“Dr. Romm, what can I do? My son just got diagnosed with the flu. I was prescribed Tamiflu to prevent it. Should I take it? What can I do to prevent getting sick if I don’t want to take it? I really don’t want to get the flu!”

Last week a positive flu swab in the pediatrician’s office led to diagnosis of flu in one of my patient’s children. The pediatrician said she’d had 7 positive swabs that day already! My patient, the mom, was prescribed Tamiflu for prevention. She’s really concerned about any potential side effects from taking Tamiflu and asked whether I recommend it and what else she could do to prevent the flu.

Flu “Springing Up” With a Vengeance

What’s going on? Spring is not the usual time of year for flu? In fact, it has usually wound down by late winter. Scientists aren’t sure why we’re seeing a resurgence this Spring – but we are, and with a vengeance.

In New York City alone, nearly 650 people were hospitalized for flu symptoms or complications in the first week of April. The City of Boston has issued a flu advisory, and other states, including California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Arizona, Maine, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Utah, and Virginia seem to be getting hit moderately to hard.

This strain of flu, while mostly Influenza B, is not the same one we saw over the winter. So if you’ve had the flu already this year – or even the vaccine, which only confers about 60% immunity – you can still get sick from this latest strain.

Symptoms of the flu include cough, sore throat, headache, chills, fever, and muscle aches. And it makes you feel miserable.

That’s why prevention is key! 

Prevent with Tamiflu… or Not?

Oseltamivir, or Tamiflu, its trade name, is a particularly interesting medication for me to write about because there’s been a spate of heavy politics surrounding the drug that I’ve been following for the past few years. The medication, a neuraminidase inhibitor, is used to reduce the duration and severity of symptoms when treatment is initiated early after the onset of symptoms, and to prevent shedding of the virus which can infect others even when illness has passed. It is supposed to be given within 48 hours of the onset of flu symptoms to be effective in otherwise healthy people. The manufacturer and medical community have endorsed its effectiveness and safety for years.

But maybe, recent reports suggest, this endorsement wasn’t warranted.

It seems that for 4 1/2 years, not only was the data on safety and effectiveness questionable, but the manufacturer was publicly refusing to release its data. Major actions by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) Editor-in-Chief, who published letters to the manufacturer documenting its lack of forthcoming responses in the journal to force their hand to disclose their evidence for safety and efficacy, as well as The Cochrane Library, an evidence-based repository of medical data used by physicians all over the world for research and clinical evidence, yielded no disclosing of the data.

Only recently has this data finally been obtained, and accordingly to a leading Yale researcher (and a former professor of mine), Harlan Krumholz, the complete evidence paints a much less positive picture of oseltamivir than was presented to regulators, policy makers, clinicians, and the public. Important benefits were overestimated and harms under-reported.

In particular, the review found no compelling evidence to support claims that oseltamivir reduces the risk of complications of influenza, such as pneumonia and hospital admission, claims that were used to justify international stockpiling of the drug.

BMJ 2014; 348 http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g2630 (Published 10 April 2014)

So all told, I am not a Tamiflu fan – and did not recommend it to my patient. However, since you have 48 hours from the onset of symptoms, you can take a “wait-and-see” approach and always give it a go if you do get the flu and want to try to nip it in the bud.

5 Doctor-Proven Natural Tips for Preventing the Flu

While pharmaceutical companies may be caught up in deceit about safety and efficacy, and since the flu vaccine is only 60% effective, we really do need more of a repertoire of flu prevention than those limited options. Natural approaches can be incredibly safe, effective, affordable, and without side-effects. My background as an herbalist for over 30 years, and one of the leaders in herbal medicine in the world, allows me to bring you information on the safest, most effective botanicals and natural strategies out there. And as a doctor, these are the “medicines” and approaches I really use with my own patients (and my family, too!).

These 5 tips are safe for pretty much everyone (exceptions for pregnant moms noted below) and you can get most of the herbs and supplements at your local Whole Foods or other major health foods store, or online at Amazon or Mountain Rose Herbs. 

Basic Hygiene and Common Sense Go a Long Way

Wash hands often.

This is especially true if you’ve shaken hands with someone, have been in a public place where you’ve touched a lot of things (i.e., an elevator, the grocery shop), or you’ve been working on a shared computer keyboard (at work, the library), or have exchanged money with someone.

Washing for 20 seconds with soap and water (singing the happy birthday song takes just about 20 seconds), or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer when you can’t get to soap and water, can significantly cut down on your risk of getting sick or bringing the flu home to your family.  Please don’t use antibacterial hand sanitizers as they can breed scary resistant germs and some also contain chemicals (like triclosan) that act as endocrine disruptors.

I always try to offer a hug over a handshake whenever appropriate (even with my patients!). We can all use more hugs! And seriously, you’re much less likely to get sick that way.

Also, try to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth – a common way we spread germs to our kids and us! It’s not that easy to do – the average person touches their face a couple of hundred times per day!

Finally, if you have symptoms of what might be the flu, stay home from work – or if it’s your kids, keep them home from school.

Keep in mind that your doctor is probably ignoring the advice to stay home if sick – most of us were trained to show up at work unless we were practically dying. So your well-meaning doctor may also be a major germ-spreader! 

Eat Well!

This is a good time to cut down on the alcohol, cut out the sugar, processed foods, dairy, and packaged fruit juice – even if just for a few weeks – and make sure you’re getting plenty of good quality protein and vegetables. The stuff I’m suggesting cutting out, yes, including even the juice, is high in sugar or other ingredients that dampen down your immune system. A whole foods diet, sans dairy and sugar, is great protection against getting sick. 

Get Extra Rest

If you’ve been burning the candle at both ends for awhile, this is a really good time to give yourself permission to pause. A tired body means your immune system isn’t as fired up as it could be and you’re more susceptible to getting sick. Make a commitment to get at least 7 hours of sleep each night, preferably 8 hours, until this wave of the flu passes. Pass on that night out drinking, the extra hour of TV, or getting in just a little more work. Hop into bed with a good book, a cup of hot tea (just the act of sipping hot tea helps to prevent sinus infections, too!) and shut the lights early.

Take Your Vitamins

I recommend the following supplements to my patients to prevent colds and flu – during travel, or when there’s a lot of illness going around. For up to 2 weeks take the following for prevention: 

• Vitamin D3: 5000 units/day
• Vitamin A from carotenoids: 10,000 units/day
• Zinc citrate: 30 mg twice daily
• Vitamin C: 500-1000 mg 4 times daily.

The above doses can be modified for children 2 and over. Pregnant women should omit the vitamin A and take only 2000 mg each of Vitamin C and Vitamin D daily. 

Use Herbs

Herbal medicines are powerful allies for boosting immunity and preventing the flu. They are my primary go-to for health and healing along with diet, rest, and a good outlook on life. Many herbs have powerful anti-viral and immune-boosting effects, yet safe and gentle effects on your body. Herbs to consider for flu prevention include Echinacea, elderberry, astragalus, and medicinal mushrooms such as reishi and shitake.

Here’s my recommended protocol for flu prevention:

• Echinacea Liquid Extract (Herb Pharm or Gaia Herbs): 1 tsp. twice daily (yes, that much – but modify for children down to ¼ of the dose ages 2-7 years old, and ½ the dose 8-12 years old, safe for pregnant/nursing women).
• Elderberry Syrup (Herb Pharm, Gaia Herbs, or Planetary Herbals): 1 Tbsp. 3 times daily for adults (modify as for Echinacea for children, safe for pregnant /nursing women).
• Medicinal Mushrooms: I recommend a good Reishi mushroom product, such as Reishi Mushroom Supreme by Planetary Herbals which also has shitake mushrooms, astragalus, and a few other immune boosting herbs, Host Defense Reishi by Host Defense Organic Mushrooms, or Reishi Mushroom-Double Extracted, Organic, by Urban Moonshine – all great products.
• Also, make sure to cook with onions, garlic, turmeric, and ginger, all of which have been used historically to prevent and treat infection, and which modern science validates for antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects.

Immune Tonic by Urban Moonshine is a fantastic immune boosting blend of Astragalus Root, Red Reishi, Codonopsis Root, Maitake, Eleuthero Root, Licorice Root, Schisandra Berry and Ginger Root – all organic. The dose is 1/2 teaspoon once or twice a day, or up to five times daily if needed, in a little warm or cold water. It’s what I’ve personally been taking for the past few days with exposure to sick office staff and patients all around me! It is not for use by pregnant women but is ok if you are nursing.

What About Getting the Flu Vaccine?

The CDC still recommends the getting flu vaccine if you haven’t had it this year. It is considered to be about 60% effective (less so in the elderly) and may help prevent you from getting the flu since it covers H1N1 and Influenza B.

Keep in mind it takes 10-14 days after getting vaccinated to gain immunity, so if you’ve already been exposed, or get exposed in that 2-week window after getting the flu shot, it might not help.

I saw several patients this past winter who felt that chronic symptoms began after they, or their child, received a flu shot or intranasal inoculation. Their illnesses included alopecia totalis (an autoimmune condition of complete hair loss), chronic fatigue syndrome, and fibromyalgia, which they reported began within weeks of receiving a flu vaccine.

Whether to get the vaccine is a super personal and difficult decision for many of you. And there is no right or wrong choice. I have had influenza in the past – which is really quite a miserable 5 days of illness – yet, have still chosen not to receive the flu vaccine. That said, if you or a family member is particularly vulnerable to pneumonia or other complications of illness, this might be an indication to get the vaccine.

Here’s a viewpoint from Dr. Mark Hyman on whether the flu shot is helpful or harmful and a blog from me on flu vaccination in pregnancy. 

I wish you amazing health, hope the flu bypasses you and your loved ones, and look forward to hearing your experiences in the comments section below!

With love,

The post Flu Season Hits Hard Again! 5 Doctor-Proven Natural Tips Adults, Kids, and Pregnant Mommas Can Use to Prevent Flu…Now   appeared first on Aviva Romm.