Sometimes you get the feeling that you might be catching a cold. It could be that you were outside in the cold wind, and you feel like it somehow penetrated your defenses. You might feel a funny scratching sensation in your lungs when you inhale, and think, “Oh no! What’s that funny feeling in my lungs?” Some people will just start sneezing or coughing, seemingly out of the blue. Or you might unexpectedly notice that you’re feeling a bit weak, like you have a slight fever, or your throat might feel a little bit scratchy. Or you might suddenly get the chills.

In Chinese Medicine this state is called having a pathogen in the “exterior layer” of the body. Usually this is caused by exposure to the cold, especially cold wind. Cold can also invade that body in other ways, such as if you sit on a cold surface outside, like a stone or a cold bench. We often see that we are particularly susceptible to cold if we get wet and don’t dry off right away. Once in the body, this cold may cause chills or it can quickly turn into heat, causing a fever.

There is lots of advice for colds. Vitamin C, Zinc supplements, and Vitamin D. These are all good things to take for a cold. When there is a sore throat, Zinc is best taken as a lozenge. It is also a good idea to stop eating milk products and grains, especially wheat.

The best thing to eat is a Healing Orange Soup.  

Healing Orange Soup:

1 large onion
1 T coconut oil (or olive oil)
3 carrots
2 celery stalks or 1 fennel
1 cup pumpkin or butternut squash
1 large sweet potato
Salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp cinnamon or 1 cinnamon stick
3 slices of fresh Ginger chopped fine
Chopped green onion
1 T almond butter

Chop onion and lightly sauté for 5 minutes on low heat. Add chopped fennel and sauté for another 3 minutes. Add 3- 4 cups of water and the rest of the vegetables, bring to a boil and cook until vegetables are soft, for about 20 minutes. Then add salt, pepper, cinnamon and ginger and cool for another 10 minutes. Take out the cinnamon stick if you used one, and then remove from the heat. Add the almond butter and blend until smooth with an immersion blender or let cool for 15 minutes and then mix in a in a regular blender.

This soup contains two Chinese herbs, fresh ginger and green onion, which “release the exterior layer,” meaning they push out pathogens just as they are beginning to penetrate our natural defenses. They specifically help our bodies in these early stages of illness and help us avoid having to suffer a full-blown flu with a high fever, sore throat, and cough. Though most people consider ginger and green onion to be food items, in Chinese medicine they are considered medicinal herbs.

Also included in this recipe is cinnamon. Cinnamon warms the body and is especially good to include in the soup if you are feeling cold or have the chills.

In addition to this soup, it is also highly advisable to make a Ginger tea.

Ginger Tea

3 cm piece of fresh ginger
2 cups of water
Manuka or regular Honey
1cinnamon stick or 1 t cinnamon if desired
½ lemon (optional)

Slice the ginger into ¼ cm slices and boil on a low flame for 10 minutes. Add the cinnamon and continue to boil for another 5 minutes. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Pour into a mug and add honey and lemon. Drink 4-6 cups of this tea a day, and your cold should be gone!

Another important soup to help strengthen your defenses is Miso Soup.

Cold-Fighting Miso Soup

Sliced vegetables: carrot, cabbage, zucchini
1 cm piece of fresh ginger, sliced into thin slices
1T miso paste
Chopped fresh green onion

Boil the vegetable in 2 cups of water and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add ginger slices and continue boiling on a low flame for another 10-15 minutes. Take off the heat and add miso and green onion.

If you already have a bit of a cough, another tea you can make is Thyme tea. This only works for a cough with a little bit of phlegm—not a dry cough. Take a heaping teaspoon of thyme and put in a mug. Fill the mug with boiling water and cover for 10 minutes. Strain and drink while warm. You can add honey if necessary, but I personally prefer to drink this as a medicine, as it is not particularly tasty. Note: It is helpful if the thyme is relatively fresh for the best effect. If it has been sitting in your cabinet for 2-3 years, it will probably be less effective, or not effective at all.

helpful if the thyme is relatively fresh for the best effect. If it has been sitting in your cabinet for 2-3 years, it will probably be less effective, or not effective at all.

I find these easy, at home remedies often will stop me from getting sick. However, if you feel you are getting worse, do not wait until you have a full-fledged flu! Get treatment right away. Chinese cupping technique on the upper back is often very effective in diving out a cold. There a many herbal remedies that you can get according to your specific symptoms, whether in the earlier or later stages of a cold that can help you recover quickly.

And do not forget Prevention 101: do not under-dress or expose yourself unnecessarily to a cold wind and keep the back of your neck covered with a scarf if it is cold and windy outside!
Here is to a healthy winter! .

Sometimes you get the feeling that you might be catching a cold. It could be that you were outside in the cold wind, and you feel like it somehow penetrated your defenses. You might feel a funny scratching sensation in your lungs when you inhale, and think, “Oh no! What’s that funny feeling in my lungs?” Some people will just start sneezing or coughing, seemingly out of the blue. Or you might unexpectedly notice that you’re feeling a bit weak, like you have a slight fever, or your throat might feel a little bit scratchy. Or you might suddenly get the chills.

In Chinese Medicine this state is called having a pathogen in the “exterior layer” of the body. Usually this is caused by exposure to the cold, especially cold wind. Cold can also invade that body in other ways, such as if you sit on a cold surface outside, like a stone or a cold bench. We often see that we are particularly susceptible to cold if we get wet and don’t dry off right away. Once in the body, this cold may cause chills or it can quickly turn into heat, causing a fever.

There is lots of advice for colds. Vitamin C, Zinc supplements, and Vitamin D. These are all good things to take for a cold. When there is a sore throat, Zinc is best taken as a lozenge. It is also a good idea to stop eating milk products and grains, especially wheat.

The best thing to eat is a Healing Orange Soup.  

Healing Orange Soup:

1 large onion
1 T coconut oil (or olive oil)
3 carrots
2 celery stalks or 1 fennel
1 cup pumpkin or butternut squash
1 large sweet potato
Salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp cinnamon or 1 cinnamon stick
3 slices of fresh Ginger chopped fine
Chopped green onion
1 T almond butter

Chop onion and lightly sauté for 5 minutes on low heat. Add chopped fennel and sauté for another 3 minutes. Add 3- 4 cups of water and the rest of the vegetables, bring to a boil and cook until vegetables are soft, for about 20 minutes. Then add salt, pepper, cinnamon and ginger and cool for another 10 minutes. Take out the cinnamon stick if you used one, and then remove from the heat. Add the almond butter and blend until smooth with an immersion blender or let cool for 15 minutes and then mix in a in a regular blender.

This soup contains two Chinese herbs, fresh ginger and green onion, which “release the exterior layer,” meaning they push out pathogens just as they are beginning to penetrate our natural defenses. They specifically help our bodies in these early stages of illness and help us avoid having to suffer a full-blown flu with a high fever, sore throat, and cough. Though most people consider ginger and green onion to be food items, in Chinese medicine they are considered medicinal herbs.

Also included in this recipe is cinnamon. Cinnamon warms the body and is especially good to include in the soup if you are feeling cold or have the chills.

In addition to this soup, it is also highly advisable to make a Ginger tea.

Ginger Tea

3 cm piece of fresh ginger
2 cups of water
Manuka or regular Honey
1cinnamon stick or 1 t cinnamon if desired
½ lemon (optional)

Slice the ginger into ¼ cm slices and boil on a low flame for 10 minutes. Add the cinnamon and continue to boil for another 5 minutes. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Pour into a mug and add honey and lemon. Drink 4-6 cups of this tea a day, and your cold should be gone!

Another important soup to help strengthen your defenses is Miso Soup.

Cold-Fighting Miso Soup

Sliced vegetables: carrot, cabbage, zucchini
1 cm piece of fresh ginger, sliced into thin slices
1T miso paste
Chopped fresh green onion

Boil the vegetable in 2 cups of water and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add ginger slices and continue boiling on a low flame for another 10-15 minutes. Take off the heat and add miso and green onion.

If you already have a bit of a cough, another tea you can make is Thyme tea. This only works for a cough with a little bit of phlegm—not a dry cough. Take a heaping teaspoon of thyme and put in a mug. Fill the mug with boiling water and cover for 10 minutes. Strain and drink while warm. You can add honey if necessary, but I personally prefer to drink this as a medicine, as it is not particularly tasty. Note: It is helpful if the thyme is relatively fresh for the best effect. If it has been sitting in your cabinet for 2-3 years, it will probably be less effective, or not effective at all.

helpful if the thyme is relatively fresh for the best effect. If it has been sitting in your cabinet for 2-3 years, it will probably be less effective, or not effective at all.

I find these easy, at home remedies often will stop me from getting sick. However, if you feel you are getting worse, do not wait until you have a full-fledged flu! Get treatment right away. Chinese cupping technique on the upper back is often very effective in diving out a cold. There a many herbal remedies that you can get according to your specific symptoms, whether in the earlier or later stages of a cold that can help you recover quickly.

And do not forget Prevention 101: do not under-dress or expose yourself unnecessarily to a cold wind and keep the back of your neck covered with a scarf if it is cold and windy outside!
Here is to a healthy winter! .