Stop sickness at the front door with this simple protocol when you have the first hint that a cold is approaching.  Our resident Acupuncturist/Herbalist/Master Healer, Mika Ichihara, M.S., L.Ac., B.Phar., offers her tips for how to remain healthy during the cold season.  The key she says is to “stop virus invasion into the body at the earliest stage.”

Preventing a cold from taking hold is not difficult if you act early.  This means taking actions as soon as you start feeling any symptoms – sore throat, sneezing, runny nose, coughing, slight headache, chills, warmth/feverish, stiffness of the neck, etc. – coming on.  When you start to experience these symptoms, the virus is knocking on the door, trying to penetrate deeper into the body, while the body is recruiting its defenses.  If your body misses this earliest opportunity to expel, then the virus will start to invade deeper into the system, causing more severe and persistent symptoms.  Once you reach this stage of more intense symptoms, it becomes more difficult to ease the symptoms and the cold might have to run its course (usually about 10 days).

Remember that the initial invasion stage happens very fast, often within a day.  So, you have to take care of yourself as soon as you start feeling symptoms.

Here are some simple natural recommendations to turn away common cold and flu at the earliest stage. These measures help to boost the body’s natural defenses and close the door on cold bugs.  Please try these as soon as you start feeling any of the symptoms listed above.

Tips to Keep a Cold at Bay:

• Take Vitamin C 1,000 – 1,500 mg/day (when healthy 500 mg/day). Food-based (natural or whole food) vitamin C is more potent than synthetic ones.
• Take 4 drops of Oil of Oregano 4-6 times a day (available from Mika).
• Drink ginger tea (Boil 3 cups of water and add peeled and sliced ginger root (a thumb size piece).  Cook for 30-40 minutes until the tea turns to dark yellow.  Add honey to 1 cup of tea to help sooth the throat, if you like.)
• Drink Echinacea tea (Alvita), Echinacea Immune Boosting Tea (Yogi Tea) and/or tincture (Nature’s answer)
• Take Chinese herbs for cold & flu (available at Mika).
• Gargle with salt water if you have sore throat.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Eat warm food, especially vegetable soups, to sweat out.

For more information:

Mika Ichihara, M.S., L.Ac.

Licensed Acupuncturist

704-981-1461

www.loveandcompassion.com

A January 2008 FDA Public Health Advisory “Recommends that Over-the-Counter (OTC) Cough and Cold Products not be used for Infants and Children under 2 Years of Age.” The risk of serious and potentially life-threatening side effects has prompted the Food and Drug Administration to advise parents not to treat infants and children under 2 years of age with OTC cough and cold medicines. The FDA is still reviewing safety information regarding the use of these OTC medicines in children 2 to 11 years of age and anticipates communicating its recommendations in the near future. The FDA stated, “we are aware of reports of serious side effects from cough and cold medicines in children 2 years of age and older.”

Helping Honey

A December 2007 Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine study should help parents find an alternative to OTC medications for their children having trouble sleeping at night due to upper respiratory tract infections. The findings of this recent study suggests that buckwheat honey is a great remedy for children 2 to 18 years old with nocturnal cough and difficulty sleeping. When the study compared honey, honey-flavored dextromethorphan (cough medicine), and no treatment, for children suffering from nocturnal cough and sleep difficulty due to upper respiratory tract infection, parents rated honey most favorably for symptomatic relief. Overall, the trial found that “honey may be a preferable treatment for the cough and sleep difficulty associated with childhood upper respiratory tract infection.”

**Please keep in mind that honey should never be fed to infants under 12 months of age.**

Raw honey should not be given to infants under one year of age because of the rare possibility of infection with the bacteria that causes botulism. And remember, as with all health issues concerning children, please consult your family’s pediatrician regarding treatment of your child’s ailments.

Finding Answers

At Matthews Chiropractic Center, I strive to provide excellent treatment of the spine and assist patient’s with all their health and wellness concerns. Stay tuned to learn more about current health, wellness, and chiropractic topics as I work to help keep patients and readers well and informed.

Review the FDA advisory at: http://www.fda.gov/Cder/drug/advisory/cough_cold_2008.htm

Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine article:
http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/161/12/1140