Get Ready For Cold and Flu Season (NAPSA)—Givethe flu the cold shoulder this winter: be prepared to treat the first sign of a flu, say health experts. Cold and flu appear in 77 percent of U.S. households each season; colds alone cost Americans $39.5 billion a year. Manypredict that this year’s cold and flu season may be especially rough. Along with standard over-thecounter (OTC) remedies, an increasing number of Americans are stocking up on homeopathic medicines—micro doses of natural substances from botanical, biological and mineral origins— to treat flu, cough and cold symptoms and help keep winter illnesses at bay. Homeopathic medicines, such as Oscillococcinum (known as Oscillo), Chestal and Coldcalm from Boiron, the world leader in homeopathy, are said to reduce the duration of colds and flu. Advantages include: Fast-acting when taken at onset of symptoms Safe for the whole family, no side effects and no interactions with other medications * Do not mask symptomsindicating a more serious condition Regulated as drugs by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Used successfully for over 200 years, homeopathic medicines seem to act by stimulating the body to react to an illness Feel a cold or flu coming on? Try a homeopathic medicine. instead of simply suppressing symptoms. Unlike many conventional OTC medicines, they are not contraindicated for patients with heart disease, liver problems and other serious health conditions. “Because of their many benefits, homeopathic medicines should be a patient’s first course of treatment,” says Albert Levy, M.D., a family physician affiliated with the Albert Einstein Hospital in NewYork City. “It’s possible to dodge the flu or cold altogether by taking homeopathic medicines as soon as you feel achy or under the weather.” For more information about Boiron and where to find its medicines in a store near you, call 1-800-BOIRON-1 or e-mail info@boiron.com.
