Treating the common cold

I caught a cold last week, and while treating a few other patients with colds at the same time I started to think about the best ways to support the body during this interlude of sneezing, sniffling and coughing.

I think colds occur because of a confluence of events, some combination of being stressed or stretched to thin in one’s life, along with some behavioral like poor diet, or lack of sleep lapses (in my case I finished the shortbread cookies left over from the open house I held for colleagues at my new clinic), and then an opportunistic bug (or just one conveniently placed) that comes along to sidle up for a little contact.

After a couple days of emerging symptoms I settled into a Spongia-like state of coughing that sounds like a saw through wood. I have never been one to think that homeopathy ‘cures’ the common cold, but that doesn’t stop me from periodically trying to address some of the limiting symptoms associated with a cold. I started out taking a 200c of Spongia tosta 4 times the first two days, feeling it was helping but not in any miraculous way (wishful thinking), but then by the third day I repertorized again looking to see if there was a better prescription with the evolution of my symptoms (something colds do: change and evolve as the cold ripens) and decided to instead increase the potency before I changed the prescription. I took a dose of Spongia 1M and that made a decided difference.

Do I still have a cold? Yes. Has the Spongia helped? I think so, in that my symptoms are less uncomfortable but the cold is still running its course. Is it shorter or milder? We will never know because we do not have a control that shows what would have happened in this unique case without a remedy or with a different one.

But what else can we do when a cold hits? I find hydrotherapy to be quite useful, along with a few herbs and supplements. I am listing below a few hydrotherapy treatments that can be quite helpful:

Sinus congestion:

Ginger oil for your sinuses:

Grate fresh ginger

Squeeze juice from gratings into a cup

Mix with a little oil (2 parts juice to 1 part oil, or 1:1)

Apply to the face over the sinus area affected

Head congestion:

Hot footbath to help drain the congestion in the head:

Pull a chair up to the bathtub

Place your feet in hot bath water

Place a cold washcloth at the nape of neck as well as one at the forehead

Dipping washcloth into a bowl of cold/iced water every 30-60 seconds

Stay wrapped up with a blanket to avoid chill

Repeat this for about 20 minutes

Colds and fever:

Wet sock treatment for colds and fever

Put cold, wet, well-wrung-out cotton socks on, then wool socks over them, and crawl into bed. Sleep with them on, but stay well covered in bed. Do not get chilled.

Wet t-shirt for colds and fever

You can do the same with a wet t-shirt. Take a warm bath and then put on a cold, wet, well wrung out T-shirt and socks (cotton is best). Next, cover them with a dry, warm sweatshirt, a dry pair of wool socks, and dry sweat pants and climb into bed.

Sore throat

A damp, cold cloth or hand towel wrapped around the neck and covered by a wool scarf helps bring the body's healing circulation to the neck and throat area.

Revulsive hydrotherapy

This hydrotherapy treatment uses alternating hot and cold applications to an area to increase circulation. This can be done through a compress, bath, or shower. Local, alternating, hot and cold applications produce marked stimulation of local circulation. In general one alternates 6 minutes of hot with 4 of cold, or 3 minutes of hot with 1 minute of cold, for a series of 3-6 sequences for best results. You can do use this over areas like the throat, sinuses, chest, or even injured body parts.

As far as supplements, one of the easiest things to do is to double up on your multi-vitamins for a few days. In addition you can try Zinc lozenges, vitamin C and bioflavonoid to help improve immune system functioning, along with Echinacea and goldenseal tinctures.

Keeping hydrated is very important during a cold, and my favorite tea during this time is Throat Coat Tea by Traditional Medicinals. It is also quite helpful to take a sip of water every time you cough.

Coincidentally my neighborhood newspaper ran a very nice article by a physician that I will add here as well. If you need help call me, but you might try some of the above treatments first. And remember, a cold is a time for reflection – what else are you going to do, lying in bed, surrounded by tissues? – Think about how your life has gotten a little out of control, how you are going to eat more leafy greens, take more walks to reduce stress and increase your heart rate and respiration and throw out that bowl of left over cookies next time.

Warmly,

Krista