Mother Nature's Remedy for Flu Season

By Donald Payne

Hello again, dear readers. Fall is so beautiful. We still have fair temperatures, the summer heat and drought are over, tree leaves are changing color, and the holiday “festivities” are about to begin.

All generally appears well except that we are seeing more colds and more flu cases day after day. Yes, the cold and flu season is here. In fact, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we Americans suffer nearly 1 billion colds per year and lose approximately 42 million work- and schooldays because of them each year. As for the flu, it causes more than 100,000 hospitalizations and as many as 70,000 deaths each year.

In the natural school, the viewpoint regarding colds is that what we call a cold is the healthy body’s attempt to discharge toxins and purify itself. Think of how many times we eat too fast or too much. How many times during the year we drink alcohol or eat sugar? These become a part of us and need to be eliminated to make way for new and (we hope) cleaner tissues and cells. The healthy immune system allows the discharge to go no further and to cause no more harm.

Any one of more than 200 viruses can cause a “cold.” It begins as the virus penetrates the mucus layer lining the nose and throat, enters cells, replicates, and starts spreading. Our body responds by swelling nasal passageways and increasing mucus production. The associated coughing, sneezing, sore throat, headache, stuffy/runny nose, and so on usually last 7-14 days, but when immunity continues to be low, a cold can progress to secondary bacterial infections.

Fortunately, recent studies have offered new support for an old remedy for respiratory disorders from South Africa, Pelargonium sidoides or “Umcka,” as it is called by the South African tribal healers.

In the late 1800s, an Englishman with tuberculosis, “Major Stevens,” was treated by a local tribal healer with a decoction of this plant and he was apparently cured. Stevens returned to England and introduced his secret remedy. This “Umcka” became popular throughout Europe as “Stevens Consumption Cure.” In 1920, the missionary doctor Adrien Sechehaye learned of Stevens’ cure and treated about 800 patients in Switzerland with a homeopathic preparation of the roots of the same plant, Pelargonium sidoides. His successful experiments and case studies were published in 1930. But with the advent of synthetic drugs, these Pelargonium sidoides (or Umcka) medications were largely forgotten—until their recent rediscovery by European researchers.

In 2003, a paper published in affiliation with the European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy reported that a double placebo-controlled clinical trial clearly showed the efficacy of Umcka extracts for use in cases of upper respiratory infections and bronchitis.

The herb company Nature’s Way is the sole distributer of Umcka in the United States and in two years it has become one of the best-selling products in the natural-products industry. Try some this winter as soon as you feel a problem start. Usually what I do is use Umcka and the elderberry extract Sambucol in abundance, along with the usual vitamin C, vitamin A, echinacea, goldenseal, and mushroom extracts to boost and regulate my immune system.

Another supplement I cannot leave out of my daily regimen is the omega 3 fish oils. There is virtually no other source of omega 3 oils in my diet besides fish. So I take up to 1,000 mg of EPA and 300-500 mg of DHA per day. My ideal choice is always Nordic Naturals fish oils. They are pharmaceutical-grade, molecularly distilled pure fish oils. I don’t belch them up when I take three or four capsules at one time, which I do sometimes for an anti-inflammatory effect (especially after raking leaves and pine needles and working in my yard all day long).

Stay Healthy,

Donald Payne

Donald Payne is a nutrition specialist at S&S Produce in Chico CA. He has dedicated his life to alternative ways of dealing with allergies and staying healthy. He studied and practice Oriental Medicine in Chicago. He also studied acupuncture and alternative healing methods that led him into a long career in health foods.

This article was re-published using permission from the Lotus Guide Magazine and it is copyrighted. No reproduction of this article is allowed without the express consent of the Lotus Guide Magazine.

The Lotus Guide Magazine is produced and published out of Chico Ca.
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