Colds and Flu

Both colds and flu are primarily caused by viruses. However, being exposed to such viruses does not mean that you will develop a cold or flu. In addition, the severity of the symptoms a person develops if he or she does contract a cold or flu can vary dramatically. For example, three people exposed to the same virus to the same degree can have three completely different reactions to the virus.

One person may not develop any symptoms, the second person might develop a mild cold that only lasts for a day or two, yet the third person might wind up bed-ridden with the flu and go on to develop pneumonia. It is the health of your immune system, not the viruses themselves, that determines if you will develop a cold or flu and, if so, how mild or severe your symptoms will be. This is a principle that is well understood by practitioners of alternative medicine, yet mostly ignored by conventional doctors. Therefore, relying on conventional medical approaches to treat and prevent colds and flu will most often end in failure.

As the late Emanuel Cheraskin, MD, DMD, a pioneering integrative physician, once declared, “It is time to put to rest the notion that germs jump into people and cause diseases.” What matters is not the virus, but the internal health of your body.

Other practitioners of natural medicine point out that colds and flu may actually be one of the methods of detoxification that the body employs to rid itself of toxins in order to bring itself back into a state of health and balance. Based on both of these perspectives, it is easy to see that attention needs to be placed on the various factors that can cause you to have a weak immune system and therefore be more likely to develop a cold or flu. The primary factors that weaken immunity and increase susceptibility to colds and flu are allergies, poor diet, stress, and the use of certain pharmaceutical drugs.

Allergies: The primary allergies associated an increased likelihood of developing a cold or flu are food allergies that increase your body’s production of mucus. The most common offenders are cow’s milk, wheat, and all food products derived from dairy and wheat. Such foods have a high mucus content and trigger allergic responses that further increases mucus production, while simultaneously weakening your immune system and increasing the risk of respiratory infections.

Airborne allergens such as pet dander, dust, mould, and pollen can also increase your risk of colds and flu because of the way they also affect your respiratory tract. As a result of an allergic response to such substances, your nose, sinuses, and throat are more apt to become congested and inflamed, making it easier for cold and flu viruses to gain a foothold in your body.

Poor Diet: In addition to a diet containing foods to which you are allergic or sensitive, regular consumption of unhealthy foods such as commercially processed foods, foods high in sugar and simple carbohydrates, soda, coffee, alcohol, and foods high in artificial sweeteners, food colouring and dyes, flavourings, and preservatives can also severely compromise immune function. So can foods containing natural sugars, such as honey, dried fruit, and fruit juice, as well as foods high in partially hydrogenated oils, such as most brands of commercial cereal.

Commercial meats and animal products can also weaken your immune system because of the antibiotics, bacteria, hormones, and pesticides they contain.

According to William Wolcott, author of The Metabolic Typing Diet, a diet that is inappropriate for your individual metabolic type can also create havoc in your immune system, causing a state of high acidity in your body’s cells and tissues, leaving you more susceptible to colds and flu, as well as many other disease conditions. Go to pH Test Procedure for more information on your metabolic type. Finally, overeating and improper food combinations can also lead to an accumulation of toxins in the body.

Pharmaceutical Drugs: According to the Physicians’ Desk Reference the following drugs can all increase your risk of developing a cold or flu: Actimmune, AeroBid Inhaler System, Aerobid-M Inhaler System, Alferon N Injection, Asacol Delayed-Release Tablets, CHEMET (succimer) Capsules, Intron A, Lopressor HCT Tablets, Nipent for Injection, Permax Tablets, ProSom Tablets, Rowasa Rectal Suppositories and Rectal Suspension Enema, Videx Tablets, Powder for Oral Solution, and Pediatric Powder for Oral Solution.