Ayurvedic Tips and Reminders- Preventing Colds
Hello and Happy New Year!
The New Year is definitely off to a cold start and we are all trying to stay warm and prevent colds.
The tips in the following article from the Huffington Post about preventing colds are some I’ve touched upon in previous blogs- outside of washing your hands frequently. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-doctors-avoid-getting-colds_us_582b75a7e4b0e39c1fa6b8ac
Great to review and keep in awareness.
From Vit D to exercise, to getting enough sleep, these are all good reminders of our needed self care.
Ayurveda has an interesting perspective on disease. It believes that the cause of all disease is a disruption of the balance of elements inside our bodies. The cold weather can cause our bodily channels to get clogged with”ama” or undigested food known as “kapha”- mucous or phlegm in western terms, as a result of a dampened digestive power. Then we become more susceptible to colds and flus . For this reason, we often crave soups during winter- a food easy to digest and warming at the same time.
Ayurveda offers essential tips to prevent colds:
- Include warming spices in your daily diet. For example when cooking use cumin and especially ” turmeric” in your food-( I use turmeric on everything including eggs). Organic ground turmeric can be found at Whole Foods and other natural markets.
- 1/4 tsp of turmeric with warm water or honey is a great immune booster- can be taken twice daily.
- Get adequate sleep.
- Eating too much dairy, and baked goods can easily clog those channels of detoxification- so limit cakes, especially ice cream and include Vit C rich foods such as papaya, sweet oranges and papaya-( red, orange, yellow- first three chakras)
- Barleans Olive leaf extract is loaded with antioxidants to help prevent colds as well as help shorten colds.( Whole Foods)
- And yes, combine the western with the eastern tips to get the full treasure chest of gems.
- Please visit my facebook page for recent warming recipes.https://www.facebook.com/GedaliaHealingArts and discover the ancient benefits of tulsi tea.
Please ‘like” me on facebook and share these tips with your friends and family.
Remember, knowing and doing are different. It’s the small steps each day we take towards self-care that accumulate over time-( I can attest at 61 years of age).
And don’t miss Meryl Streep’s talk at the Golden Globe Awards last night when she says” take your broken heart and make it into art”. http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2017/01/08/watch_meryl_streep_denounce_trump_at_the_golden_globes.html
