Winter Virus - Help!

[RawGuy2000]

Hey all, posted this on another raw foods board and was curious as to what you all think. BTW, my name is Jared and I really dig the board. Seems like a great bunch of people... Here is my story... (sorry for the very descriptive and forward words, heh)

I'm having a little trouble sleeping. My nose gets clogged up and my throat tickles. I believe I have a bad dry cough. It's whenever I lie down on my side, or bend over, or lie on my back, I get stuffy and need to cough.

I recently I came down with a "virus"...You know, the type that is: sore throat / dry cough, phlegm, congested head, stuffy nose, headache (not anymore, only on first day), etc. I think it's because of excessive singing, singing in smokey bars, and probably getting the "virus" from someone elses germs (microphone perhaps?)... It seems like this time of the year everyone seems to get the winter virus for a good week or so. I've been taking hot showers, drinking a lot of water, etc and it's getting a little better... The buildup is when I go to bed. I think it was because I've been so busy that for the week before I'd be going at bed at 6 am and getting up at 2 pm...Past three nights were better - 1 am, 1 am and 2 30 am (last night, had trouble sleeping - the cold air was tickling my throat and I kept coughing because my nose were stuffed)

I woke up this morning at 10 am, not too long ago and I went to the shower and hocked up some phlegm. A little of it had a little blood in it (traces of it, it could be from my nose and post-nasal drip that got into my lungs???), and I spit out the phlegm and it was darker color. Maybe a brownish color and then it was just normal yellow. Now most people would say go see a doctor and the doctor would give anti-biotics. What do I do? I am concerned.

[sport]

Hi and welcome.
You did not tell us how much raw you are doing and for how long.

[RawGuy2000]

Been doing raw since August 2001. I have a personal trainer who makes raw gourmet foods (with sea salt, olive oil, nut pate) and I think it could be the intake of fat on the lifestyle, as someone once pointed out to me. Also, recently, I've been eating a ton of raw hummus every day (lemons, olive oil, sea salt, and soaked chickpeas). This has probably been going on every day for the past two months.

I had candida in the past probably from excess fat in the system. Since two days ago, been having notihng but distilled water, coconut water and bags of grapes. Today, only distiled water. Some people told me to rest and just drink water, lie down horizontally, get as much sleep as I can, etc.

Last night it was hard to sleep because my nose was stuffy and clogged, and I had to inhale through my mouth and I'd dry cough every time from the cold air. I sleep with long pants and a shirt/sweater on. The phlegm thing is what is bothering me. People are saying if you see traces of blood in phlegm, see a doctor to take anti-biotics, but I'm raw since late summer 2001 and I don't know how my body would handle it and I am iffy about that stuff as well. It seems that every winter I get strep or something similar. I do not have my tonsils, taken out in 1999 I believe.

I do sing a lot nightly, so maybe it just caught up to me (I noticed it after last Sunday after I sang in a bar that was ver smokey - I then used this tooth and gum antiseptic mouth wash that I used back in winter of 2004 since I didn't have toothpaste and swallowed a little by accident - I think last time I drank from it, I had strep - stupid me, didn't remember....That could be the cause and it might not be, I don't know), especially with the cold weather. I'm unsure as to why I have the different colored phlegm. Most things on the internet say its a virus or bacterial infection, so I want to get rid of it because I hate the feeling...

[misslinda]

Well save your energy for treating it rather than trying to analyze why or how it happened. ;)

Suggestion would be to keep it simple.


Sleep with no open window--keep draft out. Always keep hands,feet,head andneck warm. Wear earmuffs too. Keep environment warm dry not damp.

Drink warm lemon water with ginger.

Take slippery elm in tea for for caoting throat and stomach of irritation etc...........

Rest rest rest.

For the phlegm coming from the chest, mustard seed powder plaster is my favorite. Youn can even bathe/soak in the powder or use Dr. Singha's MSP bath. He even has a mssaging oil with MSP that works great too.

Face Sauna with thyme,rosemary and eucalyptus.

Massage all finger and toe joints.

[luckitri]

Slippery elm bark powder tea for keeping lungs clear of mucous (also clears bowels gently) This stuff may scare you the first time you use it. Most people get a huge mucous ball the first time they use it.

Echinacea in tincture, capsule or other form helps fight infections. So do many other herbs.

Personally I would go to a doctor and get a diagnosis. It is much easier to figure out what you should do once you have a diagnosis. Then again I know for myself that the doctors rarely know anything until it is time for me to go under the knife and then it is too late. You may need very serious measures. Often the body craves certain items that may aid in healing. In my own experience I have not had enough knowledge yet to utilize the items craved for maximum effect of healing.

There are many resources at the local HFS and here on line. It is just very hard to do the research and gather and prepare the items once you get ill.

[luckitri]

Hey misslinda! I was interested to learn lately - I was doing the liver cleanse with ginger and there was always a piece of ginger that the blender missed. I would use the same cup and pour my herbal tea on top of the ginger. I absolutely loved what that heat did to the taste of the ginger. Maybe it made it more bio-available to me also. Hmmmm....just wondering.

[solarliving]

I just got over a cold and was starting to get a bad cough. I have been making a lot of teas with cayenne pepper, cinnamon, ginger, lemon, parsley and with a bit of agave nectar. Also the cough completely stopped when I had my 4th green smoothie after 4 days of doing it. Green smoothies are amazing!

I also took some Grapefruit Seed Extract in water yesterday. That is supposed to help as well.

[misslinda]

Hey misslinda! I was interested to learn lately - I was doing the liver cleanse with ginger and there was always a piece of ginger that the blender missed. I would use the same cup and pour my herbal tea on top of the ginger. I absolutely loved what that heat did to the taste of the ginger. Maybe it made it more bio-available to me also. Hmmmm....just wondering.

Luckitri, I'm not sure what you mean ......you mean the warmed ginger taste felt and tasted better? was that your first time having ginger warmed?

:)

[luckitri]

Yes I was having it raw in a liver flush drink....then when the piece got heated it just tasted exquisite to me so I thought maybe it was tasting good because it was better healing wise? I have never really known what to do with ginger.....but other information I have say it is not good because it is too strong or that the heating does not make it more bio-available so my bad. Anyway it was just a happy accident and I am trying to be raw so I suppose it does not fit in. Yes, my first time having raw ginger warmed.

[RawGuy2000]

How are oranges or the juice of an orange?

Past two days have been orange juice (juice from them), coconut water and water. And rest.

The virus is not makiing me feel weak... Not sure if it's because they are cold but the oranges make my nose runny as does the coconut water. Probably because they are too cold.

[RawGuy2000]

I do miss my hummus, and crave it at times... (garbanzo beens soaked, olive oil, lemon and celtic sea salt)...Perhaps having that for two months every day gave me this flu? It seems that it's contagious since my mother now has it, but I'm sure it's nothing too serious if other people are getting it as well???

[solarliving]

tabouli salad without the tabouli is a great cold tonic. Parsley, tomatoes, a tad of garlic or onion, lemon, salt, a tad of oil. You could probably grate some ginger in it too.

[RawGuy2000]

I'm very hungry and weak and can go for an apple juice / ginger juice as well as some blueberries...Thoughts?

[Bobbie]

Have lots of coconut!
There's a man who was HIV positive, who went to India to die. There he ate half a coconut a day, and recovered.
It contains lauric acid which is a very powerful anti-viral thingy.
Have at least 4 tablespoons coconut oil, or 6oz coconut cream (fresh coconut put through a juicer) per day.
And eat the coconut pulp as well for extra!