Prevent flu & H1N1 this winter by boosting your immune system

I'm a busy Mom with 3 young kids, and I've been going crazy second guessing myself and doctors when it comes to the H1N1 vaccine. As I read up on the pros and cons of the vaccine, I found some very useful information on how to boost our bodies to help prevent the flu or minimize the effects of the cold or flu if we did get it. My motivation was my 1 year old son, who had a low grade fever, and was obviously sick and miserable. I decided that I was going to find some natural remedies that would help boost his system and help him get better sooner.

With some quick research through my juicing books and on the internet, I found some key supplements or nutrients that I needed to find:

• Vitamin C (obviously)
  
• Vitamin D3
  
• Zinc
  
• Elderberry
  
• Echinacea
  

I bought the following supplements and started him on them right away:

• Honey Gardens Elderberry Syrup (with some Echinacea) – specifically for kids
  
• Multi-vitamin syrup – for kids
  
• Omega 3 – fish liver oil – syrup for kids
  

In addition, I got out my juicer, and made up some juices:

• Carrot & apple
  
• Cantaloupe (use any melon) and carrot
  

While I was there, I made some kale juice for myself. My 4 year old wouldn't look at the kale juice, but drank back the Cantaloupe and Carrot and then asked for more….

Amazingly, within 24 hours, my 1 year old was visibly better. Within 2 days he was fully recovered. Bad head colds have a tendency to linger for 7 – 10 days, but 4 days after starting him on the Elderberry and multi-vitamins, he was completely well again (no lingering runny nose!!!)

Obviously, ensuring that kid's hands are clean & germ free is also important. Its handy to have a pack of Purell wipes in the car for when they come out of school, or daycare.

When congested, it also helps to keep a humidifier going in the bedroom (remember to ensure it is cleaned out with new filters).

Also, remember that Echinacea is meant to be used for a short time only – while you are feeling under the weather. Long term use negates the effect of the herb. You can find more information here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinacea

For your convenience, I've grouped some similar products on this site:

http://astore.amazon.com/newheadiv-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=19

Here are some other links that I found helpful.

Prevention is the best tactic:

http://mvdietdetox.com/archives/149

Benefits of Vitamin D3:

http://www.jpands.org/vol14no2/kauffman.pdf

I hope this information helps!

Stay happy & healthy this winter. Please let us know your remedies and recommendations.