As much as we try to avoid it, the flu seems to catch up with someone in my family. Over the years, we've learned to do the following just as the winter season starts:

Water. Drink lots of water, it will help flush toxins and restore healthy immune levels. The formula is eight, 8-ounce glasses per day. One secret: it doesn’t all need to be pure, plain water. You can drink citrus fruit juices as well.

Epsom Salt Baths. My grandma says this old-fashioned remedy has been around for centuries precisely because it has been shown to relieve muscle aches and congestion.  Add a few cups of Epsom salts to a hot bath and soak in it for 15-20 minutes. It's great! Also, try adding anywhere from a half to a whole cup of salts to a bowl of hot water and leaning over it with a towel over your head to trap the vapors, inhaling and exhaling deeply for up to 10 minutes.

Vitamin C. This is an antioxidant that helps drastically reduce the length and severity of the flu. Vitamin C can be found in citrus fruits, green vegetables and under the skin of potatoes, and is also available in supplements, pills, and powders.

Herbal Tea. A favorite around our house, we don't drink regular black tea but rather go herbal with teas like sage, rosemary, ginseng, and peppermint. You'd be surprised how good and varied they taste. Chock full of antioxidants, herbal teas are natural flu fighters.

Garlic. My father told me this member of the onion family both boosts immunity and lowers blood pressure. It can be eaten raw or cooked in recipes or taken in a capsule.

Raw Foods. Consumed as close to their natural state as possible, raw foods yield more of their vital nutrients than foods that have been processed, preserved, or cooked. We've always known this to be true and it just makes sense.

Plenty of Rest. Eight hours a night. It feels good to hunker down and rest during the winter. If you're already fighting the flue, then try going to bed and waking up at the same times every day to get yourself on a regular sleep schedule.

Hopefully this will help someone avoid the flu because getting the flu is no fun. I'd rather be skiing!