As we transition from winter to spring, albeit VERY slowly this year, colds are to be expected. My husband Mike asked me to write this quick post about what we do to support our immune systems and, as a result, how we often reduce the severity and length of colds.
First things first, colds are good for us. I don’t always shorten a cold as it comes on, although I’d always like to! I recognize its cleansing properties and recognize the beautiful harmonic dance my body is performing. As Dr. Ben Kim states “By and large, the viruses that cause the common cold and the flu infect mainly your weakest cells; cells that are already burdened with excessive waste products and toxins are most likely to allow viruses to infect them. These are cells that you want to get rid of anyway, to be replaced by new, healthy cells.
So in the big scheme of things, a cold or flu is a natural event that can allow your body to purge itself of old and damaged cells that, in the absence of viral infection, would normally take much longer to identify, destroy, and eliminate.”
How ’bout them apples?
The body uses viruses to clean out the weakest cells and make room for stronger, more vibrant cells. Additionally, from an emotional perspective, colds normally occur when we are stressed, have too much going on or are nursing small hurts.
Colds aren’t fun though. In our house, we don’t use products to simply suppress the process like over the counter cold remedies that make the body’s efficient detox work much harder (cough and mucous suppressants). We do use some natural products that support the immune system so that it can more quickly eliminate the cellular garbage and some natural products with anti-viral properties to keep the viruses from replicating too fast. If you want support with making your cold a smoother detox process, consider the following steps:
What we do
This is what my family does with great success and that’s all. Do what you feel is right.
- Young Living Thieves spray (sprayed in the mouth 2-3 times per day at the first sign of scratchy throat)
- Colloidal Silver (1 teaspoon 3 times a day)
- Young Living lemon and oregano essential oils. I put a couple drops of lemon essential oil in warm water or herbal tea and drink it throughout the day. I also buy empty vegetable glycerine capsules from Young Living or a health food store and place 2-3 drops of oregano and lemon essential oils in it. Take it like any other capsules 2-3 times per day. This advice is ONLY for Young Living essential oils which are safe to ingest. DO NOT try this with health food store essential oils.
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Extra rest – it’s what your body is crying out for!
- Epsom salts baths – detox powerhouse
Sometimes, I knock it out much faster than I expect to. In fact, I felt a cold for about 4 hours last Wednesday. I used Thieves Spray, colloidal silver, lemon and oregano essential oils and that was it. By the time I went to bed, all signs of the cold were gone. If a cold does catch on, I know it’s because my body is detoxing, so I support the process with all the steps I listed and I move through it quickly (usually a couple of days at most).
I hope this perspective helps you to appreciate what is going on at the cellular level with viruses and why they are an important tool in supporting a healthy human body. I also hope the next time you experience a cold ‘detox’ you won’t be so quick to dull it down. Honor the process. Honor your body.