Common cold and flu

[bluedragon]

Hi. I was wondering what are the best ways to get over a cold / prevent one?
Also, how come they say that if you're on a raw diet you cannot catch a cold? Cause I have read that the odds of catching a cold have nothing to do with immunity. Allegedly, If the virus is inserted into the nose, everybody gets sick, no matter the immunity level.

[WilliWibald]

Hi bluedragon,

I have heard, that the following things might help to prevent an infection:

1. Don't touch your face with your hands
(one way to bring viruses and bacteria to our nose and mouth is via our hands)

2. Keep yourself well hydrated at all times
(dry air through heating in the winter time dries up the skin in your breathing organs, then it cracks like dry skin does and then infections get more likely)

3. Relax
(a stressed out body that is always under tention will soon let the walls down)

I applied these things to my life some years ago and it helped me to get from several colds a year down to only one.

And nowadays I'm a big believer in raw-foods (fruits and vegetables in their whole state, ripe and organic). But regarding that, I don't have enough personal experience (ask me in 3-10 years again ). But if I would have to bet: With raw foods only as your fuel source you will never catch a cold.

[Dimond]

Before I switched to raw, I stopped getting these illnesses. I credit it to probiotics, which strengthened my immune system. I always kept on hand a supplement that contained echinacea, garlic, vitamin c, etc. that I would take any time I felt a tiny bit of something in my throat or any other feeling that I may get sick. Or if I was around someone sick. This stopped anything from happening. Staying away from dairy and sugar is important too. If not all the time, at least when it's likely you could get sick.

My history is that of a very weakened immune system where I was always sick, always on meds, if someone was sick I was guaranteed to get it, etc. When I started healing myself more naturally with supplements, this stopped.

[Mark Dykeman]

Why does dairy have a negative impact re: colds?

[bluedragon]

It is said that dairy clogs your respiratory system.

[Dimond]

For someone who is raw and gets sick:
Large amount of fresh juice and smoothies with garlic, cayenne, echinacea, vit c powder or caps. Probiotics (non-dairy) are very important to any illness. If you have any organic whole food green powder-high doses of that too.

[Zombie]

My girlfriend turned me on to a great little cold and flu "helper".

Take a cleaned stick of ginger root and boil it in some water for about 5 minutes then take that water and make a tea from it. I use Tazo Green Ginger tea but a straight green tea would be fine, too.

The result for me is that I sweat like crazy for most of the night but feel much better by the next morning. I wouldn't call it a cure but it seems to help my body fight off the bug a lot quicker.