It’s upon us again – and this year, the CDC has said flu season has started late.

It starts off with sniffing and sneezing – traveling in the van or bus with 5 other people. Soon, you start to get achy and it’s all downhill from there. Having been on and off the road for 16 years, I have found several things that seem to work, and I would like to share them with you.

Viruses live on hard surfaces for up to 72 hours and are easily transferred on a handshake, sneeze or cough. You don’t have to become a germ-o-phobe. It’s been said a million times before, but I can’t overstress how critical it is to wash your hands or carry anti-viral/anti-bacterial wipes with you.

My second piece of advice is to pull over at your nearest health food store or pharmacy and buy some Oscillococcinum. Weird name. Wicked great flu formula. This is a homeopathic medicine – which means it activates the body’s natural virus-fighting systems and kicks them into overdrive.

The trick is to have it with you so you can take it at the FIRST sign of flu. It comes with three vials that you take in the mouth (tastes like sugar pellets) every six hours. It will dramatically reduce the length and severity of flu. I carry this with me at all times and can be generally found giving it away to an unlucky fellow traveler. I once sent 24 boxes to Nickelback when their whole crew was coming down with the same flu virus.

Another piece of advice is to build up your immune system so you make your body less susceptible to illness. Astragalus is an herb long used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to boost immunity – and can be found in pills or as a liquid tincture. The great thing about astragalus is that you can take it every day and you won’t build up a tolerance. Garlic is another great antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal. You can find enteric-coated tablets that dissolve in the digestive track so you don’t have garlic breath. Finally, consider Maitake mushrooms – they have a tremendous immune boosting action – and they are available in capsules.

I came up with a formula for a throat spray called Vocal-eze. Yes I developed it for singers, BUT anyone can use it for sore throats and it works … Everything in it all 9 herbs support the lungs and throat. SO when you see vocal-eze in a music store know it can be used by EVERONE in the band as well as crew!!! I developed it for you guys and it doesn’t taste bad for a herbal product!

Okay, here’s the part you are going to hate. Sugar, caffeine, alcohol and dairy products can lower immunity and increase mucus in the body. I’m not saying you have to cut these foods out altogether. But if you are feeling a bit “off” or are around people who are sick, moderation would be wise.

If you do get sick…Hunker down. Try to get plenty of rest. Drink lemon & ginger tea. Avoid the foods listed above. And try using a soothing throat spray to address post-nasal drip and a dry, irritated throat.

Be well!

Ocea is one of the most sought-after bodywork therapists and healers in the entertainment industry. She has been on and off the road with national recording artists for 16 years and has worked backstage on talent and production and most of the entertainment award shows. Ocea is the President/Founder of Travel Wellness, Inc. with natural solutions for touring, performing and travel wellness. For more information visit www.travelwellness.com.

I have been taking care of Recording Artists on and off the road for 12+ years. In 2001, I developed Vocal-eze Professional Throat Spray with the help of the A&R Dept. of Sony Music Nashville and Artists at the CMA Awards.

Vocal-eze is endorsed by Joss Stone, Rob Thomas, Tim McGraw, ism, Deadstar Assembly, Ember, Ill Scarlett, and many more. It is sold nationwide at Guitar Center Stores, Sam Ash Music Stores, and at independent music and health food stores.

I have shipped Vocal-eze to tours such as: Sting, Ozzfest, Nickelback, Linkin’ Park Projekt Revolution, Evanescence, Lynard Skynard, Motley Crue, Sarah McLachlan, Bellamy Brothers, and Mary Chapin Carpenter – just to name a few. I have also worked at and provided Vocal-eze to artists at every major music awards show on TV, like the Grammy Awards, Latin Grammy Awards, Country Music Awards, etc.

I joined Myspace because I think its important to take care of all artists, and I wanted to get the word out there about my company. I believe that people who are blessed with a gift of music/singing are healers and I am the Healer’s healer.

If you use Vocal-eze, are interested in Vocal-eze or have a comment about Vocal-eze please let me know. We just launched 8 new natural products for performers and touring musicians. So check out my company’s website at http://www.travelwellness.com

Due to the fact that we created Vocal eze to address “internal body care” starting with the throat.We made sure that echinacea was in the product because of its amazing harmony with aiding the body to wellness. As you can read on the label there are 4 sources of echinacea.The root,flower.stem and seed. I think we may be the only throat/internal body care company on the market to offer so much of a good thing. Having said that a study just came out that supports our knowing! The Big Secret is that Vocal eze is so much more than just a throat spray for singers! Thats why its used by everyone!

The efficacy of Echinacea purpurea in supporting a healthy immune system is based on modulatory effects on immune function. There are many factors linked to short or long term weakening of the immune system, that reduce the body’s natural defenses. Stress, lack of sleep, poor diet all can compromise the immune system’s ability to respond. Since it has been largely unknown how this modulation manifests in the body, and how the effects develop in subjects with weaker immune response, the goal of this study was to monitor several immune mediators during Echinacea treatment. (Effects of Echinaforce® treatment on ex vivo-stimulated blood cells, M.R. Ritchie, J. Gertsch, P. Klein, R. Schoop, Phytomedicine 2011;18:826-831)

Subjects whose immune cells showed initial “weak” immune reaction experienced exceptionally pronounced effects upon treatment. In contrast, there were no increased effects in subjects with a strong immune response. The authors chose the term “adaptive immune modulation” to describe the selective effects of Echinacea on subjects with weak immune response due to life situations causing short or long term weakening of the immune system.

But, few are not laced with unnatural ingredients that can in the long term do more harm than good. I hoped for something better. My clients were professional singers but even  I , a normal person, could appreciate the idea something entirely healthy to cure a soar throat.

I developed Vocal-eze® in 2000, with the A&R Department of Sony Music in Nashville and artists at the County Music Awards (CMA). Having been on the road taking care of music artists since 1996, I was asked by an artist if I knew how to get rid of a sore throat. So I looked for a good sore throat remedy for singers, that was natural and also lubricated and did not have alcohol. After looking and talking to several companies that had alcohol based products on the market. There were no good sore throat remedies out there that met mine or the artist I worked with criteria.

My glycerin-based Vocal-eze® was the answer for sore throat remedies that would soothe over used, tired, scratchy and dr, sore throat, effortlessly and without unnatural side effects. With nine herbs that address concerns of the lungs and throat, Vocal-eze® quickly became THE choice for national recording artists. Based purely on its extraordinary performance, it earned early endorsements from Rob Thomas, Tim McGraw and Joss Stone.

Since its introduction into the market of sore throat remedies, it has become a favorite of teachers,TV anchors, speakers, and other individuals who make their living with their voices. It has been featured on TV in “Nashville Star”, in the movie “Fame”, on Broadway in “Rain” and “Les Miserables”, in music festivals like “Rothberry” ,the Country Music Summer show in Nashville and has earned a host of other famous fans like Normal Lear and Anna Getty, to name a few.Vocal-eze® was the first herbal throat spray to be offered for sale in music stores in the U.S. and U.K. Over the last ten years, Vocal-eze® has been the top seller in that channel for sore throat remedies for singers and is now ready for a broader reach of people,like you. Vocal eze isnt just used by Artist on the road it is also used by the crew to stay healthy, I feel like this is my mission in life, to create great products that not only work but taste good and are affordable. When a kid says they like how it tastes and actually wants it even when they don’t have a sore throat, I know I must be doing something right! If you have the choice of all the sore throat remedies on the market today I hope you choose this wonderfully natural, organic product that is a diamond in the buff.