Dealing With The H1N1 Flu

November 27, 2009

About a month and a half ago, our family came down with the H1N1 Flu.  We have not had flu of any kind for many years, and so this was quite unexpected.  But it so happened that there was an outbreak of it where one of my daughters takes ballet, and she was exposed thoroughly to it.    We did not realize that other girls had had that flu, though the dance instructor had.  Within a few days, Rachel came down with a fever of 103.  I treated her with some Motrin, EmergenC and later with some Benedryl for a stuffy nose.  She did not develop a cough for another day or so.  Meanwhile, Amanda and I began to get a funny little cough.  Amanda is a college student taking online classes from our home, and so she was trying to keep up with her studies.  After a day or so, Amanda came down with the 103 fever and I treated her with the same measures as I did Rachel.  Both girls got over the fever within a day.  Then for a day it was low-grade, then it was gone.  We also took an herbal mixture called “Lungs Plus” from Trilight Herbs. Soon I began to develop a low-grade fever and a continuing cough.  The cough started out as a dry tickle, then progressed to being productive.  I refused to let it settle in my lungs, so I would sleep with my head elevated a bit.  I would say the worst part about it all was the cough which made the stomach muscles so sore.  My two teen-aged girls got sore stomachs as well, but it is really painful when you are almost 8 months pregnant!  I took Tylenol to treat the fever and the pain, but I took as little as I could get by with.  I continued to drink my pregnancy tea which is made from Red Raspberry Leaf, Stinging Nettles, Oatstraw and Alfalfa.  I would pour boiling water over the dry herbs in a quart jar, cover and let steep for several hours.  I would drink a glass of this a day.  I do this routinely when I am pregnant, after the first trimester.  I would take several doses of Lungs Plus as well.  We all take cod liver oil in our household, and have for some time.  We take either Carlson’s Cod Liver Oil in the green bottle, or Dr. Ron’s fermented cod liver oil/butter oil capsules.  My big girls recovered fairly quickly, though the nagging cough did stay around for a while.  All my younger children got the fever, but got over it so quickly it seemed as though they hardly had it.  My husband had it for a day, and recovered quickly.  My two middle girls never got it.  They had a fever that lasted one day a month before, and perhaps that was a very mild form of the flu.  It was so mild, that I hardly took note of it.  But in any event, they never got  this flu, which was good because they ended up preparing meals for me!

The only other thing I can note is that the flu made us lose our appetites for a few days.  I lost a little weight, but kept eating as much as I could for the baby’s sake.  It also zaps your energy, and it took me probably a full two weeks to get back to normalcy and begin to get the energy back.  Perhaps if I had gotten a higher fever I would have gotten over it quicker.  But for the baby’s sake, it is a good thing that it stayed low-grade, I think.  I am thankful to the LORD for delivering us out of the flu, and for not having to take the vaccine.  I was offered the vaccine several times at my OB’s office, but I told them that I already had it!  (the flu, that is).   There is some question of the safety and efficacy of the the swine flu vaccine, specifically that which contains the element squalene.  I have not done research myself on it, but have read and heard that this is a substance banned ordinarily in the U.S. and Europe, but because of the “emergency” of the H1N1 flu, it was allowed to be used in the making of it.  Apparently it can cause long-term damage and chronic illness.  I know that the insert in the vaccine package states that the safety of the vaccine has not been determined for pregnant or nursing moms ( this was read aloud by Don Imus’ wife on the Sean Hannity show).  Whereas I might have taken Tamiflu if I had it to do over again, I would not have taken the vaccine.  And really, probably our own regimen served just as well as the Tamiflu, from what I have heard since.  But every family has to decide what is best for themselves.  I would not judge anyone else for what course of treatment he or she decides to take.  But I do think that it does help to be proactive day in and day out and eat wholesome foods, take things like a high-quality cod liver oil, a quality supplement and then find out what herbal concoctions work for you.  The Trilight Herbs work for us quite well.  I highly recommend the Lungs Plus.  Another blend they sell is called Scout Out, which is anti-viral and anti-bacterial and a good first herbal  when dealing with colds or flu.  Lympha Rub is another product we use routinely when the lymph system is fighting off a bug – or if a child gets an insect bite on the scalp and it causes the lymph glands to enlarge.  It is good for rubbing on the sinus area as well.  It really helps.

The other thing we did was eat the horseradish-ginger mixture I blogged about last year.   The ingredients are horseradish root, ginger root, garlic, jalapeno peppers (or chili peppers), onions and raw apple cider vinegar.  I generally mix this all up in a blender, and have posted the recipe which I think my daughter transferred to this new blog for me, and keep a jar of it in the refrigerator.  Taking a teaspoon or two a day helps the body fight off flu, colds, sinus infections, etc.  It is more like a condiment, but it is quite a strong one!

I have heard people say that the swine flu is much ado about nothing.  I wouldn’t say that.  For those who have frequent problems with their lungs or breathing, it could be serious.  I would say that if you are diligent about trying to stay ahead of illness by using good nutrition and you have some good, effective herbals and over the counter meds like Motrin or Tylenol and Benedryl, then you can probably fight the flu with good results.   Resting and getting adequate sleep is also key.  Don’t forget to pray over your children and and yourself (or have the others in the family pray over you as well).  Our Heavenly Father is the first One to which we must run for help and healing and wisdom.

“Bless the LORD, oh my soul,  And all that is within me, bless His holy Name. Bless the LORD, oh my soul, And forget none of His benefits, Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases.” ~Psalm 103:1-3

2 Replies to “Dealing With The H1N1 Flu”

  1. Hi Christine,
    Read your blog about family concoctions to help fight ailments…just to pass along a warning…you may want to stay away from Tylenol as it can cause liver damage…just Google “Tylenol liver damage” and read a couple of articles to judge for yourself the relative damage it can inflict.

    Otherwise, loved to hear about the raw cider vinegar mix…
    Best regards,
    G.Dorazio

  2. Thank you for your comment. Yes, Tylenol can cause liver damage and even death if one over-doses on it. The key is to not take it very often, and as little as possible. It is recommended that pregnant women take acetaminophen for headaches or fever instead of ibuprofen probably due to ibuprofen’s blood-thinning effects. I personally rarely take either one of those medicines, and only when I really need it. It is important to take with food if you can (both Tylenol and Motrin), and then drink lots of water as well. This helps to flush the system. By the way, if you take Tylenol and then throw it up a little while later, DO NOT take another dose. Wait the 4-6 hours recommended or an hour or two later take Motrin instead (if you are not pregnant). I knew a girl who did that when she had the flu years ago, and liver damage and death is exactly what happened.

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