Since the beginning of time humanity has experienced a flu season every year, usually during the colder months.
Despite what is pushed on the mainstream news, the flu is not a mystery or a dis-ease that needs to be feared.
In fact, the flu is your body's natural response to some form of bacterial or viral overwhelm, typically caused by a compromised immune system.
People with strong immunity, rarely get the flu. And when they do, their bodies are usually able to deal with it easily to clear out the congestion within just a few days.
Understanding The Flu & What Causes It
Flu season generally comes around every winter because viruses tend to proliferate and are transmitted easier in the colder weather.
It's also a time when people tend to expose their bodies less to natural sunlight, which is an essential component for a healthy immune system.
If you do happen to experience flu-like symptoms, it doesn't mean you should panic.
The solution always begins with listening to your body and consciously tuning in to what you intuitively know causes the flu. Then, you need to do the simple things that support the release of congestion from the body, which will help to restore your immunity and speed up recovery, with minimal disruption to your lifestyle.
A Simple Flu Analogy
The best analogy for the flu and how it works in the body, is to think of a house with a chimney and fireplace in the winter time.
A house with a fire place needs a FLU (otherwise known as a "Chimney") for the smoke to rise and escape. Without this flu or chimney, the house would fill with smoke, to the point where the congestion would become overwhelming, meaning you could no longer stay or breathe inside the house.
In other words, the flu is "the vent" that allows the toxic air to escape so that it doesn't build up inside the house and cause harm to the occupants.
Likewise, when your body catches a "bug" or suffers from a build up of toxic overwhelm, it will go into overdrive to try and eliminate the offence.
Your body does this by opening all of its vents or doorways, otherwise known as its channels of elimination, to release the toxic overwhelm.
Whilst this process of flu-ing or venting is uncomfortable, it is completely natural and your body's natural avenue of release or cure.
But the problem is, the population has been indoctrinated to believe that the only solution is to "suppress" or "shut down" this natural avenue of release by taking some type of synthetic drug or medicine.
Unfortunately, this type of "band-aid" solution is what compromises the body's natural healing intelligence and can cause unwanted potential side-effects.
In simple terms, when you block the body's natural venting process it can cause the symptoms of discomfort to show up in other places, such as muscle soreness, fever, constipation, congestion, rashes etc. This might provide short term relief but does little to help restore your immunity for the long term.
With all this in mind, common sense suggests that the true secret to avoiding or recovering from the flu quickly, rests with supporting your body to naturally vent using its main channels of elimination. This is what allows the body to maintain strong immunity, which is the key to being able to efficiently resist the flu in times of seasonal threats.
So how does your body vent and what are some simple things you can do to avoid and get over the flu?
Self Care tips for avoiding and managing the flu
When you're conscious of how your body "vents" as a mechanism for clearing out offensive waste and toxic overwhelm, you're better equipped to take intelligent self care steps to support this venting process, which of course will speed up your recovery.
Remember, your body vents through four main channels of elimination which are:
- Perspiration
- Respiration
- Defecation and
- Urination
And the more you support these natural channels to do their job efficiently of eliminating waste, the less congestion you'll have inside your body and the stronger your immunity and ability to fight the flu and viruses will ultimately be.
Following are some simple tips and suggestions for supporting your body's natural elimination channels so that you have some tools to tap into whenever you're feeling under the weather or in times of seasonal threats.
Self Care Tips and Suggestions For Avoiding The Flu:
1. Get Sunshine - Sunshine is a vital source of vitamin D which your liver needs to perform key body functions and to support a healthy immune system.
One of the biggest causes of flu and the common cold are a lack of sunshine, so it's important to get a daily fix of natural sunlight as often as you can.
Get 20-30 minutes of morning sunshine to boost your Vitamin D levels on a consistent basis. A walk on the beach, morning meditation in the park, or simply sitting on the porch and exposing your body to sunlight, are all great ways to get your daily fix before the sun is at its highest intensity in the middle of the day.
2. Drink Plenty Of Water - One of the keys to getting over the flu, is to drink plenty of water so that your body is able to flush out the toxins and unwanted waste.
Aim for at least 2 litres per day of clean filtered water. Drink 1/2 litre when you rise (consider adding the juice of a whole lemon and a pinch of good natural salt for a boost of vitamin C and natural electrolytes). Then, drink water before and after exercise, and take a bottle of water with you and drink it consistently through out the day.
3. Hot Salt Baths - One of the best ways to support the venting process is with hot salt baths, which helps your body to release toxins through the skin.
Not only that, when you bathe in mineral rich salts, your body absorbs much needed replenishment nutrients that are depleted when your body is under stress.
Run a hot bath and add 1-2 cups of pure Epsom Salts and 1 cup of Magnesium Flakes. Add 10-12 drops of your favourite Essential Oils such as lavender, tea tree, orange or lemon or 3-5 drops of each. Add a good squirt of castille soap or another type of tox-free liquid soap. Swirl to mix all of the ingredients as the bath is running. Once the bath is full, climb in, relax and soak for 30-45 minutes.
4. Saunas - A fantastic way to boost natural detoxification, particularly when you're experiencing flu-like symptoms, is with infra red or traditional hot rock saunas.
Even though infra red and traditional rock saunas work slightly differently, both are amazing tools for promoting the release of toxins from the body via the largest organ of elimination you have, your skin.
Saunas work by boosting blood flow and oxygenating the cells and brain to alleviate fatigue and muscle soreness. In addition, they encourage perspiration and open the breathing airways which are vital for avoiding and recovering from the flu.
Just 20-30 minutes in a sauna can work wonders. Most major cities and large towns these days have studios, gyms, day spas and clinics that offer sauna sessions that you can book regularly or casually whenever you need it.
5. Fasting - You've heard the saying that you should drown a flu and starve a cold. In times of distress, your body needs fluid to hydrate and replenish, but it otherwise doesn't want to be overwhelmed with extra elements, such as a heavy meal, that could add to the congestion.
For this reason, a few days of fasting on fresh raw juices and even light soups or broths is a great way to support your body through a bout of the flu. If you're going to juice, we recommend preparing your juices with a cold-pressed juicer using a variety of local, seasonal produce.
6. Items To Avoid - Whenever you experience flu-like symptoms, it's a good idea to avoid all refined and processed foods and animal products.
All of these can burden your digestive tract which is not a good idea when your body is trying to eliminate unwanted congestion and restore itself.
7. Foods and Remedies That Can Help - certain food and remedies can be useful in supporting your body through a bout of the flu, such as these:
- Apple Cider Vinegar - it has antimicrobial properties that can kill bacteria, yeasts, and fungal infections. Add 1-2 tablespoons of raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar to a cup of water and drink first thing in the morning
- Citrus Fruits - rich in Vitamin C, citrus fruits such as oranges, grapefruit, lemon and limes are a great addition to your raw juices or to enjoy as a light snack
- Nature-Made Salt - quality dietary salts can be very effective for replenishing your cells with much needed electrolytes and reducing congestion inside the body. Mix a teaspoon of celtic salt or himalayan salt into your morning water or sprinkle generously over a big plate of leafy or steamed greens
- Self Care Products - natural agents such as colloidal silver, fulvic acid and pure essential oils are some of the most powerful tools for supporting the body through the flu season due to their potent antibacterial, antiviral and antimicrobial qualities. Recommended products include our nature's silver bullet, internal house cleanse, breathe EZ and congest ease.
The Main Takeaway
Despite what many people believe, the flu is not something to actually be feared, but rather a completely natural response of the body when it is faced with congestion, infection or overwhelm.
To avoid or get over flu-like symptoms, the best thing to do is to support your body's four main channels of elimination and to give it the time and space to reset by not adding to the problem.
By following some of the tips and suggestion offered here, you'll go a long way to protecting yourself in times of seasonal threats, and if you do suffer from the flu, you'll give yourself the best chance of getting over it quickly.
Tolman Self Care.
