Iris view of the scurf rim in Iridology

Vegan Potassium Broth

ARTICLE: What to do if you are pregnant and get the flu

by Jo Franck’s, MH
Renee Waters ND

We are getting a lot of calls about this topic - what to do if you're pregnant and get sick with the flu. Drug companies, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others are targeting pregnant women and children for the swine flu shot.

Some people would rather avoid the flu shot and want to know what is safe and effective for the flu when pregnant. What I see happening is that pregnant women are hesitant to take anything because of the warnings on products and from doctors that virtually nothing is safe to take during pregnancy (So why would they give a swine flu shot that hasn't had sufficient testing to a pregnant woman?).

Of course, prevention is the key, but when you feel like something is coming on Echinacea can be taken in dosages of 2 capsules or 1-2 dipperfuls every hour. Nip it in the bud before it gets bad. Garlic and cayenne can be taken during pregnancy. Garlic is the number one herb for flu. It can be eaten raw, blended in juice, mixed with honey and cayenne or taken in capsules. 6 cloves of garlic is the daily recommended dosage.

We encourage women to drink red raspberry leaf tea all through their pregnancy to help the baby and for an easy delivery. We also recommend red raspberry leaf tea to be consumed in large quantities if a person is sick or around sick people. We don't encourage fasting during pregnancy, but do eliminate processed foods, dairy, meat, and sweets.

Eat whole foods like fresh juice, fresh fruits and vegetables and potassium broth (see recipe below). Sweat baths are not recommended, but a foot soak in ginger tea is helpful while drinking red raspberry leaf tea or peppermint or calendula or a mixture of all three.

We don't recommend enemas or harsh laxatives or emmenagogue herbs during pregnancy. Prune juice would be better to use than a laxative to help the bowels eliminate. Plenty of rest is a must!

Some formulas that would be okay to use during pregnancy would be Nature’s Sunshine Immune Formula, AL-J and the Lung and Bronchial Formula. Some individual herbs that are fine to use during pregnancy are red raspberry leaf, yarrow, elder berries, Echinacea, garlic, rose hips, ginger, plantain, cayenne and cloves. Go to www.mynsp.com/thecountrydoctor to order at wholesale.


Definition:
Emmenagogues are herbs which stimulate blood flow in the pelvic area and uterus; some stimulate menstruation. Women have used plants such as mugwort, parsley and ginger to prevent or terminate early pregnancy.

RECIPE: Vegan Potassium Broth
From SparkRecipes.com

This is the best thing for your body, if you are fighting a cold or the flu. It's loaded with natural vitamins and minerals which are proven to help flush out bacteria, toxins and viruses. Make sure all the ingredients are organic and the water is distilled. There's no sense making a broth filled with insecticides, hormones, chlorine and toxins if you're trying to help your body flush such things out.
INGREDIENTS
• 3 organic beets
• 4 medium organic carrots
• 4 cloves organic garlic
• 2 large organic onions
• 5 stalks organic celery
• 3 medium organic potatoes
• 1 bunch organic fresh spinach
• Dash of ground Cumin
• Dash of celery salt
• Dash of ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Wash all ingredients thoroughly.
2. Peel potatoes and carrots, ONLY USE THE PEELS. Store the rest of the peeled vegetables for future use in another recipe (you can bake them in the oven with some olive oil while the broth is cooking and store to eat when you get better).
3. Cop onions and beets into four quarters each - do not peel beets.
4. Peel garlic and use whole.
5. Cut bottom ends off spinach and use whole.
6. Chop celery and jalapeno pepper.
7. Put all ingredients in a large pot and cover them with distilled water.
8. Heat on lowest setting for 3-4 hours.
9. Strain vegetables and discard them.
10. Strain until only broth is left.
11. Add Cumin, celery salt and black pepper to the broth for taste.

SUGGESTED DOSAGE:

Drink 2 cups at a time throughout the day. Repeat everyday till broth is gone or until your cold or flu is gone.
I suggest that you drink lots and lots of distilled water and drink lots and lots of FRESH, not juice from concentrate and avoiding all solid foods. Juice and this potassium broth will provide all the nutrients you need. Solid food takes a lot of energy out of your body because it needs to be digested, assimilated and excreted. This energy is better used by your body to fight off the bacteria and viruses and cleanse itself.
Number of Servings: 12