Avoiding the Common Cold May be Easier than You Think
The cold and flu season is upon us again. To help you avoid the common cold as well as other sicknesses during this time, we want to share a bit of wisdom from Eastern medicine that everyone can use. These tips may seem simple but all too many of us don’t realize their importance.
Warmth and Health
Warmth and humidity is the fundamental requirements of life. These are the basic conditions needed for the proliferation of all life forms on earth and also applies to human health. That’s why keeping our bodies warm during cold weather is vitally important and can help us avoid colds and muscle cramps and cure sore throats naturally.
The most venerated book among Eastern medicine is “San Han Non” (SHN). SHN is empirical and contains a collection of long term studies and remedies to heal many sicknesses. According to SHN, a cold body is the root cause of the common cold and flu, menstrual cramps and many other ailments. The book even warns that a cold body temperature may be fatal. Yes, it is possibly for fatal failure due to cold.
A popular belief today is that a cold is caused by viruses, but that’s not the whole story.
Why do some people catch colds and others do not, even while living in the same house or working in the same office? The answer is that people get sick if their immune systems can’t fight off the cold virus. A healthy immune system will fight off the virus, while a weak immune system will be defeated by it. Viruses are everywhere, but the people who suffer from a cold are the ones with deteriorated immune systems. Therefore, a healthy immune system is key to resisting colds and a person’s body temperature has a major impact on the effectiveness of their immune system.
Changes in body temperature can effect your overall health.
Dr. Ishara Yumi correlates that a one degree increase in body temperature will increase immune system efficiency five-fold. But if the body loses one degree, the effectiveness of the immune system deteriorates by 30 percent. Most modern research supports this theory. Therefore, the most effective thing we can do to maintain our health is very simple: keep warm! Begin by avoiding cold drinks and icy food in cold weather. Taking vitamins and eating healthy foods are important too, but simply keeping our bodies warm can prevent many, many illnesses.
If you drink cold soda and eat ice cream in winter, you may find yourself suffering from a sore throat or inflamed tonsils. Ironically, although it hurts, this reaction to an infection is actually protecting you. When your body becomes cold, the tonsils enlarge to reduce cold air intake to the body. The tonsils are simply following the body’s instructions to minimize further cold air from entering the body system. So instead of taking anti-inflammatory medicine, try increasing your body temperature. You’ll find that warming your internal system is more effective than medication. If you have a sore throat, try this: take a hot shower to warm your body and only drink warm water. This will create a warm condition, which is how we should take care of our bodies. You’ll notice that your sore throat is soothed and eventually will disappear.
Did you know that heart is the only cancer-free organ? That’s because it always stays warm, since it moves all the time. Keep your body warm by avoiding cold beverages and by eating foods that warm the body such as Self Balancing Food.
We at New Universe Food wish you and your family the best of health!
By: Dr. Jo Young Kim
Technical Advisor Self Balancing Food, Doctor at Dah Jung Hospital
