Turning the Heat Up on the Common Cold
Tips from Maharishi Ayurveda (gratefully taken with permission from mapi.com) Come Fall, more than maple leaves turn red. Ever noticed how
many red-nosed people you see in the stores at this time? Kleenex sales
go up, and antihistamines fly off the shelves. Chances are, even as you
read this, you're trying to stifle a sniffle.
Take heart--you can win the cold war.
And yes, you can do it without the standard ammunition of pills and
rubs. Believe it or not, something as simple as sleeping on time could
be your greatest anti-cold weapon!
Ayurveda, the ancient Indian science of healing, has an interesting
theory on disease. It believes that all disease happens because the
elements that make up our body go out of balance. The common cold, for
instance, strikes when the body's digestive fire or "agni" is dampened.
What causes that? Well, the cold weather itself! Yes, the temperature
outside dips, and with it, your immunity.
Now look what happens: the dimmed fires inside fail to burn body
toxins or "ama" fully. The "ama" accumulates, clogging the
micro-channels of the body and generating phlegm. Phlegm, or "kapha",
combined with toxins or "ama" makes mucus. Result: a case of the
a-tissues!
Ayurvedic vaidyas say your body at this time is a land ripe and ready
for virus attack. When your immunity is strong, the "beej bhoomi" or
"body soil" is infertile -- it does not let virus grow. But when manured
with "ama", the body soil becomes fertile. Time for virus and bacteria
to start taking root.
So much for the cause. Now for the cure.
The key, obviously, would lie in keeping the body fires burning
bright. This is easily achieved, once you understand that a lot of
Ayurvedic advice is plain common sense and logic. The Council of Maharishi Ayurveda Physicians gives you the must-dos and don't-evers for this winter: Diet:
1. Decembrrrrr. Common sense should tell you it's the season to stay
away from cold foods like ice-cream and yogurt. So will a vaidya. He
will add that you should avoid tomatoes, eggplant and bananas -- for
they are "cold" foods that slow down the "agni".
2. Keep your insides warm with warm spices -- cumin is considered the
ace "ama" burner. Stack up your spice rack with "thermogenic" or
heat-generating spices like black pepper, coriander, and cumin. Clove,
boiled with milk, is excellent too.
3. Vaidyas say cakes and desserts need more fire to digest. But that
doesn't mean you have to ignore your sweet tooth all winter. Metabolize
the sugar better with bay leaf, cinnamon and cardamom. The ideal winter
dessert? Apple stewed the Ayurveda way: one Red Delicious apple, pierced
with 4 cloves and boiled. Once done, remove the cloves and savor the
clove-warmed, energy-enhancing fruit.
4. Trust in turmeric, the yellow spice that kills "ama" and builds
immunity. All it takes is a quarter teaspoon of turmeric in your lentils
and veggies. Crushed fresh ginger will combat the heaviness of a "rich"
meal.
5. Happily, there are some solid Ayurvedic formulations to help you
zap that cold. Herbs that pack a powerful punch -- improving your
immunity, lubricating your lungs and clearing the body's channels.
Maharishi Ayurveda's battery of highly skilled vaidyas has developed Sniffle Free and Bio-immune: Herbal formulations that promise just what their names suggest. The Sniffle Free aroma and Sniffle Free herbal tea provide support as well. Lifestyle:
|
 |
|||||||
 
|
|
 |
|||||
    |
|||||||
