Updated Jan 3, 2022 as this relates to any flu , cold, or other virus or bacterial infection currently going around.

As much as I teach prevention, let’s be realistic – there are times when people get sick, whether it is a disease crisis or a healing crisis. In this article, I will only briefly explain the differences:

• A healing crisis may develop when one has shifted to a healthier lifestyle and has been feeling stronger and more energetic, then wham! One is hit suddenly with a cold, flu, diarrhea, fever or other kind of elimination. The body, as it gains energy, has started to houseclean. Properly managed, one can often get through a healing crisis within 24 hours.

• A disease crisis is caused by a toxic overload and the body eventually has had enough, throws in the towel, and can’t take it anymore. This may present as a gradual decline in energy and “feeling something coming on”. This also should be able to pass very quickly, again, if properly managed.

Here are my recommendations for the basic management of both healing and disease crisis. For more detail, or if you do not feel improvement within 2 days of following these recommendations, consult with our office or another competent natural health practitioner.

1. Stop eating, working and pretending you can still do it all. The ads that state, “no cold is going to stop me – I take so and so drug, and keep right on going” is poor advice.

Your body is on overload – give it a break! LISTEN!

Eating requires energy for digestion and this energy could be better spent on cleaning your house (i.e. body), and getting rid of the accumulated toxins that have precipitated your crisis. You do not need food when you are sick – look at animals’ natural instincts. When your symptoms have improved and ONLY IF you feel hungry, eat only fruit or salad or raw vegetables, well chewed – easy to digest and nutritious.

Then proceed to other vegetables and light soups. Definitely nothing with flour, dairy, or animal protein until you are back to normal.

You need more rest – take it! Fresh air while sleeping will help oxygenate you.

2. Drink lots of clear fluids. My favourite is chlorophyll, which is an alkalizing alfalfa concentrate, full of vitamins and minerals. The one I prefer is flavoured with pleasant natural spearmint oil and can be consumed in copious quantities in cold or warm water, depending on what feels better to you. I use Nature’s Sunshine Chlorophyll, for its quality, price and taste! Contact our office to get it for you; contacts at end of article.

Other healthful beverages are: good quality herb teas, lemon or lime in water (if you MUST have it sweetened, try a bit of stevia, xylitol, agave or maple syrup), or organic juice mixed at least half and half with pure non-chlorinated, non-fluoridated water. See more herbal tea suggestions in #3.

3. Feed a fever: To speed up the cleaning process, there is nothing better than a mild fever. It’s like lighting a fire to burn the accumulated garbage, except this fire does not increase carbon emissions. If you do have a fever, great – your body is doing what it should. Just keep it controlled with plenty of fluids and rest. If fever gets too high, a tepid water bath can cool things off without stopping the healing benefits of the fever.

In critical situations, a tepid enema is the most effective way to bring a high fever down. Taking drugs to stop a fever defeat the body’s attempts at healing.

If you don’t have a fever, create one. Hydrotherapy is an effective way to do this. Drink several cups of hot herbal tea with any of the following stimulating herbs, which will help produce sweating: yarrow, mint, garlic, ginger or Capsicum (medicinal grade cayenne pepper). Take this before and while soaking in a hot bath and sweat it out.

The addition of any of the following to the bath will help the process along: epsom salts, regular salt, or therapeutic quality essential oils (EOs). These will aid the process and offer additional relief for many symptoms. Some of my favourites are: Lavender, Tea Tree, Wild Oregano, Eucalyptus, and Pine, which we keep in stock.  I will choose based on the condition – I keep them ALL on hand for many uses. The EOs should be mixed first with salt, epsom salts, or a biodegradable cleanser to aid dispersion in the bath water.   Essential Shield Cleaner already includes 11 authentic essential oils.  Do not overdo the hot bath to the point of exhaustion or dizziness.

After a soak of at least 20 minutes, take a cold shower or cold rinse (start with warm, then gradually go colder).  Then immediately, do not pass GO, dry off, get into cotton pyjamas or between cotton sheets, go to bed and put on lots of covers. You should sleep like a baby, sweat lots, and wake up feeling much better. It is beneficial to rinse off and get into clean clothes when you wake. This process can be repeated daily until you feel better.

If you do not feel up to a hot bath, as the very least, massage the achy, breaky parts of your body with Tei Fu Massage Lotion. For congestion, take a few drops of Tei Fu Oil internally. If you don’t have the Massage lotion, you can add the Tei Fu Oil to coconut or olive oil  for massage.

4. Take anti-viral herbs, and enough of them to make a difference. Viruses cause colds and flus. Viruses do not respond to antibiotics. Anti viral herbs also speed healing for bacterial infections. The formula with which I have the most consistent results over the last 20+ years of practice is a Chinese formula called HRP-C (CA) or VS-C (for ViruS US) . It helps detoxify the liver and support the immune system, so the whole body can cope in times of stress, which is exactly what a crisis is.

Other herbs and Chinese formulas can be added for particular challenges, but this general one helps most people heal faster. Always take full or double dose at the start of an illness – get the plane off the runway, or it won’t get to cruising altitude. Once you are feeling better, gradually decrease dosage.

Blending the latest technology with ancient history, we now have nano-particle Silver Shield SOL in both liquid and Gel forms. These products have been a godsend for all infections and inflammations. Almost ALL known microbes can be destroyed by this product within 6 minutes of contact. We are talking: H1N1, Malaria, Strep, Staph, E Coli, the list is endless. These silver products are approved in both the US (FDA, EPA) and Canada (HPB). Please contact the office for research on these products, dosage and to order.

If you follow these basic 1,2,3, 4s of crisis management, you should recover in a fraction of the time of those who carry on as if they weren’t sick. Ignoring what the body is telling you can cause the cold or flu to drag on for weeks. If these suggestions are not causing improvement within 3-4 days, consult a natural health care practitioner.

See Herbal First Aid Kit for other natural options.

Lorene Benoit, BEd, CHC, MHH, CI, CRA, etc. is a Certified Herbal Consultant, Master Holistic Health  and Educator.

Contact her office at: 250-748-6802, or via comment on this post.