Cold & Flu Remedies

Homeopathy: The Best Defense is a Good Offense
I had my first experience with homeopathy when I was in high school. I was so sick I could hardly get out of bed. My throat was so swollen I couldn't talk and had difficulty swallowing water! My mom gave me all the popular over the counter cold and flu remedies, of that time (this was nearly 20 years ago). The only thing any of them accomplished was, at best, making me sleep through my misery, and one -- I won't say which, caused my heart to flutter!

A short time before, my mother had discovered a health food store -- Nutrition Works -- only three short blocks away from our new home. They sold natural remedies for just about everything. My Mom favored their Swiss Kriss laxatives and a green tea that was imported from Japan, but had never used or even heard of homeopathy prior to visiting this store and reading their free health magazines. As I recall, she bought the Zand sore throat liquid and Boericke and Tafel Alpha CF (a continuing favorite of mine). I took both as directed and was able to speak again the very next morning! It felt like a miracle. I continued taking the remedies for the next two days and I was back on my feet and feeling stronger and more vital than ever. I haven't looked back since.

I can honestly say that when I use homeopathy to treat cold and flu, especially at the first signs of illness, not only do I get a quick response but I get cold symptoms far less often, and I haven't had the flu since. It has acted like an immunity booster. So, I guess "like cures like" is a very accurate way to describe homeopathy.

Homeopathy has been very good to me, and several other members of my family, over the years, but there are limits to its effectiveness:

• If you wait too long, which really does depend on your individual physiology, it will be less effective and may take longer to work, if it works at all.
• If you don't take it as directed it will also not be as effective. The experts who develop these homeopathic formulas know how much is needed and at what intervals it should be taken. If you cannot follow simple directions, you may be wasting your money.

Herbal Remedies: Great at Running Defense and Offense
When homeopathy fails, for the reasons I detailed above, herbal preparations are definitely the way to go. They can both treat and prevent cold and flu quite effectively. Although, their defense is not as subtle and -- from my own experience -- immune system enhancing as homeopathy, for those who have a weak constitution or have an already compromised immune system, herbal remedies are your best bet. Why?

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