What to do When You Have the Flu: Dr. Merrell's Guide to Treatment

By Woodson Merrell, M.D.

My integrative approach to conquering the flu tackles the problem from two angles, with the conventional approach of targeting the virus and the complementary approach of strengthening the immune system. The goal is always to treat as gently as possible with medicines and supplements that help the body's natural tendency to heal itself.

For all of these remedies, you must contact your health care provider first to make sure of the safety and appropriateness for your use.

Attack the Influenza Virus 

The drug Tamiflu can help kill the flu virus if taken in the early stages.See Your Doctor for a Prescription of Anti-Viral Flu Medication: These medications are helpful for reducing the virus's severity and duration. Ask your doctor about Tamiflu (preferred), Flumadine, Relenza (inhaled form) or Amantadine. The earlier you can get one of these medications on board the more effective they will be.

Help Your Immune System Recognize and Kill the Flu Virus with the Homeopathic Remedy, Oscillococcinum:  Much like a natural vaccination, Oscillococcinum--homeopathic pellets available in most drug stores--provides an infinitesimal dose of a non-threatening flu-like molecule that prompts the body to mount a response. In order to work it must be taken at the first sign of symptoms. One vial of pellets under the tongue three times a day for the first two to three days of symptoms.

Gird Your Immune System for the Fight

For general immune support, in order of preference; more than one supplement from each category at a time may be used synergistically (see note, below, for supplement purchasing resources): 

Chinese roots, barks and mushrooms are powerful immune system stimulants.Look to China: Combinations of foods, herbs, roots and barks--including medicinal mushrooms--identified for their immune-strengthening properties through literally hundreds of years of trial and error by Chinese herbal masters. From American companies: Cold Away by Health Concerns and Viragraphis by Xymogen. If you live in or near a big city it's possible to find a Chinese herbalist offering standardized preparations of Chinese patent formulas, Gan-Mao-Ling or Yin Chiao. Chinese herbs are often more powerful than Western herbs, but an excellent formula that combines both is Wellness Formula by Source Naturals. Use any of the above for a week or two while your defenses need bolstering.

Echinacea: This member of the daisy family boosts the immune system only when paired with other similar herbs.Flower Power: a member of the daisy family, by itself Echinacea is not as effective as it is in combination with other immune strengthening herbs. It does not work for prevention or with long-term use. But taken at the first sign of the flu, a good Echinacea compound formula can strengthen the immune system. Take Echinacea three times a day in capsule or tincture form. Reliable brands: Esberitox by Enzymatic Therapy and Insure Herbal by Zand. Echinacea is an immune stimulant; it is not recommended for people with auto-immune conditions.

Almost Magic Mushrooms: Medicinal mushrooms--Reishi, Maitake and Shitake--are among the most powerful immune stimulating substances on the planet. They are incredibly safe, and because they are food, you can take them every day as opposed to most other medicinal herbs that are meant to be used episodically. Among other beneficial substances, mushrooms contain lipopolysaccharides that elicit a strong immune response in people and animals. Cook with the whole mushrooms or take the purified capsules of the whole food such as Host Defense by Organic Mushrooms and Life Shield Immunity by New Chapter. Take three times daily immediately upon exposure to flu. You can also take once a day through the flu season preventively. 

Elderberries pack twice the antioxidant load of blueberries.Blue Fruits: Anthocyanins, flavonoids found primarily in the pigments of dark blue and deep purple fruits, have been shown to stimulate the immune system. Black elderberries pack twice the antioxidant load of blueberries. Black Elderberry Elixir by Sambucol is the gold standard, and a good choice for children.

Turbo-Charge with C: In a highly publicized study, reported flu symptoms in a test group of 252 students decreased by 85% with hourly doses of 1000 mg of Vitamin C for the first 6 hours and then 3 times daily thereafter. In practice, this regimen seems to help some more than others. Try 1000 mg vitamin C a day of either EmergenC, Ester-C or Ola Loa Sport. 

Treat Symptoms Gently and Effectively

Keep the Mucus Moving: For chest and sinus congestion use an expectorant such as plain Mucinex (Robitussin) tablets that thin the mucus and keep it from stagnating in one place. (Avoid the combination product MucinexD, containing the decongestant pseudoephredine, which can over-dry mucus membranes.) Use gentler nasal decongestant, Nazanol by Metagenics, which does not dry or stimulate the nervous system like Sudafed.

Steam Away the Symptoms: Use a personal steam inhaler or a bowl of just-boiled water and a towel to make an essential oil inhalation: Use Vick’s, or preferably a combination of two or more organic essential oils of rosemary/eucalyptus/camphor/menthol.  Young Living Thieve’s Oil is a good combination of all of those herbs along with cinnamon, which is quite comforting. You can also use tea tree oil, one of the most powerful anti-microbials on the planet, but be forewarned its turpentine-like smell can be hard to bare when you are feeling fluish.Use an essential oil inhalation to soothe congestion.

Give an Assist to Your Lymph Glands: Homeopathic Lymphomyosot sublingual drops by Heel help clear the killed viral particles that are shunted to the lymph nodes on their way out of the body.

Attack the Germs in Your Throat: For the sore throat, gargle with an anti-microbial dilution of 3/4 water to 1/4 hydrogen peroxide or tea tree oil (dilute, gargle and spit out.) In a pinch, simply gargle with Listerine Antiseptic. 

Alternate Anti-Inflammatories to Avoid Side-Effects: For headaches, pain, fever: alternate ibuprofen (Advil, etc.) with acetaminophen (Tylenol) every six hours to minimize the side effects of each. Too much ibuprofen can irritate the digestive tract while too much acetaminophen can irritate the liver, which is already working overtime to process the flu virus.

A Note on Antibiotics: Flues and Colds are caused by viruses. Antibiotics only treat bacteria not viruses and are NOT helpful for pure viral illnesses (occasionally the infections occur in combination or bacterial infections present similar to colds or right after colds – but this is the exception, not the rule.)

Where do you get these things? As with all recommendations on our site, the shout-outs in this story reflect our research and experience--not any financial arrangement with manufacturers (we don't get paid to tout products!) We offer the following web sites that may stock the supplements mentioned in this story: Vitahealth, Willner Chemists, Smallflower and The Natural Apothecary (see Author Affiliation). 

For all of the above remedies, you must contact your health care provider first to make sure of the safety and appropriateness for your use.