1. Natural Flu Prevention

2. Your Dr on TV

3. It's Still Cleansing (NOT Flu) Season

4. "It" Happens Every Single Year It Turns Cold

5. Fevers Are Good For You.

1. Natural Flu Prevention

Since all the vaccines are in somewhat short supply (not to mention if people are wanting to avoid the ingredients), the H1N1 vaccine is especially limited, everyone wants to know what they can do to keep from getting the flu. If you read #3 in this edition of my newsletter then you will understand whatever symptoms you get are not really flu but cleansing symptoms. And, if you read #4, then you will realize that your body goes through this process every year, and not some virus. Therefore, no vaccine will ever stop or prevent this very natural process.

So, how can you stop or prevent getting flu-like symptoms such as runny nose, nasal or lung congestion, fever, body-aches, etc? Well, the best way is to eat healthy all year long so your body does not have to cleanse itself so drastically so as to cause you an undesirable level of discomfort. If you are eating according to your Blood Type or better GenoType, the healthier your body will be when cold weather arrives. If you have eaten junk food and foods you may be allergic to all year, then you will have a more difficult time when cold weather first impacts your body.

So, besides eating healthy, you can take daily multivitamins, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and Probiotics to boost your body's natural immunity against all infections and allergens. You can find these in my online store naturopathicwisdom.com.

At the point where your nose is congested with having other symptoms, then you need help to relieve the symptoms. Then, the following things you can do are as follows. Many people swear by my antiviral formula, zeprevir for relief of flu symptoms because it helps your body fight infections. For relief of congestion, I prescribe digestive enzymes and my respiratory formula as decongestants and expectorants. You'll also find those in my online store. If you then get a fever, it is best you seek a natural health professional.

2. Your Dr on TV

NBC Bay Area News 11 did a story on natural flu treatment and prevention this past week. I was interviewed and was in the story. I thought Kris Sanchez did a great job with the story. I am working on getting the story on youtube. Let me know if you are interested in seeing it.

3. It's Still Cleansing (NOT Flu) Season

I hope by now that you realize what is really happening with your body this time of year is cleansing. What if the whole idea of “the flu season” was really a natural process by the body every single year? How would you then approach your symptoms? Would you approach your experience differently? Why or why not? Would you get the vaccine?

Naturopathic medicine has many different modalities to help us accelerate and ease this cleansing process. For example, naturopaths believe in keeping the emunctories open. The emunctories are the organ systems of elimination, and they are the urinary system, digestive system, respiratory system, and the largest organ of elimination, the skin.

So you are thinking, what about the influenza virus? Where exactly does the virus come in to play in all of this? The flu virus had nothing to do with all that junk you ate all year that is now exiting your body. However, it does like it when you begin to expel the excess mucus from your body. The mucus creates a culture medium or food for the virus and sometimes also bacteria. The flu bug is no more responsible for all your symptoms than mosquitoes cause standing water. The medium was already there by the time the flu virus came along. The sore throat is caused by the virus culturing in the mucus sitting in your nasal cavity above your throat. When the mucus is washed from the area with saline then your throat is no longer sore. Ever notice that this process starts in many different people who never came in contact with each other in the same area and at the same time of year? The only common denominator between all these people is the weather change. I see many different people come to my office that never knew each other or even knew the same people. And, different groups of people start cleansing after progressively colder cold weather spells or fronts. Some start cleansing after the first one of the season, another the second, still others the third, then those that are left will start cleansing fourth cold wave if they are going to start cleansing at all that season. And, each of us manifests different symptoms in different ways. The healing process is different for each of us.

If the flu virus was the cause of these symptoms, don’t you think that it would start with one person then spread out like wild fire? This process does not spread this way. This cleansing happens simultaneously all over the country around the same time and always after a cold spell or cold front. Although the media and other organizations would have you believe otherwise. The flu virus is not the cause. The colder weather sending your body into a cleanse is the ultimate cause of your symptoms.

I know you remember your mother saying to you when it gets colder, “don’t go outside without your coat because you will catch a cold!” See, mother knew what she was talking about. This is why she was right. You watch, this year and in the coming years if everyone around you gets ‘the flu’ after each cold weather spell. Then, you will realize you will never have ‘the flu’ again and realize you are simply cleansing. Naturopathic doctors can offer much support to help you during this cleansing time of year to assist your body to cleanse more easily with less suffering. We have several different modalities that are used in combination according to the needs of the patient. Go to naturally4health.com to learn about the different modalities and how naturopathic medicine can help you.

4. "It" Happens Every Single Year It Turns Cold

Lets explore exactly what is happening during “flu season.” Flu season actually begins as the weather turns colder, every single year. Why this is? Every single year in the fall the body must change the way it processes heat. In the summer it must release excess heat. In the fall to winter, it must conserve heat. This happens so we stay warm in the winter and cooler in the summer. How does the body do this? It does this by either dilating or constricting blood and lymph vessels. In the summer the body opens all available blood and lymph vessels near the surface of the body to release excess heat. In the fall to winter, the body begins to constrict those surface blood and lymph vessels to conserve heat. What do you think happens when all those vessels constrict at the first cold spell or sign of winter? When all the superficial capillaries constrict all at once, like during the first cold front, they pump 6 times the volume of blood of one heartbeat. That is a lot of fluid all at once. So, this is why what is really going on is really ‘cleansing season’ and NOT ‘flu season.’ I am sure you have noticed that the rings on your fingers fit tighter in the summer and looser in the winter. Have you ever wondered where all that excess fluid goes when the temperature turns cold? Keep reading.

As studies show, at the same time as the vessels constrict, during colder weather the body increases its metabolic rate to increase heat production. This action with surface vessel constriction combines together to avoid frostbite. This is nature’s way of protecting and helping us survive the winter. The studies also show that some of the fluid that was in those surface vessels is released through the urine, stool, and by sweating. What about all the stuff that isn’t water-soluble? There is a lot of that stuff! You have seen it. You have blown it out your nose and coughed it up from your lungs. It is called mucus. You first notice it with nasal congestion then with postnasal drip and a sore throat. The body must rid itself of this excess stuff you accumulated inside your body all year. You know, the left over excess metabolic products from ice cream, sodas, chips, pastries, cookies, and especially cheese. Basically all junk food and sweets. Your body must cleanse itself annually in order to become healthy enough to survive the winter. That healing process is what gives us all stuffy and/or runny noses, sore throats, coughs, fevers, and overall feeling yucky. So, this flu is really what is called in naturopathic medicine circles as a healing crisis or cleanse, and NOT a disease crisis. This healing and cleansing process is not something to be afraid of experiencing. This cleansing process is something to welcome. We must assist the body during this time to help it cleanse itself of everything it does not need.

5. Fevers Are Good For You.

The reason you get a fever is because the mucus your body is trying to expel is staying too long in your body. The mucus staying too long acts like a culture medium to viruses and if the mucus stays long enough then it cultures bacteria. The virus does not cause the mucus to accumulate; it is actually the other way around. The mucus is food for viruses and bacteria. The fever not only helps to burn out the infection but also accelerates the expulsion of the excess mucus. The body's ability to produce a fever is actually a measure of the strength of your immune system. If you have not had the "flu" for many years, then your immune system has not been active for all that time. If your immune system has not been able to produce a fever for many years then I really do worry about you. Many people will brag that they have not been sick for many years, but that accomplishment is nothing to brag about. You are basically telling everyone, without realizing it, that your immune system has not been functioning for all that time.

One of the treatments we naturopaths use to induce fevers is hydrotherapy. We may have you take a hot bath then go to bed with heavy covers to make yourself perspire. We may have you put warm wet socks on your child covered by dry wool socks at bedtime. Another treatment that is very effective is Constitutional Hydrotherapy, which is performed in the office. Most naturopaths will try to help you improve your immune status by inducing a fever and sometimes following the heat with cold. We try to teach people the concept of being well enough to be sick. When your body has the ability to produce a fever shows your body is healthy. If you have not had any flu symptoms for a long time, call the office and I’ll show you how you can build your immune system back to health. Another concept I will discuss is the differences between healing and disease crises.

Any questions, please call the office. I am happy to be here for you.

in Health and Service,

David Hogg, ND
Naturopathic Wisdom
1101 South Winchester Blvd.
Suite E157
San Jose, CA 95128
408-297-6877
www.naturally4health.com
www.naturopathicwisdom.com