How to Naturally Combat the Cold and Flu

Scott: We're in the middle, or maybe the beginning, early stages of cold and flu season.  What are some of the things that people can do naturally to help fight these off or maybe even prevent them from onset?

Dr. Isaac Eliaz: Yeah, we are, of course in the beginning, and of almost the middle of the flu and cold season.  And there are two levels of helping colds and flu.  One is the general health.  It's a little tricky to try to help the colds and flu on an acute basis and then neglect our health nine months out of the year.  So generally just taking care of our general immune system of our stress, sleeping enough, exercising, good hydration.  The same good, basic thing that does the best medicine will help with colds and flu.  

But there are some, more specific strategies that are helpful.  Some of them relate to dietary supplements.  I mean one category that is very powerful for prevention of colds and flus are medicinal mushrooms.  I know from my experience, I do a lot of research with them, and when I developed some of them that actually grow on anti cancer herbs and immune enhancing herbs, I grew them specifically to help my cancer patients.  And what we found is that people take them just don't get colds and don't get flus.  There's a certain training, a unique training of the immune system that happens with medicinal mushrooms.  That's a very important substance that should be taken on a daily basis.  Because these are immune trainers and on an increased basis during this time. 

Vitamin C, zinc, different herbs, you know, echinacea extract, different tonics before you get sick are definitely helpful.  There is a very unique, new extract, that unfortunately I cannot disclose yet, which I've been working with a major university for five years, with dramatic results in neutralizing the flu virus.  I mean really dramatic.  But until the studies are published, I don't want to put it out, because I want to be responsible first to prove it, and then hopefully by next fall I can talk about it.

But there is a strategy of taking care of your general health and taking enough of medicinal mushrooms and vitamin C and zinc and herbs.  And also, once that you feel that a cold is coming, increase these dosages, and take a rest.  This window of opportunity is a few hours when it's just starting.  If we really allow ourselves to rest, we can prevent the cold and the flu.  Once we got it, we have to go through it.  

Scott: So you have to notice that though and be aware, right?  Just when something feels different, that something's coming on?

Dr. Eliaz:  You know, we talked about meditation in one of our videos.  It's about mindfulness.  If your mind is slow enough, you start thinking, oh something is changing.  Then you can act before it's too late.  That's one value of meditating.