Brian,
Drinking hot fruit juices while adding vitamens sounds good, but this actually compromises a quick recovery from the flu. It sounds like you beat the flu, but I wouldn't credit your recovery to your comforting hot fruit juice drinks.
A doctor friend that I golfed with in the past recommended an agressive approach to prevent getting the flu. He tried to sell me some expensive soaps and disinfectants to help the immune system by disinfecting underneath the fingernail, sinuses and the eyes.
His system was too expensive for me, so well I came up with a poor mans system that seems to be working. His sytem is a complete system, using whole host of blended natural holistic disinfectants. I normally don't use the colloidal silver on the eyes unless normal eye drops are not helping. So the flu has more of a chance of infecting me compared to this doctors system. To keep from catching the flu I simply stay away from hot fruit juices, so my immune system is not compromised. Take a daily dose of vitamin C, instead of fruit juices.
http://www.mimbres.com/holp/holpath/hph.htm
When the flu starts going around, I use 3 percent hydrogen peroxide for the finger nail dip. For the nasal membranes one can spray saline nasal spray that can be bought over the counter. If I feel a cold coming on and this is not working. I will get agressive by spraying my sinuses with the more expensive colloidal silver spray that can be bought in almost all the healthfood stores in America. If the eyes seem to be infected I will breakdown and spray colloidal silver into the eyes, though would rather get eye drops from the doctor for the eyes. I read one could spray colloidal silver into the eyes in some health food book. Colloidal silver is only a bit of silver in water and suspect its a safe disinfectant for the eyes. However we all should always exercise caution in respect to the eyes. (It could be glaucoma and that could be a more serious problem), but apart from these serious eye disease, colloidal silver appears to be a natural disinfectant.
I have been using normal eye drops that are more comforting to the eyes and just let the immune system take over. If the cold appears to be gaining the upper hand I then will spray some colloidal silver in the eyes. I then stop drinking or eating sugar foods so the white blood cells in the blood are not compromised.
If everyone is getting sick you can help your immune system by guarding these three point sources of entry. (eyes, sinuses, and fingernails). The doctor said that these area's are the main area's where the bacteria, viruses multiply before overcoming the immune system, expressed in the flu, including the common cold.
I have not went to the doctor for the common cold, since adopting this strategy, over 10 years. The simple strategy is to bring out the colloidal silver and spray the sinuses, and then dip my fingernails in 3 percent hydrogen peroxide that they sell over the counter in any grocery store. I sometime substitute saline nasal spray for the sinuses (its cheaper).
If I feel an ear problem developing I use "swim ear" that can be purchased over the counter at any pharmacy to dry out the inner ear membranes. These are all quite simple preventative methods and common knowledge. Just a reminder that the flu Christmas season is upon us, where Sugar "will" compromise every partaker's immune system.
Sugar - A Major Cause
Of Immune Deficiency
Some years ago researchers carried out a series of studies that examined how sugar consumption weakens the ability of white blood cells to destroy bacteria (germs). The results of this study showed that if a person eats no sugar for 12 hours, each white blood cell could destroy an average of 14 bacteria. When 24 teaspoons of sugar were consumed (the amount in a medium piece of cheesecake or a milk shake), the white blood cells were so compromised that they could only destroy an average of one bacterium each. Study the following chart carefully and then, whenever you sneeze, or cough, or have a runny nose, think back on your recent sugar consumption.
http://www.keepwell.com/sugar3.htm