It starts with a tickle in the nose or throat, and then a runny nose. Then it progresses to frequent sneezing and a sore throat. Add in a cough, body aches, hoarseness, feverishness, chills, and a general malaise. Yes, it looks like you've caught the common cold.
According to Western Medical theory, the common cold is caused by the rhinovirus, a very adaptable virus that infects the nose, sinuses, ears, and bronchial tubes. An average duration for the common cold is one week. If the infection is severe, it could last for a couple of weeks.
There are many cold remedies out there. Although very few people in our culture know about it, worn Chinese Medicine is an effective treatment for the common cold.
From a outmoded Chinese Medicine perspective, the necessary cause of the common cold is a "Pathogenic Wind" that invades the body and interferes with regular functions of the respiratory and immune systems. It does sound a petite unusual to new ears, but the former Chinese physicians knew that colds were caused by something unseen. Wind is something that cannot be seen, but its effects on the environment are quite apparent. Five thousand years ago the Chinese physicians did not have the luxury of a microscope to detect bacteria or viruses. However, they were very observant of weather patterns and the natural rhythms of their surrounding environment. So it was actually quite logical for the broken-down Chinese to attribute an unseen pathogen to Wind.
When Pathogenic Wind invades from outside and attacks the body, it enters through nose and skin. It then interferes with the functions of the Wei Qi, the body's defensive energy that fights off foreign invaders. When the Wei Qi has been impeded, this gives rise to the symptoms associated with the common cold.
In dilapidated China the best doctors were not the ones who cured the sick. Instead, the greatest doctors were the ones who educated their patients and showed them how to prevent illness in the first situation.
What does passe Chinese Medicine drawl about how to prevent a Pathogenic Wind Invasion? The majority of the teachings tumble under the category of common sense. Eat well. Have a healthy diet. get plenty of sleep. Get yourself in regular health exercises, such as yoga, qi gong, or meditation, to cut your level of stress. Each of these things helps promote the strength of the Wei Qi and ensures your immune function will be working at an optimal level.
It is also a good idea to minimize your exposure to wind. This includes not only outdoor breezes but also indoor winds, such as the cold blast of air coming from an air-conditioner. Wear clothing that is appropriate to protect you from a breezy environment. The befriend of the neck is an region that is quite vulnerable to Wind Invasion, so wearing a scarf is a fabulous procedure to ward yourself from a Pathogenic Wind.
However, if you do succumb to a Pathogenic Wind Invasion, both acupuncture and Chinese herbal formulas can attend lessen the severity and shorten the duration of the invasion. This is because appropriate acupuncture treatments and positive herbal formulas are tailored to specifically drive the Pathogenic Wind out of the body, regulate the functions of the Wei Qi and alleviate the prevalent symptoms that arisen. When the Pathogenic Wind is driven out, the Wei Qi function is no longer impeded and will allow the body to recover in a powerful quicker fashion. A cold that could have lasted eight days might now only last three.
As a Licensed Acupuncturist, it always pleases me to peep the reaction that my patients have after a treatment. "Hey! I can actually breath through my nose again." "Wow! I don't feel the strong race to cough anymore." "My chest objective doesn't feel as tight as it did when I came in." These are some of the typical responses that I have heard after I've treated someone for a Pathogenic Wind Invasion. Many of these patients were a itsy-bitsy skeptical when they came in, but they were all seeking a treatment that would support rid them of their common cold symptoms. They were surprised at their realization - weak Chinese Medicine is effective for treating the common cold.
Showing posts with label flu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label flu. Show all posts
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Time-Proven Remedies For Conquering Colds And Flus
Occasionally the stresses of life nick our immune system defenses and the door opens unprejudiced wide enough to let a icy or flu sneak in and buy beget. Here are some of the best tested immunity boosters in existence. employ them well to get your strength help and display that cold or flu the draw to the exit stamp!
Special Virus-Killing Foods:
Garlic is a commonly obsolete cool medicine. It is widely veteran in Russia and is known there as “Russian Penicillin”. Garlic supports immune function and it can end bacteria, parasites, fungus and the flu virus. One test-tube survey showed that original garlic kills various viruses, including one which can cause flu like symptoms (1) . ancient garlic extract can also protect against the flu (2) . One excellent contrivance to back from garlic is to slash up a couple raw cloves into miniature pieces and swallow the pieces whole at the first brand of a cold, then eat one clove per day until fully well.
Horseradish is another plant that can ease throat and upper respiratory tract infections. It has reliable antibiotic properties. Horseradish has been shown specifically to kill the flu virus and cleave the severity of flu infections in animals (3) . This plant is a member of the mustard family. You may have found that eating horseradish can fabricate your eyes water and nose rush. Indeed, it can acquire a similar release of watery fluids inside the bronchial passages of the lungs which helps to flush them out and wash away congestion. For this reason, hot foods and spices in general are also very advantageous for colds and flus.
Echinacea: The Immunity Herb of Choice
Studies of echinacea point to that it plays a essential role in fortifying the immune system to fight illness. Although scientists have had exiguous success developing drugs or vaccines to eradicate the common cold or flu, echinacea improves immune function in humans, and especially improves the virus-fighting white blood cells, even when given in very crude doses (Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 1995, vol. 1) . Echinacea can slit the duration of a cold in half (4) .
Hearty Vitamins for Colds: Vitamin C and Zinc
A Scandinavian researcher recently conducted a review of 21 studies that tested between 1 and 8 grams (1,000 to 8,000 milligrams) of Vitamin C for the common cold. He concluded that “in each of the twenty-one studies, Vitamin C reduced the duration of the cool and the severity of the symptoms by an average of 23% (5) . Even remarkable lower amounts of vitamin C such as 100 milligrams have been found to be reliable (6) . In addition to enhancing the activity of immune cells, Vitamin C acts as a principal component in the production of collagen, the important protein found in all connective tissues. By helping occupy the strength and integrity of connective tissue structures, vitamin C keeps infections from spreading throughout the body (from the Handbook of Vitamins) .
Zinc accelerates the growth of immune cells while inhibiting the replication of the cold-causing viruses. Zinc also helps contain the health of the thymus gland which is one of the organs of immunity. Located at the unfavorable of the neck, the thymus produces white blood cells for fighting off foreign cells and toxins. In one sight, zinc gluconate lozenges of 13.3 milligrams each were tested against a placebo in a group of 100 patients with icy symptoms. The people took one lozenge every two hours while awake. Coughing disappeared within 2.2 days in the treated group versus 4 days in the placebo group. Sore throat disappeared after 1 day versus 3 days in the placebo group, nasal drainage in 4 days (versus 7 days), and headache in 2 days (versus 3 days) . (Annals of Internal Medicine, 1996, vol. 125) .
Acidophilus:
Supplements of Lactobacillus acidophilus and other respectable bacteria, and the growth factors that attend their development in the stomach, may succor to protect the body from wrong organisms that cause infection (7,8) . Acidophilus and other apt bacteria are known as probiotics, which means “promoting the growth of microorganisms”. Lactobacillus has been shown to increase the numbers of circulating immune cells and elevate the body’s antibody responses. Its best to expend probiotics that also occupy a prebiotic such as fructooligosaccharides (FOS) . FOS are carbohydrates that helps the growth of probiotic organisms in the gastrointestinal tract. A modern see showed that FOS molecules can bind to disease-causing bacteria and prevent their attachment to the body’s cells (Lancet, 1996, vol. 347) .
Get that cold or flu out of the door and keep it away by eating healthy, whole foods, drinking pure water, and taking the accurate cold-fighting foods and supplements.
CommonColdSymptoms.net
Garlic is a commonly obsolete cool medicine. It is widely veteran in Russia and is known there as “Russian Penicillin”. Garlic supports immune function and it can end bacteria, parasites, fungus and the flu virus. One test-tube survey showed that original garlic kills various viruses, including one which can cause flu like symptoms (1) . ancient garlic extract can also protect against the flu (2) . One excellent contrivance to back from garlic is to slash up a couple raw cloves into miniature pieces and swallow the pieces whole at the first brand of a cold, then eat one clove per day until fully well.
Horseradish is another plant that can ease throat and upper respiratory tract infections. It has reliable antibiotic properties. Horseradish has been shown specifically to kill the flu virus and cleave the severity of flu infections in animals (3) . This plant is a member of the mustard family. You may have found that eating horseradish can fabricate your eyes water and nose rush. Indeed, it can acquire a similar release of watery fluids inside the bronchial passages of the lungs which helps to flush them out and wash away congestion. For this reason, hot foods and spices in general are also very advantageous for colds and flus.
Echinacea: The Immunity Herb of Choice
Studies of echinacea point to that it plays a essential role in fortifying the immune system to fight illness. Although scientists have had exiguous success developing drugs or vaccines to eradicate the common cold or flu, echinacea improves immune function in humans, and especially improves the virus-fighting white blood cells, even when given in very crude doses (Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 1995, vol. 1) . Echinacea can slit the duration of a cold in half (4) .
Hearty Vitamins for Colds: Vitamin C and Zinc
A Scandinavian researcher recently conducted a review of 21 studies that tested between 1 and 8 grams (1,000 to 8,000 milligrams) of Vitamin C for the common cold. He concluded that “in each of the twenty-one studies, Vitamin C reduced the duration of the cool and the severity of the symptoms by an average of 23% (5) . Even remarkable lower amounts of vitamin C such as 100 milligrams have been found to be reliable (6) . In addition to enhancing the activity of immune cells, Vitamin C acts as a principal component in the production of collagen, the important protein found in all connective tissues. By helping occupy the strength and integrity of connective tissue structures, vitamin C keeps infections from spreading throughout the body (from the Handbook of Vitamins) .
Zinc accelerates the growth of immune cells while inhibiting the replication of the cold-causing viruses. Zinc also helps contain the health of the thymus gland which is one of the organs of immunity. Located at the unfavorable of the neck, the thymus produces white blood cells for fighting off foreign cells and toxins. In one sight, zinc gluconate lozenges of 13.3 milligrams each were tested against a placebo in a group of 100 patients with icy symptoms. The people took one lozenge every two hours while awake. Coughing disappeared within 2.2 days in the treated group versus 4 days in the placebo group. Sore throat disappeared after 1 day versus 3 days in the placebo group, nasal drainage in 4 days (versus 7 days), and headache in 2 days (versus 3 days) . (Annals of Internal Medicine, 1996, vol. 125) .
Acidophilus:
Supplements of Lactobacillus acidophilus and other respectable bacteria, and the growth factors that attend their development in the stomach, may succor to protect the body from wrong organisms that cause infection (7,8) . Acidophilus and other apt bacteria are known as probiotics, which means “promoting the growth of microorganisms”. Lactobacillus has been shown to increase the numbers of circulating immune cells and elevate the body’s antibody responses. Its best to expend probiotics that also occupy a prebiotic such as fructooligosaccharides (FOS) . FOS are carbohydrates that helps the growth of probiotic organisms in the gastrointestinal tract. A modern see showed that FOS molecules can bind to disease-causing bacteria and prevent their attachment to the body’s cells (Lancet, 1996, vol. 347) .
Get that cold or flu out of the door and keep it away by eating healthy, whole foods, drinking pure water, and taking the accurate cold-fighting foods and supplements.
CommonColdSymptoms.net
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Common Cold Symptoms
Flu or Cold Symptoms?
When you wake up sneezing, coughing, and have that achy, feverish, can't move a muscle feeling, how do you know whether you have cold symptoms or the flu? And if it's the flu, could it be swine flu?It's important to know the difference between flu and cold symptoms. A cold is a milder respiratory illness than the flu. While cold symptoms can make you feel bad for a few days, flu symptoms can make you feel quite ill for a few days to weeks. The flu -- whether it's typical seasonal flu or the swine flu virus -- can also result in serious health problems such as pneumonia and hospitalizations.
What are common cold symptoms?
Cold symptoms usually begin with a sore throat, which usually goes away after a day or two. Nasal symptoms, runny nose, and congestion follow, along with a cough by the fourth and fifth days. Fever is uncommon in adults, but a slight fever is possible. Children are more likely to have a fever with a cold.With cold symptoms, your nose teems with watery nasal secretions for the first few days. Later, these become thicker and darker. Dark mucus is natural and does not usually mean you have developed a bacterial infection, such as a sinus infection.
Several hundred different viruses may cause your cold symptoms.
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How long do cold symptoms last?
Cold symptoms usually last for about a week. During the first three days that you have cold symptoms, you are contagious. This means you can pass the cold to others, so stay home and get some much-needed rest.If cold symptoms do not seem to be improving after a week, you may have a bacterial infection, which means you may need antibiotics.
Sometimes you may mistake cold symptoms for allergic rhinitis (hay fever) or a sinus infection. If your cold symptoms begin quickly and are improving after a week, then it is usually a cold, not allergy. If your cold symptoms do not seem to be getting better after a week, check with your doctor to see if you have developed an allergy or sinusitis.
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What are common flu symptoms?
Whether a person has typical seasonal flu or swine flu, the symptoms seem to be quite similar. Flu symptoms are usually more severe than cold symptoms and come on quickly. Symptoms of swine flu or other flu include sore throat, fever, headache, muscle aches and soreness, congestion, and cough. Swine flu in particular is also associated with vomiting and diarrhea.Most flu symptoms gradually improve over two to five days, but it's not uncommon to feel run down for a week or more. A common complication of the flu is pneumonia, particularly in the young, elderly, or people with lung or heart problems. If you notice shortness of breath, you should let your doctor know. Another common sign of pneumonia is fever that comes back after having been gone for a day or two.
Just like cold viruses, flu viruses enter your body through the mucous membranes of your nose, eyes, or mouth. Every time you touch your hand to one of these areas, you could be infecting yourself with a virus, which makes it very important to keep your hands germ-free with frequent washing to prevent both flu and cold symptoms.
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Is it flu or cold symptoms?
How do you know if you have flu or cold symptoms? Take your temperature, say many experts. Whether it's seasonal or swine influenza, the symptoms often mimic cold symptoms with nasal congestion, cough, aches, and malaise. But a common cold rarely has symptoms of fever above 101 degrees F. With flu symptoms, you will probably have a fever initially with the flu virus and you will feel miserable. Body and muscle aches are also more common with the flu. This table can help determine if you have cold or flu symptoms.| Symptoms | Cold | Flu |
| Fever | Sometimes, usually mild | Usual; higher (100-102 F; occasionally higher, especially in young children); lasts 3 to 4 days |
| Headache | Occasionally | Common |
| General Aches, Pains | Slight | Usual; often severe |
| Fatigue, Weakness | Sometimes | Usual; can last 2 to 3 weeks |
| Extreme Exhaustion | Never | Usual; at the beginning of the illness |
| Stuffy Nose | Common | Sometimes |
| Sneezing | Usual | Sometimes |
| Sore Throat | Common | Sometimes |
| Chest Discomfort, Cough | Mild to moderate; hacking cough | Common; can become severe |
| Complications | Sinus congestion; middle ear infection | Sinusitis, bronchitis, ear infection, pneumonia; can be life-threatening |
| Prevention | Wash your hands often; avoid close contact with anyone with a cold | Wash your hands often; avoid close contact with anyone who has flu symptoms; get the annual flu vaccine, which protects against the H1N1 swine flu and two other flu strains for the 2010-2011 flu season. |
| Treatment | Decongestants; pain reliever/fever reducer medicines | Decongestants, pain relievers, or fever reducers are available over the counter; over-the-counter cough and cold medicines should not be given to young children; prescription antiviral drugs for flu may be given in some cases; call your doctor for more information about treatment. |
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When do I call the doctor with flu or cold symptoms?
If you already have flu or cold symptoms, it's important to call your doctor if you also have any of the following severe symptoms:- Persistent fever: This can be a sign of another bacterial infection that should be treated.
- Painful swallowing: Although a sore throat from a cold or flu can cause mild discomfort, severe pain could mean strep throat, which requires treatment by a doctor.
- Persistent coughing: When a cough doesn't go away after two or three weeks, it could be bronchitis, which may need an antibiotic. Postnasal drip or sinusitis can also result in a persistent cough. In addition, asthma is another cause of persistent coughing.
- Persistent congestion and headaches: When colds and allergies cause congestion and blockage of sinus passages, they can lead to sinus infection. If you have pain around the eyes and face with thick nasal discharge after a week, you may have a bacterial infection and need an antibiotic.
- Severe chest pain
- Severe headache
- Shortness of breath
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Persistent vomiting
- Difficulty breathing or rapid breathing
- Bluish skin color
- Not drinking enough fluids
- Lethargy and failure to interact normally
- Extreme irritability or distress
- Symptoms that were improving and then suddenly worsen
- Fever with a rash
Can I prevent flu or cold symptoms?
The most important prevention measure for preventing colds and flu is frequent hand washing. Hand washing by rubbing the hands with warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds helps to slough germs off the skin.In addition to hand washing to prevent flu or cold symptoms, you can also get a flu vaccine to prevent seasonal influenza. Seasonal flu activity in the United States generally peaks between late December and early March. Within two weeks of getting a flu vaccine, antibodies develop in your body and provide protection against flu. Children receiving the vaccine for the first time need two doses delivered one month apart.
Antivirals may also help prevent flu if you have been exposed to someone with flu symptoms.
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