There are lots of colds and flu going around this time of year. The key is prevention so I want to offer a few hints that should be helpful. First, let me talk about colds. The common cold is a necessary gift to help us expel toxins from our bodies. We live in a very toxic society. Just about everything we use is toxic, from contaminants in our food, in our carpets, in our cleaning materials, in our toiletries, in the air we breathe, in the water (sometimes) we drink, in the things we touch, and on and on it goes. We are besieged with toxins and the body has to oust them. I call it a gift because God designed our bodies so that our eyes water, our nose runs, and we get a fever, all as a built in reaction by the God designed defense mechanism. That’s why many natural health advocates and practitioners say the cold is the cure! When you take pharmaceuticals to relieve the symptoms, you are mounting an attack on that God designed defense mechanism with which we have been blessed.
Are you one of those people who “catches” a cold over and over again? Well, the reason you are continuously getting those colds is because you are taking medicine that relieves the symptoms but does not allow the body to drive out the irritants that are causing the problem. It's like occasionally winning a battle but losing the war! So, if you already have a cold the best thing you can do is let it run its course! Get nine hours of sleep every day if possible, drink lots of pure water, stay warm and dry, get some fresh air and don’t be afraid of getting fresh air. Exercise can be helpful as well, especially if you can work up a sweat. The skin is the largest organ in the body and sweat can help remove toxins. Most of us don’t sweat enough which means we are not expelling toxins the way our bodies are designed to do. Plus, exercise generates movement in the lymphatic system which will also help with removing those toxins and irritants.
To prevent a cold do the same things! Exercise, sleep, water are preventative. You might take a Vitamin D supplement because, unless you work outside and get lots of sunshine, you are most likely deficient of Vitamin D. You may want to take something like Astragalus or Olive Leaf to boost your immune system. In your diet include lots of Garlic, Onions, Horseradish, Cinnamon, Cloves, Sage, Thyme, Jalapeño peppers and drink some Spearmint tea or Ginger tea, or Chamomile tea for instance. The great Dr. Samuel Thomson said, “That same thing that will prevent disease, will cure it”. So keep these things in mind. By the way, I only mentioned a few of these herbs but there are many more that can be helpful.
Let me add another thing here. You may have heard the adage from Hippocrates, "feed a cold, starve a fever" but it has been sorely misunderstood. What he actually is saying is, "If you feed a cold you will have to starve a fever!" When acute sickness comes upon us we should go into, at least, a semi-fasting mode. I burn firewood for heat and occasionally I have to let the fire die down so I can clean out the ashes. Now, if I try to restart that fire with logs I will find a horrible time re-starting my fire but if I use some paper and some small kindling at first, then, when the fire gets hot enough I can add my logs and all will be fine. The same is true of our bodies, when acute sickness comes upon us our energy level drops so our kindling food should be juices or maybe some chicken broth, then chicken noodle soup and build up from there. Your body will tell you when you want to eat but don't force it.
Now let me address influenza. I do not believe in, nor do I trust pharmaceutical immunizations for prevention of influenza. In fact, in many cases they don’t even work. I’m glad that 80% of the American public rejects those flu shots. Some people even get the flu from those shots. We have not, as a society, been using those immunizations long enough to determine what long term side effects may occur. The only time they should be taken (if there really is a time) is in the case of very weak people whose immune defenses are so frail that getting flu may be lethal. By the way since there are so many different strains of influenza, no shot can prevent them all.
Again, all of the things that are fitting for the cold are helpful for the flu. You may want to keep some Ginger on hand for tea to help settle the stomach. Peppermint, Spearmint, Catnip, or Chamomile teas also will help there. Unless a fever gets in the danger zone, consider it a friend. It is a sign that the body has mounted up its defense mechanisms to ward off the flu. I use Yarrow tea as a natural means of reducing fevers which still allows those defenses to work. Yarrow, among other things will cause perspiration which will cool the body as well as expel toxins.
If there is a lot of nausea, the quickest means of reducing it is by vomit. Have you ever noticed that you will feel better after vomiting? Sometimes only a little, and sometimes a lot! When an irritant is in the stomach the body sometimes reverses the natural means of expelling the irritant through the bowels and vomiting occurs. This is good! The irritants are being removed. After vomiting one of the aforementioned teas can be helpful.
One of the most effective measures that can be taken for a variety of illnesses is the enema. Herbal enemas work great. Our great grandmothers knew that and they were right! If there is constipation along with the virus, an enema can help the recovery time. I won’t get into the how’s right now because I’ve probably already lost you.
But what about in the case of diarrhea? Well, you want the body to expel the irritants but you don’t want it to do so too fast. If that happens the body is losing fluids and electrolytes in excess so it needs to be slowed down. For adults Psyllium hulls, ground flax seed, oat bran or a number of mucilaginous herbs can be helpful. For children slippery elm or marshmallow root works well.
The whole point is that whether we are talking colds or flu we must allow the body to do its work. Do NOT use over the counter medicines. We just don’t know the magnitude of the possible side effects of them. Aid the body by allowing those natural defenses freedom to work. Stop concentrating on the symptoms because the symptoms are NOT the problem. The symptoms are the result of your body's attempt to rid itself of the irritant. When you get a runny nose you want to take a medicine to stop it but what you are actually doing is preventing your body's natural defenses time to do their job! Yes, it's an agrivation but if you take something to stop it, the cold will probably return very soon.
I am convinced that part of our worship of our Lord is to surrender to His means, His design. He is wiser than we. In the end, if we do so, it will "work together for good" (Romans 8:28)
If you want to know more feel free to contact me and I'll be glad to help.
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