Home Treatment for Cold and Flu
We’ve all heard the saying that there is no cure for the common cold. But the fact is, there are cures for colds and flu, which you can do at home with hot water and some very common items from your kitchen spice rack. Most people laugh when I say this but it’s true and I have proven it on myself and my clients on numerous occasions. But there is one small catch…you must apply these remedies within the first 2 – 3 hours of the onset of symptoms. Once the virus has become established in the body, there is no effective cure for the common cold…you’ll have to let it run it’s course which takes a week to 10 days.
The best cure for cold and flu is prevention. And the number one best prevention is to wash your hands frequently…especially during cold and flu season. Every time you have been out in public, wash your hands with soap and water. Make it a habit to do this five or more times a day. It’s a fact that many viruses are picked up on the hands and transmitted into our bodies by scratching our face or touching one of our mucous membranes.
Once you begin to feel that first hint of a symptom, you have to act. For some people, it’s a sore throat…for others, it’s tightness in the back of the neck, sneezing, a runny nose or a tightening in the chest. However a cold hits you, stop what you are doing and follow the procedures outlined below. If you can do this within the first few hours, there is a very good chance that you can stop the virus in its tracks.
My favorite cold remedy is Turmeric (Curcuma Longa) which is orange in color and one of the main spices in curry powder. Among other important medicinal properties, Turmeric is a powerful natural antibiotic and antiviral. Whereas pharmaceutical antibiotics tend to kill microbes indiscriminately, Turmeric kills only the foreign invaders and actually encourages the growth of friendly bacteria in the body. Turmeric is a mildly warming herb. It stimulates the formation of new blood and tissue and assists in the digestion of protein. Turmeric is also a powerful anti-inflammatory and helps to reduce muscular or skeletal pain anywhere in the body.
At the first sign of cold or flu, it is invaluable to begin one of more of the following home remedies:
1) If you are feeling a sore throat – Gargle with 1/2 cup hot (comfortably hot) water, 1/3 teaspoon salt and 1/3 teaspoon Turmeric. It is important to do this 5 times a day and especially before bed. Try to get the salt and Turmeric water as far back into your throat as possible. Don’t eat or drink anything for at least 20 minutes after doing this treatment.
2) If you are feeling a stiff neck or headache – Take hot bath with one cup apple cider vinegar in the bath water. While in the bath, drink a cup of fresh ginger tea. The bath should be hot enough to produce a sweat within 10 minutes or so. Remain in the hot water for 20 minutes and then get out, bundle up in warm robe and get under a comforter to spend more time sweating. The point of this exercise is to sweat as much as possible. You may get up after 90 minutes, but keep as warm as possible for the rest of the day.
3) If you are sneezing – Nasal douche with 1 cup warm tea made with ½ teaspoon of Golden Seal (Hydrastis Canadensis) and ¼ teaspoon salt. If you don’t know how to do a nasal douche, you can find instructions on the internet or contact your health care professional.
4) In general for cold or flu – Take Turmeric capsules – 500mg, 3 times a day. Also, avoid all dairy products until you have completely recovered. Dairy products increase the production of mucus and will exacerbate the symptoms of cold and flu in most cases.
5) Zinc - At the first sign of a cold, take zinc supplements, either as throat lozenges or in capsule form, up to 30mg, twice per day, while symptoms persist.
6) Vitamin D3 – Make sure you are getting 2000 units of Vitamin D. This vitamin is important for many systems in the body, including a healthy immune system.
7) Take caution in the use of antibiotics – Unless you have a serious (possibly life threatening) infection, pharmaceutical antibiotics can actually do more harm than good. And in most cases of a viral infection, antibiotics will not help the condition at all. If you’re in reasonably good health, it’s better to help your body to defend itself.
Because these recommendations are simple, many people don’t take them seriously. They either apply them half-heartedly or not at all. But I cannot overstate how potent these remedies can be in the first few hours of the onset of symptoms. Cold and flu viruses are actually very fragile in small numbers and can be wiped out quickly. In particular the ingestion of Turmeric and the Turmeric gargle are very powerful ways to eliminate viruses before they have a chance to get established.
Precautionary Note: If you are pregnant, have had stroke, hypertension, cardio-vascular disease or some other serious health condition, it is important to consult with your professional health care provider before trying these home remedies.
Thank you for visiting my blog. If you have questions about acupuncture and shiatsu, or if you have a specific health concern, please contact me at:
Bart Walton, L.Ac.
Licensed Acupuncture & Shiatsu
Portland, Oregon
503/939-5805
Tags: Cold and flu, cold remedies, home therapy, Portland acupuncture, turmeric, Vitamin D3, zinc