Your first thought when you have fever and flu is to immediately take over the counter medication to alleviate the symptoms or stop the fever. This suppression will do your body more harm than good. A fever is one of your body’s natural ways to cope with a viral infection. Such is true with a runny nose, which is your body’s way of expelling mucus.

Even with all your obligations and responsibilities at home and in the office, it’s not a wise idea to force your body to feel better by suppressing the symptoms. Although drugs may temporary get rid of the fever, it will not provide long term relief. It’s best to spend a few days cooped up at home, where you can get enough rest and let it all out. Your body will perform its healing abilities in fighting off the infection.

By allowing your body to take its natural course, you are letting it heal naturally. You can also aid the body’s natural healing process by taking homeopathic treatments and other natural forms of alternative healthcare. Unlike medication, homeopathy helps your body recover naturally, as opposed to suppressing the symptoms.

There are many homeopathic remedies used to treat various symptoms of certain illnesses and diseases. In homeopathy, you have to get the treatment appropriate for a specific symptom or condition for it to be effective. You can do some self study about homeopathy, or you can consult an expert to help you choose the right treatment for your specific case of fever and flu. This is because flu can manifest itself differently in each person, and you may be experiencing unique symptoms.

Fever and flu are two things you want to avoid at all times, but if you already have them, let your body do what it’s supposed to do, and let it heal naturally.

Homeopathy is a popular alternative medicine today, and there’s a reason why it’s so. Based on the principle of ‘like cures like,’ it makes use of substances in small doses which would normally cause the symptoms in a normal person. It is symptom-based, meaning the treatment highly depends on the symptom experienced. Nowadays, there are several homeopathic remedies being used to treat various symptoms of illnesses, such as cough and flu.

Homeopathy for Cough

Laura Paris, O.M.D., L.Ac, has created a table of homeopathic remedies for two types of cough: dry cough and productive cough. Still under that heading is a list of different forms of cough.

If you experience constant, loud and hoarse cough together with dryness of chest and a suffocating sensation with every breath, you can seek relief from aconite.

Belladona is recommended for burning, tickling, and barking short cough. It is a good remedy for whooping cough with dryness, scraping, and spasms in larynx which cause difficulty in breathing.

Antimonium tart is advised for too much mucus in bronchial tubes but too little expelled. Kali Bich is for hacking cough with thick white or yellow mucus, while Stannum is perfect for loose cough with heavy and green expectoration.

Homeopathy for Flu

At the onset of flu, Anas barbariae may be taken. If you take such remedy together with other remedies in the first 4 to 12 hours of experiencing the symptoms, you can decrease the time of being sick with the flu.

If flu still persists, you can go for Eupatorium perfoliatum, which is advised for flu symptoms including headaches, fatigue, muscle aches, and chills while Arsenicum album may be used for those with red and runny noses, and people feeling restless, weak, and chilly.

Homeopathy has treatments for cough and flu, depending on the nature of cough and flu symptoms you exhibit.

The H1N1 2009 strain is sensitive to the drug oseltamivir and resistant to amantadine. These two drugs act to make the illness milder and prevent serious complications of influenza infection. This is not a cure. These drugs may be protective for up to 6 weeks after use. Thus reinfection to repeated exposure to H1N1 is possible after 6 weeks of taking the antiviral drug.

Flu treatment requires that the drugs be taken twice daily for 5 days in adults. For adolescents and children the drug is given once per day for 10 consecutive days. The dosage is adjusted based on age and kidney function. The main side effects of taking these drugs are nausea and vomiting. These side effects can be reduced by taking the antivirals with food. Good hydration is primary importance as with all cases of infection particularly if vomiting and diarrhea are present. Electrolyte solutions such as broth, clear soups, Gatorade ® are good hydrating fluids. Families in infection prone areas would be wise to have these on hand and to start hydration immediately when the first symptom(s) appear.

The Antiviral Flu Treatment Is Strongly Recommended For:

• Patients who are hospitalized with confirmed, probable or suspected H1N1 infections are to be treated.
• Symptomatic patients who are at higher risk of seasonal flu complications are to be treated.
• Post exposure antiviral chemoprophylaxis with oseltamivir or zanamivir should be considered for those close contact cases of (confirmed, probable or suspected) and healthcare personnel, public health workers or those who have had recognized, unprotected, close- contact exposure to an infected person (confirmed, probable or suspected) during that person’s infectious period.

These drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir block the H1N1 virus from being released from infected respiratory lining cells. They are proven effective remedies. Therefore the virus after replicating is limited to the few cells it first infected. After reproducing in these first infected cells in the upper airways, it cannot be released from these cells and remains contained to these cells, thus preventing spread within the upper and lower airways of the body.

Most western countries have now amassed stockpiles of these drugs or their respective ingredients for mass production in advance of a possible H1N1 pandemic.

The H1N5 strain or avian flu is resistant to oseltamivir. There is a constant fear that as the swine flu H1N1 2009 spreads, it may develop resistance to oseltamivir as well. Other anti-influenza antiviral drugs such as adamantanes, amantadine and rimantadine are ineffective against H1N1 2009. Most flu viruses are already resistant to these antiviral drugs.

Given the potential for H1N1 to develop resistance to antiviral drugs, there is a determined effort amongst scientist to develop new antiviral drugs for flu treatment.

This makes the use of preventive methods outlined in the K.I.S.S. Method of Prevention more important. These methods work despite flu virus resistance to antiviral drugs.

Why was this strain thought to be so important?

The new H1N1 2009 flu strain gained much attention when experts discovered it carried genes similar to the 1918 swine flu, which caused a world wide pandemic with millions of deaths. On June 11, 2009, the World Health Organization declared this as the first pandemic of the 21st century to prevent another catastrophic world disaster. By June 12, 2009, this virus had already spread to 74 countries, with over 29,000 infected people. It already accounted for a loss of 145 patients who died.

What were the symptoms of H1N1 2009 in the first cases?

To gather data on flu prevention, health care professionals studied 642 confirmed people with H1N1 2009 virus infections, in the US. The diagnosis in these individuals was made using sensitive immune based techniques and nasal secretions. These people ranged in age from 3 years to 81 years old.

Typically the symptoms associated with H1N1 2009 were similar to seasonal influenza and other respiratory viral conditions. Seasonal influenza is characteristically an illness consisting of a low grade fever, sore throat, cough, rhinorrhea (runny nose), headache and myalgias (muscle aches). Although the symptoms of respiratory viral infections such as the common cold and seasonal flu are similar; the list below characterizes our early understanding of the symptom distribution among those infected with H1N1 2009.

Quick 5 Symptom List:

• 1. 94% presented with fever
• 2. 92 % were coughing
• 3. 66% had a sore throat
• 4. 25 % had diarrhea
• 5. 25% had vomiting

H1N1 2009 causes symptoms similar to the seasonal flu. However, 25 percent of those infected also experience vomiting and diarrhea, unlike the seasonal flu. Information on sneezing, sinusitis, bronchitis and other disease related complications was not available.

Approximately 9% were thought to require hospitalization with severe systemic flu complications. People who were admitted to hospital had high rates of pneumonia (approximately 50%). Keep in mind that this data was derived from a very small sample of patients. Due to the severity of the illness in some patients, intensive care treatment was required.

Who is susceptible to H1N1 2009?

Younger individuals were found to be more susceptible to this strain of flu virus. Of these cases 60% were less than 18 years old, 40% were between 10-18 years and only 5% of cases were over 51 years old. The child appeared more susceptible than the adult to H1N1 2009.

Why are older individuals less susceptible to H1N1

It was felt that older patients had cross protection from a previous flu infection, in life. Cross reacting antibodies to the H1N1 were found in:

1. 6-9% of those aged 18-64 years

2. 33% of those aged greater than 60 years.

Scientists concluded that children and young adults were more susceptible because 60% of initial patients were? 18 years. This delay of transmission to older people may also be explained by the fact that the young and old live in differences in social networks. Transmission occurs faster in social networks of younger individuals. Another possibility that may explain this difference in susceptibility to H1N1 2009 is that elderly persons may have had some level of cross- protection from pre-existing antibodies against other influenza A (H1N1) viruses. These theories require further study. Apparently, vaccinations to previous influenza strains may not afford prevent infection by H1N1 2009.

Overall, most confirmed cases of H1N1 2009 viral infections have been typically self-limited, uncomplicated febrile respiratory illnesses. The symptoms are similar to those of seasonal influenza (a cough, a sore throat, rhinorrhea, headache, and myalgia). Approximately 38% of cases have also developed vomiting or diarrhea, neither of which is typical of seasonal influenza. Some infected individual’s develop severe illness and required hospitalization, and few patients die.

For effective prevention learn about the K.I.S.S. Method and consult your family doctor.

The flu virus is constantly mutating. In 2009 the H1N1 strain evolved through mutation. Experts have determined that H1N1 virus originated recently, in swine, found in Mexico. This strain of flu virus has been reported to have caused several deaths in 2009.

H1N1 2009 can cause a sore throat, fever, muscle and joint pains and fatigue. Stomach symptoms are present in some though not as common. Complications such as pneumonia and in turn death have been reported. Asthma attacks can be triggered by flu infections.

The CDC and other health care departments have been highly active in working out strategies for the purpose of preventing an outbreak. Authorities have set up health centers in the USA, UK, Europe, China and Canada, in anticipation of a possible pandemic. These centers are also designed to assist with mass flu virus vaccination.

The H1N1 strain, in 2009 has been of much interest due to serious illness and death, particularly among younger children. This demographic could change as the contagion spreads to infect older adults.

There has been much confusion about the H1N1 vaccination. The vaccine is highly recommended for those individuals who are susceptible to the complications of this illness. Many have already received the vaccine, in Canada and the US. Most recently the vaccine has been recommended for all adults and children over 6 months old. People with asthma should have the shot.

The vaccine may produce symptoms that are not unlike the illness itself. These symptoms are short lived and milder. Rarely more serious complications may arise. Overall the risk of serious illness or death resulting from an infection outweighs the mild side effects and the rare serious effects of immunization.

Vaccination is one of the most important methods of influenza prevention. Lifestyle modifications are also equally important in preventing infection. The K.I.S.S. Method AndFlu Prevention also details effective techniques recommended by experts that one can use immediately.

Employing the K.I.S.S. Method will increase the likelihood of preventing contact with the flu virus.

1. The K.I.S.S. Method does not require swallowing anything.
2. The K.I.S.S. Method does not require injections.
3. There are no Side Effects associated with the K.I.S.S. Method.
4. The K.I.S.S. Method is cheap.
5. The K.I.S.S. Method can be used immediately.
6. The K.I.S.S. Method is based on cutting edge biomedical research.
7. The K.I.S.S. Method prevents illness caused by many other germs at the same time.

Seasonal influenza still remains important in 2009, despite a potential outbreak of the H1N1 strain. There have been fewer reports in 2009 of the seasonal influenza, since H1N1 dominates the news, at present. The seasaonal flu vaccines work by boosting the immune system against strains of virus that are predicted to infect the northern hemisphere, in a given season. The virus is neutralized by antibodies that are in the bloodstream as a result of immunization.

Those with fever and symptoms of an infectious illness should not be vaccinated until the infection passes. Vaccination is not required for those who have a proven diagnosis of having H1N1. People allergic to eggs and previously to a flu shot should not take these vaccines. For these individuals antivirals may be used to prevent and treat the flu. Antivirals are anti-flu virus drugs obtained by prescription from a doctor.

Knowing the risks and complications of H1N1 andflu vaccines, would you recommend immunization to friends and loved ones? Would additional methods of flu prevention that are cheap, free of side effects; that do not require ingestion or injection, are useful immediately and proven effective by leading experts be of interest to you? The K.I.S.S. Method is a compilation of several effective scientifically proven strategies combined into a universal approach to flu prevention now.

Runny nose is the term used to describe a fluid discharge coming from the nasal passages. This is linked with swelling and inflammation of sinuses and the inner lining of the nasal passages. Usually, runny nose is caused by a viral infection such as influenza. However, it can also be a symptom of allergies, sinus infections, and the common cold. To help you determine if what you have is runny nose flu, it’s wise to properly assess your symptoms and have a discussion with your health care provider to get a correct diagnosis.

Usually, you can tell if you have runny nose flu if your symptoms appear abruptly, and if you’re experiencing fever, muscle aches, chills, sore throat, cough, and stuffed nose, altogether. If this is the case, a self-care tip would be to get lots of rest and drink lots of fluids. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C, drinking fruit juices, or taking vitamin C supplements will also help strengthen your immune system and fight off the viral infection. Eating watercress is also believed to get rid of runny nose, as well as chewing on ginger root and sucking its juice.

Other options would be to buy over the counter medication used to alleviate the symptoms, or to go to your doctor to get a prescription medicine. The antiviral medicine prescribed by your doctor can shorten the duration of your being sick with the flu. Of course, you can avoid this and get a flu vaccine shot to prevent catching the flu virus and runny nose flu.

To get an accurate flu diagnosis, you would naturally visit your doctor or healthcare provider. But a little knowledge goes a long way, and acquainting yourself with flu symptom will definitely help you make a more informed decision in consulting a professional.

The different symptoms you have to evaluate and asses in order to determine if you have the flu are as follows: fever, cough, chills, sneezing, body aches, sore throat, and how suddenly the symptoms appeared.

The temperature range of fever, the type of cough (dry cough/cough with no mucus or productive cough/cough with mucus), presence of chills, frequency of sneezing, presence and degree of muscle aches and pains, presence and degree of sore throat, and tiredness/fatigue are just some of the factors you have to assess to determine whether you have the flu. Flu symptoms also manifest suddenly, and this is another factor to consider.

Symptom checkers may be found all over the Internet, and is usually made of multiple choice questions that probe into the presence and degree of symptoms experienced. Make sure that you use a symptom checker that is designed by a medical professional, and always back up the findings with accurate diagnosis coming from a real doctor.

So the next time you wonder if you have a flu symptom, it might be a good initial step to look up online symptom evaluators. From the results, you can make an informed choice to see a doctor and get professional medical advice.