What The Heck Is A Summer Cold, Anyway?
Most of us think that a cold is something that you
get in the winter. You know those cold days when
you get your feet wet, a chill goes through your
body and, the next thing you know, you got a
whopping cold that knocks you out for a week! The
summertime doesn’t seem to be the cold season but,
lo and behold, I am seeing herds of people with
summer cold, including myself last week.
What the heck is a summer cold, anyway?
It can be just an allergy like hay fever, also
known as rhinitis, an allergy that gives you a
number of unwanted symptoms, similar to a common
cold:
• Itchy nose, mouth, eyes, throat, skin, or any
area
• Problems with smell
• Runny nose
• Sneezing
• Watery eyes
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Headache
• Body aches
• Low energy
• Fever
These symptoms occur shortly after you come into
contact with the substance you are allergic to.
They just don’t go away until you keep away from
the allergens, or you strengthen your immune
system.
When we have a cold, the body goes through many
changes. A cold can come from one of many
different types of viral pathogens. But remember
that a cold is a cleansing process to clear the
body of excesses. If you have been overdrinking,
overeating, and indulging to excess, chances are
you will get a cold or flu to flush out your
system – “a natural detox.”
The good news is the summer cold is usually gone
within a week. My grandmother had many home-brewed
treatments to cure a cold, such as gargle with
salt water for a sore throat. Take 1 gram of
Vitamin C every hour until you got the runs, and
suck on Zinc lozenges. She claimed these were a
sure cure for a cold. My mother said, “When I was
a child, my mother would give us syrup consisting
of a whole onion that was cooked slowly in sugar
water until it got syrupy, and then she would make
us drink it.” I asked if it worked, and mom said
she forgot.
In Chinese medicine, grief and sadness are the
emotions associated with the lungs. The lungs open
to the nose, which means that the lungs influence
all the sinuses, bronchial air passageways, and
the nose itself. Colds often start when we are
tired or under stress or have too much sadness and
grief in our lives.
Here are nine ways to help prevent a cold:
1. Wash your hands often.
2. Stay out of the wind.
3. Drink 8 to 10 ounces of clean water a day.
4. Avoid touching your face, especially the nose,
mouth, and eye.
5. Prevent the spreading of the virus by using
paper cups.
6. Clean door knobs, light switches, telephones,
remote controls, and sinks.
7. Use paper towels in the kitchen and bathroom
for hand washing.
8. Get 6 to 8 hours of sleep a night and when you
have a cold. Take a nap in the hottest part of the
day.
9. De- stress yourself. If you are stressed, it
weakens your immune system, and you are more
likely to catch a cold.
Stay tuned for part 2 of how to avoid a summer
cold.
I wish you the best in your Health, Wealth and
Happiness.
Dr. Wu Dhi
