Battling the bug: remedies for flu prevention

At the height of the flu season, phones at The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy keep ringing.

“I’m finding a lot of people are calling us on the phone asking for advice,” said Jarron Yee, who runs The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy in north Regina.

There are some over-the-counter methods for treating your symptoms, such as Tylenol or Advil.

Yee also recommends zinc tablets or Echinacea. He says the same vitamin supplements that help eliminate the flu when you have it can also work in prevention.

“What they’re supposed to do is help build your immunity,” Yee said.

If you’re already infected with the flu virus, you’re not alone. Saskatchewan health officials say the flu season has not yet hit its peak.

“They’ll say ‘oh I need tea and I have to have lemon in it today’… you know if you have a cold or a sore throat, the honey and the lemon seem to help and the hot tea, it soothes the throat,” explained Howden.

While tea is one of the more popular natural remedies, does it actually work? A local naturopath says yes, and that certain ingredients can have an impact.

“An example is lemon and ginger tea. So, lemon is very anti-bacterial. So, it fights off those viruses, those bacteria and has high amounts of vitamin C in it and we know vitamin C really stimulates that immune system to fight of that infection,” said Allison Ziegler.

For the full article click here: Battling the bug: remedies for flu prevention