Managing coughs, colds, flus during seasonal changes

One of the core principles of ayurveda is that 'like increases like'. Winter and that time in-between Winter and Spring when the cold is ‘melting’ is a time of year when the water and earth element are most dominant in nature - this is why we feel cold, heavy and blue and the incidence of phlegm, mucus, coughs and colds increase. If you are prone to these ailments and are thinking of a more natural route to healing this year, here are some handy guidelines…

Firstly, give your body time. Don’t rush the healing process! You are working with nature and your body's natural rhythms & defence mechanisms - give your body the space and time to draw upon its inner resources. This mental shift is immensely powerful in healing. It relaxes and calms an agitated mind. Mindfulness is directly linked to physiological wellness and this is Step One in any natural approach to wellness. 

Second, think about warming up, clearing out sticky mucus and getting plenty of rest.

To rest, good practices at this time are stopping what you are doing when you are tired (read: not pushing yourself too hard to do the ‘normal’ work or chore-load), minimising strenuous exercise, taking time off.

To clear out the mucus and make it easier to breathe, try a daily steam inhalation (either morning or evening) to clear out the throat and nasal passage. Add a tiny bit of a camphor based balm to the boiling water to get things really open and clear - it has sharp clearing effect that helps you breathe with ease. Try some of our Sri Lankan ayurvedic healing balms here. You can also apply this balm to the chest, throat and temples through the day to ease congestion. For deeper congestion release, you might consider trying a ‘congestion relief’ treatment at our ayurvedic clinic, here.

A nasal irrigation, saline rinse - known as jala neti is an excellent way to cleanse out the ENT area. Here is a setp by step guide on how to do jala neti.

Sipping hot water through the day is also good practice as it warms you up and loosens the mucus, as well as stimulating metabolism. To boost the drinks, try a hot spiced ginger tea (fresh ginger) or a turmeric tea (fresh or powdered with black pepper and honey) - for immunity building, extra warmth and boosting healing. Try to minimise or avoid dairy, anything cold, heavy and sticky (desserts and smoothies) or anything overly sweet (increases kapha dosha, linked to heaviness)

To deal with fevers a good practice is to boil coriander seed in water (about 1 tablespoon to a cup) and drinking this as a panacea through the day. Add a teaspoon of honey to sweeten. 

The ayurvedic herbal mixes, trikatu and also sitopaladi churna are great herbal remedies that you can take as a tablet or tea to clears out coughs, colds and mucus. Contact us here if you would like to purchase this.

If you are interesting in trying these approaches and want a bit more guidance please book in a time to come in for a chat and in depth ayurvedic consultation. Link is here or below.