I can’t think of many things that are less appealing than a bout of the flu. I know there are worse things to endure, but if we are to believe the current media frenzy we’re in for a pandemic of… well… pandemic proportion.
So, what can we do to brace ourselves for the rush of germs that is apparently on its way? First, know that the swine flu is no more deadly than any other flu virus. It’s just more easily spread. Take your usual precautions- washing your hands frequently, eating fresh, whole foods (I’m assuming you’re doing that), getting ample rest, and drinking enough water. Beyond that, a little research may be in order.
To vaccinate or not to vaccinate? I’m not going to jump onto the conspiracy bandwagon here, but I have strong opinions about vaccinations. Personally, I haven’t had a flu shot in years, and my kids have never had one. I’ve done enough research to conclude that the risk of the vaccine outweighs the risk of the virus.
The old standby supplements are still recommended- Vitamin C and Echinacea are among the favorites for prevention- but there is an abundance of research to support some new ideas. My favorite is Colloidal Silver, which has been used for centuries to kill bacteria. Another interesting trend is toward Vitamin D as a preventative. That makes sense, since we’re more prone to infection during the winter months when our exposure to the sun, our main source of vitamin D is minimized. Even if it doesn’t help fight off the flu, there are enough other reasons to take a good vitamin D-3 supplement (have you heard the one about cancer prevention?) to keep me taking it.
So, don’t let the media stress you out. With a little common sense and an eye toward prevention, the flu season doesn’t have to get you down.
The Healthy Writer 
Pravda reported not long ago that colloidal silver stops the swine flu in its tracks. Now, I would not normally consider Pravda as a sterling source of information, even if the word does mean “truth” in Russian. However, in regards to the swine flu and colloidal silver they were spot on, and this was apparently borne out when an unsolicited testimonial came in to the company Pravda recommended from a family of three people who used colloidal silver to wipe out the Swine flu during the initial outbreak in New York (and the swine flu was confirmed by a doctor who did throat swab cultures).
You can see the original article at:
http://english.pravda.ru/science/health/30-04-2009/107477-Colloidal_silver-0
Or, if you want to avoid the scantily clad women and sometimes tasteless photos and stories about UFOs and such that would normally turn most of us away from a source like Pravda, you can also see the article on the home page of tbyil.com
Tony, thanks for that link. I have a lot of stories from my doctor, who has used colloidal silver with her patients for years. That and zeolite, for removing toxic heavy metals from the cells.