Once you realize that you are on the verge of a cold it is important to avoid coffee, alcohol, sugar, dairy, wheat and raw foods for a few days until you know your cold has passed.
This step might be a difficult one for some people to follow—why give these things up if you aren't feeling that bad yet? Remember, the goal here is to avoid getting sick. By following these steps you might get lucky like me and not get sick for 3 or 4 years! Isn't that worth giving up your favorite items from this list for two to three days three to five times a year?
Think of symptoms like a scratchy throat or runny nose as a call for help from your body. Considering all the things your body is doing without you consciously having to be in charge of or act on (breathing, pumping blood, digesting food, providing immunity, etc...)— is it too much to ask for you to help ward off this invading cold? Mostly what i'm suggesting you do in Step 3 is stop ingesting the things which actually thwart your immune system. You can do it! Be a team player! Stop aiding the bugs — start aiding your immune system!
Why avoid these foods?
- Coffee is dehydrating and can make a sore throat worse.
- Alcohol is also dehydrating, it can make a fever worse, and it hinders your immune function.
- Sugar decreases the ability of your immune cells to kill bacteria.
- Dairy is mucus forming, which can increase congestion in nasal passages, throat and chest.
- Wheat allergies are often undiagnosed and can cause low-grade hay-fever-like symptoms after eating. Try cutting what out when you're sick and see if it helps you. Also, white flour has a high glycemic index and so may suppress immune function in the way that sugar does.
- Raw foods are harder to digest than cooked foods. When you're getting sick, the easier it is to get your nutrition the better off you'll be.
I used to do this and really did hardly ever get sick. Now I am a mom and busy taking care of others I mostly stopped taking care of myself. Of course, I have been sick for over a month! Got any tips for shaking a bad cold/cough? Will Kombucha help?
ReplyDeleteHi Jen!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear you've been sick for a month. I know Kombucha is great for overall health but I don't have experience with it otherwise. To get rid of your current cold I would follow the steps in these blog posts except instead of Yin Qiao there are other formulas better designed to get rid of a cold that has been lingering and to address a cough specifically. I'll look into that for you when I'm at the clinic later today. Also - if you've been sick for a month you should consider visiting your primary care physician to see what they have to offer. My next article and series of blog posts starting next week are on medicinal mushrooms that boost immunity. I will be doing extensive research on mushrooms this weekend. I will let you know which ones are applicable for shaking a stubborn cold. Jay