How to get rid of a cold
How to prevent and cure respiratory diseases
Oh, my God, Pancha, I went to the post office, and there was a guy behind me, he had a cold or something, he almost sneezed in my face; I'm going to catch a cold!
Florecita, we are exposed to viruses all the time. Sometimes we even have a virus that can make others sick without getting sick, so you never know who might get a virus. If our immunity is strong, we probably won't get sick even if we have a virus.
Does this mean that my immunity is very weak? I catch a cold every winter.
I think many people get colds in the winter because it's Kapha season.
What ???
Everything in the universe is made up of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, and it is the same with the year's seasons. Between late winter and early spring is the Kapha season. This part of the year shares the qualities of Kapha: cold, sticky, and wet. We are more likely to get a cold or flu in the winter and early spring because there is much Kapha.
Does cold weather lower our immunity?
You're more likely to catch a cold when it's cold because you spend more time indoors, so you don't produce enough vitamin D and melatonin that help your immune system. Also, if your digestion is not strong due to your constitution or poor dietary choices, you are more likely to catch a cold.
Wait a minute; my digestion has nothing to do with a cold.
As Hippocrates said, "All disease begins in the gut." Some foods we eat during the holidays are Kapha-provoking foods, like desserts. Remember last Christmas, when you ate dinner, went out for ice cream, and then went to a buffet the next day. In two days, you ate all those heavy, cold, sticky, oily foods. All sticky and rich foods take a while to digest, and if you add anything before they digest, as you did with ice cream, food will spend a lot of time in your GI tract undigested. This undigested food will turn into toxins. The weather and our constitution are things we can't change, but there are things we can do to reduce the risk of getting a cold.
Like what?
What we can do is change is our diet and lifestyle in the winter and spring. These changes will help reduce Kapha.
How are we going to do this?
Reduce or eliminate all foods that increase Kapha during the cold season, such as dairy products, gluten, nuts, and sugar.
Increase the amount of vegetables, especially for breakfast and dinner
Vegetables for breakfast?
Vegetables help remove undigested food or mucus from your gastrointestinal tract.
Hmm, what else do I have to do?
Wrap up well when you go out.
Take 5 minutes every 2 hours to focus on your breath or do spiritual practice. Stress could lower your immunity.
Too late, I already have a cold, what should I do?
Five steps to get rid of a cold
First step
Mix equal parts ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, and a little clove powder with honey.
Second step
Drink one of the following teas
Anti- Kapha
Ingredients
8 cups of water
1/2 red onion
Two cinnamon sticks
2 inches of ginger
Six whole cloves
Four cloves of garlic
Instructions
Boil all the ingredients for a few minutes, then add honey and lemon to your tea.
Drink the anti-Kapha tea every hour for 6 hours, then drink the lemon, ginger, and clove tea. You can follow the recipe below or boil ginger and cloves and then add lemon and honey to taste.
Lemon-ginger tea
Ingredients:
4-6 medium lemons
1/2 cup fresh ginger root
2 cups of raw unfilter honey (local)
20 cloves
Instructions
Wash, dry, and cut the lemons into thin slices.
Grate the ginger root.
Place a layer of lemon slices, cloves, and ginger root in a jar. Keep adding layers until the jar is almost complete.
Add raw honey until the jar is full.
Cover the jar and let it sit outside the refrigerator for 12 hours.
Store it in the refrigerator and use it as needed.
Add 1-2 tablespoons of the mixture for every cup of hot water.
Step three
For at least three days, eat only foods that are easy to digest, such as: Cold cure Well-cooked vegetables or vegetable soups. Favor vegetables that are innately hot: such as carrots, spinach, onions, garlic, and beets. Add hot spices like parsley, basil, oregano, bay leaves, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, and cumin.
But I do need protein, carbs, and dairy to help my immune system.
Yes, you need them, but you can have them when you are well. Your body's energy is focused on healing you, so your body doesn't have the time or energy to digest heavy foods. If you eat heavy food, it will stay in the stomach for a long time, creating more toxins. When you eat protein and carbs when you are sick, it will take longer to recover from a cold.
Step fourth
Take care of your sinuses
Mix 2 teaspoons of sea salt or rock salt (not table salt) in 2 cups of warm, purified water. This ratio is essential so as not to irritate the nasal tissues. It's okay to use tap water. On a hot summer day, use cooler water.
Use a neti pot or your hands to draw the water through your nose.
Make sure you dry your nose well: Bend your head and move it from side to side, making it easier for all the water to come out.
Step fifth
Gargle 2-4 times a day with one of these two recipes and follow the instructions below.
Instructions:
Tilt your head back, gargle for 10-20 seconds, then spit. It is recommended to let a small amount drip down your throat to cover deeper infected areas.
Gargle Recipe 1
Mix 1/2 tsp. of turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, a pinch of cinnamon, and a pinch of black pepper in a cup of warm water.
Gargle Recipe 2
Add two tablespoons of fenugreek seeds to 6 cups of water and boil for about 30 minutes.
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