Natural remedies to fight the flu
ATLANTA - At Little Five Points Pharmacy in Atlanta, Ira Katz is seeing a lot of folks with flu symptoms.
Some want Tamiflu, others are looking for an over-the-counter remedy.
But when Katz felt the flu coming on a couple of weeks ago, he didn't use either of these options.
He went the natural route.
"I really like using more herbal products," Katz says.
Katz relied on 2 products to get him through the flu.
The first is Viracid, a supplement that contains Vitamins A, B and C, and natural flu-fighting ingredients like Astralagus root, Elderberry, and Echinacea.
"This is dynamite," Katz says, holding the box of Viracid.
He also loaded up with electrolytes, knowing that fever can leave him dehydrated.
Instead of a sports drink, he mixed Ultima sugar-free powered electrolyte packets into a glass of water and drank that.
"It took a couple of days, I was not myself," Katz says.
But, pretty quickly, he started feeling better.
Katz says timing is important. Most natural remedies work best if they're used early on, just as your symptoms are beginning.
If you feel like you might be getting sick, he recommends trying a homeopathic remedy that is popular in Europe.
"One of the things I do recommend is a product called Oscillococcinum, or some people call it Oscillo," Katz says.
"If you catch it early, these are tiny little pellets you put under your tongue and slowly dissolve," he says. "You repeat it every 15 minutes for the first 2 hours, and sometimes we can nip it in the bud. This is a great product."
To give your immune system a boost, Katz recommends an herbal product like Elderberry, or Echinacea.
"When you're feeling lousy your immune system is depressed," Katz says. "So you've got to boost it with something."
For a cough or chest congestion, he recommends the herbal cough suppressant Loquat Respiratory Syrup,
"For a cough and that tightness and wheeziness in the chest, this is an incredible product," Katz says.
Finally, he says, try an herbal tea ease sore throat and congestion.
Most of us will get through the flu without any complications, but it can take a week or two for your symptoms to ease.
Katz says if he gets sick again this flu season, he'll fight the flu again with the help of Mother Nature.