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I think I have the flu...started up yesterday. Yesterday I felt horrendous. Today it feels like a cold...so I thought it's just a cold. BUT it's unclear.
I've read good things about using Turmeric in cooking. Making point of putting in everything. Dr. Andrew Weil recommends Turmeric and I think recommends even making a turmeric tea. He also suggests green tea.
I've always recovered better when I use a a lot of greens in my cooking and vegetable rich stews with garlic and onion.
One last thing, if your chest is congested try thyme leaves mixed with water in a crock pot on low. Leave it for the day. Also try making a thyme tea using dried thyme leaves and boiled water. Let the leaves steep for 10 minutes then use a sieve to remove the leaves. I've also tried thyme in the humidifier but not all humidifiers are equipped to handle that addition. The scent of the thyme leaf vapors is very soothing!
Yes, turmeric is also very good for resistance.
When I had the flu about 2 years ago, I chopped up ginger and heated it up with green tea and the ginger really did help with chest congestion. But I did have to keep doing it like 5 times a day or more. I hadn't discovered the benefits of cayenne pepper at that point.
But about a year later, I discovered the cayenne and ginger in chicken soup (can be any soup, but the combo works really well in chicken soup), plus the green tea (sometimes with ginger in that as well) really helps a lot. I just kinda got lazy about doing it every day when I was well (human nature --"I'm fine. Nothing will happen to me!"). Then I got sick with a small cold last November and I ramped it up, got over that cold pretty quickly and haven't had any colds/flu since--which is unusual for me. A few more people at work have gotten sick with colds/flu since my original post, but not me. Yay.
Thanks for this, OP! Flu season is nasty this year, so it's always good to have a treasure trove of tips.
Yeah, the flu is nasty this year. My sister works in several hospitals and she says admissions for the flu have really spiked this year compared to last year.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ohhwanderlust
I'd also add, take vitamin D3 and A each day. A spoon of fish oil will do the trick.
Also, if you're walking by someone who may be sick, continuously breathe OUT slowly and gently.
Oh, that breathing tip is particularly good. I hadn't thought of that one!
I take all the ordinary antioxidants and grape seed ex and as for cayenne, I buy 100,000 IU's and open a capsule and pour into my pot of soup I make and chili too. I like hot stuff and no issues with it. I started working with cayenne over 20 yrs ago, it can also lower blood pressure.
Yes, so many natural foods are good for blood pressure. Green tea is also good for blood pressure.
I think capsules are great, but I never seem to be motivated to take them. I am more motivated to just add extra stuff to things I normally buy at the store.
We use the placebo effect. Seriously. We tell ourselves we won't get sick, we can't get sick, if we ever start feeling a bit off, which is very rare.
We are around tons of people every day. We wash our hands a bit, not excessively or out of worry, never use those sanitizers, never touch our faces.
We get sunshine and fresh air, even when it's cold.
We're easy going, content, drink lots of water and try to avoid sugar. No medications.
I certainly believe in the placebo effect, but I guess I am not good at it!
Avoiding sugar is a really big thing. I haven't conquered my soda addiction (yet)! But I read somewhere that 1 can of soda knocks out your resistance for 2 hours.
The power of your "thinking" does wonders. I've never bought into those sanitizers either. But I do count on my antioxidants. And I do meditate and concentrate on certain topics.
Yeah, I don't think those sanitizers work any better than just normal washing / cleaning. More marketing gimmick than anything.
Meditating, of course, is good for a lot of things.
Last edited by mysticaltyger; 01-20-2018 at 05:09 PM..
Great topic, op. All of the ingredients you mentioned have been proven to be beneficial to one's immune system. I also like that this is such an easy way to make a positive change. No cooking skills required.
Yes, exactly. I'm lazy. And let's be honest--most people are. We don't want to go out of our way to take this or that capsule (not that doing so is bad). So much of health is behavior. It's about finding the easiest way to do the right thing. Even if store bought soup isn't ideal, it's a case of the perfect being the enemy of the good.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MissTerri
I bought some canned chicken soup at Costco and haven't opened more then one can because it doesn't taste good. A little ginger and cayenne could change that quite easily.
Yes, exactly. I also found that I'm motivated to do it because I really like the taste. If I like something, I can eat it over and over day after day without it bothering me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MissTerri
Some other items that I might add that are also proven to be beneficial to one's immune system that might make tasty additions are oregano, garlic and lime.
Yes, I'm sure those are healthy additions. I'm not sure if I'd want them in chicken soup, but if you like the taste of them, then, by all means add 'em! I actually add red lentils and broccoli. I am lazy and like boiling broccoli in water. But boiling it in water makes it lose a lot of it's nutrition. So now I just buy a bunch and add a little to the soup every night. The nutrients go into the soup, so now I can be lazy about cooking broccoli without losing the nutrition. I also add a few red lentils because they are good for you and they cook very quickly. I add sesame seeds to pretty much all soups. I love that extra texture.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MissTerri
I know what I'm having for lunch today. Thanks for the great idea.
Today for lunch I had an Annie Chung's Udon Noodle Soup Bowl. I added one minced garlic clove, a handful of spinach and cayenne. It was delicious and took less then two minutes to prepare.
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