Health Tips - Cold and Flu

1. To fight off a cold or flu use warming socks. Get a knee-high pair of cotton socks and a pair of wool socks. Soak the cotton socks in cold water, wring them out and then put them on your feet. Put the wool socks on top and then go to bed. The body will respond by warming the feet, thus draining the congestion from the head.

2. When you are coming down with a cold or the flu get plenty of rest and relaxation. Allow time for your body to heal. Eat warm, cooked food and drink plenty of warm liquids. Avoid dairy and sugar.

3. To reduce a fever drink a couple of glasses of water, apply cold wet compress to the forehead and chest and take a long tepid bath or sponge bath. Rest, drink plenty of fluids and limit food intake until the fever breaks. Fevers below 39C (102F) are seen as “friendly” and a reaction of the body to eliminate toxins.
Remember: fevers are one of the most important defenses our body has against disease. The intention of a fever is to raise the temperature of the body to create uncomfortable living conditions for bacteria and viruses (i.e. “to cook the bugs”).
In order to build a healthy and strong immune system, it is extremely important to support the body’s natural immune defenses – fevers should be encouraged, not suppressed.

4. To aid the elimination of toxins through the skin induce perspiration by taking long hot baths, using an infrared sauna or steam room. Increasing perspiration through the skin is one of the safest and most effective ways of eliminating toxins.

4 Ways to Reduce Body Odor

Perspiration itself is normally odorless - it’s the bacterial breakdown of sweat that causes most body odor. If you suffer from body odor, consider the following natural ways to combat it:

1. Splash rubbing alcohol under your arms to reduce bacteria.
2. Stimulant drugs, including caffeine, contribute to body odor by increasing the activity of apocrine sweat glands, special glands in hairy parts of the body that produce strong-smelling, musky secretions. Try eliminating caffeine if body odor continues to be a problem.
3. Most commercial underarm products contain irritating or harmful ingredients, including aluminum salts and dyes. Avoid the antiperspirant varieties - you can find better deodorant only products in health-food stores, such as those containing tea tree, which is antibacterial.
4. If you buy "natural crystals," make sure they do not contain aluminum in any form.