Just Choose Healthier Weblog

I’ve had a doozy of a cold this week so I missed my Monday and Wednesday postings. I find it fascinating when my sinuses are congested, my brain also feels congested and doing almost anything requiring mental capacity seems like an effort. Our entire household came down with this one (I’ve not caught the last few) so I guess my body was ready to ‘clean house’ and maybe a little run down from excess stress.

Yes, stress compromises our immune system very quickly and when our body is distressed, it’s open season on invading bugs and viruses. Colds and any illness can be about needing to cleanse out impurities and that’s often why we lose our appetite and drinking lots of liquids is recommended to speed up the cleansing process.

I’ve been drinking the Gypsy Cold Care and Breathe Easy teas and snacking on fresh fruit. My taste buds find everything tasting strange so it’s easy not to want to eat much. I also did a day of cleansing using my favorite cleanse—Cleanse for Life by Isagenix. Better than fasting, it is a whole body cellular cleanse with lots of minerals and herbs to flush out impurities.

Since being exposed to colds seems inevitable, staying as healthy as we can is the best prevention. But, when prevention fails, there are some common sense remedies. One of my favorite natural remedies to decongest sinuses is the Neti pot.

Solution: Look at any illness as an opportunity to take care of yourself and maybe enjoy some quality down time napping, reading or watching your favorite DVD’s.

Healthier Choice: When you are in the drippin’ and sneezin’ stage, be considerate, stay home and don’t expose others.

Tried & True Tip: If the cold does head south to your bronchia or lungs, this natural remedy works to move the fluid out.* Trust me, I’ve used it and my naturopath is the one who suggested it to draw fluid out of the lungs. All that is required is ice water and 2 pairs of sox—one 100% cotton and 100% wool—it won’t work if they are not 100%–no added polyester or other materials. The wool sox should be slightly larger—sports stores often sell wool hikers sox.

• Just before you climb into bed for the night, take the cotton sox and soak them in ice water. Wring excess water out. Sit on the side of your bed and pull the cotton sox on your feet. Immediately pull the wool sox over the cotton sox. Your feet will warm up quickly and the sheets do not get wet. Once you are in bed with the sox on, do not get up or the ice water will soak through and you’ll have squishy, wet sox. Go to sleep. When you awaken in the morning, both pairs of sox will be dry and you can repeat each night until lung congestion disappears.

*Be sure to seek treatment from your health professional if you have any symptoms of bronchial or lung congestion. This remedy is not a sole treatment (tee hee) but a complimentary one.