Self Help and Acute Conditions....
Staving Off Colds and Flues
When you first feel yourself becoming sick, there are things you can do to avoid becoming ill or shorten the duration of the illness. These suggestions are helpful if you do them as early as possible. They will help you fend off flues, cold or minor infections. These are some steps you can take to boost your immunity.
Eat Very Lightly Or Not At All: With most illnesses, the appetite is diminished. This is a natural response of the body. Energy is needed to fight off the ‘bug’ and the body does not have the energy to process food. In addition, digestion of food slows down considerably in any fever greater than 99 degrees F. Give your digestive tract a rest! Even a child can tolerate a modified fast of broths, vegetable juices and steamed vegetables for 2-3 days.
Eliminate Sweet: Such as sugar and other sweets, baked goods including bread, soft drinks, eggs, dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream). Sugar suppresses the action of infection fighting white blood cells and dairy products, wheat and eggs cause mucous production.
Mucous Buster: Eat a plateful of steamed (or sautéed) onions and carrots 2-3 times a day. Season with tamari.
Hot Ginger Lemonade: Grate a 2” piece of fresh ginger. Add to 2-3 cups water, simmer 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and add the juice of 2-3 lemons and 1 Tbsp honey. Sprinkle with a small pinch of cayenne.
Fruit Juices: These should be eliminated or at least diluted. There are two excellent lines of herbal teas, one formulated by Brigette Mars and the other by Rosemary Gladstar, designed for various complaint (ie. lmmuni-tea and Respiratory-Tea).
Vegetable Juices: Freshly juiced green vegetables, carrots and beets are all good.
Get Rest As Soon As Possible: Many people ignore the early warning signs of illness and keep working until they ‘drop’. You will take longer to heal if you allow the illness to get a foothold,
Drink Plenty of Fluids: This standard advice is, in fact, good advice. You can clear an infection out of your system with lots of good water and herb teas.
Dress Warmly: Dress in layers. If you become overheated or chilled you can easily adjust by removing or adding layers as needed. Thwart the ‘external pernicious influences’ as the Chinese say.
Continue Treatment for 2-3 days after the disappearance of symptoms, although dosages can be tapered. Even though you may be feeling significantly better, your immune system is still recovering and you can overwhelm it by returning to your regular diet and life schedule too soon. Ease into things.
Give Yourself a Home Hydrotherapy Treatment
Hot foot bath: Soak feet in hot water while wrapped in a warm wool blanket. Put a cold cloth on your head or behind your neck and relax while you sit in a comfortable position for 10 -15 minutes. Take care to avoid getting chilled after this treatment. Do this right before bedtime and follow this with the wet sock treatment.
Wet Sock Treatment: Warm your feet first (see above). Next take a pair of cotton socks and get them wet with cold water. Be sure to wring the socks out thoroughly. Place cold wet socks on feet. Cover with thick wool socks. Go to bed. Avoid getting chilled. You will find that the wet cotton socks will be dry in the morning. This works best if repeated three nights in a row.
Throat or Chest Compress: Warm the throat or chest with a warm washcloth or hot shower. Dry the skin thoroughly and apply a thin cotton wrap(to throat) or snugly fitting, thin cotton T-shirt (to chest) that has been soaked in cold water and wrung out so that it is not dripping wet. Cover this with a wool scarf (throat) or wool sweater (chest). Go to bed this way. By morning, the scarf or T-shirt should be dry. This treatment increases circulation and increases white blood cell activity.
Gargle: Gargling is an effective way to help ease sore throat pain if done often. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt to a glass warm water, gargle every 30 minutes. Powdered goldenseal or Oregon grape root (1/4 teaspoon) can be added to increase the antiseptic effect.
Fevers: Fevers below 102-103 degrees are helpful. A fever in this range actually helps the body fight infection and is the body’s natural ally. It only becomes a foe when it persists for several days or goes higher than 103 degrees. Febrile convulsions can occur at any temperature and seem to be connected to a sudden rate of temperature rise and not the temperature itself. Studies indicate there is no increased risk of the development of a seizure disorder. If the fever is getting too high, see your doctor.
Vomiting: If your stomach just doesn’t want to keep anything down, it may be a sign that a short, modified fast is in order. Concentrate on broths, fruit and vegetable juices. Medicinal grade charcoal either encapsulated or 1-2 tsp added to water to make a slurry drink can calm a queasy stomach. Your stool may be black for several days later. Ginger drinks, ginger ale, fresh ginger tea, ginger lemonade can usually be tolerated.
The above information is gratefully reprinted from J. Claire Green, N.D.
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