Caring for the Flu at Home
2017/2018 was one of those flu years. Our family got hit early and hard. Every one of us was down (and I mean DOWN) with a high fever for 4 days. About 10 days of being sick at home. Another 3 weeks getting back in the game.
It’s usually kids we are caring for, but we also have to care for our older relatives. While the number of deaths is typically in the range of 4-5 individuals, 20 people died in Clark County from influenza during the 2017/18 season, and all but one were over 65 years old. Even more people had to go to the hospital for treatment.
I want to know what I can do at home to take care of my family. I want to prevent the flu or help them recover faster. So I look on the internet. I look at the CDC website and local health authorities. They tell me the same, things. Get a flu shot. Didn’t get one? It’s never too late. Stay home. Cover your cough. Wash your hands. Drink water. Fine advice, but I’m looking for a little more detail and a little more that I can do at home to provide support. I get mixed messages telling me to go see my doctor, but stay home and avoid infecting others. Are there things that ‘I’ can do that will help reduce the risks of complications for my family?
Caring for the sick at home
I want to be reassured and I want to reassure, but mostly I want tools to help. Home nursing care is an important skill. When I first had children, I scoured the shelves for books which would help me know how to care for sick and injured family members in my home. I attended classes given by skilled herbalists… not to replace proper medical care, but to prevent the need for it, and in some cases, augment it. And there is something very comforting… very healing… about being cared for when you are sick. My mother was a nurse, and I always felt comforted with the knowledge that she was skilled enough to take care of me. As an adult, I remember traveling to visit a friend one Easter weekend and getting very ill upon arriving at her house. I was sick for 3 days in her guest room. Every now and then, she would come up to to give me some echinacea, sit me up to drink a cup of herbal tea, take my temperature, offer medicine, then leave me alone. I have no idea if she was even home the rest of the time, but I relaxed in the knowledge that she was looking out for me and would see that I had what I needed. At the very least, this is what I want to provide for my family.
A book I found years ago has held my hand while I nursed my kids through all their illnesses. It’s called Naturally Healthy Babies and Children. A Commonsense Guide to Herbal Remedies, Nutrition and Health. It’s by Aviva Jill Romm, who worked for years as a midwife and herbalist before getting her medical degree. It, along with phone calls with my own mom and texts to knowledgeable friends, gave me the confidence to nurse sick people at home and know when it was time to bring in the professionals.
Influenza, antibiotics and secondary infections
When it comes to something as nasty as influenza, there are some important things to understand. Infectious diseases are usually caused by either bacteria or a virus. Bacteria are killed by antibiotics, but viruses are not. Influenza is viral, so antibiotics don’t help. However, when you have the flu (viral), your immune system can get so overwhelmed by it that you become susceptible to bacterial infections (like ear infections, sinus infections, pneumonia). These are called secondary infections, and sometimes we use antibiotics to treat them. So influenza is a virus, but this virus can be so debilitating that we often get a bacterial infection near the end of it. So take care now, or pay later.
Antibiotics are wonderful, lifesaving drugs. But when overused they damage your gut microbiome and leave you prone to future gastrointestinal problems. So the idea here is to use them as little as possible. And the way to do this is to take care of your viral illness properly.
Stay home
In addition to not spreading it to other people, staying home protects the sick person from being exposed to other illnesses they are now more susceptible to. The general
recommendations to prevent spreading your infection to others is to stay home for the day and at least 24 hours after your fever is gone. To prevent secondary infections, conservative wisdom says to stay home one day for each day you had a fever, after your fever comes down. So if you had a fever for 48 hours that breaks on Sunday evening, stay home on Monday and Tuesday if you can. This allows you to get your strength back and minimizes the chance of catching something else. Really.
Clean up
Scientific American also reported that a clean living environment may also help. “The number of people who die from an immune response to the initial viral infection versus a secondary bacterial infection depends, in part, on the viral strain and the cleanliness of the spaces in which the sick are housed. Some studies suggest that during the infamous 1918 global flu pandemic, most people died from subsequent bacterial infections.” Keep the home environment clean. This does not mean dousing your home in bleach. Just simple housekeeping. Other family members can help by removing their shoes and washing their hands when they come home. Change hand towels and pillow cases frequently. During weekly cleaning, wipe down door knobs, light switches, faucets, remotes, keyboards and touch screens. Keeping a pleasant, low-stress home during this time also goes a long way to speed healing.
How do you avoid pneumonia?
The CDC tells us that the most common cause of death from influenza is bacterial pneumonia, so let’s focus on that. Scientific American reported, “In other cases it is not the flu virus itself that triggers an overwhelming and potentially fatal immune response but rather a secondary infection that takes advantage of a taxed immune system. Typically, bacteria—often a species of Streptococcus or Staphylococcus—infect the lungs.” Pneumonia is an infection (which can be caused by bacteria, virus, fungi or parasites) that causes the small air sacs of the lungs to fill with fluid or pus. This can be a long, drawn-out process. The inflammation caused by the influenza virus seems to create ideal conditions for an infection in the lungs. One thing we can do is keep our respiratory tract hydrated, and keep inflammation down the best we can. This can also help us manage symptoms to improve our own comfort.
Steam inhalation
One great way to keep the lungs hydrated is steam inhalation. It can help moisten the lungs if they are dry and irritated or loosen up thick phlegm and help you cough it out. Boil 4 cups of water, pour into a non-metallic bowl and cover with a bath towel. Once it cools down enough to be comfortable (just a minute or two), put your whole head under the towel and breathe deeply for 10 minutes. Breath through the nose as much as possible. Some people will utilize herbs to maximize the effects. Eucalyptus essential oil is popular to help clear sinuses and loosen the chest, as is dried thyme or thyme oil which has antimicrobial activity. This can be done 2-4 times per day. Steamy showers and baths are also useful, especially with children.
Stay hydrated
The most important way to keep the lungs hydrated is to drink plenty of fluids. When suffering from a high fever, a person often has no interest in food for days, but is receptive to drinks. Water, lemon water, herbal teas and broths are ideal. Diluted juice might encourage a child to drink more and give them extra energy for a long illness, but avoid too much sugar.
If the weather or your home is especially dry, a humidifier can be really helpful in the bedroom. Many people use essential oil diffusers that double as humidifiers. Use one of these with or without the essential oil of your choice on the bedside table.
How do you quiet a cough fast and prevent infection? Plaster the chest.
Another home remedy that helps many children prevent infection and get relief through the night is a chest plaster. In her book, Naturally Healthy Babies and Children, the author Aviva Jill Romm recommends a mustard plaster to reduce inflammation and quiet a cough. Dried mustard powder is sprinkled between two towels, moistened, and layed on the chest of the person with a hot water bottle and towel over the top to keep warm. Other antimicrobial ingredients are often used instead (or as well), such as onion or garlic. These methods have long been used to get the active ingredients of herbs into the body to support healing, and are often placed over affected areas such as lungs or swollen lymph nodes. It’s good to read or watch a detailed explanation on how to do this, as it takes a little skill to keep from making a mess.
What’s the fastest way to get rid of a sinus infection?
Some people are especially prone to sinus infections. You know it's coming on when your top teeth start to hurt or your snot starts turning bright yellow or green. Doing nasal irrigation with a neti pot daily is a great way to keep the mucus membranes of the sinuses hydrated and give you some relief. Adding a natural antimicrobial like goldenseal to the saline solution will help even more. You can also do a steam, as described earlier, and stay hydrated. Wearing a hat to keep the head warm also helps, and is important if you need to return to regular activities soon after your illness.
My sure-fire method to head off a sinus infection is with goldenseal. When I feel the sinus pressure and the tell-tale ache in my upper teeth, I fill my neti pot with saline mixed with goldenseal infusion or tincture. Repeat this twice per day for 1-2 days and it’s usually gone. Click to see a video on how to use a neti pot.
Can ear infections be prevented?
Ear infections are especially common in children and, more often doctors and trying to treat them without antibiotics. If your child is noticing discomfort, congestion or a little pain in the ear, heat helps. Fill a hot water bottle (not too hot), cover with a soft cloth and lay the head with the affected ear down on it for 10 minutes 2-3x per day. This is a nice time to read a story or watch a favorite movie to pass the time pleasantly with your child. Another powerful remedy that studies are showing to be effective are herbal oils. Olive oil infused with garlic (antimicrobial) and mullein flowers can be very helpful in relieving pain and resolving infections. You can infuse garlic in olive oil at home or buy a preparation from the store. Many people combine the medicated oils and heat with success. If you have an otoscope at home, you can monitor your child's ears. I recommend practicing with them with your children are well to become familiar with what "normal" looks like.
How do you know if you have a secondary infection?
Monitor symptoms
One way of catching a secondary infection is to simply monitor symptoms. When there is illness in the family, I can get extra busy, especially if I’m sick too. So I like to keep a little chart every day of who got what medication, how much and when (to avoid over medicating, which can be dangerous), major symptoms and temperature. Often, influenza will start with a low temperature, shoot up high for a few days, then be low again before petering out. This is pretty normal. If the fever goes down and symptoms improve, only to have another elevated temperature and worsening symptoms, you’re likely to have a secondary infection on your hands. If there is more than one sick person in the house and this record helps you keep it straight and coordinate with other carers. It’s also something you can share with the doctor if you need to call for advice. Memory can be flawed on a good day. This will not be a good day. Jot it down.
What is the best thing to eat when sick?
Diet is really important during illness. Excess sugar can really depress the immune system so stay right away from sweets until they are feeling better and eating full meals again. Also, milk can cause more congestion and make them more stuffy, so avoid dairy. Clear broths like chicken broth or miso with some grated ginger are nice healing brews. If the person has no appetite for days (in our house last year, nobody ate a thing for 4 straight days), come in as soon as you can with these broths, and consider fortifying them with some gelatin. You can buy it powdered and add it to canned chicken broth if you don’t have time to make your own. You can also use it to make jello! High-quality beef gelatin and 100% organic juices can be used to make those Knox blocks (or jello jigglers) we enjoyed as kids. Think about adding a dropper full of echinacea or other herbal immune booster to the mix before it gels up. When your patient is awake and starting to consider food, try some jello. It has a little sugar and protein and can help keep their strength up and cool jello feels great on a sore throat.
Be prepared for the inevitable
When you live with children, I like to think of these big illnesses as a matter of ‘when’, not ‘if’. Assume they are coming, and have what you need for when it hits. Learn the basics of how to support a sick person. Usually, it’s just a matter of letting them sleep and letting them drink enough water. But there are other things that help. You probably know by now what you and your kids are prone to. You might have a kid who’s had an ear infection every year of their life or a kid who always gets it in their lungs. Become an expert at that and stock up on the supplies you’ll need when it happens again. Local herbalist and co-owner of Garden Delights, Erin Harwood, grows and uses elderberries in her home. When I asked her how, she said, “Our very favorite remedy in our household for common winter ailments such as flu is elderberry syrup. It is best taken at the very beginning signs of illness - any little hint and we are taking it frequently. It's a simple combination of fruit juice from the berries with local honey and kept in the fridge. Delicious and helpful!” She gets her honey from Half Moon Farm in Brush Prairie.
Stock up for the season
Hot water bottle
Thermometer
Humidifier/diffuser
Chicken broth or miso soup
Gelatin: Great Lakes Kosher Gelatin or bulk unflavored gelatin from Azure Standard
100% juice
Fever reducer (like ibuprofen. Because sometimes you just have to sleep.)
Herbs such as echinacea extract, dried thyme, thyme oil, eucalyptus oil, onions, garlic, mustard powder, olive oil infused with garlic (with a dropper). Some of this can be homemade or bought from a reputable supplier like Herb Pharm or Mountain Rose Herbs.
Helpful resources: While the internet has many great resources, I like the book Naturally Healthy Babies and Children, by Aviva Jill Romm. She gives advice on diet, herbs, homeopathy and when to seek medical care for adults, infants,and older children for everything from diaper rash to whooping cough.
Originally printed in the Vancouver Business Journal, Health Resource Guide 2018