You Can't Take Every Cough To A Doctor

This time of the year it seems that everyone's got the sniffles. Well, not everyone! The raw food brigade's immune systems are normally up to the task of keeping the nasty viruses at bay. There are lots you can do to boost your immune system and relieve cold and flu symptoms naturally.

Let's look at what happens when a cold virus enters the body. A healthy immune systems jumps into action at the first sign of trouble and manages to evict the virus before you even know about it. Unfortunately most people have compromised immune systems, making them fair game for every villain in the neighborhood. So, by the time the immune system's dragged itself into gear, the virus has multiplied many times over. The immune system tries to expel the bad guys via the mucous membranes, which prompts the gullible media-befuddled individual to take some medication to "dry up the nose" or "suppress the cough". This is in fact counterproductive!

Do you know that there is no, not one, medicine on the market, which does not have side-effects that will only burden the immune system. If you don't believe me, start reading those pamphlets...! They are hair-raising! Do you even know what's in cough syrup, apart from tons of sugar? I had a drug addicted friend many years ago, who is sadly no longer with us, who used to drink cough syrup to get high when he couldn't get anything else! (Don't get me started on cocaine users and Ritalin, the "training drug" for future drug users...)

Here are some remedies for relieving the symptoms of colds and flu. They strengthen the immune system and make you feel better more quickly.

HANLIE'S COLD AND FLU REMEDY:
2 cm piece of fresh ginger, grated
½ tsp dried sage
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp turmeric
juice of ½ lemon
1-2 tsp honey
1 cup boiling water

Steep all the ingredients in the boiled water, strain and serve. Cover yourself warmly and get into bed. This mixture will make you sweat and will help thin mucous from the chest and sinuses, speeding up elimination, thus removing that "stuffy" feeling. I didn't formulate this, but have been using it for so many years that I can't remember where I got it from. When my sister was pregnant with her first child, she lived on a remote farm and the travelling district nurse, who came around once a month, also gave her this recipe, so it's safe to use during pregnancy.

SAUCY JUICE:
4 tomatoes
½ cucumber
¼ green pepper
1 clove garlic
2 stalks celery
a dash of Tabasco

Extract juices from all the vegetables, add the sauce and stir well.
• Tomatoes contain bioflavenoids that have antibacterial action.
• Cucumber helps in flushing away the toxins, for it has a diuretic effect.
• Green pepper is a rich source of vitamin C, which has antibacterial and antiviral action,
• Garlic is a good source of zinc, which has an antiviral property.
• Invest in a good juice extractor. I had to replace mine recently, because it was such a flimsy, cheap model and just couldn't cut it. I'll be happy to advise you on good models.

GINGER BOOSTER:
1 pineapple
2cm piece fresh ginger
2 apples
4 carrots

Juice all the ingredients in a juice extractor and drink 2-4 times a day if you have any cold symptoms.

You may also want to try a GINGER BATH, unless you're pregnant, by adding three heaped tablespoons of ground ginger, or lots of freshly grated ginger to your bath water. Once inside the tub, add as much hot water as you can stand and sit for at least 20 minutes, sipping herbal tea sprinkled with Cayenne pepper. This will start the sweating process, so after drying yourself off, cover up and go to bed for at least an hour.

Ultimately, you should aim to follow a diet that feeds your immune system and keeps it in top form. Raw vegetables and fruit will do that..., especially citrus fruit, guavas, all the things that are COINCIDENTALLY in season in winter!