What Causes the Respiratory Flu?

Influenza – more commonly known as “the flu” – is viral in origin.

Respiratory Flu symptoms may include:

  • A 100 degree Fahrenheit (or higher) fever or feeling feverish (not everyone with the flu has a fever)
  • A cough and/or sore throat
  • difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
  • A runny or stuffy nose
  • Headaches and/or body aches
  • Chills
  • Fatigue – where you cannot or do not want to get out of bed

If you suspect you’ve been exposed to a viral (or bacterial) infection that targets the lungs, then there are two things you can do immediately to flush the pathogen and prevent becoming infected: Flush your sinuses using a Neti pot, and/or inhale Eucalyptus essential oil in a steam tent.

However, if you are past the exposure stage and you are now infected with the virus (or bacteria), you can still help your body to kill it quickly by inhaling diluted H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) into your lungs, using a nebulizer. Let’s start with the easy stuff first….

1. Flush Sinuses immediately following exposure, with a Neti Pot and Colloidal Silver

This is a technique developed by my Indian ancestors and it uses a specially-designed ceramic pot and the flow of gravity to send water in through one nostril, throughout your sinuses and out the other nostril. Although this may sound strange and intimidating, even a young child can do this easily – in the video below I get my daughter to help me demo using a Neti pot just to prove how easy this is!

Add to your Neti Pot:

*Water temperature should be comfortable, but hot.

Stir well to mix. Then flush the nasal cavity by pouring Neti pot contents through both left and right nostril. Make the “kkkk” sound to prevent the mixture from running down your throat (yes your nose, sinuses, throat and trachea are all connected!)

YouTube video

Repeat as needed, 1-2 times per day to assist your body in halting the spread of the virus or bacteria, and flushing it from your sinuses, before it gets into your lungs.

Yes, you can put other anti-viral substances into your Neti pot, like wild oregano oil, or eucalyptus, thyme or rosemary oil, or hydrogen peroxide. I just find colloidal silver super easy to use, store and clean and very comfortable (no burning or stinging). At the first sign of a cold, I flush morning and night with the Neti pot, salt and colloidal silver and I haven’t had a cold in over 5 years.

Remember, the whole reason the body produces mucus is to trap and expel pathogens (virus or bacteria). So if you flush the pathogens, using a Neti pot and anti-viral/anti-bacterial substance, you are working with the body’s wisdom and helping it to get rid of the intruders. Then your body has no need to produce mucus, because you’ve already done the needful!

Of course, you also want to support your body with key immune boosting substances like Vitamin C, Vitamin D3, Zinc, B-complex vitamins, oral wild oregano oil, aged garlic, olive leaf extract, medicinal mushrooms and therapeutic-grade probiotics.

2. Do a Eucalyptus Steam to Clear Airways

Essential oils like eucalyptus, rosemary, thyme, wild oregano all possess potent anti-viral and anti-bacterial action. For example, this study showed that “streptomycin and Nystatin possessed lower antibacterial and antifungal activity than Origanum vulgare and Rosmarinus officinalis.

In this form – as an inhaled vapor – eucalyptus is effective for colds, breaking up mucus in sinuses or lungs, and as a preventative. I don’t think it’s potent enough to treat an active lung infection (although it can certainly help your body heal itself), but it is certainly helpful and effective for milder respiratory ailments.

A super easy way to get these essential oils directly to your sinuses and lungs is to create a steam tent using a bowl of boiled filtered water, along with 20-30 drops of essential oil, and a towel. Easy-peasy!

My preferred essential oils for this application are eucalyptus, or a blend like Olbas oil. Wild oregano is too powerful for this application (I find), although rosemary and eucalyptus together could work well. I have used eucalyptus for decades as a steam – either in a steam tent (see video below) or in the shower. I like it because it’s available everywhere and easily tolerated, so I have used it with my babies and toddlers as well.

Steam Tent with Essential Oils

I have used this repeatedly with my babies, kids and myself. It is super easy and quick with amazing results.

  • Get a large stainless steel bowl or saucepan, or a ceramic bowl (no plastic or aluminum) and fill it with just boiled, filtered water.
  • Add 20-30 drops of Eucalyptus essential oil or Olbas oil, or as much as you can tolerate.
  • Position your head over the bowl and drape a clean towel over your head, so that it hangs down on all sides of the bowl. You’ve basically created an enclosed steam tent for your head.
  • Breathe deeply into your lungs and belly. Alternate inhaling through your nose, and inhaling through your mouth.
  • If it gets too hot, then vent one side of the towel, or move your head further away from the bowl. Stop and blow your nose as needed.
  • Continue for as long as feels comfortable, your body knows when it’s had enough.
  • Add more boiling water, or more essential oil, as needed, to maintain potency (you want it as strong as you can tolerate, it should feel strong, but GOOD) – 10 minutes is usually long enough.
  • Repeat as many times throughout the day as desired.

Note: If using with a baby, I hold the baby with me under the tent and watch closely for signs that it is too strong, or too hot, and adjust accordingly.

YouTube video

Eucalyptus Shower Steam

The other thing I’ve done with babies is to use the shower to generate the steam. I stuff towels under the door to seal the bathroom (don’t turn on the fan). Then I turn the water on full hot and put the plug in the bath (or shower) along with 30 drops of eucalyptus essential oil, or Olbas oil (double that if your bathroom is large). A shower head is best as it will generate more steam than a bath faucet. The smaller the bathroom, the better!

I then sit on the toilet or on a stool near the shower, holding baby. I used this method to heal my son Oscar of croup when he was 8-months-old, in just a few days. The eucalyptus steam opened up his airways, which enabled him to nurse, so then he could also receive all the immune boosters I was taking, through my breastmilk.

For older children, or yourself, you can also create a eucalyptus steam in your shower, while you’re showering. Again, seal the door by stuffing a towel along the crack, don’t open the window or turn on the fan – you want the steam to stay in the bathroom. And plug the shower drain (even just covering the drain with your foot can work fine), or put the plug in the bathtub, then turn the showerhead on as hot as you can stand it. Where the spray hits the water at your feet, add 20-30 drops of Eucalyptus essential oil, or Olbas oil. Again, add more eucalyptus essential oil as needed for at least 7-10 minutes. Again, this works best in a smaller bathroom where the steam can really build up and fill the space.

I would also set my young kids up to play in the bath, using the showerhead to create a eucalyptus steam as they sat and played in the tub. They love it and again, you just add more eucalyptus essential oil as needed, to keep it as strong as possible. Just remember not to open the door once you’ve started the steam! You need to create a hot, steamy bathroom filled with eucalyptus oil. This will penetrate all the airways/sinuses and into the lungs with each inhale.

Wild Oregano Oil Anti-Viral Protocol

The other thing that I would do in addition to nebulized H2O2, is to take wild oregano oil orally. I have detailed instructions here and I have used this protocol repeatedly, as have thousands of my readers.

Shopping List

In my opinion, we have not seen the last of respiratory flus for this decade. So I believe everyone should have these healing tools ready to go at home:

  • 2 bottles Wild Oregano Oil – 30 ml (75% naturally-occurring Carvacrol or higher)
  • 1 bottle Organic Eucalyptus essential oil – 30 ml (or Olbas oil)
  • Neti Pot
  • Neti Pot Salt
  • 1 bottle liquid Colloidal Silver
  • 1 bottle Food-Grade Hydrogen Peroxide
  • Medical Nebulizer (from a pharmacy or online – I’m trying to get these into the Shoppe for you, will let you know if I can swing it! In the meantime, you can order from here)

I keep all of these items on hand at both my house, and my parents’ house. I think the amount of fear we feel is directly related to the healing tools we have in our toolbox. If your only treatment option is the medical doctor or hospital, then yes, you’re going to have quite a lot of fear and anxiety. And don’t forget my Tapping healing session to reduce/transform that fear :)

Inhaled Glutathione & Hydrogen Peroxide for Lung Inflammation, Pneumonia, Emphysema, Infection

You may have heard about glutathione’s beneficial effect on the immune system, but did you know that you can inhale it directly into your lungs and receive it’s beneficial healing action? Likewise, you can use food-grade hydrogen peroxide to directly affect healing of lung issues from viral flu bugs, to pneumonia, COPD and asthma. Personally, I have used both substances in a nebulizer and had positive experiences with each of them. Let’s start with glutathione…

Inhaled Glutathione via a Nebulizer

Glutathione reduces oxidative stress, decreases inflammation, and modulates T cell responses in lungs. Hence it is an excellent natural substance for treating conditions of lung inflammation, pneumonia, emphysema, cystic fibrosis, etc. and it can also work well with asthma.

I used it myself following a bout of severe pneumonia, where it hurt to take a deep breath or inflate my left lung fully. I felt a marked difference after the first session, but after a while, it wore off. However, as the treatments continued, the expansion in my lungs remained for longer and longer periods. You will also get the overall boost to your immune system by inhaling it through your lungs as well.

At one point, I had a bout of the flu and having had pneumonia, I didn’t want to take any chances. So I went to my naturopath for intravenous vitamin C, B complex and magnesium, along with 20 minutes of inhaled glutathione. My cough was gone the next day.

A few years later, my son had a cough that just wasn’t clearing up. By that time I had purchased my own nebulizer, so I went to my Naturopath and bought a vial of glutathione (needs to be kept refrigerated) with a syringe to measure the dosage for the nebulizer. Again, after a week of daily treatments, my son’s lungs were clear.

Note: Please take the time to read through the many comments posted below as we have nurses and others who know WAY more about this than me, contributing their valuable information.

Here are some good articles giving some solid scientific research behind this effective natural therapy:

You can see lots more articles by entering this search term into your browser: inhaled glutathione for lung inflammation

Liquid glutathione, suitable for use in a nebulizer, can be quite hard to find as it is usually sold through Naturopathic or Functional Medicine doctors, or some other licensed professional. Wellness Pharmacy has the option to reach out to their team if you’d like to discuss the potential benefits of Glutathione with one of their pharmacists, or if you are looking for a physician in your area that is familiar with the use of glutathione and can prescribe/sell it to you. They are selling liquid glutathione for $60 for 5 ounces (which is much cheaper than I paid in Canada from my ND) but you need a prescription to order it.

Now let’s look at a much cheaper, but perhaps equally beneficial option…

Hydrogen Peroxide & Colloidal Silver in a Vaporizer for Lung Infection

Another therapy that may be worth a try is to put hydrogen peroxide into your vaporizer at night. This is a very easy, inexpensive therapy. I also used intravenous hydrogen peroxide to clear up my pneumonia – but intravenous treatments are expensive and take about 2 hours to administer. So this is a home remedy you can try and see if it improves your situation.

General guidelines are to use 15 ounces of 3% hydrogen peroxide (MUST be food grade hydrogen peroxide) to every one gallon of water in a vaporizer and just let it run all night. But personally, I prefer to just inhale the H2O2 for 10-15 minutes at a time, via a nebulizer (instructions below). You can also turbo-charge this remedy by adding 1-2 tsp of colloidal silver to the gallon of water.

However, there are some risk factors to using colloidal silver for lung infections, so read this detailed article on using colloidal silver in a nebulizer first.

How to Make a 3% H2O2 Food Grade Dilution

Food-grade H2O2 is usually sold in a 35% concentration. A 3% solution of food-grade hydrogen peroxide can be made quite easily by first pouring 1 ounce of food-grade 35% hydrogen peroxide into a glass pint jar. To this add 11 ounces of distilled water (NO tap water!). This will make 12 ounces of 3% hydrogen peroxide.

You can make a larger amount if you wish by using this formula:
1 part 35% H2O2
11 parts distilled water

Be VERY careful when handling 35% hydrogen peroxide as it will burn your skin instantly on contact. If it’s in a plastic bottle, then direct the opening away from you when you open it, in case it spits some out from the pressure build-up.

This video will show you exactly how to make your 3% hydrogen peroxide dilution from a 35% food grade dilution. Do NOT use common drugstore or grocery store hydrogen peroxide – it MUST say, “FOOD GRADE” or you will be putting all kinds of contaminants into your lungs as well:

YouTube video

Hydrogen Peroxide in a Nebulizer

Once you have your food-grade 3% H2O2 dilution, you can then dilute it further for use in a medical nebulizer. A nebulizer is a machine with a compressor that turns liquid substances into vapor that you can then inhale through a breathing spout or face mask. You can use food grade hydrogen peroxide in a nebulizer 1 – 3 times per day (takes about 10 minutes with a good quality nebulizer), to resolve all kinds of lung issues. There are reams of testimonials on the Internet (EarthClinic, Curezone, etc) from people who’ve used inhaled hydrogen peroxide with fantastic results for viral infections, COPD, emphysema and asthma. You may have heard of the Bill Munro protocol – it is the one most people reference.

A friend of mine used food grade hydrogen peroxide in a nebulizer for her nine year old son – who has suffered respiratory issues since he contracted RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) as an infant, and it worked so well he would ask for it every night before bed, for about 3 weeks. It dramatically improved the quality of his sleep and he was able to sleep through the night (without waking due to coughing or lack of oxygen).

I have used food grade hydrogen peroxide in a nebulizer – on myself and my kids when needed. I suspect hydrogen peroxide actually works as well as inhaled glutathione – but I would have to get pneumonia again to test it and be sure! However, it is much cheaper than the glutathione, so definitely worth a try. Post below and let me know your results.

Here’s the nebulizer I use. And for a killer cough one winter, I used food grade hydrogen peroxide three times per day and within 2 days was no longer coughing at night (I had not been able to lie down to sleep for 2 weeks!). I started with nebulizing the hydrogen peroxide once per day, but that did not have much effect. As soon as I ramped up to 3x/day the effect was immediate. I used a 0.54% concentration – so 20 drops of 3% H2O2 in 5 ml of distilled water (see the chart below).

The best information I’ve been able to find on a safe, yet effective concentration of hydrogen peroxide to use in a nebulizer was from this person who had severe asthma for 30 years until he nebulized with hydrogen peroxide at 0.142% – 0.272% concentration (5-10 drops of 3% Food grade hydrogen peroxide in 5 ml of distilled water). Thankfullly, he has done the math for us and figured out the hydrogen peroxide concentration of the various dilutions:

5ml Neb 1 Drop 3% H2O2 = 5.05ml Total 0. 0015ml or 0.029% H202
5ml Neb 2 Drops 3% H2O2 = 5.10ml Total 0. 0030ml or 0.058% H202
5ml Neb 3 Drops 3% H2O2 = 5.15ml Total 0. 0045ml or 0.087% H202
5ml Neb 4 Drops 3% H2O2 = 5.20ml Total 0. 0060ml or 0.115% H202
5ml Neb 5 Drops 3% H2O2 = 5.25ml Total 0. 0075ml or 0.142% H202
5ml Neb 6 Drops 3% H2O2 = 5.30ml Total 0. 0090ml or 0.169% H202
5ml Neb 7 Drops 3% H2O2 = 5.35ml Total 0. 0105ml or 0.196% H202
5ml Neb 8 Drops 3% H2O2 = 5.40ml Total 0. 0120ml or 0.222% H202
5ml Neb 9 Drops 3% H2O2 = 5.45ml Total 0. 0135ml or 0.247% H202
5ml Neb 10 Drops 3% H2O2 = 5.50ml Total 0. 0150ml or 0.272% H202

Remember, it’s best to start slowly and see how your body responds, rather than to risk irritation. So start with only 1-2 drops and see how your body/lungs feel. Only increase if needed.

Dr. Sircus also has a great article here on nebulizing a number of different substances – including magnesium.

You can also put baking soda (change pH and many bacteria die), magnesium (relax tissues/muscles), or nascent iodine (NOT potassium iodine/iodide as this could kill you!) into your nebulizer or vaporizer and this article has good instructions for using baking soda, magnesium, or nascent iodine for respiratory issues.

Magnesium Deficiency & Asthma

If you suffer mostly from asthma and bronchial spasm, then you definitely should add an EASILY ABSORBED form of magnesium to your daily regimen. There are two really effective forms of magnesium that do not affect the bowels – so if you’ve avoided magnesium due to it’s laxative effect, you no longer have to! My friend, Dr. Carolyn Dean MD, ND wrote in her book The Magnesium Miracle, the following six reasons why magnesium is important in the treatment of asthma:

1. Research shows that many patients with asthma and other bronchial diseases have low magnesium.

2. Both histamine production and bronchial spasms increase with magnesium deficiency.

3. Many drugs used in the treatment of asthma cause a loss of magnesium, only making symptoms worse.

4. Magnesium is an environmental detoxifier reducing the triggers for asthma.

5. Magnesium relieves stress to alleviate the emotional triggers for asthma.

6. Patients treated with simple magnesium supplementation report marked improvement in their symptoms.

If you tend towards constipation and would like a little help with your bowel movements, you can take magnesium citrate, 300 mg per day. But if you want to bypass the digestive system (or take a larger dose), then take your magnesium in nanoparticle (angstrom-sized) form, or topically as transdermal magnesium oil – this oil can either be applied directly to your skin, or added to your bath or footbath. For complete details and instructions, see my blog post all about easily absorbed forms of magnesium.

Since our soils have become depleted of minerals, it is estimated that up to 60% of the population is deficient in magnesium, so likely ALL people would benefit from adding this essential mineral to their daily intake. I even give magnesium daily to my kids and it prevents them from getting cramps or ‘growing pains’ as they’re both competitive athletes (aged 9 and 11).

Here’s a story from one of Dr. Dean’s clients who even used magnesium to cure her dog’s asthma!

“The dog owner said that she’d read that asthma is caused by a magnesium deficiency. Since her dog has asthma attacks she decided to start spraying magnesium oil on the dog’s belly and it worked. It prevented attacks and it also stopped an attack if she applied it as soon as one occurred. She said the best way to apply the magnesium is to spray it on your hand or a cotton ball and rub it on the dog’s skin keeping it from running into the private parts. The magnesium is salty and oily so it can be irritating and if that’s the case, it would need to be diluted with water.”

So personally, I would use BOTH a substance (like glutathione, or hydrogen peroxide) in my nebulizer AND supplement aggressively with atom-sized (nano) magnesium.

Support your Immune System

Along with the powerful anti-pathogen treatment above, it’s always good to support your body’s immune system to do it’s job with maximum efficiency. So simultaneously, ingest immune-strengthening substances like:

Vitamin C – in mineral ascorbate form (eg. calcium ascorbate) is gentler on the gut and less likely to loosen the bowels. Take as much as you can, to bowel tolerance.

Medicinal Mushrooms & Herbs – in capsule, tincture, or powder form. Immune boosting mushrooms like reishi, shiitake, maitake, lion’s mane, chaga etc. You can also get these in a spray you can apply directly to your throat, if you wish. Or in powder or tincture form (add to hot water) where you can sip it slowly and let it wash over your throat. Herbs like cat’s claw, astragalus, and ashwaganda are all helpful for supporting and strengthening the immune system during times of challenge or stress.

MultiAbsorb Immune Booster – this is a product that I formulated for Imix Nutrition, with my ideal blend of 50 nutrients, herbs, supergreens etc to support the immune system, along with whole body health. If I’m traveling, or during flu season, I take MultiAbsorb Immune Booster daily as a preventative.