Cold and Flu Season Dos and Don'ts From Organic Select in Vallarta-Nayarit Krystal Frost - Organic Select
go to original January 6, 2014

Sit up and take notes as we come blasting into our cold and flu season. Here are a couple of Dos and Don’ts that may make a difference in how your body responds.

First off it’s a misconception that colds are caused by bacteria. Colds are triggered by a virus, which means if your physician prescribes you an antibiotic, it will be absolutely useless.

It’s important you know how colds are contracted in the first place.

The common way cold viruses are spread is by hand-to-hand contact. For instance, someone with a cold blows their nose then shakes your hand or touches surfaces that you also touch.

Cold viruses can live on pens, computer keyboards, coffee mugs and other objects for hours, so it's easy to come into contact with such viruses. Wash your hands often.

Being exposed to a cold virus does not have to mean that you'll catch a cold. If your immune system is operating at its peak, it should actually be quite easy for you to fend off the virus without ever getting sick.

If your immune system is impaired, on the other hand, it's akin to having an open-door policy for viruses. They'll easily take hold in your body. So the simple and short answer is, you catch a cold due to impairment in your immune system. There are many ways this can result, but the more common contributing factors are:  

1. Eating too much sugar and too many grains

2. Not getting enough rest

3. Using insufficient strategies to address emotional stressors in your life

4. Vitamin D deficiency

5. Any combination of the above

One simple treatment protocol that my grandma uses with surprising effectiveness against head colds is hydrogen peroxide.  Administering a few drops of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into each ear at the first feelings of the onset will stop the virus in its track. You will hear some bubbling, which is completely normal, and possibly feel a slight stinging sensation. Tap in a bit of cotton into each ear, rub Vicks on the bottom of your feet, put on cotton socks and a long sleeve cotton shirt. Take an aspirin with some ginger and cinnamon tea with honey and lime juice and head for bed. If you have a sore throat try gargling with bicarbonate water before bed, add a teaspoon in a cup of warm water and salt. Don’t ask me how this formula works, but it does. I use it with my own kids and grandkids and it has some kind of magic in it.

Make sure you are drinking plenty of fresh, pure water with fresh lime juice. Water is essential for the optimal function of every system in your body and will help with nose stuffiness and loosening secretions. You should drink enough water so that your urine is a light, pale yellow. The lime will help alkalize your system.

Prevention - If you feel yourself coming down with a cold or flu, DO NOT EAT ANY sugar, artificial sweeteners or processed foods. Sugar is particularly damaging to your immune system.

Ideally, you must address nutrition, sleep, exercise and stress issues the moment you first feel yourself getting a bug. This is when immune-enhancing strategies will be most effective. JUST STOP AND UNPLUG. It's time to address ALL of the contributing factors immediately, which includes tweaking your diet in favor of foods that will strengthen your immune response.

Another factor is life in the tropics can make one susceptible to the changes of the season. We tend to not dress warm enough when it gets below 70 degrees which is our normal winter temp. 70 degrees seems warm, but factor in the nippy evening breeze, and cool off in the early morning followed by warm sunny days can stress your internal thermostat. Keep a scarf or around your neck when going out in the evening and throw an extra blanket on the bed in January and February.  KEEP WARM.

Organic Select is your online farmers market and connection to Local organic foods and products delivered to your home. We specialize in micro greens, gluten free bakery, raw food diets and hard to find but foodie obsessive products. Service area ranges from Mismaloya, Puerto Vallarta, Punta de Mita and Sayulita. For more information, visit Organic Select.

Written by Krystal Frost at Organic Select Mexico and published by Inside LaCruz.