NEED HELP WITH COLD REMEDIES?

Are Cold Remedies Effective?

Why do we need cold remedies? Nothing is more miserable than a cold! Wellll, maybe a few things. But a common cold can knock you flat on your back, and if not, it can make you a walking miserable mess.

I have found that the very best defence against a cold, or any sickness really, is to boost the immune system - not just during cold season but as an every day strategy.

How do we boost our immune system?

Can simple remedies help? Here are some logical and amazingly simple ideas.

Cold Remedy #1.

Watch what we eat. Okay, be logical here. Of course, our first line of defence is to be selective about what we eat. Healthy eating should always be our goal.

Drink lots of water.
Eat fresh food that is in season.
Eat slowly chewing well.
Always give thanks for what we have.
Eat fresh foods, fresh fruit - fresh vegetables. Prepare them simply.
Eat whole foods, they always contain the greatest spectrum of nutrients for the body to utilize.
Use olive oil in your food.
Eating packaged and processed foods filled with preservatives or a diet high in processed sugar or flour will slowly tear down our immune system and make us susceptible to colds and disease.

Cold Remedy #2.

Exercise is Essential. Our bodies are meant to move. When we sit at a desk or in front of a TV all day our cells are deprived of the oxygen that they need to produce the white blood cells that are needed to fight disease. We need exercise. We need to be sure that we daily do something fun.

Take a walk. 30 minutes will lift our spirits as well as get the blood moving.
Ride the bike around the neighborhood.
Run on the treadmill or Nordic Track.
Go to the gym before or after work.
Jump rope.
Play chase or frisby with the kids.
Do jumping jacks or a work out DVD in front of the TV.
Swim.
Play tennis - anything but do something.

Cold Remedy #3.

Don't forget sleep. Our bodies needs seven to eight hours of sleep to be fully recharged. If it isn't possible to get that much sleep get as much as you can. Being deprived of sleep not only makes us feel miserable but it also breaks down our immune systems. It is then that colds are going to get us. Natural sleep remedies are often very effective.

Cold Remedy #4.

Don't eat list. When we do catch a cold - or when it catches us! what we don't eat is equally as important as what we do eat.

Don't eat dairy products - especially milk and ice cream. They will increase mucus production and make the cold worse.
Don't drink orange juice. Sure it contains Vitamin C but it is very acidic and produces mucus and congestion.
Stay away from sugar rich foods. Sugar suppresses the immune system. It also depletes important vitamins and minerals we need, especially vitamin C.

Some of the things you should eat are:

Chicken Soup (or Miso Soup if you prefer). Use your favorite recipe and add some slices of astragalus root with it's immune inhancing qualities. Then chew on the pieces when you run into them to get out all of the goodness.
You can also add dandelion root, burdock root, and echinacea root for extra nourishment.

Make delicious hot lemonade with fresh squeezed lemons (best), add a little ginger and some honey.

My favorite is GINGER TEA. Make this by grating a 2" section of ginger root into a pot.

Add 3 1/2 cups of water. Bring it barely to a boil, then turn down and simmer for 15 minutes. When it cools just a bit strain it through a strainer - I like to use cheese cloth, too, cause then I can pick it up and squeeze out all the goodness.

Then add lemon juice from half a lemon.

Add to this honey - as much as you like.

Drink a cup now and drink more later. It is delicious.

pouring finished tea into a cup as herbal remedies

I have used ginger tincture when traveling but you can find ginger root in any grocery store, so I like to make it fresh.

Honey is good for your cold too. One night when I had a cough attack I searched all the cupboards for cough syrup - to no avail - so I stumbled into the kitchen and filled a tablespoon with honey to which I added lemon juice. When I downed that sweet concoction I thought I was in heaven. My cough stopped immediately. I was sold. That was the beginning of my love of natural cold remedies.

Cold Remedy #5.

Eat Garlic. It is antiviral, antibiotic,and antiseptic and has been used forever to maintain and restore health and to lower cholesterol. Some people like to eat it raw - but be warned that it is hard on your stomach and can cause you to vomit. You may have to work up a tolerance.

Here are some fun ways to eat garlic that are easier on the stomach and modify the taste:

Garlic Honey. This is so easy to make and you can use it immediately or let it set a few days while it becomes kind of syrupy.
Just fill a jar (any size) with garlic that is freshly minced.
Then add honey to fill the jar again.
Stir it well.
Turn it over a few times to be sure it all gets mixed up.
Turn it over a time or two every day for the best honey.
Garlic Vinegar. This has to sit for 4 to 6 weeks before you use it so plan ahead.
Fill a jar 3/4 full of freshly minced garlic.
Cover with apple cider vinegar - I like to use unfiltered organic.
Put on a plastic lid and let it sit.
After 4 - 6 weeks you can take 1 tablespoon every half hour when you feel a cold coming on.
Eat the garlic with the vinegar - don't strain it.
REMEMBER that garlic can make you nauseus, even when it tastes good, so be careful. It can also thin your blood so don't eat large amounts if you are scheduled for surgery or on a blood thinner.

Cold Remedy #6.

Echinacea. Take small doses frequently of tea or tincture at the first sign of a cold or the flu. It needs to be administered upon the first feelings of sickness.

Important: The effectiveness of Echinacea is lessened with continuous use. Use it in cycles - 5 days on, 2 days off, and it will work better.

There are lots more herbal remedies for colds. I have favorite syrups, tinctures and lozenges for sore throats. Also cough home remedies that are great. We even have a page on ear aches. Join me for more natural remedies.

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