At home treatment for colds
Almost all strains of the common cold-causing viruses are able to survive for considerable lengths of time in the generally cooler environments of the nose than the warmer lung environments. This occurs in part because immune system defence is most effective at temperatures slightly above normal body temperatures and reduces in responsiveness as temperatures drop lower than normal body temperatures. Touch your nose and gauge its temperature. You can assist your immune system to quickly eliminate cold viruses from your nasal cavity by keeping it warm.
- Breathe in warm air (make sure the temperature in your bedroom is warm).
- Hold warm drinks in your mouth to allow the warmth to radiate into the nasal cavity.
- Place heat packs on your forehead.
- For those who practice hatha yoga, do several half minute headstands over a period of an hour.
- Have a steam sauna.
- Do isometric/isotonic/isokenetic exercises.
Check out these sites for more on the ecology of influenza and viruses.
Preferential foods for a healthier body
When you have a flu or cold, or you suspect that one is imminent, remove all fast-foods and commercially prepared foods from your diet and have home-prepared foods. The foods that our bodies absorb more easily, have fewer immune responses against, don’t imbalance our hormones, provide the essential nutrients of vitamins, minerals, trace elements, enzymes, amino acids and glucose are organic eggs, offal and other animal flesh, bones and marrow. While vegetables, salads, fruits, herbs and spices, nuts and seeds, have good nutrition, they also have natural defence toxins and poisons to defend themselves from being eaten. From these plants we may get some nutrition, however our immune system has to expend resources denaturing natural poisons and toxins. Our bodies do this when we are well and healthy, however when we have a cold or flu, we should consider eliminating most vegetables, salads, fruits, nuts and seeds and take medicinal herbs and ‘spices’. Cook all plants extra well, making broths that are to be heated and reheated. Add eggs and well-cooked animal produce. Eliminate all sugar, chocolate and dairy products (except for butter or ghee).
It is important to avoid:
- All milk, margarine, cheeses, cream, milky desserts and yoghurts.
- All refined bakery products (eg. breads, pasta, spagetti, cakes, biscuits, rice products, rye products, corn products).
- All products with sugar (Eg. lollies, chocolates, fruits, fruit drinks, dried fruits, desserts, sweets, etc).
When with the flu, most people respond to dairy products by forming mucous (immunoglobulin A) in the nose, throat, lungs and gastrointestinal tract. Mostly we don’t notice the extra mucous unless we are ill or have developed other allergic responses as the immune system increases mucous production as a defence response—which can then clogg the nose, throat and lungs.
Natural and effective remedies for colds and flu
Although bed rest and keeping warm help to fight off colds and flu there are a number of other effective remedies that can be used to reduce the severity of these illnesses, prevent secondary complications from occurring and speed the recovery to normal health.
Herbal medicines
- For general relief, drink a tea made from lemon juice and fresh ginger in a cup of hot water with a quarter of a teaspoon of vitamin C powder and a little honey.
- For general relief, slice onion and garlic and cover with honey and a little hot water. Leave overnight and drain off next morning. Take this at intervals during the day.
- For general relief, drink a herbal tea of yarrow, elderflower and peppermint mixed in equal quantities.
- For general relief, mix a tablespoon of yellow mustard in a large bowel and add hot water. Place your feet in the water and keep topping up with hot water for about 10 minutes. Rub the feet well, put on warm socks and go to bed. This can be performed two or three times during the day. This bath can also be used with the hands.
- For general relief for babies and toddlers give a teaspoon every ten minutes of chamomile and/or lemon balm tea.
- For dispersing mucous drink fennel and/or fenugreek herb teas.
- For the relief of coughs, make a tea from marshmallow, garlic and honey or lemon.
- To relieve headaches use feverfew or natural ‘asprin’ from either willow bark or meadowsweet. If you need to take a standard chemical pain killer for the headache, take paracetamol or aspirin.
- To relieve headaches make a tea of equal spoonfulls of skullcap, lavender and chamomile and perform neck stretches.
- To reduce temperature make a tea of yarrow, elderflower and catnip (use compresses on the forehead, wrists, hands and legs, including the soles of the feet).
Note: although a moderately high temperature is uncomfortable, this is a natural response to highten immune defence.
(Effective commercially-made mixtures include pine, black cohosh, lobelia, plurisy root, horehound, valerian, aniseed, liquorice, lungwort and capsicum in their remedies and are available from health food stores and some chemists)
Essential oils
- Massage or have a steaming bath using a blend of lavender (two drops), teatree (three drops) and eucalyptus (two drops). For a massage, mix these oils with five millilitres of almond oil and strongly massage. In addition eucalyptus oil (10 drops) and lobelia (5 drops) in a teaspoon of brandy or camphorated oil (or garlic in olive oil), can also be used for massage.
- To relieve aching limbs and joints, have a hot bath with lavender (two drops), frankincense (one drop) and teatree (two drops). After bathing, briskly rub the whole body and go to bed.
- To relieve a blocked nose, put two drops of lemon and/or one drop of peppermint in a bowel of hot water and cover the head and bowel with a towel to concentrate the inhaling process.
- To relieve chest congestion, inhale steam helps relieve a blocked nose especially with friar’s balsam.
- To relieve a flu headache massage a drop or two of oil of lavender on the temples.
Other Medicines
- Specific medicines to boost and focus the immune system, take a current flu/cold nosode mixed with ‘Grippe nosode’ from your health practitioner.
- General medicines to boost the immune system, take Conium, Galium Heel or your constitutional remedy.
- The Cell Salts: ferr phos and kali mur (two tablets four to six times daily with the flu symptoms for the relief of colds and running nose) are sometimes very useful.
- For a raw nose, apply Traumeel cream or vitamin E cream.
- To assist the lymph system, consider Lymphomyosot.
Colloidal silver
Colloidal silver is one of the most effective and cheapest ways to assist your immune system. The antimicrobial activity of small amounts of metal, known as oligodynamic action, has been known for a long time and is the basis of many commercial therapeutic agents for more than a 100 years. For example, Silver Sulfadiazine cream is still one of the mainstays of treatment for serious burns victims as it helps prevent infection and promotes healing. Colloidal silver prevents unwanted bacteria, viruses and many fungi from surviving in your body. What makes silver unique in comparison with other antibiotics is the fact that it has no toxicity nor carcinogenic activities.
Colloidal silver inhalation using a nebulizer or ultrasonic vaporiser is probably the most efficient and effective method of delivery. It creates an antimicrobial environment in the nasal cavity, which decimates cold and influenza populations. To prevent getting influenza or colds when in contact with others who are infected, use colloidal silver as a face wash, as eye drops, as a hand wash. It can be gargled and swallowed. You can purchase your own colloidal silver generator and create your own antibiotics.
These remedies can help you overcome cold and flu symptoms this winter. For all your herbal and homeopathic medicines contact us.