Heart Disease & Cold Remedies

Over the past week, I’ve suffered with major nasal congestion along with my sinus infection. The doctor gave me a nasal spray, Nasonex, but every time I pumped the spray in my nostrils, I’d sneeze and all the medication would end up in the Kleenex.

All the nasal decongestant and antihistamines packaging warns that persons with heart disease should not take these products, so what is a person with heart disease suppose to do when they can’t breath?

It’s time to go back to unconventional treatments for the common cold. Actually, I do subscribe to homemade chicken soup and hot tea. Not only can we hold our face over the hot liquid and allow the steam to permeate our nasal passages, but we can also use the hot bowl or cup as a compress against our swollen sinuses. Chicken soup with veggies and noodles provides us with a nutritious meal and hot tea and lots of water keeps us hydrated.

But, in additional to hot tea and chicken soup, I’ve recently come across an article on WebMD that discusses another alternative. Warm and cold showers.

Colds and Flu: Time Is The Only Sure Cure
“It's not chicken soup. Believe it or not, a much more unorthodox therapy of warm-and-cold showers has recently been proposed -- though not proven -- for the prevention of the common cold. Shower therapy joins an ever-growing spectrum of suggested preventers and treatments for the common cold -- among them, hand washing, vitamin C, interferon, seclusion, and various over-the-counter cough and cold medications.
‘An efficient, practical and inexpensive prophylaxis (preventive measure) against one of the most frequent (and 'expensive') diseases has been identified at last,’ claims water therapy researcher Edzard Ernst, M.D., in the April 1990 issue of Physiotherapy. Though some may doubt his shower theory, Ernst is right about one thing -- the common cold is a frequent and expensive disease, striking some people as many as 12 times a year and leading to some 15 million days lost from work annually in the United States. Influenza, or flu, likewise, is a frequent and expensive disease, reaching epidemic levels in the United States each year.”

To read the entire article, click on this link:
Colds & Flu: Time is the Only Sure Cure

It's taken five days for my antibiotic to kick in. I can finally breathe air into my lungs and diaphragm. I can use my breath to stay calm and not worry about all the change happening around me that's increasing my stress level. My energy is coming back. I'm ready to go back to yoga. Maybe in another day I'll be strong enough to take a brisk walk.

This sinus infection has taught me the importance of my breath. It reminded me that this automatic bodily function we take for granted has the ability to calm the mind and heal the body.