Foods for your cold or flu!

03 Tuesday Nov 2020

Posted by ConnieSellecca in Intelligence for Your Life

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banana, cold, cold and flu, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, electrolytes, flu, garlic, ginger, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, Johns Hopkins Hospital, potasium

So you’ve got a cold or the flu…

Here’s what to eat/drink to feel better, according to clinical dietitians at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

First: Ginger: If you’re feeling nauseous, ginger has been shown to provide relief. Try ginger tea, or add it to soup or a stir-fry.

Another food to eat when you’re sick: Garlic. It has healing antiviral and antibacterial properties.

Finally, feel better by eating bananas. They’re easy to digest on an upset stomach and provide potassium, an essential electrolyte that helps maintain the right balance of water for optimal cell function.

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Is your nose cold?

28 Monday Sep 2020

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It could mean you’re stressed and working too hard!

Researchers at the UK’s University of Nottingham found when people were concentrating really hard on a task, their noses got colder – dropping almost 2 degrees temperature-wise! The scientists say, when we’re feeling overwhelmed by intense cognitive activity, more blood gets diverted to the brain… and less goes to the nose. Because it takes extra energy to pump blood there. So, if the tip of your nose starts to feel chilly, it may be time to take a quick break at work.

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Feel a cold coming on?

21 Monday Sep 2020

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Here’s how to get rid of it ASAP, according to lung specialist Dr. Neil Schachter:

First, take a HOT shower when you wake up. Lying down causes virus-laden mucus to drain to the back of your nose and throat, making it harder to breathe. But hot, steamy air loosens mucus, helping you clear it OUT by coughing or blowing your nose.

Next, the more water you drink, the faster your body can flush out viruses.

And even a 5-minute walk slightly raises our core temperature, like when we have a fever, which can literally bake our cold germs away.

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Warm-up with this breathing technique:

06 Monday Apr 2020

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Even though it’s springtime, it’s still chilly in some areas. So here’s the scenario: You’ve thrown on extra layers and turned up the thermostat, yet you STILL can’t stop shivering. What do you do?

Try Ujjayi breathing, an ancient yoga technique known as “victorious breath.” Basically, it involves taking slow, deep breaths through your nose, with your mouth CLOSED. Some practitioners also recommend focusing on the sound of air passing slowly through your nose, which can sound like ocean waves crashing on a beach!

So, how does Ujjayi breathing stop the shivering? Researchers say air passing through small nostrils creates more friction than through a wider throat and generates extra heat in your lungs, so you feel warmer. And the “ocean waves” sounds help anchor the mind in a way proven to promote calmness. For best results, take at least 15 slow, deep breaths through your nose.

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If you want to avoid a cold, or get rid of one:

17 Tuesday Mar 2020

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The herb thyme is your friend. It contains an oil called thymol that kills germs on contact and is an active ingredient in cold medications, like Vicks VapoRub. It can stop an infection short by activating white blood cells and boosting immunity. And if you’re already sick, thyme can reduce congestion, coughs and nasal irritation. So cook with thyme, or make tea. Add 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme to hot water, steep for 10 minutes, strain and sip. And for a stuffy nose, add thyme to boiling water, cover your head with a towel, lean over and inhale the steam.

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To battle a cold and sore throat:

25 Tuesday Feb 2020

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Eat more root vegetables, like carrots, beets, sweet potatoes and turnips. They contain powerful antioxidants that switch on enzymes that heal tissues and boost immunity. In fact, eating a half-cup of root vegetables a day can boost production of virus-attacking white blood cells by 53%! And you get a bonus with orange root vegetables like carrots and yams. Yale researchers say they contain beta-carotene that helps heal throat tissue damaged by acid reflux. So root vegetables can relieve your sore throat – from a cold and acid reflux.

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Here’s a natural remedy for the flu:

27 Monday Jan 2020

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Go get some elderberry syrup. You can find it at stores like Rite Aid, CVS, and Target. According to the Loyola University Health System, elderberries have antioxidants that may help stop the flu virus from replicating. It won’t get rid of the flu – but it can shorten the duration of your illness and ease symptoms. The prescription? Mix 1 tablespoon of elderberry syrup into water or tea, 4 times a day.

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We yawn more in winter…

13 Monday Jan 2020

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Not because we’re more exhausted – it’s because the air is cooler. According to the journal Frontiers in Evolutionary Neuroscience, we yawn to keep our brain at the top of its game. Because when we inhale deeply, we’re replacing the hot, stagnant air in our lungs with the cool, fresh air around us. And the brain operates best when it’s cool – so yawning draws in cool air, and makes us more alert and quicker thinkers. So we yawn more in winter than summer because the air is cooler.

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Here’s an odd tip to help you fight a cold or flu:

20 Friday Dec 2019

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Tap your chest!

There’s an acupressure point in the middle of the breastbone – at about where your third rib would be. Gently tap that point for a minute every couple of hours. Eastern medicine experts say it’ll trigger the thymus gland to produce more T-cells, which are the cells that help our immune system find and attack viruses.

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Don’t get sick this year!

03 Tuesday Dec 2019

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When everyone around you is coughing and sneezing, try this trick to avoid getting sick, too: Set aside one evening a week for family movie night – and stick with it!

Researchers at the State University of New York found that regular R&R cuts our risk of illness by more than a third. Because kicking back and relaxing allows our frazzled nervous system to cut production of stress hormones, which weaken our immunity. Plus, when we’re relaxed, our body boosts production of germ-fighting antibodies, which is the first line of defense against illness-causing invaders.

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Tag Archives: cold

Foods for your cold or flu!

Is your nose cold?

Feel a cold coming on?

Warm-up with this breathing technique:

If you want to avoid a cold, or get rid of one:

To battle a cold and sore throat:

Here’s a natural remedy for the flu:

We yawn more in winter…

Here’s an odd tip to help you fight a cold or flu:

Don’t get sick this year!