As the season changes from fall to winter, we all bid goodbye to the golden trees and falling leaves of autumn and say hello to the grays, bare branches and icicles of winter. Most of us will see snow and wear mittens to ward off the cold, but we’ll be exposed to more than freezing temperatures; our bodies will be exposed to a variety of influenza viruses, too.
Flu Season
As we all get busy preparing for the holidays, our bodies are adapting to the changing seasons and also working hard fending off these Flu viruses.
The most common human diseases during wintertime are acute viral illnesses, which account for more than half of all acute illnesses. In fact, the incidence of acute respiratory disease in the United States is from 3.0 to 5.6 cases per person per year. The rates are the highest among children below one year old (6.1 to 8.3 cases per year) and remain high until age six.
Preventing the Flu
The role of the BioIntegrative Medicine is more of Prevention rather than Intervention. There is no specific antibiotic that will take care of the specific virus; instead, the key is to have a good immune system to fight the viruses.
Not catching the flu is clearly a big job for everyone’s body during flu season.
The allopathic approach of therapy (Intervention), as described in the Harrison’s Principles of Medicine by Dennis L. Kaspar et al, lies in treating the symptoms as viruses, but this approach is self-limiting (*See footnote).
When I was in residency training in Pulmonary Medicine at the Veterans Hospital in the Philippines, we would tell influenza patients to rest and make sure they drank plenty of fluids, and that in three days their symptoms would go away. That worked then. Not anymore. Today, most of our immune system is compromised already due to other factors in our environments, such as toxicities.
Today, Prevention is Our Best Option
Give yourself the best flu prevention there is; follow these few suggestions:
- Bundle up. Protect yourself from cold. Dropping the body temperature below the physiologic temperature can reactivate the viruses (making you more susceptible to the flu or to a relapse if you’re recovering from the flu).
- Support Your Immune System. Take homeopathics, Chinese herbs, and nutritional supplementation.
- Follow Good Nutrition Rules. Make sure you warm your system with some of the good old Grandma’s chicken soup, and spices that can give heat to the body.
- Get a Good Night’s Sleep. A rested body is a stronger body.
- Meditate. Balance your physical body with internal support.
If You Get Flu Symptoms
If you find yourself getting symptoms like muscle-aches, fever, body weakness, vomiting, diarrhea and/or headaches, please consult your health practitioner for proper therapy. Pay attention to simple, flu-like symptoms; they can mean something that can develop into serious condition. BioIntegrative Health Center is here to help, both in the prevention and treatment of flu symptoms. Contact our office for your appointment today!
* Footnote: The Allopathic Description of Influenza: From the allopathic point of view, respiratory diseases are caused commonly by a virus, categorized as Common Colds caused by Rhinovirus and Coronavirus; in military recruits caused by Adenovirus, Rhinitis and Pharyngitis alone caused by Influenza B Virus; Croup (laryngotracheobronchitis) caused by Parainfluenza Viruses; Tracheatis caused by Herpes Simples Viruses; Bronchiolitis caused by Respiratory Syncytial Viruses; Bronchitis, and Pneumonia and excess mortality in high risk patients, caused by Influenza A Viruses; Runny Nose and Sore throat combination caused by Enteroviruses. Sars-associated Coronavirus (SARs-Co-V) caused epidemics of pneumonia from November 2002- July 2003. Presently the focus is H1N1 Viruses(Swine Flu).
