Well, the flu season is here! Although monsoons are beautiful and romantic, one cannot help but fall sick more often in this weather. And if one person in the house goes down, everybody goes down with them. Infants, toddlers, children and elders are more affected during this time of the year.
Most of the times it’s viral and antibiotics are of no use. Using home-remedies and homeopathy to beat the flu not only helps strengthen your immune system naturally but also reduces the antibiotic and other drug usage. Homeopathy also helps reduce the number of attacks whereby the next season will be less eventful compared to this one.
Here are some tips to beat the flu this season:
Avoid consuming anything cold or right from the fridge. Sip warm water throughout the day
Turmeric kadha (concoction): Boil water along with turmeric, pepper, cinnamon for 2-3 minutes. Mix a little bit of honey and drink up!!! Turmeric has strong anti-bacterial properties and the Curcumin in it is released when pepper is added to the mix. Honey is a decongestant and soothes the throat of any irritation. Have this twice or thrice a day as soon as you feel the symptoms are starting up and see it vanish in a day.
Vitamin D supplements: If you’re already low on vitamin D, monsoons are the worst season because there is very little sunlight for these 3-4 months. The symptoms can include depressive feeling (SAD or seasonal affective disorder), body aches, joint pains, general lethargy etc. Supplementing vitamin D for a few weeks will definitely help in resetting the system. Do not consume it for long term because Vitamin D is stored in body fat and can lead to eventual toxicity. Make sure the quality of supplement is good and it has an oil base to it.
Vitamin C consumption: Ascorbic acid or Vitamin C has been known to improve immunity against common cold. Loading up on some vitamin C is never a bad option before the monsoons. Some foods that are high in vitamin C are amla (gooseberry), orange, mango, lemon, grapefruit, broccoli, cauliflower, capsicum. Increase the consumption of these in your diet. Beware that if you already have the flu, citrus food can sometimes aggravate the condition. So have them with caution if you’re already sick.
Exercise: Exercise is the most under-rated thing when it comes to building immunity. Exercising releases many feel-good hormones which not only uplift your mood but also strengthen your immunity. Keep 30 minutes aside everyday for some good cardio and stretches.
Spices: Indian food has so many spices which are extremely healthy and generate heat in the body which is much needed at this time. Use cinnamon (dal-chini), cloves, star-anise, ajwain, hing, jeera, elaichi etc. in your cooking in this season.
Homeopathy for Flu
Homeopathy has some wonderful remedies for flu (fever, cough, cold, body-ache etc.). I have listed some common remedies (out of at least a 100) that can be used at this time. However, it is always advisable to talk to a homeopath before taking them because it is important to select the right one.
Aconitum Napellus: Sudden exposure to wind and cold air followed by headache, runny nose and lot of sneezing. It may or may not be accompanied by fever
Arsenicum Album: Fever with diarrhea, cramps, lack of appetite and aversion to food. Symptoms of food poisoning.
Bryonia Alba: Fever with severe body ache that the person detests moving. It can be accompanied by dry cough, dry mouth, constipation or lack of appetite.
Eupatorium perfolatum: Fever with severe joint pains/ swelling.
Rhus toxicodendron: Blocked or running nose after taking cold shower or getting wet in the rain. It can be accompanied by ear ache, headache, sore throat etc.
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