Colds and congestion

A friend requested that I post some of these tips for dealing with colds:

First of all: Rest! A cold is a way for your body to encourage you to slow down and nourish it so that it can take care of a problem (or toxification) before it grows into something more unwieldy. Oftentimes we suppress colds or infections instead of letting them run their natural course which only leads to a worse problem down the road.

Dad's tip: If you feel a sore throat coming on, put a dribble of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water and drink it. It kills the bacteria in your throat, and maybe it's just because I grew up with it, but it really doesn't taste so bad at all. I also like(well "like may be a strong word, but it works) to gargle with tea tree oil and water when I feel some thing coming on in the back of my throat (it's also good for cuts or canker sores in the mouth). You have to put it in a sealed jar so you can shake the oil and water together before you put it in your mouth to gargle.

Mom's tip: Especially for head congestion, alternate hot liquids and cold liquids every hour.
When you take a gulp of the hot liquid, hold it against the roof of your mouth (soft palate) for a few moments before you swallow. This really loosens nasal congestion gets things flowing out. Make sure you spit out everything that comes out, it's gross but worth it. Take advantage of your body giving you the chance to get rid of it immediately!

Also hot showers help, stay in and really breathe in the moisture and let the water beat some of the toxins out of your muscles.

The nourishing gourmet blog (link to the right) has a recipe for a garlic, lemon and honey tea that is supposed to give a big boost to the immune system.

We also used to always take Vitamins A, E, and C...but avoid the Vit C at first if the cold has definitely come, because although it boosts the immune system, it is very drying which inhibits the flow of mucus that you want to happen.

Voices

I had a conversation recently with a friend about voice training. It struck me that maybe it's something everyone should have or at least try out, not just singers or musicians or actors. Your voice is so connected to who you are, and I think, in the past, I have actually been kind of afraid of my own voice. Not because the actual voice was weak, but because of how psychic-ly connected (as in, to the mind) it is to your person.

My viola teacher (hi catherine!) once made me sing each note out loud before I played it. How excruciating that was...but mostly because it was something I hadn't done. I hadn't exercised that part of my body. Sure I sing along with songs and all that, but I hadn't ever had to try to hit notes, with just my voice, alone.

Imagine if every child, while they were still forming ideas about who they were or how they fit in, gained complete mastery of his or her vocal chords, it seems to me it would make a much more secure, confident, person in the long run, knowing how they can sound, and having the confidence to do so outloud.

Of course that wouldn't account for temperment or habit, you would have to actually choose to use it. But it seems like a positive step in that mind-body connection.

Inflammation

I'm reading "Anti-cancer" by David Servan-Schreiber, he's a doctor that got a brain tumor and starting researching natural ways to stave off cancer...I'm also studying "The science and practice of Iridology" by Dr. Bernard Jensen, it's funny how similar they are.

One thing I didn't realize is that our bodies actually create inflammation in order to heal wounds. And sometimes, when our fight-or-flight response is activated, our bodies send out messengers that create inflammation before a wound occurs so that it will heal faster.

Unfortunately for us, that fight-or-flight response (the sympathetic nervous system), which is normally a very good thing, can be activated by stress, anxiety, fear, etc...and can remain constantly "on" in our lives if we don't find a way to cope, and relax. Also a big problem: Cancer needs this inflammation to grow and flourish. So do a lot of other chronic diseases and disorders.

There are plenty of foods widely available that are anti-inflammation, (Nordic Naturals fish oil being a very good one that comes to mind) but it still surprised how much emphasis both authors (writing over 50 years apart) put on the mind, and finding emotional balance. Maybe because it's easily overlooked, maybe because it's a such hard thing to do...