Treating cold, cough, sinus ...

Treating cold, cough, sinus .... 

by Sharad Gandhi

Having suffered from cold, cough, sinusitis and flu a number of times, I have yet to find a standard treatment that always works. I have tried out a few best practices and then have created my own approach - a combination of some traditional Indian and German practices. Essentially, treating cold, cough and sinus is all about "damage control" to support the body in its viral attack crisis, and gradually help it take over and defend itself again. It works for me - I have often managed to get the cold/cough/sinus out of my system in 2-3 days.

Background

1. Cold, sinusitis, flu etc. are mostly caused by virus - they are essentially viral attacks on the mucous linings of our upper respiratory system that include the nose, throat, mouth and the nasal cavities (sinus).
2. When virus attacks our body and our immunity is low (often as a result of some psychological stress), it creates inflammation and swellings in one or more parts of our upper respiratory system. This leads to excessive secretion of mucus creating typical symptoms of a cold/cough/sinus etc.
3. Unfortunately, there is no medication to kill viruses. In fact, there is no way to kill any type of virus. They attack our body cells and use our cell DNA debris to regenerate. They survive in our body for approximately 5-7 days and within that time use our cells to reproduce and spread.
4. If virus causes significant damage to our mucous lining, bacteria can take advantage of our weakened body; get established on the inflammation resulting in a bacterial infection - generally after 5-7 days. Antibiotics can kill bacteria; hence a bacterial infection can be medically treated. However, antibiotics cannot always differentiate between the bad bacteria that is making us sick, from trillions of good bacteria in our body that are essential for our normal functioning - like digestion.
5. It is best to deal with this sickness as early as possible, before a significant damage is done by the virus - and before it becomes bacterial.
6. So, if virus cannot be killed, what is the best way to get rid of them fast?

My treatment:  Get the swelling down and flush the mucus out!

1. My strategy is to help my body in dealing with the sickness in a natural way. Virus cannot be killed so there is no point in taking any medication to try killing them. Definitely no antibiotics.
2. Start as soon as possible - we often remain in denial that we are catching a cold or a flu and do nothing about it in the first critical day or two. Often we tend to take pain killers to dampen the effects, like headache and body-ache, just to keep up with our busy schedule. By doing that, we are allowing the virus to get more firmly established in our body and cause more damage. It is much better to recognize the first signs, accept fast that we are catching a cold and start doing something about it right away. 
3. First, just slow down. Best is to avoid all strenuous physical action, travel and stress generating activities right way. Your body is signaling you that it needs rest.
4. Start drinking lots of water (tea is fine too, but not essential). I drink about two glasses (about 1/2 liter) of tap water every 2-3 hours. This extreme hydration makes a huge difference in helping the body in dealing with the new situation.
5. Washing the palms of your hands with liquid (anti-bacterial) soap every 2-3 hours is very essential. It prevents repeated self-infection. Obviously, it also prevents you from infecting others.
6. The key objective of my treatment is to reduce the swelling of the mucous lining, and get the secreted mucus out of the body. This is a huge help to the body, which is suddenly overwhelmed and not in a position to do the big clean-up task on its own - it needs help. Drinking lots of water help in two ways. It helps to flush the viruses out of our system, and also in liquefying the mucus so that it can come out more easily.
7. You can do even more. There are good herbal medications (available in most pharmacies in Germany) to reduce the swelling and liquefy the mucus - Eucalyptus oil capsules, GeloMyrtol and Sinupret (esp. for sinusitis). Ambroxol tablets also help loosen the mucus.
8. Last step is to regularly flush out the mucus. Getting it out of the respiratory system is extremely important. Stagnant mucus is a feeding ground for bacteria. "Neti" with warm salt water - passing warm salt water from one nostril to another - helps to reduce swelling and flush out the mucus from the nostrils and some sinus areas. Gargling warm water with salt and "Haldi (Turmeric)" is most effective in reducing the swelling and giving an antiseptic plus expectorant coating of Haldi to the entire mouth, throat, nostrils area. Haldi is a natural germ/bacteria killer.
9. If you have a head cold (sinusitis), then inhaling steam (with Vicks applied within the nostrils) helps in hydrating the inner sinus areas and flushing out the mucous.
10. I normally never take pain killers during the day - to prevent an illusion of being well again. However, sleeping well is very important for the recovery, hence, if needed, I do take a painkiller (Paracetamol or Ibuprofen) to get a good sleep at night.
11. If my throat is irritated, I put an Indian herbal tablet (Jethimadh [Licorice Extract], Kanthil etc.) in the mouth at night. It also prevents inflammation of throat and mouth.
12. Continue this routine relentlessly for at least 3 days - best done until full recovery. This procedure of just giving my body a helping hand to get back in shape has consistently produced a quick recovery, without the use of any serious medication.
13. I do not believe that Vitamin C (Zinc) really helps in reducing the impact of cold. However, that is an option for those who believe in it. I prefer taking Echinacea drops as a preventive, if I feel I may be exposed.

Bottom Line: 
        Start soon, drink lots of water, wash hands frequently, reduce swelling, flush out mucus.

Sinupret tablets for sinusitis

Herbal mouth/throat pills (Indian)

Haldi - Turmeric powder - A natural antiseptic