Snoopy, in answer to your question about the flu... I never take any allopathic medications for respiratory infections, nor, god forbid, any of the over the counter stuff. I don't even take aspirin for fever. None of it does any real good as you guys all know; much of it is harmful. Mostly, it's designed for people who won't or, more often, feel they can't tell their employers, "See you when I'm better." I used to be like that but am trying to change. It is so obvious that when one gets colds and especially a nasty flu like I had, there is a voice somewhere along the body-mind loop screaming, "STOP! It's time to rest and heal."

I do use little herbal things here and there (no ephedra!) and last year when I had a much milder URI, I tried some Rhus tox. I think it helped to shorten the illness a little, but it's always hard to judge that. As I mentioned, a dose or two of Rhus tox "as needed" has taken the edge off my plantar fasciitis also.

With this flu, which has hit a lot of people in New York and New Jersey, I took some ginger, mullein leaf, and slippery elm at first to help with the cough and sore throat. When I felt well enough to fuss in the kitchen, I started taking the usual cure of large quantities of raw garlic.

The day before the flu really came on, I had the occasional urge to cough and when I did, I noticed that my chest felt "raw." I was also severely premenstrual then, and I got my period that night. It was a pretty heavy period that dragged on all week.

The next morning I woke up with a fever around 100 that quickly shot up to near 103, and the cough had become extremely painful, which is classic of influenza. I also had a headache and aches and pains all over. At first I had no nose or throat symptoms. Those came very late that night or the following morning. The morning of the third day I woke up with a temperature of 103.6. After that it started to subside. I stayed home from work for the entire week ending Feb. 1. I had so little appetite and so much fever the early part of that week that I lost 5 pounds, which has never happened to me due to illness before. All through the following week I had the typical wet cough of bronchitis, which I haven't had for a while either, and I was kind of wobbly when I first went back to work. Last week the cough seemed gone, but this week I've been having to cough a little something up occasionally.

Besides fatigue, the one thing that has hung on is that darn ringing in the ears. I did a quick surf on tinnitus and it appears that it is often associated with influenza. I have been wearier than usual all this month... The last few days I've been spotting and, as I mentioned, feeling extremely "premenstrual," with sharply worsening fatigue.

Probably too much information, sorry if so, wasn't sure what you were looking for.

Thanks,

Avalon