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CATARRH (Excess Mucus)
SYMPTOMS—
• Runny nose, headaches, postnasal drip, sore throat, sinusitis, gastritis, glue ear syndrome, and respiratory problems.
CAUSE—Catarrh is the excess mucus which occurs with many different nasal, throat, tracheal and bronchial infections; for example, croup and whooping cough.
TREATMENT—
• Although excess mucus is normal with some diseases, yet avoiding certain foods will lessen the amount of mucus produced. Some foods are high mucus-forming. Overcooking of food is part of the problem. Pasteurized milk, white flour, sugar foods, and meat should be avoided if you want to cut down on mucus. Eat more fresh fruit and vegetables. If you have cooked food at a meal, begin with raw food. This will help the digestive system handle the increased load that cooked food places upon it.
• Indigestible food also forms higher levels of mucus in the body. Any specific allergen (a food or substance toward which you are allergic) may cause catarrh. Orientals are particularly sensitive to milk products (up to 85% of them lack the digestive enzyme needed to handle milk sugar, which is lactase).
• Other irritants include fumes, smoke, foreign objects, chemicals, drugs, spicy foods, salt, pepper, alcohol, and poor food combinations.
• Use steam to break up the catarrh (mucus) so you can sleep well. Eucalyptus oil also helps. Be sure and drink enough water. As intake decreases, the mucus thickens and cuts off breathing.
• During the illness, you may drink primarily of fluids (fruit juices) at times. But at those times when you eat, emphasize a high fiber diet using raw food. When grains are eaten, they should be whole grains, such as brown rice, millet, and buckwheat. You may wish to take a psyllium seed and herbal mixture to clean out the digestive tract of mucus. Herbs for this purpose could include burdock, aloe vera, ginger, alfalfa, cascara sagrada, kelp, and slippery elm.
NUTRIENTS—Vitamins A, B, complex, C, and bioflavonoids are important. Also needed are calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
Helpful herbs include chickweed, mullein, plantain, sorrel, white oak bark, bayberry bark, comfrey, eucalyptus leaves, white pine needles, and oregano.
ENCOURAGEMENT—It is vital that we exercise faith moment by moment, and hour by hour. Only in the strength of Christ can we be enabled to obey His Ten Commandment law, live clean lives, and prepare our hearts for a home in heaven.
COMMON COLD
NOTE—Most of the following recommendations would also apply to coughs and flu.
SYMPTOMS—Colds are a general inflammation of the mucus membranes of the respiratory passages. Symptoms include nose and throat irritations, watery eyes, fever, headaches, chills, muscle aches, and temporary loss of smell and taste.
A heavy cold may take the form of acute or chronic infection, such as flu, grippe, tonsillitis, sinusitis, bronchial catarrh, chronic cold, or similar virus-type infection.
Children who frequently have colds or flus may have thyroid malfunctions.
COLDS AND FLU—How can you tell whether it is a heavy cold—or the flu? Here is the difference:
Headache - prominent in flu, but rare in a cold.
Fever - frequent and sudden in flu; rare in a cold.
Fatigue - extreme in flu and can last 2-3 weeks; there is only mild fatigue with a cold.
General aches - common and often severe in flu; slight in a cold.
Runny nose - occasionally in flu; common with a cold.
Cough - common with flu and can become severe; only mild to moderate in a cold.
Sore throat - sometimes with flu; common with a cold.
—For more on flu, see "Influenza."
CAUSES—In one sense, the cause is a variety of viruses. But in another, the person has allowed himself to become run-down so that the virus was able to take hold. Factors which lower the body's resistance to virus infection are overexposure to cold, fatigue, recent or present infections, allergic reactions, and inhalation of irritating dust or gas, overeating, wrong eating, and sugar or alcohol consumption.
The common cold is not an infection that leaps out and attacks an innocent passerby. It is not even a disease. A cold is the cure of a pre-diseased condition. and the symptoms are attempts by the body to reestablish normal conditions. The body is carrying out a "spring cleaning."
The cold virus can change size and shape, making it impossible to produce a suitable vaccine. There are more than 100 different viruses which cause colds. Symptoms last for 7-14 days regardless of therapy. The incubation period is very short (1-3 days), instead of the 10-21 days for most viruses. The cold seems to suddenly appear. When you get a tingling nose and throat, nasal mucus, or scratchy throat; do not wait for the coughing, weakness, and fever to begin! Go to bed.
TREATMENT—
• A cold is the result of not living on the best level. Once it arrives, it cleanses toxins from the system and, along with the rest, enables the person to get back into better shape. A cold is actually a blessing, for it forces people to rest who, otherwise, would prematurely develop debilitating, chronic, and life-threatening diseases.
• A cold is always in the upper respiratory tract (nose, mouth, throat, and upper bronchials). If congestion develops in the chest, the cold is worsening into something even more serious!
• Do not ignore a cold and drag on with your work. As soon it develops—go to bed, drink fresh lemon juice in water, and settle down to getting well!
• If you do not know how to take care of yourself, you had better contact a physician, especially if:
(1) Chills and shortness of breath occur.
(2) An accompanying fever goes above 101o F. for more than three days, or any fever above 103oF.
(3) Yellow or white spots appear in the throat.
(4) The lymph nodes under the jaw and in the neck become enlarged.
(5) Any hot, extreme pain, such as earache, swollen tonsils, sinus pain, or aching lungs or chest occurs.
(6) There is excessively large amounts of sputum or sputum that is greenish or bloody.
(7) There is extreme difficulty swallowing.
(8) Wheezing occurs.
(9) There is shortness of breath.• If you have a sore throat, beware of white or yellow patches on the throat. These can be Group A beta-hemolytic streptococci, which can damage the heart muscle. Have a throat swab done when there might be a question about this.
• Children with high fevers should see a physician within 24 hours.
• Treatment should include as much vitamin C as you can take, without producing diarrhea (up to 5,000 mg at a time). In acute cases, 1,000 mg of C every other hour. Also take bioflavonoids (200-600 mg), small amounts garlic. (along with vitamin C, it is an excellent germ fighter), vitamin A (50,000 units for not more than one month; then down to 25,000 units), calcium lactate or gluconate (6 tablets), brewer's yeast, B6 (100 mg; it is a natural antihistamine, as well as providing helpful protein), vitamin E (600 units), betaine hydrochloride, zinc gluconate lozenges, and vitamin F (unsaturated fatty acids) reduces the frequency and duration of colds.
• In acute stages when fever is present, the person should abstain from all solid foods and only drink fresh fruit and vegetable juices, diluted (50-50) with water, plus herb teas. The proper treatment of colds is to encourage elimination through all channels, so that elimination through one channel does not become excessive.
• As soon as the crisis subsides, let the person have some protein and other food.
• Drink potato peeling broth twice a day. The peelings should be one-half inch thick (throw away the centers). Boil it for about 20-30 minutes; strain, cool, and drink. Make it fresh every day.
• Avoid chills, get adequate bed rest, and take a little salt to replace that lost in sweat.
• After the fever subsides, a low calorie raw fruit and vegetable diet can be eaten. This should include plenty of raw juices and herb teas, sweetened with a little honey. Some raw seeds and nuts can be eaten, but should be chewed well.
• Herb teas can include rose hips, golden seal, chamomile, peppermint, slippery elm, ginger, desert tea. Eucalyptus oil is helpful. Put 5 drops in a hot bath or 6 drops in a cup of boiling water. Put a towel over your head and, without burning yourself, inhale it. Licorice root tea, drunk daily, soothes an irritated throat and relieves coughing. You might wish to take hop tea to help you get to sleep at night.
• Avoid aspirin (especially for children), since it causes internal bleeding. There is also another problem: What you think is of little consequence may be flu or chickenpox—which are caused by a virus. Colds are also. When children who have certain viral infections take aspirin, their risk of developing Reye's syndrome is greatly increased! This is a rare but fatal brain and liver disease. The same warning applies to cold medications containing aspirin.
• As already mentioned, take vitamin C, zinc, and garlic. Avoid being depressed; try to be cheerful. There is healing in this. Keep looking to Jesus and praying to God. Let a friend read a Bible promise to you every so often; think about it. Rest and relax and do not worry. Keep warm, but get fresh air from time to time. Take a lot of liquids. Gargle three times a day with saltwater (1 glass of warm water with 1 teaspoon of salt mixed in). Take a hot shower.
There are a variety of water treatments which can be applied:
• Take a hot mustard foot bath to increase eliminations and reduce head and sinus congestion.
• Take a hot Epsom salt bath while drinking sweating teas. Pour Epsom salts (1-2 lbs.) into a hot tub. While soaking, drink 2-3 cups of hot pleurisy root tea. Immediately after the bath, get into bed and cover with plenty of blankets, so profuse sweating can begin.
• Take a hot ginger chest compress.
• Use salt water nasal douche to open the sinuses.
• Apply a trunk pack. Apply a full cold trunk pack each evening. The objective is to stimulate skin elimination and induce perspiration. Leave it on for at least 3 hours at night.
• Take a steam inhalation, using eucalyptus, pine needles, cloves, and/or thyme.
• Apply a cold compress to the neck, and leave it on for 1-3 hours or all night. It must (must) dry out before morning, or the value has been lost. If it does not change into a heating compress, it can increase the sore throat condition.
PREVENTION—Once contracted, a cold must run its course. So it is better, far better, to prevent it than cure it. The best prevention is to live right, eat right, get enough out-of-door exercise to strengthen the body, and get enough rest. Do not skimp on sleep at night, especially in the colder months. Do not share food with someone who has a cold. Be sure and dress warmly enough when it is cold. Do not sit in a draft. Do not go outside with a wet head.
Many people, who are especially susceptible to colds, never get them. They have learned to live above the level where they contract such infections. Learn the distant early warning signs.
ENCOURAGEMENT—Christ died so you could be forgiven of your sins, and, by His grace, be enabled to obey His revealed will, as written in the Ten Commandments. Some people obey this one, and some obey that one. But God wants us to obey all ten precepts, as given in Exodus 20.
COUGHS
SYMPTOMS—Frequent coughing, either productive (producing phlegm) or not.
CAUSES—Coughs often accompany colds and other infections, and are a reflex action to clear the airways of mucus, foreign bodies, an irritant, or some type of blockage.
A bronchial cough is tight and painful. A sinus infection generally drips mucus down the throat, producing a cough.
Croupy coughs produce a loud raspy sound, bringing up phlegm with difficulty. A few drops of lobelia herb under the tongue every few minutes will relax the cough muscles and may loosen the mucus. Be sure and drink enough water and other liquids, so the mucus does not become thick.
Damage to the lung tissues, caused by pneumonia, can result in a chronic cough.
While on the subject of coughs, there are two other kinds of cough:
Lung cancer or tumors can produce a mild cough, which gradually becomes worse, possibly accompanied by blood.
Then there is smoker's cough. Lung cancer may follow, unless the tobacco is thrown away.
If there is any suspicion of tuberculosis, read that article.
TREATMENT—
• Apply eucalyptus oil inhalations, 10 min. a day, will help.
• An excellent cough syrup is made by mixing equal parts lemon juice and honey, with a little cayenne pepper tea. Take 1 tsp. when needed.
• Boil a quart of water; lower the fire as much as possible and add a half tsp. cayenne pepper. Wait a few minutes, then wet a towel in the water, wring it out and wrap it around the neck. Keep the water hot and change this fomentation every 3-4 min, doing this for a half hour while feet are soaked in hot water.
• Helpful herbs include licorice, fig leaves, mullein, vervain, oregano, bay leaves, hyssop, and thyme. Take 3 cups a day (1 tsp. granulated herbs per cup boiling water. Never boil the herbs. Never use aluminum ware).
• Mix thick flaxseed tea with 1-2 drops eucalyptus oil, and drink slowly.
• Add a tsp. salt to a pint of soft, warm water; snuff it up the nose, then blow it out gently. Repeat till the nose is entirely clean of mucus. Then gargle the throat and rinse the mouth out thoroughly with similar salt water.
• Whenever there is a cold, keep the nose and mouth clean. This will tend to keep the cold from going down into the lungs.
• Cleanse the colon with high enemas. Continue until they reach the upper part, where the transverse colon is.
• If there is any nausea or bad feeling in the stomach, take an emetic to vomit it out. Lukewarm water, or water with a little salt in it will generally help do this. Drink all the water possible, and then run the finger down the throat. Repeat till the stomach is clean. Then drink a few cups of a hot herb tea (such as sage, hyssop, yarrow, black cohosh, peppermint, or chamomile). Later in the day, drink some more.
• Keep quiet and stay in bed. Take only fruit juices (or lemon juice in hot water). Later drink the broth of thick white potato peeling soup (also called potassium broth).
HYDRO—The following suggestions are from the author's book, Water Therapy Manual (see order sheet) (pp. 181, 208, 217, 246):
Heating Chest pack, to be changed every 6 hours. If temperature is elevated, change chest pack every 2-4 hours. Copious water drinking, 2-3 pints daily.
Fomentation to spine; sipping hot water; Chest Pack. Cold Compress to the throat; gargling hot water several times daily; Steam Inhalation 15 min. every hour, sipping half a glass of hot water when inclined to cough.
For irritable cough, without expectoration: Sipping very hot water; gargle hot water; Steam Inhalations; avoid mouth breathing; keep air of room warm (75-80o F.), and moist with steam; carefully avoid exposure of back of neck, chest, or shoulders to drafts, or to chill by evaporation during treatment.
For cough with viscid expectoration: Copious hot water drinking; fluid diet; Fomentation to chest every 2 hours, followed by Heating Compress.
For painful cough: Fomentation to chest every 2 hours; tight bandage about chest to restrain movement if necessary; Revulsive Compress for 15 min. every 2 hours or often as needed. Dry cotton Chest Pack between applications.
For ineffective cough: Increase expulsive power by rubbing, or percussion of the chest with the hand dipped in ice water, or slapping the chest with a cold, wet towel.
ENCOURAGEMENT—Christ knows every temptation that comes to man, and the capabilities of each human agent. He can help you overcome and obey His Ten Commandment law. He died to take away your sins, and give you strength to live right.
CHILLS
SYMPTOMS—Sweating, shaking, trembling and unable to feel warm even when bundled up with blankets.
CAUSES—Chills often occur with flu and other virus infections.
TREATMENT—
• Do warm-ups with clothing covering the head and neck.
• It is very likely that something serious is developing. Immediately start on a cleansing program. Go to bed, fast on fruit and vegetable juices, or lemon juice. Soak the feet in hot water, get into a tub of hot water, or take a steam bath.
• Herbs include blue vervain, cayenne, chamomile, oregano, hyssop, skullcap, peppermint, white willow, and catnip.
—Also see "Poor Circulation and Chills."
ENCOURAGEMENT—We are to keep our minds stayed upon God; and in our weakness, He will be our strength; in our ignorance, He will be our wisdom; in our frailty, He will be our enduring might.
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# HEAT PRODUCTION, INCREASE
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HYDRO—Here are hydrotherapy treatments discussed in the author's book, Water Therapy Manual (see order sheet):
To warm up the body: The Heating Wet Sheet Pack, which begins when the warming pack has raised the body temperature slightly above its usual degree; and ends when general perspiration begins. Once achieved, for best results this should be continued for about 20 min. (pp. 63-64).
To increase heat production: The Tonic Frictions, which include the Wet-hand Rub, the Cold Mitten Friction, and certain others (pp. 98-106).
The following listing of heat producing water treatments is arranged from most to the least powerful, and is primarily composed of tonic and fever-reducing applications: Graduated bath. Cooling Wet Sheet Pack. Cold Friction Bath. Prolonged Tepid Full Bath at 88o F. Cold Full Bath, followed by a short Hot Full Bath, Pail Pour, or Shower. Tepid Pail Pour. Cold Pail Pour. Cold Compress. Graduated Compress. Evaporating Sheet. Cold to head and neck. Cold to spine. Cold to abdomen. Cold over heart. Cold colonic. Tepid or cold enema. Cold water drinking, a measure that should be combined with all the others named above. Cold air bath (p. 39).
It is the impression of cold on the thermic nerves of the skin that best increases heat production. The more intense (and sometimes prolonged) this impression, the greater the desired effect. The most intense effects are produced by prolonging the application until the temperature of the body has been slightly lowered. But if the cold is greatly prolonged, or is repeated at short intervals, the heat-rise effect fails (p. 42).
ENCOURAGEMENT—Amid the perplexities that press upon the soul, there is only One who can help us out of all our difficulties, and bring us peace of heart.
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