Hydrogen Peroxide For Colds and Flu

By Dr. Mercola — Comment:

Last November I initially posted this information, then pulled it after it was on the site for a few hours as I had reason to believe the source was flawed. I replaced the article with another related one.

However, a few people did retrieve the original article, which I have posted below my comment. I was quite surprised to receive an unsolicited email from someone who claimed it worked for her entire family. She also provides some positive experiences she has had with EFT.

That is a strong endorsement for a totally non-toxic and incredibly inexpensive solution to a very common problem. Seems like it might be worth trying after considering the main contributing factors below.

So I have posted portions of the original document along with the email that prompted revisiting this topic.

By far it is most effective to be proactive and not get colds in the first place. It seems the major reasons why one gets them to begin with are:

• Not following a proven healthy diet
• Stress
• Not enough sleep
• Any combination of the above

So clearly the first approach is be careful and avoid food choices that will sabotage your health. If you are stressed please consider EFT, which is an amazingly effective tool to address the foundational and core reasons as to how the stress is impairing your immune system.

Zinc Lozenges

If, for whatever reason, you have come down with a cold my personal recommendation would be to use zinc lozenges. I have been using zinc in my practice for over 15 years, far before it was popular.

When using zinc lozenges it is important to recognize that they need to be sucked on, NOT swallowed, and smaller doses more frequently seem to work better. I usually advise patients to suck on a quarter lozenge every 30 minutes. If started early, this approach seems to work well for the clear majority of patients.

Two cautions should be heeded though; if the lozenges make one nauseous they should be stopped immediately as that is a sign of zinc toxicity. If you follow this guideline and listen to your body you will avoid the copper imbalance referenced in the study.

Hydrogen Peroxide in 3% Solution

From what we have read, hydrogen peroxide works quite well and is supposed to be effective 80% of the time, especially if done when the symptoms first appear. While it seems contrary to what we have been taught about colds and flu we know quite a few people who have tried it with great success.

In 1928 Richard Simmons, M.D. hypothesized that colds and flu virus enter through the ear canal. His findings were dismissed by the medical community. According to Dr. Simmons, contrary to what you may think or have been taught about how you catch the flu or the cold there is only one way that you can catch the two, and that's via the ear canal not through the eyes or nose or mouth as most have believed.

Keeping your fingers out of your ears will greatly reduce your chances of catching them, but then again these two are microscopic and can be air-born and may land on or even in your ear. Once they have entered the inner-ear (middle-ear) there they begin their breeding process, and from there they have access to every avenue throughout our body to travel to and to infect and make us sick.

In 1938 German researchers had great success using hydrogen peroxide in dealing with colds and the flu. Their data has been ignored for over 60 years.

It is important to begin treatment as soon as symptoms appear. If treatment is started promptly effectiveness seems to be in the 80% range.

We have found remarkable results in curing the flu & cold within 12 to 14 hours when administering a few drops of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) into each infected ear, (sometimes only one ear is infected) The H2O2 starts working within 2 to 3 minutes in killing the flu or cold; there will be some bubbling and in some cases mild stinging occurs.

Wait until the bubbling & stinging subside (usually 5 to 10 min) then drain onto tissue and repeat other ear. A bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide in 3% solution is available at any drug store for a couple of dollars.

Although this method is perfectly safe for infant/children to use, the loud bubbling and stinging frightens them, they'll need someone they trust to put the hp in their ears. (don't get h2o2 in the eyes- if you do, flush with water)

E-Mail From Subscriber

Thanks to one of your articles in your newsletter about using peroxide in the ears for flu or colds, my family and I have had a relatively flu/cold free winter! We have been exposed to a serious flu in our area, but have managed to dodge it. Here are some specifics:

My 6 year old son had kept me up during one night with coughing and sneezing. By noon the next day he had a fever. I then remembered recently reading in your newsletter about using three drops of peroxide in each ear for 10 minutes. You should have seen his face when I told him I was going to put peroxide in his ears! He was nervous, but soon settled down. It bubbled a lot in both ears. I did only one treatment in each ear, and from then on, his fever went away and his symptoms were reduced to the sniffles. That night he slept well, as did mom. The cold did not return!

Next came myself. About a week later I felt like my head was in a "fog", a familiar fog that is a sure sign I am going to get sick with a bad cold or flu. I used the peroxide treatment in each ear and went to bed about an hour early. The next morning I felt fantastic! Not a trace of illness.

Again about a week after I had felt something coming on, my husband started feeling "ugh". I told him about the peroxide and he looked at me skeptically. But he tried it. And it worked! He works for the school district in the bus shop and is around the drivers (who are around all those kids passing germs about) frequently.

At the same time my 10 year old son who is rarely sick said he didn't feel well. I wasn't sure if he was saying that because he felt left out (the peroxide treatment aroused his interest), or if he really was coming down with something. So, I gave him a treatment, not seeing that any harm would come of it. He had strong bubbling on one side. He soon felt better and did not become ill.

The peroxide has been used a few other times on all of us with almost amazing results. There was a different result in one case, which had to do with myself. It had been a couple of weeks from my first use of the peroxide on myself.

I came home from our local library book sale which was held in the basement. I quickly became ill, as if allergic to something in the basement, of which this was my first time down there. By the next morning I had a full fledged cold and felt awful. I tried the peroxide.

Although I had to repeat the peroxide treatment about every 4 hours, the peroxide alone relieved my symptoms! I was a bit tired, but other than that, no sneezing, coughing, fever, etc. After about 4 hours I would feel pressure building in my head (especially the ears) and I would begin to get quite cranky. Then I would use the peroxide again and be much better.

The peroxide allowed me to maintain my schedule of homeschooling the boys and doing my chores. It worked better than anything I have tried over the years and had no side affects!

A few notes: the peroxide feels like ice when it is dropped into the ear! It usually did not sting. The hardest thing for me to get used to was the tickling of the bubbles!

Thank you again for the information on peroxide for flus and colds. This wife and mom has had many peaceful nights thanks to you! Thank you also for ALL the fantastic information that you pass along in your newsletter. If it weren't for you, how would we know of these things?!?

Last fall I started using EFT and am very pleased with the results and that I have such a useful tool for others and myself. I learned of it through you. You have made a difference in many lives.

Sincerely,

Wendy Fyfe
Brush, Colorado

© Copyright 2005 All Rights Reserved Contact: Dr. Joseph Mercola.