How to Avoid the Flu and Colds

From Eastern Illinois University

CDC-- Click on picture to see a big view of it.

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Colds and the Flu Are Optional

California’s Premier Endocrinologist, Joe Prendergast M.D. explains that vitamin D is really a hormone and that is why it is so powerful. He says that taking vitamin D increases your immune system strength 3 to 5 times. He says "Vitamin D is a miracle drug." See video below.

Note that I had not had a cold, flu or headache in over 15 years. About 20 years ago I had a flu where I had almost a 104 F fever. I had a terrible headache. It would only take less than 20 minutes to be freezing cold. Then I would get under a lot of covers and warm up and go to sleep. Then I would wake up about 30 minutes and be boiling hot and jump out from under the covers. This cycle went on all day and night.

Have you heard the saying "Feed a cold, starve a fever." Here is what Duke Medicine says about that saying (Duke Medicine conceptually integrates the Duke University Health System, the Duke University School of Medicine, and the Duke University School of Nursing.): [Later it will explain this]

No one really knows the origins of the axiom, but most accounts link it back as early as 1574, when dictionary writer John Withals wrote “Fasting is a great remedie of feuer [fever].”

My uncle is a PhD in chemistry and he taught me to think like a scientist at a very young age. So his experiment was to see what would happen if someone grew up thinking like a scientist.

If you get the flu, it is a warning that something is wrong with your immune system. If you do not fix it then it is likely that you will have other diseases that cause damage.

Immune System not Germs

Louis Pasteur is considered the father of the Germ Theory of Medicine and he invented the process of pasteurization. On his deathbed, he even recanted saying the Germ Theory was all wrong: "It’s the terrain, not the germ."

Say you wanted to avoid a fight. The better fighter you are, the better you are at avoiding a fight. Take Iron Mike Tyson. He would knock out pro boxers in under a minute. He fought Marvin Fraser who was Joe Frazier's son and a great boxer. Marvin had a 6 inch reach advantage on Mike but Mike knocked him out in 25 seconds of the match and the referee stopped the fight. A strong immune system can avoid lots of sickness including cancer.

If the immune system is not compromised it can easily prevent you from getting sick. Plus it can help you avoid infectious diseases and non-infectious diseases like cancer. Washing hands is like always running away and hiding from germs. Strengthen your immune system and you can survive a pandemic while others are dropping like flies. Germs are everywhere.

The human is the most evolved organism on the planet. Some have disagreed but the purpose of evolution is to survive. Many species of organisms have become extinct in recent years. The population of humans have continually grown for the past 10,000 years unlike any other species. Its immune system if healthy can easily fight off any infectious disease.

It is possible that all colds or flu are related to dairy consumption, especially in colder weather. Cow's milk is the second most consumed milk. The first most consumed is goat's milk that the USDA says is healthier than cow's milk. Probably the least unhealthy for you is raw goat's milk cheese.

The body actually allows any virus to grow in you when it does not think that you are taking care of yourself and not getting enough rest and sleep. The biggest problems with Americans is that they over-eat and under-sleep. That is why the body allows the virus to grow in you, to kick your butt so you have to take it easy.

Vitamin D-- the Sunshine Hormone

First there is a lot of recent research done showing the importance of vitamin D, the sunshine hormone. In the summer, the sunshine is brighter and people have on less clothes so they get more vitamin D.

They have recently learned that the amount needed for strong bones is not nearly enough to protect you from the above. Vitamin D overdose is rare. If you buy 1,000 IU capsules and take 70 a day for a while, then you will get an overdose. To be very conservative do not take more than 15,000 IU a day, unless a doctor is supervising you. See How Much Vitamin D Should You Take Daily to prevent getting colds and flus.

Plenty of Sleep

Also getting plenty of sleep is important to the immune system. A study showed that people who get less than 7 hours of sleep a night are 3 times more likely to get the flu than people who get over 8 hours of sleep a night. During the holidays people have a tendency to get less sleep.

The cleaner that it is inside the body, the better the immune system works. Everyday the body is taking in toxins and producing metabolic toxins. Also everyday the body is cleaning out toxins. A big part of the immune system is the lymphatic system. But it requires movement to work well. So exercise will help it to work much better. When it is warmer, the body sweats more and the skin is the largest excretory organ in the body. The excretory organs include skin, lungs, liver and kidneys. The colon is an organ of elimination.

Exercise helps you to sweat more. This helps the body to become cleaner inside. Sweating is also a major reason that people get colds and flu during the cold months instead of the warmer months.

Fasting or Eating Less

When Mark Twain would get a cold or flu, he would fast to get over it the quickest way. Fasting helps the body to get rid of toxins at an accelerated rate. Regular fasting can help you to avoid it. Fasting (consuming only water) is the fastest way to get over the flu.

Raw fruits and vegetables, organically grown, are a very clean burning fuel. Unhealthy foods like junk food, cakes, cookies, refined grains and animal foods are not as clean burning and make it harder for the immune system to work. So fasting or a cleansing diet helps the body to keep from getting sick. Stress weakens the immune system so do something like yoga to reduce stress.

A cold or flu is a chance for you to become healthier. The body has an inner intelligence that only cares about the health of your body, It does not care about your money, your job, your ego, your relationships or any of that. So you may be too busy being important to get enough sleep or you do not want to be bothered with eating less or healthier. But when you get sick it becomes a priority since you feel so sick.

Then you can take off work, get more rest and sleep and let your body heal itself. It is time to nurture yourself. Your taste does not work as well so you cannot enjoy eating like normal. This makes it easier for you to eat less or fast. Fasting may make you feel worse but it will speed up the process that is taking place. Eating may make you feel better, but it slows down the cleansing process that is taking place.

Some people choose to fight the flu. They do not give the body what it needs but they try to SUPPRESS the symptoms with drugs or natural remedies. Then these people can end up being sick for weeks or even months. The body is talking to you. It is saying "give me what I need or you will feel awful for a long time." Only the body can heal itself. Studies show that it helps reduce getting sick if you eat more fruits and vegetables and reduce eating animal foods.

In conclusion, vitamin D is not a vitamin since by definition vitamins cannot be produced by the body. It is a hormone. If you cannot get enough from sunlight then take a good supplement.

Do not take a supplement of vitamin C. Why not? Richard Schulze N.D. says that a vitamin C supplement is mostly ascorbic acid. He says "There are over 5,000 natural vitamin C complexes and flavones (a colorless crystalline compound that is the basis of a number of white or yellow plant pigments) found in foods that are extremely important to health." So instead eat lots of fruits and vegetables that are much higher in vitamin C than other foods. See video below with studies on this.

Also exercise keeps the lymphatic system moving to help clean out toxins and extra sweating makes the body get rid of more toxlns.

Using the Produce Aisle to Boost Immune Function-- Flus or Colds. Less than 5 minutes. By Michael Greger M.D. who reads all the papers on health and food so you don't have to. He has written that studies show that the best food to eat to avoid getting the flu or lessen the time you have it is by eating kiwi fruits.

Joe Prendergast M.D., California's Leading Endocrinologist talks about the benefits of vitamin D in 8 minutes. Listen to it.

Dr. Joel Fuhrman M.D. treats people with fasting and a change in diet. He says that if you want to eat foods that prevent and fight diseases, you should eat G--BOMBS. It stands for greens, berries, onions, mushrooms, beans and seeds/nuts. Mushrooms are known for helping the immune system and helping the body fight off the flu.

If you want to surprise some dinner guests, put some mushrooms in the salad and tell them they are eating fungus. Mushrooms are fungus. Berries are among the healthiest foods and include blueberries, goji berries, pomegranates and acai berries. They are the best food for the brain.

A lot of the time children get diseases that the parents get because that is where they learn their lifestyle. Fruit is pre-digested and only needs about 20 minutes to pass through the stomach. Other foods are in the stomach for hours. So it is better to eat fruits first and wait 20 minutes before eating other foods. You can compare the above to what WebMD says in Keep Your Immune System Healthy. They say:

Your immune system defends you against the viruses that cause colds and flu. These eight steps can help support your immune system so it's ready to fight those viruses.

Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Get at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week.

Get enough sleep.

Wash your hands.

Keep up with your vaccinations. Almost everyone who's at least 6 months old should get a flu vaccine every year.

Keep your weight healthy.

Don't drink too much alcohol.

Don't smoke.

Keep in mind that the flu vaccine has mercury in it. They say it is totally safe but they took out of all children's vaccines. Also they have not done any studies on it not even to show that it is better than no vaccines. Their goal is to sell it. It is made for everyone to take, even healthy people that never get the flu.