NOTE: The information in this article comes from various alternative health books such as, Your Health, Your Choice by Dr. M. Ted Morter Jr. and Detoxification and Healing by Sidney Baker.

Germs are not the cause of disease. Germs only set up residence and become a problem when your body's defenses are down. Lowered resistance is a large "welcome" sign for germs. Bacteria, viruses, and micro-organisms are in and around us all the time, they don't show up just on rainy days or during the winter season (Morter, p. 11).

A runny nose, watery-eyes, fever, and a miserable cold represents an internal cleansing process. You should be very happy that your body is strong enough to do house cleaning because this helps bring your body back a state of homeostasis (balance). The body’s first line of defense against unwanted or unnecessary visitors is dilution. Diluting substances the body doesn't need or want renders them less harmful. One method of removing unwanted or toxic materials from the body is the common cold. A cold may make you feel rotten, but the cold itself serves a purpose. Your body is getting rid of waste matter that if left in your body may lead to health problems in the future (p. 15).

A fever that sometimes accompanies a cold and other ailments is another ingenious method of house cleaning intruders...A controlled fever(up to 104 F) can dispatch germs, burn off toxic material, and allow the body to resume its regular routines. Both science and culture acknowledge that fevers serve a health-restoring purpose, however, the pesky cold hasn't yet been awarded this lofty status (p. 15).

Cold symptoms can be brought about by improving your diet too quickly and giving your body more natural and beneficial foods than it is accustomed to having. For example, if a person starts to improve their diet by drinking a glass of vegetable juice every night, he/she may develop cold like symptoms. I personally remember twelve years ago I used to come down with cold/flu like symptoms several times a year. Then I started developing the habit of making vegetable juice part of my diet every day. Within 4 weeks I came down with a strong cold combined with a fever. I was in bed for a week. However, that was the last cold/flu I've experienced in the last twelve years.

Cold symptoms can also be brought about by experiencing unusually stressful conditions whether emotional, physical or nutritional. For example, my brother leads a very healthy lifestyle and for years has never experienced any cold or flu like symptoms. Last summer because of a new job he had taken, he ended up traveling a great deal of the time and eating foods in restaurants for several weeks that he was not accustomed to eating. Sure enough when he came back home and started eating his healthy meals and going back to his less stressful lifestyle, he came down with a strong cold. He knew that it was just a cleanse and he understood that when this happens, his cells are clearing out the remnants of excessive waste matter faster than his elimination system can take the debris out of the body.

Another contributing factor to the common cold or cold like symptoms is eating the wrong foods. For example, sometimes our hurried lifestyle can lead us to eat too many fast foods or if it’s the party season (Thanksgiving and Christmas with all the wonderful taste treats) our bodies will tolerate only so much accumulated junk foods before its saturation point is reached. A good cold is one way to clean out some of the “junk”.

No matter how much money is spent trying to eradicate the common cold and nullify all of the microorganisms that are potential health threats, we probably may never succeed. Since germs aren't the problem, killing them off isn't the solution. The solution is practicing all the good health habits that we can on a daily basis to strengthen our immune system. Remember, “Germs cannot insist, if the body can resist” (p. 12).

Here's what you can do to speed up the getting well process "naturally":

• Use plant based enzymes to speed up the cleansing process thru your lymphatic system. Take enzymes on an empty stomach several times throughout the day (if possible take them every hour), in addition to enzymes with your meals. Continue to do this for several days. Most often by the third day, you’ll feel dramatically better. Enzymes are known for assisting the removal of waste matter from the lymphatic system.

• Probiotics: You must ensure adequate intake of friendly bacteria on a daily basis to improve the digestive processes. Supplementation of friendly bacteria can indeed stimulate our immune systems because "...50 percent of the lymph tissue is located in the intestinal lining and 80 percent of all our protective immune globulins are produced there." (Nichols, p.16)

One of the best friendly bacteria products in the market today is a wide-spectrum friendly bacteria supplement micro-blended with fructo-oligosaccharides. Following are its ingredients: Lactobacillus acidophilus DDS-1, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus salivarius, Streptococcus faecium, Streptococcus thermophilus, Acerola and Rose Hips blend, wild blue green algae, Jerusalem Artichoke, Lipase, Amylase, Protease, and Cellulase.

• Virgin coconut oil: One of the most amazing aspects of coconut oil is its ability to fight harmful germs. When coconut oil is consumed, the body transforms its unique fatty acids into powerful antimicrobial powerhouses capable of reducing the negative side effects of most harmful microorganisms. Coconut oil is, in essence, a natural and powerful antibacterial, antivirus and antifungal food (Fife, pp. 59-60).

• Vitamin C will help you recover faster. Of course the source of the vitamin C should always be from fresh fruits and vegetables not man-made supplements. My mother taught me about a wonderful Vitamin C drink that helps reduce the effects of a runny nose and coughing. Mix warm water with raw organic honey. (Make sure you don’t use boiling water, so the enzymes in the honey are not deactivated.) Stir the honey so the warm water can melt it and then squeeze fresh lemon or lime juice and mix. Viola, lots of fresh Vitamin C.

• Use an enema, if necessary, to reduce fever and release waste matter. Or place a cold towel (tap water temperature) over your stomach while covering your body tightly with a blanket to reduce the fever.

• Gargle with sea salt and moderately warm water if you have a sore throat a few times during the day and at bed time.

• Here is another wonderful tip that my mother taught me in case headaches or severe coughing accompany the cold or flu. Rub some “Tiger Balm” ointment on your forehead, throat and/or chest. This is helpful, especially at bed time. It may not smell good to whoever is sharing your bed, but it is helpful to you. You can buy this ointment from any Chinese grocery and many health related stores.

• Drink lots of water in between meals to help dilute the toxins and clear your system.

• Eat simply. Fresh squeezed orange juice, and green vegetables are far better than anything heavy or high in volume. Also consider nutrient rich foods in supplement forms like wild-crafted blue green algae or a green drink mix made from organically grown sprouted grains and grasses. When you eat simply in times of colds and flus, you don't end up burdening your detoxification system and you may feel better faster. Eat only when you are hungry during a cold or flu.

• Sometimes if toxins are trapped in your gut and you are feeling nauseated and just not right in your stomach, take some activated charcoal. Charcoal will absorb gas and toxins and remove them quickly from your system. Activated charcoal can be bought from any health food store. However, activated charcoal is indiscriminate in what it absorbs. Therefore, it should not be taken with food or medicines as it would absorb them, too, and it should not be taken for long periods of time (Baker, p. 90).

If you can’t find activated charcoal, buy Alka-Seltzer without aspirin. This form of Alka-Seltzer, which comes in a gold package and is nicknamed Alka-Gold by doctors who know the value of alkaline salts, contains only sodium and potassium bicarbonate. It is one step up from the baking soda found in any kitchen, which is just sodium bicarbonate and it can help in a pinch (p. 91).

• A good folk remedy for a nauseated stomach during a cold or flu is an herbal tea made of the following sweet herbs: anise, caraway and fennel seeds plus fresh ginger. Take a heaping teaspoon of each of the listed seeds and add water to make a cup of tea. Slice two or three thin pieces of organic, fresh ginger and add to the mix. Bring to a boil and continue to boil for 5 minutes. This tea is very calming to the stomach, especially if you have a stomach flu. It reduces gas, nausea and bloating.

• Rest, sleep and relax.

So, whenever you get a cold, as difficult as it may be through your runny nose and weeping eyes and sore throat, be thankful that your body still has enough vitality to defend itself and say “God bless this common cold”.

References:
Baker, Sidney MacDonald, M.D. (1997). Detoxification and Healing. New Canaan, Connecticut:
           Keats Publishing, Inc.
Fife, Bruce. (2001). The healing Miracles of Coconut Oil. Colorado Springs: HealthWise.
Morter, M. Ted. (1990). Your Health, Your Choice. Hollywood, Florida: Fell Publishers, Inc.
Nichols, Trent W., M.D. (1999). Optimal Digestion. New York, Avon Books, Inc

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