The time of the year has now come when these problems are more common. Conventional wisdom tells us that there is no cure for the common cold or 'flu, and the only preventative offered is the 'flu jab, which certain groups in the population are exhorted to have at this time of the year. There is, however, no vaccination offered against the common cold.

If we get any of these problems, we are told to stay in bed and take paracetamol to bring our temperatures down. Often antibiotics are prescribed, despite the fact that colds and 'flu are viral infections, and about 95% of sore throats are caused by viruses; antibiotics don't kill viruses!

We are told that there is no cure for the common cold or 'flu, and yet there are numerous people heavily involved in nutritional healing who never need to take a day off due to colds or 'flu.

How is this achieved?

The apparent immunity to viral infections of those who heavily use nutritional and herbal methods is in two parts:

A/ Prevention

B/ Treatment

No preventative methods against any problem are ever 100%, so the more aggressive methods for treatment sometimes need to be used.

A/ Prevention

There is an old saying "Prevention is better than cure", and this is absolutely true. The healthy person will catch a cold about once a year, and 'flu about every five years. The extremely well-protected person will not be greatly inconvenienced by either event.

Prevention is mainly nutritional, but herbal methods can be of great use.

Nutritional

A strong immune system is one of the body's defences against attacking organisms, but a further defence is the strength of the body's "walls", like the outer ramparts of a castle. These are the skin, the lung surfaces, and the intestinal walls. All these tissues form a physical barrier against invasive organisms and chemicals.

Against this background, we suggest the following preventative aids:

¨      Vitamin A and zinc; both very important for condition of all "skin". This includes the skin on the outside of the body, but also the elasticity and strength of the lung surfaces and intestinal walls.

¨      Vitamin C; this vitamin may be the most important of all nutrients. It has powerful anti-viral effects in its own right, but also increases the activity of various components of the immune system. It increases production of interferon, which is the body's own antiviral compound.

¨      B complex vitamins; vitamin B6 is the most important, being needed for the production of antibodies and T lymphocytes. The other B vitamins help function of both B and T cells.

¨      Vitamin E is an important all-rounder. It helps B and T cell function, particularly when taken with selenium.

¨      Selenium and zinc; both of these positively affect immune power, selenium working well with vitamin E and zinc with vitamin A.

Shopping list for immune nutrition:

¨      Strong multivitamin/mineral containing at least 10mg zinc, 50mg B complex and 100iu vitamin E.

¨      Selenium; 100mcg per day.

¨      Vitamin C; at least 1000mg per day.

Herbal

¨      Garlic; probably the best known of the herbs, having good anti-fungal and anti-bacterial effects.

¨      Cats Claw; not yet so well known, but probably the most versatile and powerful anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal herb in existence. It is so powerful that if used in large enough amounts, it will remove the symptoms of 'flu in about 48 hours. This will be outlined later.

¨      Elderberry; specific for cold and ‘flu viruses, it works by inhibiting replication of the virus and therefore allows the immune system to get on top of the infection.

Treatment

Nutritional

Continue with the nutritional supplementation outlined earlier; i.e. a strong multivitamin/mineral plus 100mcg selenium.

Vitamin C is extremely non-toxic, and can be used in very large amounts. We suggest fifteen grams per day, starting immediately at the onset of symptoms of cold or 'flu. It is best taken at the rate of 1000mg per hour, but if you forget a dose, take more later.

Zinc has been shown to prevent the multiplication of viruses when in contact with them. A zinc lozenge containing 25mg of zinc should be sucked as slowly as possible three times per day. This should not be done for more than a week.

Herbal

Cats Claw; At a dosage rate of 450-500mg per day, it is a powerful immune system stimulant, but if symptoms develop, then it is best to use Cats Claw aggressively. If the herb is taken at the rate of 6000mg per day, it is unusual for symptoms to persist after the second day. This is a must for the medicine cupboard.

Elderberry extract; Dr. Madelene Mumcuoglu, a virologist working in Israel, also produced remission of 'flu symptoms within 48 hours using elderberry extract. In order to multiply, viruses have to enter the body's cells. So if you can stop the virus getting into the cells, you stop the multiplication. This is just what elderberry extract does. Viruses try to puncture cell walls using tiny spikes; the elderberry extract binds to the spikes and stops the virus getting in. It is effective against all 'flu viruses.

There are some who think that as a treatment against viruses only, as against bacteria and fungi as well, elderberry extract is even more powerful than Cats Claw. A mixture of both has been tried with great success, at the rate of 4gms cats claw and 2gms elderberry extract per day.

Grapefruit seed extract; this is another fairly recent newcomer, with wide-ranging effects. It has probably weaker anti-viral effects than cats claw and elderberry extract, but very strong effects against bacteria, fungi and other parasites, and even intestinal worms.

To buy any of these products, click this link: www.NationalNutrition.co.uk