| For most people, colds
are things that occur with the monotonous regularity of tax
returns, to be looked upon as the inevitable consequence of
shorter days and colder nights. Furthermore, with the advent
of a cold comes the inescapable dose of antibiotics. For many
unfortunates, these antibiotics then spell a certain brush
with thrush or bowel upsets. Can't be helped, you say? Just
the way it is? Well, maybe not.
The body does not automatically fall prey to a stalking virus
just because the winter is looming. For many people, a dose
of flu or a bad cold, with its concomitant catarrhal clearance,
is their body’s way of breaking down and evacuating all the
gunge that has built up over the summer months. Making sure
you don’t overload your system with rich foods, too much alcohol
and an overindulgence in fine cheeses will go a long way towards
lessening the toxic load to be expelled in the pre-winter
clear-out. Easing up on mucus-forming dairy intake will reduce
catarrh at any time of the year; you will, however, get the
bonus reward of less stuffy colds during the winter months.
You can help your body to cleanse in a more pain-free manner
throughout the year by regularly drinking nettle tea
and including ginger in your diet. Ginger is a wonderful
blood tonic, warming and cleansing the tissues. As it stimulates
the circulation, it will keep you warm and encourage you to
stretch your legs. Staying shut up indoors with the central
heating on is a prime way to incubate yourself some hefty
germs. Ginger is also anti-inflammatory, so if the flu has
you in its tender clutches, drink ginger tea or pour boiling
water over some chopped fresh ginger and add a squeeze of
lemon juice and some honey.
Elderflower tea is another key tonic for those whose
temperature seems set to soar. It is a soothing companion
when you have a fever. Nettles are a real favourite though.
Nettle tea or tincture will clear acidic wastes from your
tissues, leaving less debris for the body to tackle by other
means. It is nutritive too: iron, vitamin C, calcium and many
other minerals are found in its leaves, once they have been
subdued into a suitable form to imbibe.
As people turn back to such natural methods to keep themselves
free of the common cold, a greater understanding of the problems
inherent in antibiotic use is happily coinciding with a deeper
scientific appreciation of the benefits of many traditional
herbal remedies. As well as being as efficacious as their
pharmaceutical counterparts, they often have a distinct lack
of the distressing side effects that dog many conventional
drugs.
Antibiotics, despite being vitally important in multifarious
conditions, are not always the answer for colds and flu. They
work only when bacterial infections are present, for those
with bronchitis, etc. They do not work against viral infections
and, indeed, are frequently less than useful when given in
such circumstances as they kill both friendly and unfriendly
bacteria, leaving people vulnerable to thrush and bowel problems
Overuse of antibiotics has additionally created an ever-growing
number of bacteria that are immune to them, threatening doctors’
ability to treat serious illness. The emergence of superbugs
- pathogens with a resistance to antimicrobial drugs - was
firmly linked to the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in
a report of the Standing Medical Advisory Committee.
Happily for those anxious to avoid excessive antibiotic
prescription, the herb Echinacea, in the form of fresh
herbal extract Echinaforce, has been licensed to deal with
colds, influenza type infections and similar upper respiratory
tract infections. Increasingly, it is being used both by GPs
and the general public to ward off winter ailments. This herbal
remedy, brought over from North America by the naturopath
Alfred Vogel, has both antibacterial and antiviral properties,
working to improve the functioning of the immune system.
Echinacea’s antiviral properties mean that it is of great
use in all viral infections, whether a lowly cold or a raging
respiratory tract infection. Two-thirds to three-quarters
of these latter infections are caused by viruses and are therefore
intractable to antibiotics. Echinacea works by increasing
the efficiency of the immune reaction, making the body more
able to identify and kill off invading bacteria and viruses.
It can tackle infections already present, or, taken prophylactically,
act as a preventative to ward off infections. It can reduce
inflammation without depressing immune function, and is also
excellent for wound healing. No wonder so many people are
reaching for a bottle!
One of the many benefits of taking Echinacea in viral infections
is that it stimulates the immune system to attack any invading
virus rather than a specific one, making it effective even
when viruses mutate. One of the problems of flu vaccinations
is that they target a specific virus, often last year’s model,
leaving the patient still vulnerable to the plethora of this
year’s new, special offer viruses…
Unlike antibiotics, Echinacea does not have undesirable
side effects, such as destroying friendly bowel flora. In
fact, Echinacea has anti-fungal properties allowing it to
kill off unfriendly organisms such as those causing thrush,
whilst promoting the growth of friendly bacteria and bowel
flora. Taken as a tincture (a liquid form), it works extremely
fast: many people find they hardly know they’ve had a cold
before it’s gone.
Add a regular dose of vitamin C to your cold prevention
package. Vitamin C stimulates the production of white blood
cells and mops up unfriendly Free Radicals that do damage
to body tissues. The body cannot absorb large doses of this
vitamin at one time, so take a low dose several times a day
for better protection. If you live or work in a polluted environment,
this will be even more necessary.
Helping the natural detoxification processes of the body
throughout the year can, therefore, make a great difference
to your hanky consumption during the winter. Put the hanky
down and get the kettle on for a cup of nettle tea!
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