Natural ways to help you survive the Autumn cold
Why letting the illness run its course puts a deposit into your future health bank account
Why is Autumn 'common cold' season?
October falls about a week after the Autumn equinox and for many of us marks the time of year that we develop a cold. Despite the sneezing, runny nose, coughing, streaming eyes, and congestion, a cold lasting 7-10 days is a positive sign that your immune system is working and your body is capable of detoxifying itself after the summer excesses. In Chinese medicine Autumn is the season of the Metal element when the large intestines and lungs are at their most active. From an Ayurvedic perspective the seat of Kapha Dosha is in the lungs so these two ancient traditions help explain why it’s common to develop a phlegmatic illness or cough in the Autumn. But out of all the Eastern medical systems, its Tibetan medicine that goes one step further in explaining the phenomenon of the Autumn cold. From a Tibetan perspective Autumn is when the body is still warm or hot internally from the summer yet externally it is cooling down as the cooler weather begins to arrive. The mucous membranes that line the respiratory system begin to dry giving viruses or airborne agents the opportunity to attack the body causing illness and other diseases.
So what should we do at the first sign of a cold?
Firstly, let the illness run its course and avoid anything that interferes with the body’s messaging and healing process such as over-the-counter pharmaceutical ‘remedies’ which suppress symptoms. Why? The common cold is your body’s healing response, throw obstacles in its way or interfere with how it wants to do things stores up trouble for later. We might not like the side-effects of its healing process given symptoms are unpleasant, but your innate immune system is throwing every tool it has in it's box to rid itself of whatever needs to go. Preventing it from doing so means that whatever needed to be eliminated is still sitting in your body waiting to manifest as something else later down the line. Secondly, be prepared with or immediately stock up on natural remedies. Natural medicine has some powerful tools to help strengthen your body’s response to the common cold and are worth having in your medicine box so that you are ready at the first sign of a cold. If you are reading this in the middle of a cold, you can still benefit from their immune boosting effects whenever you start. Just remember we aren’t seeking to stop the cold, merely reduce its severity and duration by boosting our body’s natural immune defences.
A friend asked me recently ‘what do you do when you’ve got a cold?’
This really is a time when more is more! Stacking your natural remedies and techniques yields the biggest benefits since each one is assisting the immune system in a different way, so here are my top 10 tips for surviving a cold:
1. Acconite 30c
Acconite is a homeopathic first aid remedy used at the first signs of a cold. As with any homeopathic remedy its important to follow the 'law' of the minimum dose using as little of the medicine as possible to stimulate the body's own healing mechanism. Take one pillule (small sucrose little bead) and observe how you respond. If symptoms improve do not repeat the dose. If symptoms remain (but don't worsen) then the dose can be repeated. When symptoms progress, change or worsen, stop taking the remedy. A different remedy would need to be prescribed based on the new/worsening symptoms by a qualified homeopath.
2. Vitamin C
Humans cannot synthesis vitamin C so we have to bring it in via our diet. When we are ill our body burns through significantly more of it because it is used by the immune system to create more infection fighting white blood cells. It's also toxic to all microbes. Dr Sarah Myhill advises taking vitamin C to bowel tolerance which means until you experience a loose bowel movement which is around 3 - 4 x 5mg doses over the course of a day, then reducing to 3 x doses spread throughout the day until the infection resolves. If you are monitoring your blood sugar, note that higher levels of vitamin C can give false highs.
3. Echinacea
Echinacea is a herb revered for its anti-inflammatory and immune enhancing function and can be used as a preventative as well as a remedy during bouts of colds and flu. A.Vogel's Echinaforce range come in various forms along with an extra strength version for Colds and Flu and is stocked in most health food shops.
4. Iodine as a vapor
The essential mineral iodine is another well known anti-microbial and can be inhaled or 'sniffed' through the nose using a salt pipe. Dr Sarah Myhill recommends putting 2 x drop of Lugols 15% iodine into the top of a salt pipe and 'sniffing' the iodine vapors to contact kill viruses lining the respiratory tract. The vapors should be sniffed throughout the day until symptoms resolve. Salt pipes can be bought easily online.
5. Decongestant
Many of us will remember being given Olbas Oil by our mothers to sniff as a child when we had a blocked nose. It is still a favourite of mine today because it works. Alternative options are peppermint or eucalyptus essential oil used in the same way. Add a few drops to a tissue or a bowl of steaming hot water to inhale the vapors. This has sometimes been the only thing that has unblocked stubborn head congestion and kick-started the healing process.
6. Manuka Honey
Manuka honey is known for its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant benefits so is a useful addition to your winter armory. Manuka honey is rated by its methylglyoxal (MGO) rating, which is it's primary active compound. The higher the MGO number, the higher its antibacterial benefits and the cost. Purchase the highest MGO value that you can and look out for special offers which enable you to buy a high MGO value for less. Aim for MGO 500 minimum for acute infections, less if using daily for general wellbeing. Add it to porridge, eat off the spoon, or if making a honey and lemon hot drink, add the tsp of honey once the water has cooled a little to avoid the heat damaging its healing properties.
7. Using a Neti Pot
This is another highly effective way of bringing down stubborn 'head' congestion and fantastic for reliving the sinuses if you are prone to developing painful sinusitis. It's one of the six Shatkarma's or cleansing techniques mentioned in the ancient Hatha Yoga Pradipika and is a technique for rinsing out the nasal passages. There are 2 types of Neti cleansing methods, one uses manually applied pressure to a plastic bottle to push the water up into the nose, the other method and the one I prefer, looks like a ceraminc genie lamp and uses gravity. Look for a kit to begin with as these will come with the correct pH isotonic salt that you need to mix into bottled or pre-boiled and cooled water - don't use regular salt or tap water. Use the ritual morning and evening until symptoms subside following the guidance provided in the pack.
8. Staying hydrated
Water is needed for everything to move and function in the body and is required to make our mucus membranes. Mucus in this context isn't the yellow or green stuff that comes out of our noses during a cold, it's referring to a key part of our immune system which lines our respiratory system and is part of our innate immune system. It's a gel-like sticky substance that is home to a significant number of immune cells. These cells work hard to move invaders up and out (cough, sneezing, runny nose) or down and out (into the stomach for the acid to kill and out via the bowels) but depend on water for making the mucus. Staying hydrated supports your innate immune system defences.
9. Getting more sleep
Sleep is when our body performs it's healing so get as much of it as you can during any form of illness if you want to expedite recovery. Whilst we sleep, particularly between 11pm and 3am our liver performs its detoxification duties cleaning out the toxic waster that accumulates through the day which includes clearing out dead bacteria and viruses. If we are awake past 11pm, we are missing out on the full 'cleanse' experience and prolonging our recovery. This is a good habit to get into all year, but is especially important during acute illnesses.
10. Stop exercising until you are much better
When you are ill, your body needs to direct as much energy as it can (after powering all your vital functions) towards the healing process. If you exercise, this energy will be redirected to fuel your exercise. When we are unwell, we don't feel like exercising but once we start to feel a little better its tempting to try and get back into it. This will elongate your recovery and frustration or even set you straight back. 2-3 more days of rest to make sure you are over the worst of it will pay dividends and get you back training quicker. So when you feel better, wait another 2-3 days and then start back gently for the first week. Walking (if/when you can) is plenty whilst convalescing.