H1N1 experience... interesting herbal discovery and REMEDIES!

[hunybee]

bump for the season


it's that time of year again. the elderberry syrup recipe is post #8

make it now while no one is sick so you will have it when you need it

[Summerthyme]

Christie... unfortunately, that wasn't our experience. Neither hubby or I have any "preexisting conditions", we both work full time on our dairy, and haven't seen a doctor in years. My DD (who thankfully had a mild case, as it turned out she was about 4 weeks pregnant when she caught H1N1) is a marathon runner.

The most serious cases of THIS particular flu seemed to be in people who were normally healthy, which isn't unexpected given the presumption that it was creating a cytokine storm in those people (where their strong immune systems actually were turned into overdrive and against their own bodies). Very few older people died from H1N1, but an awful lot (comparably, to "regular flu") of healthy teenagers and young pregnant women DID.

We don't do flu shots- never have, don't see any reason to. And for parents of young children, you might want to look into the studies that show that 1000 IU of Vitamin D3 daily actually is several times more effective in preventing them from getting the flu than the vaccine is.

And Huny is right... getting the syrup made ahead of time and having it on hand is well worth the effort. In normal years, as long as we take it at the first sign of any symptoms, we never get sick at all.

Summerthyme

[ChristieAcres]

I wish I knew why all of our friends & family members who didn't get the shot & were healthy, all were exposed to H1N1, and none caught this flu. There has to be something we all have in common that was a deterrent. Some of us work out, others don't, some eat organically, others don't, and so on. We don't even live in the same cities.

Len & I eat a lot of blueberries, eat mostly organic, cook our meals from scratch, don't eat junk food, and I don't even eat sugar. We drink Kefir smoothies (bananas, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, or strawberries) every day, and I drink Comfrey Infusions regularly, also, "Comfrey Uplandica," leaves used only. Neither of us drink, smoke, or take drugs. We are both physically fit and not overweight. Our friends and the family I mentioned? Some drink, smoke, etc..., none eat as well as we do. The only thing we all had in common, I could figure out? None of us seemed to catch anything, hardly ever getting sick. I am wondering if we developed an immunity, not sure how you can with that nasty bug without catching it.

I will be making up that syrup and be ready just in case! Thanks, Summerthyme!

[ChristieAcres]

I hadn't read through all the posts, but came across some info on the net about drinking Kefir Milk daily. VIT D use, of course, has been proven as a preventative. Kefir Milk contains VIT D3. In addition, it is recommended for when you have the flu to speed recovery.

[IDK]

How many that have gotten h1.... have gotten the .gov flu shots?

[Summerthyme]

None of us that I know of...

(but some of my DD's co-workers did get the vaccine, and the flu. Not necessarily within a few weeks, but the vaccine definitely didn't seem to be very protective)

Summerthyme

[ChristieAcres]

My SIL got the H1N1 after getting her shot. Her sister, other SIL got H1N1 after getting the nasal spray to prevent it. Both maintained it was within the period they shouldn't have contracted it. Then the 2nd SIL told me live H1N1 were used in the nasal spray. Both MIL and FIL got the shots, but didn't get the flu. My friends and most of my direct family don't get flu shots. We have all elected to practice prevention methods as well as make sure we are prepared to self treat at onset of flu symptoms.

[cache]

My family had an awful flu last late Sept./Oct. It was very likely H1N1 as that was the dominant strain in the area and the time. I had my elderberry tincture already made up and in the cabinet. But this flu hit so hard and so fast, I didn't even remember that I had any tincture! My fever shot up to 105, the kids and DH were around 103. I think I was hit the hardest and took the longest in getting my strength back. DD, who is asthmatic and will require prednisone to keep breathing during a regular old cold, came through it in the shortest time and with the least breathing problems. DH also had it a bit milder, but was still down for a few days. I remember very little of that time, except almost passing out on the way to the bathroom and everything having a funny yellow/orange tint. I was really too sick to know how sick I was. Nasty flu.

[agr8gem57]

This is a wonderful thread. I'm bumping it to bring attention to it. Love all these remedies!

[Theresej]

I would like to add an idea here that I have found very helpful after an almost fatal end to the flu 2 years ago.

I don't know if anyone here remembers me from Adelph's site, but I used to particpate all the time in these discussions.

But 2 years ago, I got the flu, pretty bad, developed pneumonia which kept coming back. I was sick for three months, then ended up with massive blood clots to both sides of my lungs which should have killed me. It is by the grace of God that it didn't. My recovery was very slow due to other conditions that are not yet well understood.

However, since then, I have not been sick with the flu once - not been sick at all.

I take only one thing at the first sign of symptoms of cold or flu. A homeopathic remediy Oscilliccocinum. I hope this might help others here as well.