I know many people who brag that they never get a cold. I’m here to tell you that I am down with the Mother of All Colds, as sick as I’ve been in a long time, and it’s a good thing.
That’s because our immune systems need challenges from time to time to keep on their metaphorical toes. It’s good to know they respond to the challenges of the ever-evolving pathogen colonies that surround us all.
Source of the sickness
Yes, we all know that dietary choices, environmental toxins and stress all weaken our immune systems. My hand is up — guilty of less-than-perfect dietary choices while on my recent trip to California, long hours, not enough sleep and the stress of being at a gigantic natural products show with more than 70,000 people in attendance.
Oh, yeah and probably there were quite a few cold viruses swirling around in the plane with its re-circulated air, and the airport with its tens of thousands of people coughing, sniffling and touching every surface, not to speak of that ridiculously over-packed Anaheim Convention Center full of myriad viruses from all over the world. It is almost inevitable.
Yes, I do take precautions. We all do. I wash my hands carefully, avoid touching door handles (that’s why I always wear a scarf) and use hand sanitizers. There’s not much anyone can do about the fellow passenger two rows back who is hacking and coughing. The hacking passenger can’t help it either. Would you cancel a plane ticket and lose your fare just because you had a cold? I didn’t think so.
Getting a cold isn’t a failure. Think if it as a challenge.
I also think of a cold as a message for my body to slow down and take it easy. Sometimes we are given no choice.
Favorite cold remedies
Everyone has a favorite cold remedy, natural or not. All of them have some benefits, largely to minimize the symptoms while you wait for the virus to run its course. You may like sage and rose hip tea, Echinacea, chew on cloves of garlic, use a neti pot, steam vaporizer with eucalyptus, chicken soup or bone broth. Do whatever you like if it helps you feel better. Just know that your cold will most likely last a week give or take a day or two with lingering coughs that can go much longer, regardless of what you do about it.
I do recommend that you let a fever run its course if it isn’t higher than 103 degrees Fahrenheit. (Anything higher can be dangerous.) Fever serves a purpose. By raising the internal temperature, the fever creates an inhospitable environment for the viruses or other pathogens that are causing the illness.
I’m taking my vitamins C and D, drinking lots of fluids and spending most of the day in bed. In fact, that’s where I’m headed right now.
