How to get rid of colds and flu better and faster, part 2....

Today's Post: Friday, 11-11-2011

a) See the post last Tuesday, 11-8-2011 also. It was on ways to prevent colds and flu. By far the best solution is not have them last zero time by simply NOT getting them at all!

For example, taking an optimum level of vitamin D3 as we described there boosts your immune system’s killer cells so much you are less likely to get colds and flu. But the same effect is still there if you get a cold or the flu anyway. That means if you do while taking the 4,000 to 8,000 iu a day of vitamin D3, your immune system will kill it off sooner and more reliably.

Another example, the pneumonia vaccine we recommend there is very effective in people who take the optimum level of vitamin D3.

That means if you do that and then get a bad chest cold or flu that would have led to pneumonia, you will NOT get the dangerous and painful pneumonia follow on disease. So you will be far less sick, get well faster, and be dramatically safer.

b) If you get either a cold or flu and then have a fever, drink extra water.

To repeat, if you have a fever, DRINK A LOT OF EXTRA WATER!

In yesterday’s post on Thursday, 11-10, we explained how dramatically helpful and protective this is and some tips on doing it well enough.

c) If you are in the very early stages of a nose cold or if you have little gunk but the inside of your nose hurts from the viral attack, you CAN fight back!

Making the temperature of the inner surface of your nose greater than 150 degrees kills the viruses directly research found.

The simplest way to do this is to boil water in a teapot that has a wider base than its top. Take the water off the heat and away from the flame and move it to over a sink to prevent harm if any spills.

Then sniff the rising steam with each nostril. If you begin to feel it’s too hot for you, stop and switch to your other nostril. Try to do each one two or three times.

If that’s all you have time for, it will help. But if you catch it early and/or have time, heating the water back up to boiling and repeating the process two or three times will help.

c) Thick mucous in your nose is uncomfortable and since it tends to stay there you can get a secondary bacterial infection. It also can make it harder to breathe and sleep.

The steaming we just described can sometimes help.

But there are two other effective ways to get rid of it. Doing those two before the steaming can make the steaming more effective to remove and thin the mucous left over. And, this also gives the steam better access to the inner surface of your nose and the viruses sitting on it.

First, eat some form of hot pepper or foods that contain such peppers or rinse your mouth with water that has hot sauce or red pepper – or eat some kind of Mexican or Chinese food that has such peppers.

What you want is the kind that makes your forehead sweat after you ingest it. Why? Because your eyes also water a bit and your mucous gets so much thinner, your nose tends to run.

If the problem is mild that may be all you need!

Second, get a Neti pot online ahead of time before cold and flu season or buy one at the drug store.

You heat the water to the temperature of a very warm bath but not much more. Adding a bit of salt may help. Then you turn your head sideways and while standing over a sink, pour the water into your higher nostril. It will flow over to your lower nostril and pour out into the sink. Gradually the thick mucous will get thinner and wetter and leave with the Neti pot water.

If you have time then, follow up with breathing steam.

d) Thick mucous in your lungs is worse. When you cough to get rid of it, you have to cough much harder. And, you don’t get it all up. So you keep coughing longer. Worse, you may well then get a mild secondary chest infection or bronchitis.

That makes you sick longer and reduces your lung capacity longer.

The good news is that the hot peppers cure works really well for this.

If you once get this kind of lung congestion even a little bit, use it at virtually every meal or that many times a day.

Have hot sauce on your fried eggs at breakfast; eat a hot Mexican dish for Lunch; and have a spicy hot Chinese dinner.

(Note that in hot Chinese dishes, they often leave in the red pepper itself or more than one in the food. Then the heat from the pepper is gradually picked up by the oils in the food.

Eat the oils and the food, BUT do NOT eat the PEPPERS. It feels like you took a blowtorch to your gullet. And it lasts awhile too!

So, before or as you eat, every time you see one of the these green bean sized red peppers, remove it entirely from your food!

(Eating breads and drinking alcoholic drinks NOT water is what you need if the heat is too harsh for your mouth or you are so unfortunate as to eat a Chinese pepper.

Drinking cold water does NOT help until the chewed up bread carries the oils the heat is in away and the oils the heat is in dissolve into the alcohol in the drink.

Only then will cold water help. But water does NOT remove the oils. And until the oils are gone, the heat from them stays put.)

This works to prevent bronchitis pretty well. We know that because studies found that people who eat such hot foods get chest colds, they hardly ever get bronchitis.

Then, if you have time, taking a long hot shower and breathing deeply while in the shower can add to the effect.

But use the hot spices or sauce or food first for best results.

e) If you are not very sick, don’t have a higher fever, and don’t have it in your chest, doing your normal exercises can help you get well sooner. It boosts your mood because you feel more capable and in control. And you’ll maintain doing regular exercise.

DO, cut it back though. Do easier paced cardio for less time or for shorter distances. Do fewer sets. Use less weight in your strength training and for fewer repetitions.

The idea is to make it feel and be easy but get you a bit active and breathing well and increase your circulation without overexerting yourself.

I’ve done it. And, the combination of the very easy workout but feeling virtuous for doing one is a very nice positive when you are sick.

This will often speed your getting rid of the illness too!

However, if you have a high fever, or feel physically horrible even though you have been drinking extra water, or you have a chest cold, just rest instead. (And use steam, hot showers, and hot spices as needed.)

f) The information I’ve read is that neither taking vitamin C nor zinc will prevent colds. (The one exception is taking enough vitamin C for those who compete athletically or do very vigorous exercise. Taking enough vitamin C and eating and taking other antioxidants can help prevent some colds.)

However, taking 500 mg of vitamin C 3 or 4 separate times during the day and taking 30 to 45 mg of zinc once a day can make your symptoms less and help you get rid of your cold or flu in fewer days.

Also, the when you first are sure you are sick, taking an extra 30 to 60 mg of zinc can help. But do NOT do so after that because the positive effect of the extra only works at first. Then if you take extra, strangely it stops protecting you entirely.

There are currently different ways to take elderberry. It’s been found that doing so cuts back on flu symptoms and duration.

I like to take Nature’s Way Bilberry supplements in part because they have more elderberry in them than bilberry. And this is far easier and less hassle than taking elderberry syrup or tea.

I also now take this supplement every day so it may help me prevent getting flu too.

g) Eating the foods and spices that boost your immune system or help prevent cancer due to how much they boost it also helps you throw off colds and flu sooner.

Mushrooms, carrots, broccoli florets both raw and cooked, tomatoes raw and particularly cooked or purred with extra virgin olive oil, squash, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, yams, and mustard greens are some of these foods. (Taking lycopene as a supplement also can help>0

Onions, garlic, ginger, turmeric or curries that contain it, oregano and many more spices also do this.

The good news is that these foods and spices often taste good and are very good for you even if you aren’t sick!