How To Stop a Cold

Everyone hates colds. Yuk. “If they can put man on the moon, why can’t they cure the common cold?” Well, companies make a lot of money out of you being sick, but stopping a cold in its tracks is really not rocket science. It is commonly said that it takes two weeks to get over a cold if you rest, and a fortnight to get over it if you go and see a Doctor.

Here’s what happens...

Your immune system involves many parts of your body all working together to keep the bugs, germs, viruses and other nasties out of your life. It is a full time job that deserves respect. Our bodies are being bombarded every day by bugs that can make us sick: “catching a cold” is what happens when for some reason our immune system “drops the ball” and lets some bugs in.

Your immune system can be off its game for many reasons: lack of sleep; stress; anxiety; maybe your body has become acidic due to poor food choices; too much sugar; alcohol; junk food; not drinking enough water and not getting enough sunshine (vitamin D)…get the picture? Yeah, stuff we all do, that’s why pretty much all of us get sick sooner or later.

And we all know that uh-oh feeling when we first realise that we are getting a cold. Maybe it’s a slight tickly or stingy throat that alerts you, or a series of sneezes; a little sniffle; a headache or just feeling unusually tired or foggy headed. Uh oh, no, I’m getting a cold, aaarrrggghhhh! The only time this makes us happy is when it allows us to get out of doing something we really don’t want to do.

So, what to do about it? First of all, don’t ignore it! Your body is speaking to you, listen up! It is still possible to avoid the onslaught of mucous, and pain and more mucous.

As soon as you notice something is coming on - within minutes or as soon as possible you need to take steps to help your immune system beat back the baddies.

• Vitamin C and Echinacea have been well researched for their immune boosting properties. They can be very effective at this point, but don’t help much once the cold has really taken hold.
• Rest as much as possible, and gets heap of sleep to let your energy be directed towards the important battle going on.
• Gargle salty water
• Eat well and drink lots of water
• And here’s another one that is a bit more radical for you - soaking your ear canals in 3% hydrogen peroxide. This is based on the theory that germs enter our system via our ears. I’ve done it. It sounds funny but it worked. I was off work with an awful heavy, flu-like cold. I stumbled across this remedy on the internet on the Mercola Institute site, a well-respected medical site. I was a bit dubious but bought hydrogen peroxide in the supermarket for a few dollars.

At home, I lay my head on the side, while hubby slowly tipped about 2 mil into my ear canal using a spoon (and later I self-administered using a syringe). It felt really cold for a second, then it just started bubbling, like I had champagne in my ear. It continued bubbling for about 10 minutes, and then I held a towel to my head and tipped it out. I did this to both ears, and honestly I felt so much better the next day. In total I did it about five times over 2-3 days, and all I had left was a little sniffle. Amazing.
I have used it in the family at the first sign of a cold or flu symptom, and it just vanishes!

Apart from finding a cure, this is the time for getting lots of rest; eating well; drinking lots of water; avoiding sugar (yep, all those things listed above), and generally taking really good care of yourself.

The final magic ingredients are happiness, laughter and a positive mind. With these three all things can be overcome. Be wise. Be well. Be happy.

#health
#healing
#rest
#life
#life_skills

%selfavenue