Natural Cold Remedies

This is by no means a comprehensive list. These are just the things I’ve tried that I found useful in my most recent bout with a head cold—which I think is actually a mild bout of sinusitis.

My symptoms: My ears were itchy for about a week or two before I got sick. I remember on several occasions trying to soothe that sensation with q-tips or my fingers. :/ (Hindsight is 20-20). I was also feeling run down and achy, and had a slight but persistent sore throat. Unfortunately I didn’t heed these warnings or take any precautions—I was too busy entertaining a guest, starting a new job, and going about my busy week. I chose instead to deny that I was getting sick.

So, this cold or whatever it is subsequently settled itself into my sinuses, with tremendous pressure around my entire eye sockets, which caused a headache. I then had a few days of my right eye watering and itching profusely, and my right nostril being completely congested. Then everything moved over to the left side. Fun! In fact, when I woke up this morning, my face was ridiculously puffy and my eyes were practically swollen shut.

I have had zero chest congestion and not much of a sore throat, though as I write this, I am starting to develop more of a sore throat, so I’ll definitely be doing a salt water gargle before I go to sleep tonight! I’d love to avoid this thing going into my chest—when that happens, I tend to develop bronchitis that lingers for weeks.

1. Diet

When symptoms first appear, do a one-day fast if at all possible
Even if you cannot fast, be sure to remove the following from your diet completely:

• sugar
• alcohol
  
• starchy foods
• dairy
  
• animal products
• rich or fried foods

Sugar is actually the most important thing to eliminate.

I am sorry to inform you that sugar has been known to inactivate your white blood cells, the soldiers of your immune system, for as many as 5 to 24 hours. This is just when you need them to be most effective in helping you beat this cold. So I am afraid you will have to postpone dessert until your cold is completely gone, plus a few days. From http://www.naturopathyworks.com/news/newsltr0901.php

2. Vitamin C
From Linus Pauling -The Last Interview

There is no doubt now that vitamin C in large doses has value against the common cold. My recommendation is not 1 gram a day, or 2 grams a day of vitamin C but at the first sign of a cold, take a gram of vitamin C or 2 grams and then an hour later, if the symptoms still exist - if you're still sneezing, or your nose is running or feel shivery, take another 1 or 2 grams of vitamin C. Keep doing that until you forget because the symptoms have gone away and this will stop a cold in almost every person who follows the regimen. From http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/chris/2003/11/20/cold_remedies_that_really_work_update.htm

3. Salt water gargle – excellent for sore throats
Mix up a big glass of warm distilled water and high quality sea salt. Gargle repeatedly until the entire glass is gone. Osmosis works to leech pathogens out of the mucous membranes in the throat.

4. Humidifer
Moist mucous membranes are happy mucous membranes. Dehydration is your enemy, inviting infection to settle in. Keep the air, your nose, and your lungs moist.

5. Steam
For temporary relief, take a hot shower, or put the kettle on for an old-fashioned steam inhalation. Steam helps shrink the swollen mucous membrane and promotes drainage. Add menthol or eucalyptus if you like. From http://www.realage.com/

6. Eucalyptus bath
Eucalyptus oil is excellent for soaking a chilled, aching body, as well as for opening up congested chests, noses, and sinuses.


7. Hot honey-lemon tea – excellent for sore throats, congestion
I’ve been alternating between good ol’ Lipton, and Ginger tea. (I like Triple Leaf brand). I’m sure this would work even better with high-end, organic honey (or a specialty honey like this one), and organic lemons.

Some people say to just put the honey and lemon directly into boiling water, with no actual “tea” in your tea.

8. Hydrogen Peroxide – best for sinusitis, head colds
After being a miserable wretch for over 4 days straight with no relief from my symptoms in sight, I tried this remedy earlier today, and I feel like a new person. I’m kind of freaked out at how well and how quickly this worked, even though I didn’t try it until my cold was in full bloom. It could just be a coincidence... but my sinuses were killing me, my eyes were burning, watering and itching nonstop, and I had a killer headache. Until I tried this, at which point, it all went away.

In 1928, Dr. Richard Simmons, hypothesized that colds and flu virus enter our bodies through the ear canal. It was Dr. Simmons' hypothesis that, contrary to what we have been taught, we usually can catch the two via the ear canal and not through the eyes or nose or mouth as most of us believe. Dr. Simmons' findings were dismissed by the medical community.
According to Dr. Simmons, keeping your fingers out of our ears will greatly reduce our chances of catching colds and the flu, but we need to keep in mind that these 2 are microscopic and can be air-born and may land on/in our ears. Once these microscopic bodies have entered the inner-ear, they then begin to breed, and from there they have access to every avenue throughout our bodies to travel, and infect and make us sick.
Remarkable results can be achieved in curing colds and the flu within 12-14 hours when we administer a half capful of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) into each ear. The H2O2 starts working within 2-3 minutes in killing the cold or flu. There will be some bubbling and in some cases mild stinging might occur. I do this myself and I can assure you that it is not painful in any way. It tickles more than anything.
Wait until the bubbling subsides - usually a few minutes - then drain onto a tissue and repeat with the other ear.
Although this practice is perfectly safe for infants and children to use, the loud bubbling and stinging may frighten them, and they will need someone they trust to put the hydrogen peroxide in their ears. DO NOT get hydrogen peroxide in the eyes - if you do, flush with water.
Many people have also successfully used the 3% Hydrogen Peroxide solution in ears packed with wax, to help loosen it up after it has been soaked with oil for a few minutes (any oil will do, olive oil usually works best). From http://www.healingdaily.com/exercise/hydrogen-peroxide-in-ears.htm

Hydrogen Peroxide Warnings
While some people tout the effectiveness of hydrogen peroxide as a cold remedy, there are certain things you should not do with hydrogen peroxide. For instance, you should not put hydrogen peroxide into direct contact with any mucous membrane.
The Center for Disease Control warns that hydrogen peroxide can be "mildly irritating to the skin and mucous membranes." This warning is meant for people who are using hydrogen peroxide as a household disinfectant, but it should also be taken into consideration by those looking to use hydrogen peroxide as a cold remedy.
You should also never swallow or ingest hydrogen peroxide or inject it into your body, no matter the concentration, as both of these actions can have seriously harmful consequences. From http://www.curing-colds.com/articles/old-remedies/hydrogen-peroxide.php

9. Zinc tablets or lozenges– excellent for shortening the duration of illness, sore throat relief
I like Cold-Eeze original cherry flavoured lozenges, and Zicam quick-dissolve tablets. Cold-Eeze lozenges are Zinc Gluconate, and Zicam is both Zincum acetium and Zincum Gluconium.

10. Slippery elm bark lozenges– soothe a sore throat
I love Thayers brand!

11. Ricola lozenges – soothe a sore throat
My favourite are the original flavor.

12. Baking soda bath
I tried this one today, just before I tried the hydrogen peroxide remedy, so I have no real idea if it worked or if it was just the hp. I tend to think it was the hp that did the trick, because my ears felt stinging and burning with some sharp pain, and then my symptoms cleared up immediately thereafter. Still, the bath was pleasant and I’d try it again sometime-- this remedy was recommended to me by the same friend who told me about the hydrogen peroxide.

Things I Haven’t Tried Yet, But That Sound Promising
1. Virgin hot toddy – recommended for chest congestion
This takes the honey-lemon tea remedy to a new level, with the addition of apple cider vinegar and/or fresh ginger.

Two recipes I found:

Virgin hot toddy– recipe 1
2 to 3 ounces apple cider vinegar, top shelf preferred, of course
1 ounce honey
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
Warm the vinegar, honey, and lemon juice in a small saucepan until honey dissolves and the drink is hot, but not boiling. Pour into a mug. Drink.

Optional: Add a teaspoon of ginger syrup to the mix.

Virgin hot toddy– recipe 2
1 lemon
2 cups coarsely chopped fresh ginger with peel, about 8 ounces
1 cup sugar
2 cups water

Remove the outer peel of the lemon with a vegetable peeler, taking care not to include too much of the bitter white pith. Finely chop the lemon peel and ginger in a food processor. Transfer the lemon-ginger mixture to a medium saucepan, add the sugar and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes. Strain the mixture and cool. Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week. Makes two cups.
Both recipes from http://www.susiej.com/

2. Neti pot – excellent for nasal congestion, sinusitis
I really want to try this sometime, and not just during an illness. It comes from ayurveda, after all!

Same idea as the salt water gargle, only it works on the nasal passages and sinuses.
From susiej.com:

I won’t lie to you — this does hurt a little, if you’re really stuffed up. But it gets better. But it’s the best way to clean out your nasal passages. The warm salt water breaks everything down, and goes right through you head, and down into your chest. Does it’s job well.

She recommends this one, but I'm open to suggestions from anybody who has one they like!

3. Saline nasal spray
A lot of sites recommend this. Seems redundant if you’re already using a neti pot, but if you don’t have a neti pot handy, or if you have to work in some environment where you don't get to control the temperature & humidity, then this seems like a good idea.

4. Alternating cold and hot packs
Use alternating cold compresses and warm compresses over the inflamed sinus areas to relieve pressure and pain.

Blood Type, Diet and Personality

Lately I've been exploring the relationship between blood type, diet, and health. I know a couple of people who lost 30-50 lbs on the Eat Right for your Type diet. Since I moved back to the suburbs 2+ years ago, I've been struggling with weight gain. So I got curious and bought one of the Eat Right books a couple of months ago.
In addition to my friends' proven successes on the plan, I was sold by the fact that the diet recommended for my type (I'm blood type A RHpos) is very much aligned with how I eat when I am paying attention to my body and taking good care of myself: mostly vegetarian, with certain types of fish being good for me and others not agreeing with me. Plenty of fruits and vegetables, with berries being especially good and banana, coconut, and melon not so much. Root veggies and dark leafy greens need to be a much bigger part of my food world... Cream cheese, sour cream, feta and goat cheese are all fine, but I need to stay away from the most cow's milk products and the hard cheeses that I love to gorge myself on, but secretly know don't agree with me. I could eat chicken according to the type A plan, but I choose not to. The plan also says I must stay away from all kinds of red meat; I figured that out about 15 years ago. It also says that while gluten is fine for me, wheat is not a good choice. (This is a tough one given that wheat flour is used as a filler in sooo many processed foods and breads.)
Anyway, the fact that the plan syncs with much of what I've discovered through 15 years of trial and error makes me happy; I tend not to like too much sudden change... unless it's my idea; imposed from some external source, not so much.

Since being introduced to the Eat Right diet, I've been wondering about how it might sync up with Macrobiotics and Ayurveda (Indian medicine), both of which are systems I've experimented with in the past, that seem to overlap nicely for my "type" and particular issues.

When I stumbled across a link to this article on HuffPo, I found it a fascinating addition to my little study of blood type and how it relates to diet, lifestyle and personality. It should, I suppose, be taken with a grain of salt because of its provenance. Nonetheless, the type A description is spot-on for me:

Type O
You are the social butterflies. Often popular and self-confident, you are very creative and always seem to be the center of attention. You make a good impression on people and you’re often quite attractive. Organized and determined, your stubbornness will help you reach your goals. You make good leaders. Lovewise, O is most compatible with O and AB. Common career choices: banker, politician, gambler, minister, investment broker, and pro athlete.

Type A
Type As may seem calm on the outside, but inside, you’re filled with anxiety and worry. You’re perfectionists and often shy and sensitive. Usually introverted, you’re stable and thoughtful. You make good listeners and are sensitive to color and your surroundings. You like to be fashionable and are up on the latest trends, but never flashy or gaudy. You like romantic settings and often shun reality for fantasy worlds. A is most compatible with A and AB in the love department. Common career choices: accountant, librarian, economist, writer, computer programmer, and gossip columnist.

Type B
You can be very goal-oriented and often complete the ambitious tasks set before you. Outgoing and very charming, you’re good at reading people and providing support. Though critical of appearance (but not your own), you aren’t picky and are unlikely to dwell over the little things. Type Bs are impulsive individualists who often create their own path in life. You are very strong and optimistic. B is most compatible with B and AB lovers. Common career choices: cook, hairdresser, military leader, talk show host, and journalist.

Type AB
Not surprisingly, ABs can be quite dualistic, possessing both A and B traits. You may be shy and outgoing, and hesitant and confident. You often stand out from others, don’t like labels, and are nice and easy going. You are logical and determined to do things correctly. Usually trustworthy, you like to help others. You often speak in a serious manner. Your patience, concentration, and intelligence are admirable. AB can find a soul mate with any other blood type. Common career choices: bartender, lawyer, teacher, sales representative, and social worker.

Read the entire article here.

I'd love to see some huge, integrative chart of how blood type characteristics sync up with Macrobiotics and Ayurveda in terms of diet, lifestyle, and personality...