“A malignant sore throat is a danger, a malignant throat not sore is even worse.“
Anonymous
Hello, young Padawan
In winter, what is it that annoys you the most? No, not nightfall at 5 pm: To catch a cold. Yes I know, it’s annoying. We find ourselves apathetic, sleepy, weak; we are frustrated to not be able to accomplish what we usually do.
But do not panic, your faithful servant is here to avoid you to have a runny nose, a head that goes fuzzy, a sore throat, and most of all, we are not here to give you fever, we leave it to Peggy Lee.
So, let’s be efficient, there are some of us who have snowmen to make with the neighbors’ children. ⛄️
Wash your hands frequently
Because you will not be able to do much if someone sneezes at your face, good hand hygiene will be able to protect yourself with the most efficiency. The hands are indeed one of the most ferocious germs vehicles.
That’s why it’s important to avoid touching your face in public places because our hands have the germs and viruses of other people on it by touching the door handles, elevator buttons, payment terminal, trinkets on the shops’ shelves, subways or buses… And if you scratch your nose or eyes just after, you will not complain about having gastroenteritis. Hope you are not eating while reading my post. In case of: bon appétit!
Anti-inflammatory diet
Is it worthwhile to remind you again of the benefits of the anti-inflammatory diet? At least your body will be acid, the more you will be healthy. I refer you to my article here to understand your body a little better, but just as we do not catch flies with vinegar, we catch a cold with a weak and tired body. The more healthy you are, the less you risk catching anything. And to be energized you must not be acid.
You will have understood that the more you eat junk or processed food and the more you expose yourself to the risk of illness. And conversely, the more you give your body what it needs, i.e. unprocessed foods rich in vitamins, minerals, nutrients, the more your body will be strong against bacterias, viruses, and germs in all kinds.
It will also be stronger against diseases that start from the inside, but that’s another story: see my article on anti-cancer nutrition (will be translated into English very soon).
Dairy products
We are not going too far on this point, even if the lobbies have worked hard for years to silence the truth of the impact on human health, we know today, thanks to the whistleblowers and true scientists excluded from any conflict of interest, that they are not friends for our health.
They should be consumed with great moderation for those who eat them, as well as alcohol or sweets because we now know that dairy products are tiring the body to digestion and are acid for the body. However, we know for a long time on this blog that diseases happen in an acidic body…
Sleep well
It is essential to have a good sleep to be strong in front of external aggressions. Two clues if it’s not the case for you: physical activity and the liver.
For the first one I think you know what to do, knowing that we do not talk (necessarily) to register for all the triathlons of your country, nor to cross the Atlantic Ocean swimming (good luck), even if swimming is, in my opinion, the most effective sport to sleep well in front of all the others.
We are talking about 40 mins a day of brisk walking. You can get off your bus or subway before or after your usual stop, you can park at a distance when you have to go shopping, and of course, do not take the elevator or the escalator as much as possible. You can get up regularly and walk down the hall if you work sitting, and go to see your colleagues with your file instead of calling them. And for the weekend, 2 hours minimum of walking with family, friends, the neighbor’s dog …
Or you can also watch videos on youtube for example (we said youtube, not youporn, it’s not the same physical activities, ed). Yoga, Pilates, muscle building, it’s free, and we all have time, it’s just that it is not our priority. It is is a shame because our health is our most precious possession, it deserves more than a few minutes of attention per day. The cool fashionable series will wait. And your sleep will thank you. Often one has the impression of being tired because one confuses physical fatigue and be mentally exhausted. But it is the first one that gives us the right restful sleep.
For the liver, I refer you to my article on the subject (to be translated very soon). Indeed, a liver with hepatic steatosis, tired by the digestion of too much fat and too many sweet foods will make you develop symptoms, including waking between 3 and 4 in the morning. It is therefore imperative to take care of it.
Preventative remedies
I feel that you want some magic cures! I’m starting to get to know you. Here we go :
Herbal Teas: a light thyme tea in the evening as a preventive, or if you have the liver loaded I advise you fennel tea, it goes well.
Juices : Vegetable juice with an extractor (beetroot, fennel, celery, spinach, kale, carrot, pumpkin, cabbage, lamb’s lettuce, watercress, sweet potato … 1 or 2 to choose, with an apple to make it good) with a lot of turmeric (a touch of pepper) and ginger to strengthen the immune system.
Raw seasonal fruits with each meal: Orange, clementine, grapefruit, lemon, pear, pineapple, kiwi even if it says no, carambola, lychee, papaya, pomegranate, banana … preferably organic and at most “local” as possible.
Make yourself a raw vegetable appetizer at every meal as well: A nice lamb’s lettuce with parsley and avocado slices, spinach sprouts salad with pine nuts, endive salad with walnuts …
A lot of fresh garlic on the menu: Do not cook it otherwise garlic loses all its properties. Put it in the end of cooking when the dish is warm enough to be tasted, or in your salad, or scratch on the bread of your avocado toast, it is to die for.
Parsley: It’s good everywhere, so put it everywhere, even in your vegetable juice! Abuse of parsley, vitamin C and minerals will make you an Olympic athlete, or almost.
Grenade: A bomb of nutrients. Put it in your fruit salads, in your salads, in your vegetable juices … everywhere.
And what do we do if we catch a cold?
That’s what happens when you make big kisses to colleagues behind the photocopier. No judgment here, it is true that the accountant of your third floor is cute. Anyway, now that the damage is done, your body will take over. It is possible to help it, certainly, with some rest and some tricks, but you will have to accept that you are not the chief anymore. It’s going to be hard for two or three days but you’ll feel better soon.
tea-tree
Warning if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, essential oils are prohibited for many of them but that, I think you already know, for young children too, or if you have particular health concerns. It is always best to ask your pharmacist for advice before buying an essential oil and discuss with him/her the way(s) of use.
Here is an old trick that is hyper disgusting, but hyper-effective: A few drops on the tongue, between one and three, to renew three to four times a day against colds, sinusitis, tracheitis, sore throat, etc.. You have to be brave because it’s very strong, but it’s very efficient.
the famous thyme tea
It is a germ serial killer, but only if you use it properly: do not use the small bag of herbal tea powder from the grocery store. It will not work correctly. You need dried thyme bought from an organic herbalist, or you can do it yourself, dry or fresh if you have a small pot of thyme at home (and you have not put any chemical on it). And you have to put a lot of it in the water.
Indeed, a real infusion is never in a bag. It is the plant, the true one, organic, and the quantity for the thyme tea is two handful if it is in branch or 2 tbsp if it is dry, for 2 cups of water. The infusion must be brownish and very strong in smell and taste. And then, you’ll see what an effective infusion is.
Otherwise, you have the inevitable grog, but do not turn it into a mojito, lol. I never do it because I’m not convinced that to load the liver as much is a good idea … but this is only my opinion. You see, you have to also know how to listen to your body, listen to your feelings, see what works or not for yourself.
We purify our house’s air
Whether you are sick or not, in winter or not, do not forget to air your home every day. “Yes, but heating costs a lot of money blah blah.” Your health is priceless, bam! End of the argument.
And here I’m going to make a little aside. I do not talk only about microbe or virus but about your environment inside your home: paintings, carpets, floors, furniture, furnishings, electrical appliances, your house is full of formaldehyde and other carcinogenic shit dangerous for your health, it is absolutely vital to air your house. So, cut your goddamn heater and open your windows ten minutes a day. You’re welcome.
Otherwise, about the cold, flu and other winter’s fun, if you have the happiness of possessing a small diffuser of essential oils: pour a few drops of eucalyptus (be careful if you’re pregnant, if you have a baby or a toddler: asks your pharmacist. And if you have a pet, ask your vet imperatively). Eucalyptus opens the airways, disencumber “everything that is in there,” as they say in my hometown, and cleans the air of the house. There is also lavender that sanitize the air.
We clear our airways
With a massage ointment: I use the Siberian balm by eq love (or you have the good old tiger balm, the main thing is to have a balm with camphor and menthol). Massage it on sensitive areas to help clear airways. It’s also great for a yoga session or a sparring session where you know you’re going to take a lot of cardio. You’ll feel like Buzz Lightyear before he flies to infinity and beyond.
Practice regular inhalations: To get out more infected secretions and mucus (Hope you really are not eating, ed). Your dear pharmacist will suggest you some remedies to put in your hot water if you like it, but know that the hot water to breathe under a cloth helps to clear your bronchi by itself.
And with all that, if you do not like winter as much as I do, I would go running naked on Atwater St in the polar vortex, with a Peruvian cap!
Frozen XO ❄️
What’s better as an illustration of eucalyptus, I ask you 😁