Colds, angina, gastro... These seasonal hassles do not necessarily require you to rush toward doctor. Here's how to relieve yourself at home, effectively and safely.
Plants, vitamins, minerals, bee products: in the event of an attack by winter microbes, they can help us overcome our troubles and prevent us from abusing paracetamol or "anti-cold" drugs, including National Academy of Medicine officially recalled that none "had really shown great effectiveness" and "could represent a risk of adverse effects". As for antibiotics, they are, as the slogan reminds us, “not automatic”. Head for the gentle method... but which has proven itself!
1 – I still have a cold!
Adult, we catch on average two or three colds per year, due to various rhinoviruses, adenoviruses, (more than a hundred in total). The symptoms are well known: stuffy or runny nose, sneezing, headache, fatigue or even fever (mild to moderate). According to the National Academy of Medicine, it is better to avoid vasoconstrictors (with undesirable effects) or corticosteroids (unsuitable), and the health experts have even noted most "anti-cold" self-medication products on the list of substances to be avoided. .
Complications being rare, we take our troubles patiently and we try to alleviate the symptoms. To unclog the nose, wash three times a day with a hypertonic spray or seawater, followed by an inhalation of niaouli essential oil (3 to 5 drops) diluted in a bowl of simmering water and not boiling (the vapors should not burn), for 5 to 10 minutes (twice a day). Then, we stay warm for at least an hour, because the mucous membranes are dilated, therefore more sensitive to the cold. Are we blowing green? No panic, it is not necessarily a bacterial superinfection requiring antibiotics (again according to the National Academy of Medicine). Do we feel flat? Take purple echinacea, with proven respiratory anti-virus effects, as a mother tincture, to reduce the duration and severity of symptoms: 3 to 4 ml, three times a day. Also effective (recognized by the WHO), Andrographis (or Green chiretta), in whole plant extract (1,200 mg per day, for ten days).
We consult doctor if… it degenerates: high fever (+ 39°C), clogged sinuses with pain in the face and purulent blowing, otitis-type pain…
2 – My throat is burning…
It stings, scratches, is irritated, painful when swallowing? We take propolis, anti-inflammatory and anti-infectious (broad-spectrum) in mother tincture, to be diluted in honey, because the taste is not very good (20 drops of propolis in 1 tablespoons of honey ). If you are hoarse, add erysimum (cantor grass, known to speakers) in herbal tea: 2 tbsp. s of plant per day in 50 cl of water, to gargle the first sips and drink the rest during the day. We keep your throat warm with a scarf (stop with necklines!) and we think of humidifying the atmosphere in case of irritation cough (with a humidifier, to which we add 5 drops of essential oil of cypress of Provence). During the day, drink an "anti-itch" herbal tea: in a jar, mix 20 g of marshmallow root, 30 g of cinnamon bark, 40 g of mallow flowers, 30 g of savory leaves and 30 g of elderberry. Boil 25 cl of water, add 2 tbsp. c. of this mixture, let boil for 3 minutes, filter and add thyme or fir honey (with 1 drop of essential oil of eucalyptus radiata, diluted in honey).
We consult doctor if… The cough persists, it is difficult to breathe or a high fever (+ 39°C).
3 – if you have Angina
Cough, inflamed bronchi? Again, this is common (10 million cases of bronchitis per year) and… it can last up to three weeks, the cycle of the virus. The right reflex? Chest friction: mix 2 drops of eucalyptus globulus essential oil and 2 drops of ravintsara essential oil with 2 tbsp. c. of vegetable oil, and massage into the chest and back, once or twice a day. To sleep better, in the evening, take a hot bath with essential oils (10 drops of eucalyptus radiata + 5 drops of Scots pine + 5 drops of ravintsara, mixed with 2 tbsp of skimmed milk powder). You can also do inhalations, with 3 drops of Scots pine in a bowl of simmering water.
We consult doctor if… the cough persists, we “whistle” or we have trouble breathing.
4 – I have stomach ache and abdominal pain
Diarrhea, vomiting or nausea, abdominal pain or spasms, sometimes fever: this is gastroenteritis, also due to a virus (norovirus, astrovirus) and very contagious (disinfect toilets and sinks after each visit by the patient, if you live with family). We hydrate to compensate for water loss and we rest in the heat (with a hot water bottle on the stomach), adapting our diet: stop milk, fat, vegetables or raw fruits, and place white rice, broth vegetables and vermicelli, carrots, pumpkin, potatoes, chicken breast. Calm the spasms with an infusion of lemon balm (1 tbsp in 25 cl of cold water, boil for 3 minutes and infuse for 10 minutes). And we massage the abdomen with a mixture of 3 drops of essential oil of tea tree (anti-infectious), 3 drops of bay leaf, 3 drops of ginger and 3 drops of tropical basil (antispasmodic), diluted in 1 vs. at s. of oil, three to four times a day. It's better ? We make a cure of fermented yogurts or probiotics.
We consult doctor if… we are old, sick, immunocompromised or dehydrated, we are not better (or even worse) after 72 hours.
3 essentials to take in cold weather
Vitamin D: ultra-useful, because it is sorely lacking while it is positively involved in the fact of falling ill less, and less seriously, in the face of winter viruses. To be taken in the form of drops (2000 IU per day) to mimic the natural secretion, until the return of fine weather!
Vitamin C: essential for its antiviral properties. To be ideally chosen in the form of acerola, in chewable tablets (beware of additives and added sugars!). The right dose: 500 mg per day.
Probiotics: inevitable after a gastro (which "washes" the macrobiota) or antibiotics, and to boost its flora and immunity: 3 to 4 billion bacteria per day, for three weeks to a month.