Answering Your Questions About The Flu, Vitamin C and More!

I’ve been traveling and working on some amazing things — I’ll share more with you soon :) But I will share one of them (as I just can’t wait!)…which was taping a show with Deepak Chopra called One World. He interviewed me for 30 minutes about the Beauty Detox philosophy and our new upcoming book :). It will air in about a month (and rerun for 18 months) in 183 countries, including on Newswire, certain subway stations, on Oprah radio, and will stream into the Cleveland and Mayo clinics. I will let you know when it comes out!

In the meanwhile, I wanted to take a moment to answer some great questions we recently received — this week about the flu, the flu shot, vitamin C and general sickness. I know we are in the midst of cold and flu season so I’m glad to be addressing these topics!

Let’s go through them now:

Question from Kristina: As I am a med student I am required to get a flu shot. I haven’t gotten the shot in over a decade and lately have been trying to abstain for any type of medication after being on antibiotics for most of my life and acid-reducing medication for 4 years (besides the birth control pill, which is why I do not take anything else- I figure one “bad” substance is enough). I was wondering your thoughts on the flu shots and how to counteract the effects of the flu shot. I do acknowledge that the flu is extremely contagious and can spread quickly and if you happen to pass the flu onto an older person, they have a much higher risk of complications. I know that Ebola has been in the news so much lately, and everyone is concerned about contracting the virus but in reality, the likelihood of dying from flu is so much higher!! For me though, the flu shot is pretty harmful too- many common flu shots contain 25 micrograms of mercury and if you investigate the vaccine carefully enough, you’ll discover that getting vaccinated can actually predispose you to getting the flu! This is why I cannot wait to practice and blend conventional medicine with naturopathy. [End rant]

KS: Thank you Kristina! Great question and information that you provided.

Here’s a pretty balanced post I did about the flu shot last year, for more reference.  Please do check this out as I go into a lot more detail there.

The things you say about the flu shot are true, and I personally do not get them each year like many people do. In fact, I’ve never gotten one. The notion of “getting yourself sick” (which is what the flu shot does to you) while injecting yourself with mercury in order to avoid sickness seems a little strange to me. My perspective, for me at least, is that I do so much to eat well and keep my immune system very strong and I haven’t been sick with anything. I take our Probiotics every single day and consider them essential for wellness and optimal beauty.

But for whatever, reason, if you have to get the flu shot, or feel your circumstances necessitate it (or it’s required), then that’s what you have to do. You may be in a situation where you either have to take the shot or perhaps you have excessive exposure to people who do have it, so what I do for myself may not be for everyone. While I try to be 100% natural as much as possible, I have to get shots when I travel to Africa, for example, and even though I don’t love doing it, I do it because I need certain vaccines to even get into certain countries. So I understand that sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

If you are suffering in flu-like or symptoms afterward, I would just make sure to get plenty of rest, drink lots of liquids (including soup) and less solid food — to give your body a break from digestion so that it can put more energy toward healing and repair. And perhaps some cilantro, seaweed and chlorella to remove any potential heavy metals that might have been present in the shot. Do those things, and hopefully you won’t have to suffer too long after your shot. Hope that helps!

Question from Rachelle: Hey I wanted to try Emergen C packets? I wanted to start taking them to prepare my body from the cold/flu season. But not sure if its on the healthy side. Heard good reviews, but just wanted y’all opinions?

Emergen-C is okay — but not something I would generally recommend. First, they produce those vitamins in mass quantities and so they are likely synthetic. I’ve written many times about the issues with synthetic vitamins, but overall, they take away as much as they give you. Also, Emergen-C has processed/refined fructose to sweeten the packets, which is also a problem as refined fructose can raise your leptin levels and contribute to weight gain. I actually discuss this in a post.

So what do I recommend? Drinking your Glowing Green Smoothie every day, and adding more lemons to your water. Eat more fresh berries and other fruit, and have more salads and veggies like purple cabbage and red bell peppers. But if you are traveling, don’t have access to ideal foods, for whatever reason feel like you need more vitamin C, I would go to my local health food store and get a product that is naturally derived. Two popular sources are Acerola and Camu Camu, both berries from the rainforest that are very rich in vitamin C. Mix a little of either of those into water and drink the way you would Emergen-C — and you’ll get better results without clogging up your body with synthetic vitamins.

But my personal note is to just eat your vitamin C from whole foods, which also have enzymes and a bevy of  other nutrients that work synergistically. I never use any of those powders, even natural.

Question from Danielle: Any thoughts on the flu vaccine? I never got it but work at a college and every year I get scoffed at for not getting it. Again feeling the pressure at work & wondering what people’s thoughts are on here.

Hi Danielle! Yes, see my response above. I don’t get the shot, but many do and I feel it’s a personal decision.

One thing I will say is that you should never do anything for peer pressure. I know it can be hard at times, and it’s unpleasant to be pressured or persecuted for what you believe in, but part of our evolution on this Beauty Detox path is to develop the conviction that we are loving and caring for ourself, which is hugely important. You’ve probably encountered pressure in other forms, perhaps when eating out or from family, and you just need to stay strong in your beliefs.

Nobody else has to live in your body but you — so the choices we make must always honor that. Your happiness comes down to your choices, and nobody will give you your happiness back if you make the choices they want — which don’t ultimately serve you.

Also remember that when people pressure or criticize, it’s usually from a place of insecurity, so you can take those instances as an opportunity to practice empathy and compassion for them. They may not even realize what they are doing.

Question from Ella: Hi Beauties. I need your help. I can feel the flu coming on. What are your best solutions for beating it before it begins?

Hi Ella, we did a whole post about this recently. Some of the tips I provided were rooted in keeping your immune system strong — using Probiotics, cleansing, washing your hands with natural soap/sanitizer (most cold and flu viruses are transmitted this way), and get plenty of zinc. Zinc is one of the few nutrients clinically proven to help with prevention. Toss some pumpkin seeds in your salads, which are a great source.

Another thing I will mention, is that your mind also plays a role here. Many people begin to think a lot about the flu and getting sick around this time of the year, sometimes even obsessing over it. I believe our thoughts help create our reality, and being paranoid about something is one of the surest ways to invite it into your life. So please also pay attention to your thoughts and focus them on creating health and wellness each, rather than on getting sick. That will make a difference.

That’s All For This Week!

If you have a question you’d like answered in a future Q&A session, please email it to Katelyn @ beautydetox.com and put “Q&A” in the subject line.

There’s no guarantee we’ll get to yours but Katelyn will do her best to gather related questions and send them to me to be answered in posts like these.

Thanks and talk soon!

Love,

Kimberly

P.S. — On Saturday, we launched our 30-Day Meal Plan and people are loving it. It’s filled beautiful recipes (including some new ones) along with 30 days of daily meals that you can use to mix things up and better plan out your diet. I think you’ll really enjoy it and get a lot out of it. You can learn more about it, and get your own copy, by clicking here.