Have you tried natural remedies for a cough or cold?

It seems like everyone has the crud this year and it is lingering longer than ever. I am not going into why that may or may not be because that is a super controversial rabbit hole. However, give some natural remedies to try besides pharmaceuticals and have shown to be very effective in reliving cough cold flu and even covid symptoms!

Who has too much mucus right now…I sure did! Goldenseal is your go to. Goldenseal is the king of mucus membranes. Your body make mucus to push out toxins and when its green those are dead white cells and when its red it may contain a little blood. Because goldenseal is the king of mucus membranes it can help any conditions from mouth to anus but includes upper respiratory infection, allergies, gastritis, UTI, even as a mouth wash for sore gums and conjunctivitis. How does it work? The applicable parts are the dried rhizome and root. There are several alkaloids in this and specifically the berberine alkaloid has antibacterial, antifungal, and some antimycobacterial and antiprotozoal activity. Berberine has shown to be effective against Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, E.coli, Shigella, Mycobacterium, Candida and more! There are other beneficial alkaloids and other beneficial actions but since we are all feeling inundated with flu like symptoms and are looking for something to help us feel better this is my number one tip.

What else you ask…Elderberry. Elderberry has been used for influenza treatment and treatment of swine flu. The applicable part of elderberry is the ripe fruit. The primary flavonoids are anthocyanidins which have an immunomodulating, antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects. You can find elderberry in syrups and lozenges pretty easily or just get an elderberry extract and ad it to a beverage.

Another treatment that can provide some instant relief is alternating between hot and cold. A really hot bath preferably with some Epsom salt added and a little eucalyptus essential oil then get out and do just a few seconds to a few min if you can tolerate of a very cold shower. This stimulates the blood and circulation as well as decreasing inflammation but I will admit I struggle with the shower myself. However, if you read my last newsletter and read about or already knew about Wim Hoff, I feel like we should all be able to handle a 30 sec cold shower! It’s been a minute but there was a time before drugs and we used what was given to us in nature and our bodies natural immune system to heal. For those of you reading this and don’t really know me I am a big believer in natural medicine but conventional medicine as well. My degrees span from a doctorate in natural health to a fellowship in emergency medicine. I believe there is a place for both. When I had my accident over the summer and was laying in the trauma bay with more broken bone then I could count I can promise I was hoping for fentanyl and a surgeon not arnica and a yogi! We need to remember though that there are alternatives that can be better than pharmaceuticals at aiding the body in healing itself

Hope this is helpful! Stay healthy friends.