Unsolicited advice for the Flu Bug

First off, this flu this year? Is so terrible I can barely even THINK about how sick I've been on and off for the last few months. To say the least, I'm exhausted ALL. THE. TIME. And I've been over it now for two weeks. It really took its toll on me. So sick on and off for about 3 months now.

So, I tried the pharmaceutical route. To NO avail. The side effects of the flagyl and other anti-nausea and anti-barf things made me even worse. I couldn't even keep down Pepto-Bismol or ginger ale!

Best thing to do? Get some fresh ginger. Cut it up into chunks and let it sit in still water. Carbonated works, but the bubbles are actually not so great for you. Carbonation sucks the calcium out of your bones. Yep. It do.

So, fresh ginger, let it sit in water and even chew on a little piece. It's spicy and it won't taste good, but it takes away the nausea almost instantly.

Also, apples. Apples are an amazing anti-nausea remedy. Apples, onions, ginger, garlic. All of these things actually ATTRACT bacteria and are very porous, so the bacteria looks at the apple or the onion and gloms onto it for dear life and then when you extract it out the other end? So goes the bacteria!

Peppermint and Spearmint are also amazingly wonderful anti-nausea things. I have peppermint oil I use for my arthritis and also when I feel nauseous. Even good old Vick's Vapo-Rub is great against congestion or nausea.

And chicken soup is actually a thing! There are enzymes that happen in the broth part that actually DO make you better. Electrolytes are what are needed. Lots of water can actually have the opposite effect that you desire when you're dehydrated. Smart water is great. Spring water with natural minerals - even better.

Same for when you have a urinary tract infection or are experiencing bladder sensitivity (I'm super sensitive to chlorine in the water). Take caplets made by AZO with concentrated cranberry extract. They even have these little pills that numb your bladder until you can clear it up naturally.

I also am a firm believer in D-Mannose as a WONDERFUL natural alternative to any of those terrible pills the doctor would prescribe. D-Mannose is a little sugar, completely benign to the human body. It comes in caplets that I buy from Natural Food outlets like Whole Foods Market or Natural Pantry or even Trader Joe's.

The bacteria that builds in your bladder from whatever source, doesn't really want to be in your bladder. It's looking for sugar! It likes if you eat carbs or sweet foods. Best thing? Cranberry (acid), tomatoes (acid) and D-Mannose. The D-Mannose sugar passes through the human body very quickly and when it gets into your bladder with the acid drinks or cranberry pills? The bacteria sees the sugar and races right onto it.

When you go pee? Bye bye, Bacteria!

It's amazing. My friends who are professionally trained Acupuncturists and Chinese herbalists told me about a lot of these things. Also my friends who are amazing Master gardeners and herbalists - she and he turned me on to a lot of these things.

Depressed a bit with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)? Again, ginger. It's a mood lifter. Also Omega-3 rich foods - salmon, trout, organic eggs...

Also, getting a proper amount of Vitamin D-3 is essential. I take 5,000 I.U. per day in the winter. And I use a SAD light every day for about 10 minutes. Makes me feel elevated!

One more thing - a lot of times we feel nausea because we're congested. If the congestion gets into your inner ear - it causes vertigo, vertigo, then causes you to feel seasick or nausea. I know that's what this flu has been doing to me. It's still in my upper sinuses and ear canals. Ugh. Tough little bugger. I've heard it can stick around for up to 6 months! ACK!

Something we should all practice is honey therapy, too. Local honey has a concentrate of the local pollens. When you have even just a teaspoon of honey each day, it acts like immunotherapy. It helps you build up immunity to the pollens that can cause such terrible allergies in the spring and even the winter. I'm allergic to dust mites (they're everywhere) so I'm taking honey every day to try to combat the allergies which are compounding the bugs that are going around...

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Anywho, be well out there, kids. And listen to good music and watch something funny. The world is a scary place sometimes, so you HAVE to take time out to take care of your mental well-being.

May I suggest the Brave Girls Club, Soul Pancake and Upworthy as great places to start. TED talks are another inspiration for me. Uplifting.

Onward and Upward, kids.

Cheers and Ciao for now.

Thanks for reading.