Herbal Legacy Newsletter October 31, 2007
Published: Wed, 10/31/07
Sponsored by The School of Natural Healing & Christopher Publications
Dear ,
Happy Halloween! As the weather gets colder you start to hear the familiar cry, "It's time to get your flu shots!" Yes - flu season is upon us. How do herbalists avoid the flu, or if they get the flu, how do they treat it? Should you get a flu shot?
Answers to all of these questions can be found in today's Herbal Legacy Newsletter.
David Christopher shares a very insightful and informative article about influenza. Fawn Christopher shares her onion soup recipe - a great tasting recipe that is a must-have if you have the flu (or are taking care of someone who got the flu).
Be sure to listen to A Healthier You where David & Fawn discuss the flu.
You are sure to walk away from this newsletter well prepared for flu season.
Until next time, be happy and healthy-
Dr. Christopher's Herbal Legacy Newsletter
ARTICLE: Influenza by David Christopher, M.H., A.H.G.
RECIPE: Onion Soup contributed by Fawn Christopher
FEATURE: A Healthier You - Influenza
by David Christopher, M.H., A.H.G.
Influenza like the common cold has symptoms ranging from malaise, fatigue, runny nose, coughing and sneezing, bleary eyes and fever. Unlike the cold, fever also presents with symptoms varying from vomiting, diarrhea, body aches to high fever. Influenza is viral, causing nasal secretions that are clear, grey, or white, as opposed to yellow or green, which indicates bacterial infections.
Most over the counter and prescribed remedies should be avoided as they only work on symptoms, and generally interfere with the bodies own healing pathways. Particularly be wary of remedies that lower fevers. Anything from aspirin to willow bark will stop the body's number one weapon against viruses, a fever. Constantly taking the body's temperature is a waste of time and only adds to the discomfort of the patient. This procedure might cause unnecessary worry and cause an irrational administration of anti-pyretics.
Let us look at this natural phenomenon of influenza and treat it effectively through natural, supportive procedures. First malaise and fatigue occur because your body has diverted its energies to cleansing and defeating the invader. Therefore, give the body the nutrients it needs to accomplish the task and give you strength. The old adage of feed a cold and starve a fever or visa versa, just doesn't make sense. You feed or nourish both.
However, remember that you do not want to waste energy digesting vast quantities of solid food. So, drink your meals. Drink fresh juices, hot liquid soups, Bragg amino acids, spirulina, bee pollen, or grass juices. These foods are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and all kinds of phyto-chemicals, like anti-oxidants, that are all easily digested.
Pay particular attention to getting plenty of berries and vitamin C rich fruits. Fruits are extremely cleansing, which is what the body is trying to accomplish to remove the filthy environment that was a perfect breeding ground for the invading virus.
Do not take a remedy to stop a runny nose. That is how the body flushes out invaders and morbid matter. Instead, promote evacuations with essential oil steams. I particularly like pine oil and eucalyptus. Also, Dr. Christopher's Sen-Sei or Cayenne ointments added to a pot of boiling water that has been removed from the heat and a towel placed around the pot and over your head provides an excellent steam treatment.
Dr. Christopher's Nose Ointment is great for longer therapeutic action. Ground, fresh horseradish is a wonderful way to speed up the process, just grate it and breathe in the fumes - it works instantly. Bleary eyes are a result of the eye's efforts, like the nose, to carry off invaders and morbid matter, help it in it's effort with grated onions, which you position your self to be in close proximity, as to cause the eyes to tear, thus removing waste and invaders and stimulating the production of lysozymes in the eyes to fight infection. Vomiting, and diarrhea are natural body functions that you aid, not stop. Try Lobelia for the vomiting and senna for the diarrhea. Be sure to keep the body hydrated with liquids, i.e. grapefruit juice, for lost electrolytes. Liberally use Garlic and Echinacea, to boost the immune system.
The final symptom, fever, is not so different from other defensive actions of the body. Temperature rises in response to the invader and degree is determined on need, i.e. at what temperature does the body rise to check incubation of the invader, and also temperature rise stimulates your immune system into full response. So, if you take a remedy to stop a fever, you allow the invader to multiply and consequently stop your immune system from functioning. Proper therapy involves more study so for as little as a couple of dollars, you can obtain a full therapy explanation by purchasing the booklet Cold Sheet Treatment, By Dr. John R. Christopher at: http://www.christopherpublications.com/Cold_Sheet_Treatment.html
Contributed by Fawn Christopher
Serves 6
Ingredients:* 2 T Olive Oil
* 4 large yellow onions - thinly sliced
*1 t salt
* ½ t dry mustard
* 1-2 dashes of thyme
* 4 cups of water
* 2 vegetable bullion cubes
* 2 T Tamari or Shoyu (optional)
* Garlic
Directions:
Add Olive Oil, onions and salt into kettle or dutch oven. Cook over medium heat for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mustard and thyme, stir and cover. Reduce heat to low - continue to cook slowly for about 35 minutes. Onions will be exquisitely soft and simmering in their own liquid. Add water, Tamari or Shoyu and bullion cubes. Simmer about ten minutes. Taste to adjust seasonings. Press garlic into soup after turning off soup, just before serving.
On Saturday, October 27 David and Fawn Christopher discussed influenza at length on their popular radio program, A Healthier You.
You can listen to this episode for free (for one week only) on A Healthier You Radio website. Just scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to hear the show:
Last week we mentioned that Christopher Publications (http://www.christopherpublications.com) is online and ready to take orders again. The School of Natural Healing (http://www.snh.cc) is also back online ready to take your order.
There are just three (3) days left until the Homeopathy seminar in Provo, Utah. You don't want to miss this historic event - people will be coming in from all over the world to attend this seminar. For more information please visit:
Herbal Legacy
http://www.herballegacy.com
This newsletter is sponsored by:
The School of Natural Healing http://www.snh.cc
Christopher Publications: http://www.christopherpublications.com
Christopher Publications: http://www.christopherpublications.com