by Marilisa Sachteleben

Created on: September 11, 2008   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

April showers bring May flowers, but autumn rains bring fall aches and pains! Flu season is creeping up on us. The flu bug is lurking everywhere waiting to bite! Let's explore some creative, alternative solutions to protect against influenza infection.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. To prevent the flu, an ounce of herbs is worth a pound of medication. Nature has provided us with an arsenal of flu-fighting herbs. Echinacea, Astragalus and Reishi mushrooms build immunity. These are best taken as herbal infusions, teas.

Mineral and vitamin therapy wards off flu germs. Effervescent vitamin C provides antioxidants. Emergen-C, by Alacer, provides a mineral complex drink that strengthens the immune system. Zinc and Colloidal Silver are powerful infection fighters.

You are what you eat. Nutrition is single biggest factor in staying healthy. Fresh, raw and whole foods work with your body systems. They cleanse impurities. They assist healthy digestion and absorption of minerals. They regulate metabolism.

Processed foods, alcohol and caffeine add nothing nutritionally. They deplete vital nutrients. Your body struggles to properly digest junk food. All these factors increase blood pressure. Normal activities and events feel stressful. Improper nutrition causes mood swings and depression.

Stress is part of life. Unmanageable stress attacks your body's weak areas, leaving you victim to viral and bacterial infections. Stress maintenance is critical to stay healthy. Here are six easy stress maintenance tools.

Get a massage. Your masseuse will find tensed muscles and help you to relax.
Do some yoga stretches. Yoga realigns your muscular-skeletal system like no other exercise. Rest. Rest nourishes and heals.
Be kind to yourself. You say 'good job' to others, now say it to yourself.
Unwind. Daydream. Stare at the wall. Permit your mind to let go of anxiety.
Breathe deeply. Inhale. Exhale. Healthy breathing is the easiest way to release stress.

Staying healthy means staying strong. The Little Engine said, 'I think I can!' When hills come, or you get derailed, pick yourself up. Start again. Norman Vincent Peale called it , 'The Power of Positive Thinking'. It's what gave us airplanes and penicillin and Microsoft! Upbeat thinking scares away the flu boogeyman, too!

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