Intended for healthcare professionals

Rapid response to:

News

UN warns that swine flu outbreak could turn into pandemic

BMJ 2009; 338 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.b1751 (Published 27 April 2009) Cite this as: BMJ 2009;338:b1751

Rapid Response:

Rx for Flu: Lemons & Limes

We are all familiar with the ravages of infectious disease, including MRSA, VRE,
multi-drug resistant TB, and most recently, the flu. I have found that lemon (or
lime) juice is a helpful adjuvant in treatment programs for such infections.
Lemon juice is a concentrated form of Vitamin C and a natural antibiotic and
antiviral agent. It's important to dilute lemon juice in water, because pure
lemon juice is so acidic that it can dissolve the enamel on our teeth. It's also
important to avoid taking too much lemon juice, because lemon juice is so
acidic that too much can create a metabolic acidosis. Don't assume that just
because a little bit of lemon juice is good, a lot is even better. Let's learn to
appreciate nutrition, because food is live medicine.

Competing interests:
None declared

Competing interests: No competing interests

29 April 2009
Hugh Mann
Physician
Eagle Rock, MO 65641 USA