Fighting off a cold

Have you noticed how it is getting harder and harder for people to fly long distances and not catch something? Just listening to all the coughing and sneezing and, of course, breathing that re- circulated air is enough to make you want to wear a surgical mask like some Japanese travellers do.

I offer you these natural healing methods you could try at the first sign of a cold or flu. To do so, I have scanned the leading traditional healing systems on this round-the-world trip, hunting up all the best remedies I could find.

Ideally, within the first six hours of feeling the onset of symptoms of a cold/flu, begin this combination of measures:

From England, a country in which homeopathy is very respected and is, in fact, the first choice of preventive medicine by the royal family, comes the homeopathic remedy known as Oscillococcinum. Homeopathic remedies are tailored to symptoms, not diseases, and a good homeopath changes the remedy as the symptoms change. But at the very onset of a flu, when you are feeling chilled and your muscles are starting to ache, and you even wonder if you strained your neck or shoulderswell, that is exactly when you should take Oscillococcinum. It is designed for the very early stages.

- Oscilococcinum: 1/2 vial every 2 hours for 1-2 days.

If your flu or cold has advanced, then treat yourself to the following from the O.S. Emergen-C: 1 packet 4 times a day and zinc lozenges: dissolve a zinc gluconate lozenge (20 mg) in mouth every 2 waking hours. It is best absorbed through the saliva.

From European herbal research, we have learned about the benefits of the echinacea plant. New research shows that it can be somewhat effective in reducing typical symptoms of the common cold.

- Exhinacea: 300 mg. or 1/2 teaspoon fluid extract every 2 waking hours.

From German botanical research and traditional herbal remedies comes the wonders of the Elderberry plant. You can buy this in extract form. It tastes like a sweet syrup and goes down easy.

- Elderberry Extract: 1 tablespoon of the fluid extract 2 times a day for flu.

Folk medicine wisdom from the Jewish tradition says that, at the first sign of a cold, make a big pot of chicken soup and have a bowl or two. Chicken soup is known as "Jewish penicillin" and has actually surprised some scientists for its antibacterial properties.

Boil a whole chicken with a couple of carrots, onion, and clove of garlic, until the meat falls off the bone. Season to your satisfaction.

Steam-vapourisers and humidifiers are wonderfully soothing for that stuffed-up feeling. If you do not have one of these gadgets, then just boil a pot of water and allow the steam to penetrate your nose. Be careful with this procedure. Be sure to stand back from the steam so you are not burned by it, but just able to capture the mist.

And from everybody's grandma no matter what part of the world she or her ancestors are from:

- Gargle with warm salt water to soothe sore throat and clear mucous from tonsillar area (limit this protocol to no longer than 5-7 days).

From traditional Chinese medicine, here is an amazing little herbal preparation that is meant to take if you are chilled. Chinese medicine treats conditions that we are not used to hearing about - things like "too much heat", "not enough wind", "imbalance of earth." But even if we do not understand the literal meaning, the body seems to respond really well.

- Take Gan Mao Ling (a Chinese herbal formula for sneezing, chills, head and muscle aches): 5 pills 4 times for 1-2 days. You can find it health food stores, or shop at an Asian market.

- Take a hot bath for 10 minutes, get out, dry off and wrap up in warm pajamas and go to bed to sweat and sleep it off. When you wake up, have a bowl of chicken soup, if hungry.

From India and throughout Southeast Asia, the benefits of the ginger plant are known as a digestive aid, and in helping stimulate the body's immune system.

- Make a pot of ginger tea by adding thick slices of 1 inch of fresh ginger root to 4 cups of water. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer.

- Keep well hydrated. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day during a cold/flu to flush mucuous and viral/bacterial toxins from the system. Try drinking plain hot/warm water instead of room temperature water.

Flush out the mucus: Every system of natural healing - whether it is ayurvedic, traditional Chinese medicine, or even naturopathic - believes that excess mucus is a harbinger of ill health. They all offer means for flushing it out of the respiratory tract lining, intestines, urinary tract walls and lung tissue surfaces.

There is some sense to this. Bacteria can lodge and gain a strong foothold in areas where mucus cells are overproducing. Natural healing techniques act like a traditional soap and simply scrub and flush the area, dislodging the bacteria.

One way to do this is to switch your diet for a few days to alkaline-producing foods, instead of acid-producing foods. This change in pH will help cut back on the amount of mucus in your system, and may also help prevent heartburn.

Alkaline-producers Acid Producing

Milletsweets, sugar snacks

Vegetablesmeat

Citrus fruitsbaked goods, breads

Ginger tea Soft drinks, coffee

Load up on cranberry and pineapple juice: So many women suffer from urinary tract infections that it helps to know some immediate and simple measures that can help prevent infections from recurring. Cranberry and pineapple juice contain a type of fructose known as D-mantose that inhibits the adherence of E. coli bacteria in the urinary tract, which is the usual culprit in such infections. Drink two large glasses a day of either juice since a preventive measure may work better than trying to halt an infection. You need to check with your doctor if a full infection is in progress since antibiotics may be called for.

Finally, there is an old adage;, if you feed a fever, you will have to starve a cold. Translated this means, do not eat when you feel yourself coming down with a cold. Instead, stay well hydrated, drinking lots of pure water, and allow your body's defences to fight off the infection, rather than draw energy to the intestines to digest a meal (anabolism vs. catabolism). If you do eat, chances are you will go ahead and get sick with a cold and need to "starve" it or fast later.

Practise all these measures, and you will give yourself some relief, while this persistent, nagging bug takes its course. With all our wonders modern science, we still do not have a way to halt or completely cure a cold in progress, but these natural healing measures do help you feel better in the meantime.

PEG JORDAN

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Features
Previous : Fault lines
Next     : Wish her well