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Healthy Alternatives: The Natural Health Advisor

Melanie Grimes will introduce you to the many types of alternative and complementary health practices and describe specific treatments for common ailments. Natural health can be yours through natural medicines.

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Natural Health

Cold and Flu Treatments Can Be Found In Common Foods

By: Melanie Grimes
Published: Friday, 4 December 2009
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There is no known cure for the common cold, but your kitchen is stocked with many foods that can help relieve symptoms and speed your recovery. Next time the sniffles and sneezing invade your home, head to the cupboards for help and health.

LEMONADE: 
This is wonderful to soothe sore throats, cleanse the blood, and loosen mucous. Add the juice of half a lemon and one teaspoon of maple syrup to a cup of warm water.

CHICKEN SOUP: 
Use of chicken soup goes back to the twelfth century, to a Jewish physician and philosopher, Maimonides, who recommended chicken soup to treat colds and flu.

MUSTARD: 
Mustard packs reduce fever, eliminate toxins and help heal the mucus membranes in the lungs.

GINGER: 
Ginger tea can help kill germs, as an antiviral and is also very good for an upset stomach. 
Boil two tablespoons of grated fresh ginger in two cups of water for fifteen minutes, remove from the heat and steep for ten minutes. 
Drink as needed. Adding ginger to a bath stimulates the lymph system and speeds lymph drainage. Pulverize a quarter cup of fresh ginger and place in cheesecloth and soak in the tub as water fills.

GARLIC: 
Common household garlic is great as a preventative and as a treatment for colds and flu. 
Raw garlic has anti-fungal, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. 
Researchers in England found that garlic can speed up recovery from the flu and increase resistance.Garlic can cause increased bleeding, so those taking medications for bleeding should take care when adding extra garlic to the diet.

PEPPERMINT: 
Mint tea helps to break a sweat. Make a tea and go quickly to bed where you will sweat out the fever.

CASTOR OIL: 
A Castor oil pack placed on the chest can open the airwaves and bring circulation to the lungs. Massage Castor oil on the chest, cover with muslin or flannel, and place a warm hot water bottle over the chest.

ORANGES/VITAMIN C: 
Research has shown that Vitamin C found in orange juice, taken daily, can shorten the duration of the flu. 
A recent study showed that 1,000 mg of Vit C every six hours can effectively relieve, or even prevent, flu symptoms.

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