Managing Respiratory Symptoms

Deb April 30, 2024

So you’ve read my article on staying healthy over winter, but you got sick anyway. That’s life – we do our best to look after ourselves, but sometimes our bodies need a bit extra. Maybe they’re telling us to slow down and rest, or maybe we need to have a clean out.

Treat early

Stop. If it’s at all possible, cancel whatever you have planned for the next little while and rest. The quicker you stop and rest, the quicker you can get back to your routine. In the early stages, there is probably no need to visit a doctor. Stop by the supermarket or health food shop and get some chicken broth and other nourishing foods, then go straight home to bed.

Avoid exercise until you’re well again. Once you’ve recovered, start back with a gentle walk in the sun.

Hydrate with water with a pinch of sea salt, electrolyte drinks, chicken or vegetable broth.

There’s an old saying – Feed a cold, but starve a fever. What this means is that when you have a fever, your body is focusing on one thing only, getting you out of a potentially dangerous situation. Most of us don’t need to eat as much as we do, so no food for a couple of days isn’t going to harm you. It will rest your digestive system, so your body can do what it needs to do. A head cold on the other hand isn’t going to take all of your body’s resources, and some light food can be beneficial. So our rule of thumb is:

  • Starving a fever – Liquids only, mainly to keep hydrated.
  • Feeding a cold – Hydrating liquids are still important. Lemon, honey and ginger drinks are soothing and comforting. But you can also add in light foods such as soups – ideally made with chicken broth, root vegetables or squashes, onion, garlic and ginger or other warming spices (two recipes here). Eggs that are lightly scrambled, or blended up with some stock. Small amounts of whatever your body seems to be asking for. But remember plant foods cleanse, animal foods nourish. When you have a cold, nourishment is possibly even more important than cleansing.

If I don’t go to the doctor, how do I know what’s wrong with me?

Mostly it doesn’t matter. If you have extreme symptoms, seek medical help right away. But otherwise, you can just treat your symptoms. If you’re going to stay home and rest, does it really matter if it’s a cold, the flu, RSV or Covid19?

What to do for different symptoms

Fever

If you have a fever, trying to lower it with drugs may not be the best approach. A fever is your body’s way of battling illness.

But to get more comfortable:

  • Layer your bed covers – use more or less to manage temperature
  • Avoid food, just drink to keep hydrated.
  • Even if you can only take small amounts of liquid, keep sipping what you can
  • Use a cold, wet cloth on your forehead if you get too hot
  • Elderflower or yarrow tea / tincture are helpful

Stuffed up head /  head cold

  • Lemon, honey and ginger drinks are good as they are all good expectorants. You could add one drop of oregano essential oil as an optional extra.
  • This winter citrus tonic is very supportive
  • Herbal teas that may be helpful include chamomile and licorice.
  • Good supplements:
    • Echinacea or astragalus
    • Vitamins A, C and D
    • Quercetin
    • Zinc
    • N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC)
  • Have some essential oils going in a diffuser or oil burner. Good ones are Olbas blend (eucalyptus, wintergreen, peppermint, juniper, clove, cajeput), Thieves blend, eucalyptus, tea tree or kanuka.
  • You can also apply the oils topically in a carrier oil. We have some roll on blends in the clinic that are good value and mean you don’t have to buy a bunch of your own full bottles.
  • If nasal congestion is your main symptom, a steam inhalation can help you get more comfortable. See this article I wrote for the Brooklyn Wellness Hub website with instructions and safety comments.

Sore throat

  • To soothe:
    • Lemon, honey and ginger drink
    • Zinc lozenges
    • Blackcurrant lozenges – try and find some without sugar
    • Propolis & honey lozenges
  • To reduce any bad bacteria, swish around your mouth then gargle about a shooter glass of:
    • Salt water (strong as you can handle)
    • Iodine – diluted Betadine / one drop of Lugols brand in a shooter glass of water / Clinicians brand of iodine is already diluted so needs a stronger mix
    • Colloidal silver can be used straight
  • Another way to get rid of some of the bad bacteria in your mouth is oil pulling with coconut oil. This involves putting a large spoonful of coconut oil in your mouth, letting it dissolve, then swishing it around your mouth for about 10 minutes. The bad bacteria are absorbed into the coconut oil. You then spit it out, and rinse your mouth well with warm water. Still gargle afterwards though, as the oil pulling doesn’t really get into the throat.
  • To replace the normal oral bacteria, you can open up a probiotic capsule and sprinkle some on the back of your throat. Or you can suck on Blis probiotic supplements. Take them well away from your gargling. Maybe a couple of hours after gargling or after a meal. These are also good for prevention of winter ills.

Congested lungs / Chest infection  / Wet Cough

  • Most of the guidelines for head colds still apply
  • It may be helpful to sleep / rest in a propped up position
  • You can make a homemade cough syrup using a tablespoon of carrot or radish juice with some honey and warm water, or look at the Harker Herbals range.
  • Good balms – we like these better than petroleum based products:
    • Locally made organic chest balm (Holistic Recharge have many other excellent balms)
    • Harker Herbals have a range of excellent local products for clearing the chest.
    • Artemis products are also very good quality.
  • You can make your own chest compresses:
  • To help break up the mucous, you can also do a chest massage. Gently rub in a clockwise direction, going all the way down to the bottom of the lungs (bottom of rib cage). You can do it front and back and don’t need to do it hard.
  • There’s a technique that physios often teach people on how to cough up the phlegm and clear your lungs. See my article on lung strengthening for more info.

Cough – dry, or at night

  • As for sore throat
  • For a dry cough any time, or to calm any cough at night for sleep, Harkers Night Chest Relief works well

Cough – convulsive

Homeopathics

Homeopathic remedies can be helpful for a winter illness that doesn’t clear.

  • You can buy homeopathic first aid kits. You need to be very specific about which remedy to use, so you would need to do some training.
  • Or consult a qualified homeopath.

Energy Techniques

As well as working at the physical level, we can work on the mental / emotional / energy level to support ourselves through periods of dis-ease.

Some examples

Important Reminder 

The above self help ideas do not replace medical advice. For many instances of winter illnesses, all you need are home remedies and rest. But ask for help if you’re worried about your babies or kids (trust yourself, you know them best), or anyone else in the household. eg if they have prolonged or high fever, severe headache, trouble breathing.

Originally written by me for the Brooklyn Wellness Hub website.