Defeat the Cold & Flu in a Day

Since everyone's been getting sick twice lately, and it's a total germ bazaar right now, I'll teach you how to fight the cold and flu quickly and effectively. Ancient Chinese secrets wins this one. Toss out the expensive western "medicine" and go natural.

With the knowledge of Chinese medicine, my flu and illnesses only last 1 day. Yes, ONE. As long as you start the moment something hits, the less time it will take to recover; the sooner the better. It's hard to be sick for more than 2 to 3 days if you follow this regimen anyway. At most, you'll have an extra day of slight residual runny nose.

The answer to the cold and flu is ginger broth. It will help prevent illness and fight off the cold and flu by stimulating the immune system, providing antioxidants, and generating intense, soothing heat in the body to help restore the body's healthy temperature and balance.

This Chinese medicinal trick is more beneficial than the western approach of harmful drugs because it solves the problem at the root. Western cold and flu medicines are all just suppressants, soothing teas and vapors, and gimmick non-FDA products. Suppressants keep everything clogged and still trapped in the body. When the medicine wears off, symptoms are worse than they normally would be, which forces you to keep taking these suppressants, thus prolonging the illness until the immune system finally fends it off after a week or so. Soothers hardly help nor benefit the system. And gimmick products, especially western ones, are all just capsules made to contain ingredients with beneficial properties, but hardly ever in quantities that actually affect the situation at all. For example, a product might claim to have ginger, but does it have enough to even benefit the immune system? NOPE!

Since most common illnesses related to the flu and cold are due to catching chill, lowered body temperature, and lowered immune system, the proper approach is to restore the body's temperature so the body is back into balance. When the body's energies are balanced, everything functions properly and you obviously won't have that sick feeling.

I wasn't able to prevent my most recent illnesses because of neglect. I tried fighting it for 3 days, but lost. I kept going out, I partied on Friday night, caught so many chills in the cold evenings, and was surrounded by several coughers and congested in a room with sick people. The ginger broth wasn't enough to prevent this one. But despite the horrible weight of the flu when it finally hit as I awoke to a ton of bricks on my body, it lasted for just ONE DAY. A week later I caught a nasty chill and got sick again, but I fought again and this one last a day again. I'd feel nothing the next day.

WESTERN METHODS OF PREVENTING COLD: (1) If you feel a cold coming on, put on a cap, wrap yourself warm in a blanket, keep your feet warm, and sweat to trap the heat back in the body about twice a day until you don't feel any abnormalities. (2) If you notice drastic changes in temperature, take an antihistamine before going out. If you catch a chill, you won't be affected. The antihistamine trick works very well, but when you're actually sick, good luck. (3) Take vitamin supplements of C, B complex, and Zinc.

EASTERN METHODS OF PREVENTING COLD/FLU: (1)If you want to stimulate the immune system and keep the yang energy cycling in the body to prevent cold fronts, drink a big bowl of warm-hot ginger broth twice a day (morning and mid-afternoon, avoid evening). (2) Tai chi daily. (3) If you caught a chill or feel a cold coming on, keep extremely warm and stuffy. You want to trap heat into the body. Drink ginger broth. Take vitamin supplements with C, B complex, & Zinc.

------WHEN YOU ARE SICK WITH THE FLU/COLD: -------
this includes runny nose, excessive mucus, congestion, chills, etc

(1) Drink ginger broth 2 - 3 times a day (morning, afternoon, and late afternoon by 6pm).
(2) Dress warmly throughout the day. Underarmour shirts are ideal with fleece sweaters. Wear pants and socks.
(3) Keep covered when sleeping.
(4) Do NOT eat meats, SUGAR/SWEETS, or complex foods, junk foods, heavy foods, etc. You want your body to spend as minimal energy as possible in digesting and breaking down/processing GARBAGE. SWEETS/processed sugar will suppress the immune system for about 6 hours after ingested. It is best to make rice porridge and eat that nice and warm for dinner before 9pm.
(5) Take vitamin supplements of C, B complex, and Zinc. (DAILY) I tend to take my vitamins in the evening, but mornings may be more preferable.
(6) Drink water and 100% pure juices through the day between ginger broth. I just do broth and water.
(7) Sleep before 11pm at best.
(8) EXTREMELY IMPORTANT: BLOW YOUR NOSE ALL THE TIME WHEN IT'S RUNNY. DO NOT sniffle it or swallow any mucus. Anytime your throat feels like it has something, get it out. When you swallow or keep any mucus produced while being sick, you'll end up with a cough and the toxins and contaminants will remain in the body, further prolonging any infection and illness.
(9) Helpful: gargle Listerine twice a day to prevent or treat sore throat and kill any harmful cultures in the throat.
(10) Rest through the day as much as possible. Do not exert yourself with television or the computer. The body expends too much energy staying awake and paying attention while it should devote most of its resources to fighting the illness.

---------RECIPE--------------

4 to 5 generous slices of ginger root (about 2 inches in diameter)
4 cups of water
(optional)- Two WHITE tails green onion (scallions). DO NOT use green strips. Add together with ginger if used

Bring the water to boil under medium to medium-high heat. Put the ginger into the water. Let it boil for at least 5 minutes with the top covered. Then reduce the temperature to a low heat and simmer for 15 minutes. The broth should become a pale yellow.

Drink the broth warm-hot. Never searing, never luke warm nor cold. Sip it and finish at least 3 cups each session. Each ginger set can make the broth twice, and then you'll have to cut fresh new ginger slices. Ginger is cheap, use fresh ones each time to ensure optimal potency.

IF YOU WISH TO SWEAT OUT THE TOXINS AND FORCE THE TEMPERATURE TO MORE SPEEDILY STABILIZE...
Add the green onion with the ginger and follow normal procedure. Then after drinking the broth, cover your entire body, especially the head too, with a warm blanket. You will sweat. Be prepared.

---------OTHER---------

The vitamin supplements that help really well are Nature's Way Stress B-Complex. It has all your B's and vitamin C, plus Zinc and other beneficial, non-countering vitamins. These are all great for the immune system and body's need for energy.

For rice porridge, boil 1 cup rice per 8 cups water under medium high heat, top covered. If you want thicker porridge, use 7 cups water, or even 6 cups. Bring the rice to boil for about 3 minutes, and then reduce to low simmer. Open the top just slightly so that steam can come out. In about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, the porridge should be ready. You can add some salt, spicy radishes, fermented bean curd, or other small flavorings. But remember, the blander the better. I'd rather have bland porridge for a day than eat delicious hearty meals and remain sick for a week.

Good luck! Feel free to drop me a line if you have other questions or would like to request me to blog about other home remedies for other things.