What is Flu?
Influenza, or the flu, as it's commonly called, is a highly contagious viral infection of the respiratory tract. A mild flu is hard to distinguish from a bad cold. A more severe case affects the entire body, with symptoms that include a sudden onset of fever and chills, joint pain, muscle aches, headaches, dry cough, burning eyes, extreme fatigue, and loss of appetite. Flu symptoms generally appear three or four days after exposure to a flu virus. The illness usually runs its course within 10 days, although weakness and fatigue may persist for days or weeks afterward. As with colds, the symptoms of the flu aren't caused by the virus itself, but rather are the effects of the body trying to prevent or fight off the infection. There's no cure for the flu, but bed rest and sensible self-care measures can help make the symptoms more bearable.
Unlike colds, which rarely result in complications, the flu virus can sometimes lead to further, potentially serious problems, such as bacterial sinusitis, bronchitis or pneumonia. Those at greatest risk of developing flu-related complications are the elderly; people suffering from severe anemia, diabetes, or a major chronic illness (such as heart, kidney or lung disease); and anyone whose immune system is depressed as a result of serious disease (such as AIDS) or medical treatments (such as cancer chemotherapy).

Key Symptoms

• A moderate to high fever (between 101°F to 103°F) and chills that develop suddenly and last for three to five days
  
• Joint pain, muscle aches and headache
  
• Dry cough
  
• Sore throat
  
• Nasal congestion or runny discharge
  
• Burning sensation in the eyes
  
• Loss of appetite
  
• Deep fatigue

What Causes Flu?
Winter is the peak season for influenza, when indoor heating makes the air much less humid. This arid air dries out the nasal passages and creates the perfect conditions for viruses to invade and multiply. The flu often occurs as an epidemic, affecting a large part of the population in any given year. Outbreaks of the flu are caused by mutating strains of three basic types of influenza viruses.

Type A viruses are usually the most virulent and the ones most often responsible for major epidemics. They constantly mutate into new strains, making effective immunization against them difficult. The less-severe type B viruses mutate less often and cause smaller, more localized outbreaks. Type C viruses cause mild cases of the flu that resemble a common cold. Influenza viruses are often designated by their type and presumed place of origin.

The highly contagious flu virus can be contracted simply by inhaling virus-filled droplets expelled in a flu sufferer's coughs and sneezes. The virus can also be transmitted by direct contact (kissing or shaking the unwashed hands of an infected person) or by indirect contact (handling an object touched by a flu sufferer's unwashed hands). Flu is so common in the winter at least in part because it's the time of year when people are most likely to be indoors and in close proximity to one another.

Treatment and Prevention
Although extremely debilitating and uncomfortable while they last, most cases of the flu are not dangerous, and usually clear up--with or without treatment--within 10 days. A self-care regimen of bed rest, hot fluids and aspirin or acetaminophen helps ease flu symptoms, and antiviral supplements may help speed recovery.

Conventional antiviral medicines designed for flu have received mixed reviews in the past, from both patients and physicians. The oldest, amantadine, was originally designed for Parkinson's disease, but actually seemed to shorten influenza in these patients. The newer drugs, zanamivir (Relenza), which is a nasal spray, and oseltamivir (Tamiflu), are both very new and very expensive. You have to use them early in the course of the condition for any effectiveness. Most physicians are skeptical but feel they're better to give than antibiotics, which are useless for the flu.

Getting a flu shot every fall is the most effective way to prevent that year's flu variation (or at least reduce its severity if you do get it). The vaccine is especially recommended for the elderly and anyone else at high risk of developing flu-related complications. (Pregnant women should consult their doctors before getting a flu shot, and people allergic to eggs should avoid the vaccine.)

Just a reminder: If you have a serious medical condition or are taking medication, it's always a wise idea to talk with your doctor before beginning a supplement program.

How Supplements Can Help
Antiviral supplements like vitamin A may help shorten the duration of the flu by attacking the virus itself, rather than suppressing symptoms. To treat a case of the flu, take vitamin A in high doses (50,000 IU twice a day) until symptoms improve, but for no more than seven days. After that, reduce the dosage to 25,000 IU a day, if necessary. (Pregnant women or women planning pregnancy, however, should never exceed 5,000 IU vitamin A per day.)

Taken in high doses (2,000 mg three times a day, for five to seven days), vitamin C may also help speed recovery from the flu. After five days, reduce the dosage by half. The best way to take high doses of vitamin C is in its buffered powdered form (1 1/2 teaspoon in 6 to 8 ounces of juice or water every four to six hours; cut back on the amount if watery diarrhea occurs).

Consider taking the herb echinacea to boost your immune system. For prevention, alternate it every three weeks with the herb astragalus. To treat (but not prevent) flu, combine echinacea with goldenseal.

If you tend to develop flu-related bacterial infections, such as bronchitis or sinusitis, start taking garlic at the first signs of flu. Compounds in garlic may prevent bacteria from invading tissues.

There's also an effective homeopathic remedy called Oscilloccocinum. Place 10 pellets under your tongue every 30 minutes or so at first sign of flu symptoms. Usually after five to seven doses, the severity of your flu symptoms will lessen.

Get supplement dosages and tips in our WholeHealth Chicago Supplement Recommendations for the Flu.

Self-Care Remedies
Stay in bed until your temperature returns to normal and body aches and pains subside.

Take aspirin or acetaminophen to relieve pain and reduce a fever of 103°F or higher. Do not take acetaminophen or ibuprofen if temperature is up to 102°F because a low-grade fever is an antiviral agent working to get rid of the flu. And do not exceed 4,000 mg of acetaminophen in 24 hours to avoid damaging your liver.

Give children under age 16 acetaminophen, not aspirin, which can cause Reye's Syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal childhood disorder.

Drinking plenty of fluids prevents dehydration and helps keep the mucous lining of the respiratory system moist and better able to fight the infection. If you find water boring, try apple, grape, blueberry, or orange juice; or vegetable, chicken, or beef broths; or even a sports drink with its added minerals and electrolytes.

Using a humidifer or cool-mist vaporizer during the winter can keep indoor air moist.

To ease a sore throat, gargle with warm, salty water. Many a sore throat is due to the accompanying post nasal drip of a cold; this might be treated with a natural antihistamine such as nettle (250 mg three times a day).

Zinc lozenges may also help speed recovery, perhaps by destroying the flu virus itself. (Read zinc lozenge labels carefully. Only zinc gluconate, ascorbate, and glycinate help fight colds. Don't buy zinc products containing sorbitol, mannitol, or citric acid. When combined with saliva, these ingredients make zinc ineffective.) Another tip is to try breaking the tablets into quarters; suck on each piece every 30 minutes to 1 hour. If the particular virus you have is sensitive to the zinc, after the fourth tablet you should notice some relief in your sore throat pain.

If you have a dry, nonproductive cough (typical of the flu) that keeps you up at night, an over-the-counter cough suppressant containing dextromethorphan can help you get a good night's sleep.

In addition to getting an annual flu vaccination, you can lower your risk of contracting the flu by avoiding close contact with flu sufferers and by not handling objects they've touched. Wash your hands frequently and don't touch your face with unwashed hands.

When to Call a Doctor

• If flu symptoms do not subside after a week or if you begin to feel better and then suffer a relapse. This could indicate a bacterial lung infection.
  
• If you notice green, dark yellow or brown mucus. This could indicate a bacterial infection in the lungs or sinuses.
  
• If you experience chest pain, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. This could be a sign of pneumonia, especially if accompanied by a high fever.
  
• If you have a sore throat in addition to a fever of above 101°F that lasts for 24 hours. This could indicate strep throat, which requires antibiotics.
  
• Whenever you contract the flu--if you are at high risk for flu complications
  

Supplement Recommendation