How to prevent Swine Flu and 10 best home remedies for swine flu

Are the increasing swine flu victims giving you nervousness? Not sure how you can keep away from falling victim to the growing disease? First and foremost, there is absolutely no need to fear.

Watching television to keep tabs on the growth of H1N1, mostly in the badly affected areas like Pune, is all right. But don't let the hilarious anchors get under your skin and start wearing a mask each time you step out of the house, unless you are visiting a very crowded area. Then too, the mask will keep you only for a specified period.

Without giving in to the swine flu fear and creating a stockpile of Tamiflu and N-95 masks at home and inspiring pharma companies, there are a number of other procedures you can take to make sure that the virus is not able to get you, irrespective of which part of the world you are in.

It is essential to remember that all kinds of viruses and bacteria can attack you when your immune system is weak, or they can weaken it simply. Hence, building your own defenses would be a better, more practical, long-lasting and much more inexpensive idea.

Here are some easy steps you can take to begin a flu virus of any kind, including swine flu. It is not necessary to follow all the steps at once. You can pick and choose a combination of remedies that suit you best. However, if you are already suffering from flu, these procedures can help only up to an extent. And, if you have been infected by H1N1, visiting a hospital and staying in solitary confinement is a must.

Tulsi (known as Basil in English; medicinal name Ocimum sanctum)

1. Have five duly washed leaves of Tulsi (known as Basil in English; medicinal name Ocimum sanctum) everyday in the morning. Tulsi has a large number of beneficial properties. It keeps throat and lungs clear and helps in infections by way of increase your immunity.

Giloi (medicinal name Tinospora cordifolia)

2. Giloi (medicinal name Tinospora cordifolia) is a commonly available plant in many areas. Take a one-foot long branch of giloi, add five to six leaves of Tulsi and boil in water for 15-20 minutes or long enough to allow the water to take out its properties. Add black pepper and sendha (salt used during religious fasts), rock or black salt, or Misri (crystalised sugar like lumps to make it sweet) according to taste. Let it cool a bit and drink this kadha (concoction) while still warm. It will work wonders for your immunity. If giloi plant is not available, get processed giloi powder from Hamdard or others, and concoct a similar drink once a day.

There are many common names for this species in different languages.
Telugu: తిప్ప తీగ (Tippa-teega) Tamil: சீந்தில் கொடி (Shindilakodi) Malayalam: ചിറ്റമൃത് (Amruthu, Chittamruthu) Kannada: Amrutha balli, Sinhala: Rasakinda, Hindi: giloe (गिलोय), guruc (गुरुच), gurcha, Gujarati: galac, garo, Sanskrit: Amritavalli (अमृतवल्ली), amrta (अमृत), cinnodbhava (छिन्नोद्भवा), Marathi: Guduchi (गुडूची), gulvel (गुळवेल) Oriya: Guluchi

Camphor

3. A small piece of camphor (karpoor) approximately the size of a tablet should be taken once or twice a month. It can be swallowed with water by adults while children can take it along with mashed potatoes or banana because they will find it difficult to have it without any aides. Please remember camphor is not to be taken every day, but only once each season, or once a month.

Garlic

4. Those who can take garlic must have two pods of raw garlic first thing in the morning. To be swallowed daily with lukewarm water. Garlic too strengthens immunity like the earlier measures mentioned.

Milk with Turmeric powder

5. Those not allergic to milk, must take a glass of hot or lukewarm milk every night with a small quantify of haldi (turmeric).

Aloe vera (gwarpatha)

6. Aloe vera (gwarpatha) too is a commonly available plant. Its wide and long, cactus-like leaves have an odorless gel. A teaspoon gel taken with water daily can work wonders for not only your skin and joint pains, but also boost immunity.

Homeopathic medicines

7. Take homeopathic medicines — Pyrogenium 200 and Inflenzium 200 in particular — five tablets three times a day, or two-three drops three times a day. While these are not specifically targeted at H1N1 either, these work well as preventive against common flu virus.

Pranayam

8. Do Pranayam daily (preferably under guidance if you are already not initiated into it) and go for morning jog/walk regularly to keep your throat and lungs in good condition and body in fine fettle. Even in small measures, it will work wonders for your body's fight against all such diseases which attack the nose, throat and lungs, besides keeping you fit.

Vitamin C rich Amla (Indian gooseberry)

9. Have citrus fruits, particularly Vitamin C rich Amla (Indian gooseberry) juice. Since fresh Amla is not yet available in the market (not for another three to four months), it is not a bad idea to buy packaged Amla juice which is commonly available nowadays.

Hand wash

10. Last but not the least, wash your hands regularly every day with soap and warm water for 15-20 seconds; particularly before meals, or each time after touching a surface that you suspect could be contaminated with flu virus such as a door handle or a knob/handle, especially if you have returned from a public place or used public transport. Alcohol-based hand cleaners should be kept handy at all times and used until you can get soap and warm water.

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Government frees sale of Tamiflu, only drug effective against swine flu and bird flu

India's six lakh chemist shops can now stock and sell Oseltamivir Phosphate or Tamilfu - the only known drug effective against both the deadly influenza strains H1N1 swine flu and H5N1 bird flu.

India has decided to lift "restricted sale" of the drug and make it available through all chemist shops against a doctor's prescription. Till now, oseltamivir was the only drug available for treatment of H1N1 swine flu virus humans and indiscriminate and unregulated use access to this drug would have made it ineffective.

That's why the drug was kept under Schedule X of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 which meant it could only be sold by 480 select chemists who had permission to sell Schedule X drugs. The drug had to be kept under lock and key and in premises only responsible people had access to. Record of sales of this drug had to be maintained for a period of two years.




However, the Drug Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) on October 10 decided to bring the drug under Schedule H which means it can be stocked by chemists but sold only against prescription of a registered medical practitioner.

"Till now, limited access was permitted to make these formulations available to the needy patient only and avoid its indiscriminate use. Once the notification is made that oseltamivir phosphate and zanamivir formulations have been brought under Schedule H, as decided in the DTAB meeting on October 10, all chemists in India will be allowed to stock and sell it. However, over the counter sale of these formulations won't be allowed. Chemists will have to sell it against prescription," a health ministry official said.

Tamiflu is a class of medications called neuraminidase inhibitors. These drugs work by stopping the spread of the influenza (flu) virus in the body. It helps shorten the time you have flu symptoms such as a stuffy or runny nose, sore throat, cough, muscle or joint aches, tiredness, headache, fever and chills. Companies that make this drug include Cipla, Metco, Hetero, Strides and Roche.

This drug is presently being used as the first line of treatment in the US, Europe and Japan for cure of seasonal influenza.

DTAB said, "India now has an indigenous swine flu vaccine developed in 2010. Three vaccine manufacturers have already been granted permission to manufacture and market H1N1 vaccine - Serum Institute in Pune, Cadila Healthcare in Ahmedabad and Bharat Biotech in Hyderabad. In view of the fact that incidence of swine flu has come down, it would be suitable to include the drugs under schedule H."

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