than just a liquid substance to satisfy thirst. No other fluid matter outside of water can supply the body with an abundance of nutrition, energy, life, and strength to support its overall survival and development. The brain and heart are composed of 73% water, and the lungs are about 83% water. The skin contains 64% water, muscles, and kidneys are 79%, and even the bones are 31% water (3). Because our bodies primarily consist of water, a multitude of operations cannot function properly without it (4).

Drinking water aids the bloodstream to flow freely and flushes out toxins within the blood. Without drinking water, the buildup of toxins in the bloodstream cannot be removed and creates an unhealthy and highly toxic environment for infections, bacteria, fungus, and parasites to thrive, including the flu virus. The ultimate purpose of drinking water is to keep the body cleansed, balanced, and healthy.

Commit to increase your daily intake of water. If you’re just starting out, try drinking one cup of filtered or purified water 30 minutes before breakfast, 30 minutes before lunch and 30 minutes before dinner (before 7 p.m.). This will help you to get into the habit of drinking water regularly throughout the day and will also aid in proper digestion. Drinking water doesn't have to be boring! Add fun and variety to your water by infusing fresh or frozen fruit or a splash of 100% fruit juice such as blueberry, apple, cherry, or pomegranate.

Proper Sleep

Over the past 30 years, there has been a drastic shift concerning the American way of life. Unfortunately and to our demise, our society has become one that is driven by achieving high productivity and high profits, overruling the need to rest from physical labor. We live in an era where 24/7 operations have become the norm. We have become enslaved to never-ending, jam-packed schedules and extensive to-do lists all encompassing, work, home, family, and community, vehemently crowding out time and space to rest. Excessive work without rest is a dangerous formula that only results in spiritual, physical, and mental fatigue, eventually leading to burnout.

While we are sleeping, the body undergoes a natural healing process, recovering from the wear and tear the body experiences throughout the day. During this time of healing, blood cells, heart vessels, muscle tissues, joints, and ligaments are repaired. Hormones and blood sugar levels are properly regulated and the immune system and brain functions are strengthened.

Listening to your body is vital to determining whether or not you are meeting your sleeping needs. Commit to make sleep a priority in your life, as well as protect your times of sleep. As you do, your body will begin to follow its innate rhythm for natural sleeping patterns. The results will yield an overall improvement in your health.

Eliminate Toxic Products from Your Environment

Just about everyone spends a large amount of time indoors. When routinely enclosed inside of a building, the body is deprived of fresh air to properly oxygenate blood cells. Enclosed spaces subject the body to poor ventilation, synthetic materials, chemical pollutants from cleaners, toxins from heating and air conditioning units, airborne particles from dust, carpet fibers or fungal spores and when inhaled they release invisible toxins into your system, contaminating the bloodstream. The EPA has deemed poor indoor air quality as one of the top five health hazards of our generation (5).

Subjecting the body to enclosed spaces for prolonged periods of time, is like setting up camp in an invisible war zone; surrounded by a stealthy and unseen enemy ready to invade and attack your bloodstream with hundreds of dangerously toxic poisons.

Rock Your World Naturally: 7 Divine Keys to Unlock Extraordinary Health

Rekishia L. McMillan, MSW, Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach

We are all exposed to small or larger doses of indoor and external poisons depending on your lifestyle and what region of the country you may live or work in. Toxins cannot be avoided. A wealth of information exists about the negative consequences stemming from inhaling toxins, but having the information is not enough. Counter measures such as getting out into the fresh air and removing toxic products from your home or office are necessary to guard your health from these effects. Rid your home of products that contain hazardous chemicals and replace them with safe, effective, and natural alternatives. For alternative choices visit http:// www.osha.gov and http://www2.epa.gov/saferchoice.

By incorporating these lifestyle changes, your body will have the ability to fight off the flu, as well as other sicknesses and diseases naturally. For more about how you can take charge of your health get a copy of my award-winning book, Rock Your World Naturally: 7 Divine Keys to Unlock Extraordinary Health and the companion journal 28-Days and Beyond Wellness Journal.