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Colds and Flu: What You Need to Know and I Do

Welcome!

What is a cold? What causes them?

Colds are caused by viruses that thrive in your nasal cavity and throat when the temperature, acidity and moisture are right. When you are run down and your resistance is low, your ability to adapt to environmental changes weakens, making it easier to catch a cold, and the mucous membranes in your nose and sinuses become an ideal breeding ground for viruses. Cold symptoms are, actually, the body's way to protect itself from these intruders.

For example, the mucus is designed to flush away foreign particles and germs out of the body. This is why it secrets more mucus when a virus enters your nose. So mucus is, actually, your friend performing an important defensive role in your respiratory system. But, of course, you do not want those kinds of friends to become "excessively friendly" and turn into a nuisance. There are natural ways you can prevent that. In fact, sometimes a combination of OTC and natural remedies is the best approach--depending on the speed you wish to obtain relief.

What You Can Do
If you have a virus it must run its course for 2-3 days. Antibiotics won't touch it. But there are things you can do to minimize symptoms:

Step 1. Start drinking fluids: water, natural fruit juices. To flush your system, aid the immune system

Step 2. Don't eat sweets or sweetened beverages for several days. Sweets tend to clog the immune system

Step 3. Take a real warm bath or shower. Perspire all you can safely. This will eliminate toxins from the body and give the immune system a better fighting chance

Step 4. Take a warm herbal tea

• chamomile
• thyme - use as decongestant
• green
• any other you like

Step 5. Go to bed if you can or relax. As much as you can. Again, this will help the body concentrate its energy in fighting for you

Step 6. If you have a strong headache and can't sleep: use an OTC analgesic, use one you have used before and is safe for you. Read labels before using.

• Tylenol Cold
• Nyquil Cold & Flu, take before going to bed
• Sudafed PE - if sinus headache
• Zicam Cold Remedy
• acupressure for headaches, it will supplement whatever else you are doing

Step 7. You can do steam inhalations. Put a couple of drops of eucalyptus oil in the water or some thyme leaves

Step 8. Do acupressure techniques. To stimulate immune system and the body in general

Acupressure Benefits
Since acupressure, when properly employed, can stimulate the body to expel the virus more rapidly, it may seem at first that your cold is getting worse. Yet what is really happening is that the body is simply progressing through the symptoms cycle faster than usual. Although it cannot cure a cold, acupressure on certain points of the body can help you get better quicker and increase your resistance to future colds.

These simple steps and techniques should help you get better soon and with less annoyance from symptoms. Best wishes to you.