Dana Ullman, MPH and Andrew Gaeddert discuss homeopathic and herbal alternatives for protection from and treatment of the flu in the context of the potential pandemic of avian flu.

Also available for listening online or download at Radio on Demand.

SHOW INTRODUCTION It must have occurred to you when you read all the bad news about the bird flu that traditional societies have been dealing with it for centuries without pharmaceuticals. So it won't surprise you to discover that homeopathy was there during the 1918 flu epidemic. Only 1-2% of patients admitted to a homeopathic hospital died while the death rate from influenza in conventional hospitals was roughly 30%. So has it been in China, where bird flu is common. Traditional Chinese medical practices and herbs have historically protected populations from illness and death. But now we have industrial farming practices instead of family farms, and vaccines, and pharmaceuticals and hysteria. What can we learn about how to protect our health and stimulate our native immunity from the traditional practices of homeopathy and herbal medicine.