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How to Help your Cough
A cough is the body’s way of eliminating unwanted material and it should not be suppressed. When a virus or bacteria enters your system through the mucous membranes, your body will try to expel it the same way. A wet cough means you are on your way to recovery. It is important that you keep things moving by getting extra nutrition, rest, good water and taking green powdered drinks or capsules. Coughs are very common when the weather changes. Our body is programmed to respond to such shifts by initiating a cleansing. These cleansings are usually not a “cold”, but the body’s attempts to clear the system of toxins for a new season, almost like a spring and fall clean-up. In the fall we are indoors more, we close the windows and start using the heating system or woodstove. The dryness can promote very fine breaks in the mucous membranes through which tiny viruses or bacteria can enter the system. If you do not have enough sustentive energy to fight them, there is a chance you will find your mucous membranes working overtime and your symptoms will have difficulty moving forward. Recommendations Humidity The old–fashioned warm steamy vaporizers work much better than the newer cool mist vaporizers. They should run all night, the vapor should drip down the windows when you are fighting to make a cough wet. Also, breathing steam in any form—in a steam bath, in a hot shower, over a pot of water that has been boiled with a towel over your head, even sitting with the vaporizer on with a blanket tenting you can be an excellent way to moisten the mucous membranes. (Use caution with hot steam, it can burn if you get too close or if the hot water spills.) Fluid Make sure you are well hydrated. Drink lots of warm drinks, like herbal teas, or hot water with honey and fresh, organic lemon (hot lemonade). Water is also important. Vitamin C It is recommended to take buffered Vitamin C powder, the type that fizzes when it is added to water and juice. Sisu’s Buffered Vitamin C Powder is a good brand available at most health food stores. It gets into the system quickly and you can adjust the dose for you own needs. In acute situations your body will use up more Vitamin C. The powdered C should be used 3-4 times a day. When you have too much Vitamin C your stools will be a bit softer —so if you find that happening adjust the dose accordingly. Vitamin D Cod liver oil is equivalent to liquid sunshine. Once summer is over, one teaspoon of cod liver oil is recommended. Herbal cough syrup A good cough syrup such as Nin Jiom is recommended. It is available at most health food stores and pharmacies. It will help calm and soothe a cough when taken straight or when mixed with hot water and sipped as a tea. Rest & Relaxation We often forget to take care of ourselves, especially during challenging times. It is important to get more rest and quiet time to allow your body to heal itself. Remedies Once you have taken care of all the above, you may call your practitioner to ask for some help in finding a remedy that can help with your cough. If it is a dry cough, it is more important to have the above-listed resources already in place. If is a wet cough, you are halfway there! A remedy will help remove the actual disease state and complete the healing process. |
Cough Mixture
(phlegm and dry cough) Ingredients: 3 tablespoons raw honey Juice of one fresh lemon (not bottled or synthetic juice) 1/2 teaspoonful ground ginger About 5 or 6 ounces of water Directions: Mix all ingredients. Heat and sip slowly a shot glass full. Cough should break and phlegm loosen up within minutes of taking. Leftovers can be frozen in ice cube holders to be used when needed. |
