I'm coming down with a cold are there any good remedies that don't involve poppi!

I'm coming down with a cold are there any good remedies that don't involve popping pills?

I have some suggestions. A couple of them involve taking something orally, but you can try the other suggestions first. The "pill-popping" that I suggest is with natural herbs and dietary supplements.

VITAMIN C: At the onset of a cold, take 1000mg of Vitamin C and repeat this dose every hour until symptoms cease.

CAYENNE: Steven H. Horne says that at the first sign of a cold, he takes 2 capsules of Capsicum (cayenne pepper) every hour with a large glass of water. You can get Cayenne Capsules at Walmart or other pharmacies. He also takes an enema and sweat bath.

ENEMA: This may seem the least desirable, but The ABC Herbal says that he has seen much improvement has been seen in “coughs, runny noses, flu, headaches, diarrhea, sore throats and even earaches when the bowel is cleansed.” The quickest way to do this is through an enema. You can do this with items that you already may have at home. You need a bulb syringe (that you do not plan on using on noses), petroleum jelly or similar lubricant, and an enema solution. Such solutions are garlic tea, catnip tea, peppermint tea, chamomile tea. His suggestion in this book using one syringe dose is mainly for children, so you may need to fill the syringe two or three times to get the desired affect. You could also get a Fleets enema and follow the directions, or empty it out and fill it with your own solution. (If you'd like directions on making the solutions or giving the enema, feel free to Email Me.)

SWEAT BATHs help the body to rid itself of toxins that cause illness. "Sit in a tub of water as hot as you can tolerate. Add a couple of tablespoons of ginger powder, a handful
or rosemary or mint leaves, or other aromatic herbs. (It is best to put these herbs in a mesh bag to keep from having to clean out your tub after the bath.) An alternative is to add a quarter teaspoon of lavender oil, tea tree oil, or some other pure essential oil. Drink plenty of water or a fragrant herbal tea before sitting in the bath.
FOR BABIES: Since you do not want to put the baby in really hot water, use a warm bath and using a wash cloth gently wash his body down with some natural soap (like Dr. Bonner's Peppermint soap) to make certain the pores are open. You can add a small amount of lavender oil or tea tree oil to the bath to stimulate the circulation and draw the blood to the extremities.

STUFFY NOSE-Recently I was treating a different problem, but I noticed that when I put a peeled clove of garlic in my nose (for an infection), it wasn't long before my nose started running. You may try this to clear up your stuffiness. Peel a clove of garlic and sliced it in half, then put it just inside your nose. Try to get a piece that, once you slice it, it will be too big to accidentally suck too far into the back of your nose. Do not push it too far back into your nose. If it burns too much at first, let the garlic sit out on the counter for a while to dry up some of its liquid-that is the part that burns your skin. I could only keep it in for 10 minutes at a time because it does irritate your skin. But it will make your nose run. Do not use the garlic like this on a long-term basis because garlic can thin your blood. You may notice a little blood if you blow your nose or clean it with a q-tip. However, this will not be a problem once you stop using the garlic. (Or you could always go to the Chinese Restaurant and eat a couple bowls of Hot and Sour Soup!!!)

HEADACHE: Steven H. Horne, author of The ABC Herbal, says that “the fastest way to get rid of a headache is not to take something internally, but to apply something externally and massage the muscles to reduce the swelling and take out the tension. Painkillers simply shut down the nerve messages that tell you something is wrong-they do not solve the problem.” If you have some essential oil of peppermint or essential oil of cinnamon, rub some onto your temple where your head hurts. (These are the best oils, but try any kind of essential oil that is on hand, as the massaging may be the most beneficial in spite of the ingredients.) I have also heard that you can sprinkle some cinnamon on buttered toast and eat it. I don't know by experience as I get very few headaches. But these are things I will try when I get one.

EARACHE: Peel a clove of garlic and place it into the opening of your ear (like you would a hearing aide). You could also put a couple of drops of garlic oil down into your ear and massage some oil on your neck around and below your ear. The oil may work faster. I have a friend who says she likes to use the clove of garlic. You can buy commercially prepared garlic oil or make it yourself.
***If you buy it already made, there are a couple of things to remember. If the garlic is still in the oil, you must either strain it out to store it at room temperature or, if you leave the garlic in the oil, you must refrigerate the oil. Then every two weeks heat the garlic and oil to a very hot temperature and place it back into the refrigerator. If you do not wish to go through the pains, then use it as much as possible in the first two weeks and then discard the remaining oil. This is because botulism spores can grow on the garlic that is in the oil. This can not happen if you take the garlic out of the oil-there is nothing for the bacteria to attach itself to. The oil may solidify in the refrigerator, but if you sit it out for a while at room temperature it will soon turn to liquid again. If you would like a recipe for making your own garlic oil, you can Email Me.

CONGESTION: If you have chest congestion and can't seem to get it coughed up, then warm some garlic oil and have someone massage it onto your back and under your armpits. Then massage some onto your chest, being sure to get it under your rib cage. This gets it into your lymph nodes (garlic absorbs into your skin very quickly). I have used this on my girls and it didn't take more than 2 nights to see a difference.

SORE THROAT: Put a couple of drops of garlic oil onto the back of the throat (inside the mouth). Then massage oil onto the outside of throat area. It may take a while (20-40 minutes) to feel results, but it beats taking medication. You can even teach a child to treat himself.