Cold, Flu, & Cough

If you find yourself coming down with a cold or the flu it is very important to keep warm. Getting and keeping your body temperature up is very important in fighting any infection. Taking a hot bath with water as hot as you can tolerate comfortably with Epsom or sea salt can be both comforting and therapeutic. Soak as long as you can but not until the water gets cold. Drinking a hot beverage like herbal tea while in the tub is also good and can help you sweat. When you get out of the tub, bundle yourself up immediately in warm bed clothes and get into bed with lots of covers and turn on a humidifier. Rest and sleep are the best things for you. Drink lots of fluids especially hot tea with fresh, grated ginger and organic, raw honey.

Drink lots of broth and try the old fashioned treatment of cod liver oil preferably one teaspoon of fermented cod liver oil up to every hour while awake, or at least 3 times a day. One of the best brands of fermented cod liver oils comes from Green Pasture and is available for sale via the book and resource section of this website. But order the cinnamon flavored version as the regular flavor is hard for most people to tolerate.

Other acceptable brands of cod liver oil are (they may contain added natural or synthetic vitamins but are still good products):

Carlson's soft gel cod liver oil 1,000mg capsules
NOW double strength cod liver oil capsules
Twin Labs cod liver oil

Some natural healers recommend that you rub colostrum cream on your feet at the very first sign of a cold and combine this with taking colostrum capsules.

If your healthcare practitioner carries supplements from a company called Standard Process, ask him or her about Congaplex. Congaplex is a whole food supplement made from plant and animal extracts. It is helpful in clearing sinus and nasal congestion, cold and flu symptoms, middle ear congestion, and viral and bacterial infections. Follow their recommendations on how many capsules to take and how often. There are good holistic remedies for cold and flu.

Doctors of Oriental Medicine utilize herbs that have anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties that work very well in treating colds and flu as well as other infections.

Avoid all refined sugar and flour in other words bread, crackers and pasta. Use a warm humidifier or vaporizer in your bedroom while sleeping to help clear congestion. Homeopathic cough syrups help with cough. They are usually available at most health food stores.Ocsillcosium is a popular and effective homeopathic remedy for the flu.

Nectadyn from Heel has good reviews.
Raw honey is a natural expectorant and helps fight infections. But eat it at room temperature as heating it or putting it in hot water will ruin its raw benefits.
Sambucol, which is derived from elderberries, has anti-viral properties. Taken every two hours it can lessen the severity of a cold.
Coconut milk fights infections because it has natural antimicrobial properties.
It is also high in healthy saturated fats and cholesterol which is important for the immune system.