Do you want to feel better faster?

Natural remedies to relieve flu-like symptoms

BY CHESHIRE QUE

Nov 3, 2024 06:45 PM

  

---

AT A GLANCE

• Water is needed by the immune system to make more white blood cells to fight infection. 

We see a spike in cases of flu-like illnesses concurrent with the rainy season. Although the Department of Health has reportedly observed a decline in the number of cases compared to the same period last year, cases of flu are still ever-present and shouldn’t be ignored. All means of preventing the infection must be done. Such as isolation, wearing of masks, handwashing, and the like. 

 

While there are medications that could help manage symptoms of flu such as fever, body aches, cough, and colds, there is no known cure for this viral infection. We simply have to wait it out. After all, viruses are self-limiting. Our natural doctor, the immune system, fights the infection rendering the virus unable to reproduce itself and we get healed. Therefore, if you take paracetamol to bring your body temperature to normal, take a decongestant to relieve a clogged nose, or take a cough suppressant to prevent dry cough, or mucolytic to loosen phlegm, you are not killing the virus. You are simply managing symptoms caused by the viral infection.  

 

Flu can last between four to seven days. You can feel better faster by not solely relying on medications. There are ways to naturally boost the immune system, as well as, alleviate symptoms in combination with medications. Unfortunately, fast paced modern lifestyle has made us forget or neglect some traditional home remedies that have been proven effective.

 

Firstly, never underestimate the healing wonders of hydrotherapy. Heal with water. If you’re having a fever, use a small towel soaked in lukewarm water for a sponge bath. Ensure that body parts are well covered with clothing or towels afterward. Having a sponge bath, especially in areas like the neck, armpits, and groin will help lower the body temperature. Do not use cold water or alcohol as this may cause a rapid decrease in temperature and shivering. When this occurs, the skin may feel cooler but the internal body temperature may rise as a result of the shivering. 

 

Another form of hydrotherapy is steam inhalation. This is very effective for clogged nose and loosening mucus or phlegm in the throat. In a small basin or bowl, carefully put water that has just been boiled. You may add some essential oils like eucalyptus if available. Put a towel over your head and inhale the steam. For convenience, there is also steam inhalation equipment that can be bought in stores that sell medical supplies. 

 

Water intake is crucial when you have flu. You have to drink water throughout the day to keep hydrated. This will help lower your body temperature and prevent mucus formation that makes you cough and clog your nose. Water is needed by the immune system to make more white blood cells to fight infection. Always check the color of your urine. It must be light yellow. If it gets darker especially when you’re not taking any vitamin C supplements, then you are dehydrated even if your throat does not feel parched.

 

Second, don’t fight sleep. There is a reason why you feel tired and very sleepy when you have the flu. As a response to the infection, the immune system will release pro-inflammatory chemicals called cytokines. These proteins are like natural messengers that tell the immune system what to do, such as how many immune cells to produce. Cytokines make you want to sleep. This makes sense because when we sleep, our body can repair and recover. Therefore, it is unwise to keep on working when you have the flu. Don’t fight it. Just sleep and rest as much as you can. Otherwise, if you aren’t helping your immune system in fighting the infection, you won’t be able to shorten the duration of your illness. 

 

Thirdly, you may not have an appetite but you must eat fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices. Grab a banana or an orange. Eat vegetable soup. Because these contain plant chemicals or phytochemicals that help bring down inflammation and aid the immune system. 

 

Have you ever had salabat or ginger tea? Ginger helps with pain and fever. It also soothes the throat. It has natural antimicrobial properties. You can add pure honey which is a natural cough suppressant.

 

Another functional food that I recommend is the osmanthus. It can come in the form of tea or freeze-dried powder. Studies have proven that osmanthus can relieve respiratory symptoms. I myself have taken this to loosen phlegm instead of taking a mucolytic drug. 

 

Lastly, practice oral and nasal care. You can gargle using warm water with salt. The salt draws water from your throat. With that comes the mucus and the virus. The same solution can be used for nasal sprays. However, over the counter preparations can be bought in drugstores for convenience. Disinfecting your throat and nose can decrease the development of virus and shorten the duration of infection.

 

Keep your family safe this flu season and hopefully, you will survive without getting any infection.

 

cheshireque@gmail.com

Could anger be the cause of your ulcer?

How such a normal emotion can make you physically ill?

BY CHESHIRE QUE

  

---

Anger is not all that bad. In fact, the Bible plainly separates anger and sin in Ephesians 4:26, “In your anger do not sin.” Anger is a normal emotion we all feel. It can compel us to make positive changes and make us a better person. We get angry when there’s injustice around us, right? We get angry when someone oppresses us. We get angry when we see other people getting hurt and that prompts us to help out.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexel

In fact, repressing anger is not healthy at all. Dr. Ernest Harburg and his team from the University of Michigan School of Public Health conducted a longitudinal study of anger for decades. Their study concluded that individuals who repressed their anger in response to unjust attack were more likely to suffer from bronchitis and heart attacks. It also increased their likelihood of dying earlier than their peers who express their anger.

How we respond to feelings of anger, however, is what matters the most. You can either express and resort to an action or any form of retaliation that is considered a sin or respond without committing a sin. For instance, when someone offends you, you can either verbally let that person know you are angry and let off steam by taking a walk or you can choose to retaliate by cursing the person or getting into a fist fight. You can choose to resolve your anger peacefully at the proper time or choose to harm the offender right then and there. 

Anger comes in many forms. Unfortunately, we often fail to recognize it. Anger can be disguised as bitterness, resentment, malice, envy, intolerance, criticism, revenge, rage, hatred, jealousy, sarcasm, gossip, unforgiveness, rebellion, clamor, and assault. If you are sick or have been suffering from a recurrent illness that does not seem to go away despite medical intervention, ask yourself this question: “Am I an angry person?”

Anger that is fleeting and resolved may not cause you any damage. Being in a constant state of anger, harboring resentment and bitterness, plotting and carrying out revenge, refusing to forgive, succumbing to rage and pent-up wrath come with such a high cost—your health. It will cause you mental, emotional, and physical stress.

Anger impacts your heart and cardiovascular system. It causes the narrowing of blood vessels (the pipes inside our body where blood flows), which in turn spikes up the blood pressure. When this happens often, the blood vessels will eventually be damaged, arteries get clogged, and become stiff. Clots can form that could cause a stroke or heart attack.

“Rage can have effects on the arteries that supply blood to and from the heart, it can have an effect on the electrical system that tells the heart when to beat, and it can have an effect specifically on the heart muscle,” said Dr. Wittstein, an expert in stress cardiomyopathy. Anger affects the nervous system, which comprises the brain, spinal cord, and a complex network of nerves that send signals throughout the body. Anger and other emotions are generated in the brain and not in the heart that pumps blood. Technically, the heart we refer to when we speak of emotions is the brain. It is a person’s emotional center located between the temples, specifically known as the prefrontal cortex.

Nerves that stem from this emotional center are connected to all vital organs, including the brain, heart, and stomach. As constriction of blood vessels occurs, oxygen and nutrient supply are impeded. Hormone secretions are affected and muscle tension occurs. Ever wonder why you have unexplained body aches and pains when you’re stressed out or furious?

There is a connection between the brain and the stomach too. We call it the gut-brain axis. When we are enraged, acid production is increased in the gut, essential nutrients that keep the stomach and the intestinal lining healthy are restricted, and the gut microbiome or friendly bacteria alters. Have you experienced getting hyperacidity when you are upset? Are you having a difficult time digesting food and end up bloated after you eat while seething in anger?

Alterations in gut microbiome affects the immune system and gut health. Peptic or gastric ulcer is caused by the bacteria H. Pylori. It is a common microorganism that could be harmful when the immune system is compromised. Thus, causing ulcers to form in the stomach. 

While anger constricts blood vessels in the heart, it causes the opposite in the head. Dilation of blood vessels occur permitting an abnormal supply of blood in the brain. Since the skull or cranium is rigid, it does not allow any room for expansion. Thus, we get headaches. 

If you are an angry person and you want to be set free from illnesses that may be related to this strong emotion, seek the help of counselors or psychologists who can help you manage your anger. Learning to express anger in a creative and positive way, as well as learning how to forgive will surely make you a healthier person free from the pains of ulcer, headaches, and other diseases. Take action before it’s too late or you just drop dead from stroke or a massive heart attack.