How to Treat Your Colds and Viral Sore Throats
How Do I Catch a Cold?
The humble cold is the most common infectious disease in the U.S. It accounts for more absences from school and work than any other illness. It is the leading cause of patient visits to physicians. It is not easy to catch a cold. Your body's natural defenses usually fight off these viruses. There is a direct relation between your risk of catching a cold and the amount of time spent in contact with an infected person. That is why families tend to get sick together.
The most common route of infection is not from coughing or sneezing, or walking barefoot in the rain, but from hand-to-hand contact. That is why when you have a cold, washing your hands frequently is so important. The likelihood of you becoming a victim of the cold virus increases however, if you are overtired or physically exhausted. Children under two generally get 10-12 colds a year, especially if they are in daycare. Older children and young adults get about 6 colds per year. After the age of 30 the number starts to decrease to about two per year.
How Long Will It Last?
Most uncomplicated colds last between eight and nine days, but about 25% last two weeks, and 5-10% last three weeks.
What Should I Do for Treatment?
1. Get adjusted twice daily for the next 3-5 days then drop down to daily for a week.
2. Warm baths in Epsom salt with 2-4 drops of lavender and eucalyptus at least once per day
3. Soup, Broths, Herbal Teas does help the symptoms. Make the soup and broths hot and spicy with plenty of pepper. The spices will trigger a sudden release of watery fluids in the mouth, throat, and lungs. This will help thin down the respiratory mucus, so it's easier to cough up and expel.
4. Melaleuca Oil topically on side of throat and behind ears (mix with a little coconut oil)
5. Hydrogen Peroxide in ears and let bubble for 1-2 minutes
6. It will be very important to stop all milk products. This includes not only milk, but ice cream, all yogurts except plain, and especially cheese. Lactaid milk is NOT acceptable. This step is helpful to decrease the extra mucous that dairy products can cause you to produce.
7. Rest. It is important to rest and take it easy throughout the time you are ill. The time you are ill may be longer if you do not allow yourself to recuperate and recover completely. If you exercise regularly, you needn't stop. However, you should definitely cut back on the intensity until you feel better.
8. Wash your hands frequently and try to keep them away from your nose and eyes. Use disposable tissues as opposed to cloth handkerchiefs. If you are caring for a child with a cold, PLEASE WASH YOUR HANDS every time you have to wipe their nose. This will protect you from being infected. Dove soap is the mildest soap that you can use for this purpose.
9. Drink plenty of fluids.
Water is the best. Try to drink at least eight to ten glasses a day. This will help the stuffiness and help the secretions loosen. Avoid using tap water, use bottled or filtered water to limit your exposure to chlorine. You can put lemon juice in your water or also try green tea as a water alternative
10. Supplements exist to improve nutritional status when diet or lifestyle changes aren’t feasible. Best supplements to take are Probiotics, Vitamin C (500-2,000mg every 1-2hrs), Vitamin D, Multivitamins, antiviral essential oils
11. Eating refined sugars weakens your immune system and promotes yeast overgrowth. This includes ALL non-diet pops which have eight teaspoons of sugar per can. Honey, molasses, maple syrup, date sugar, cane sugar, corn sugar, beet sugar, corn syrup, fructose, lactose, and other refined carbohydrates are known promoters of yeast growth. Reducing or eliminating these in your diet will help your immune system.
12. Many people will start to drink large amounts of orange juice when they are sick. All the simple sugars (fructose) in the juice will actually make you worse. Try to avoid ALL juices, including organic juices or ones with no sugar added; Gatorade type sports drinks also need to be avoided.
Why Should I Avoid An Antibiotic?
More than 300 different viruses can cause colds. Each time you have a cold it is caused by a distinct virus (i.e. adenovirus, rhinovirus, parainfluenza virus, coronavirus). A virus is much smaller than bacteria. It is a tiny cluster of genetic material surrounded by a protein wrapper.
Medical science currently does not have any drugs that can kill these viruses. Antibiotics, including penicillin, DO NOT have any effect on viruses.
Even the healthiest of people can be burdened with a cold or flu. Instead of running to the doctor to get an antibiotic; follow these 12 steps and you can get over most colds and flu! We want you to stay healthy during the “cold season”- so make sure to stay the course and keep up the good work!
