Common Cold

The common cold is an infection of the upper respiratory tract caused by a filterable virus and is defined as acute nasal catarrh or acute rhinitis. The cold usually commences with a running nose,sneezing, watering of eyes, chills, headache, body pain and when accompanied with cough, fever and muscular pains, which may turn to flu. The cold viruses enter through the nose either directly or via rubbing the eyes. Virus infected fingers in the nose or eyes readily transplant infectious agents. The virus is present in the infected person’s nasal discharge or in his sneeze or cough. Handkerchief, pencils, staircase railings, telephone receives, hand shaking and so on get contaminated with the shedder’s virus-laden mucus. Thus, others who come in contact with these droppings get the gift of infection. It only makes common sense that allergens such as dust, fumes, chemicals, drugs, cosmetics, perfumes, varnish, paints, smoke, pollution etc. be eliminated, but if the body is not strengthened, the individual will become allergic to other agents. Causes

Low resistance to infection is often caused by

1. poor and unbalanced diet and deficiency of certain nutrients, particularly Vitamin C,
   
2. ignoring the importance of daily normal bowel movement,
   
3. spasm or congestion in intestines and constipation due to stress, bad food etc.
   
4. toxic or irritating smell of paints, cosmetics etc.,
   
5. cooking spices, perfumes, pollens, dust, infection from other suffering from cold, toxins accumulated in the system..
   
6. over consumption of so called good food and taking lots of tea, coffee, medicines,
   
7. living in a highly polluted locality, poor ventilation, lack of exercises, insufficient sleep, sexual excesses, impure air, polluted water,excessive work, strain, worries or other mental factors, all of which add their quota to our adverse living conditions.
   
8. According to the views of the author, cold is not a disease but it is a healing crisis - when toxins are accumulated in the body, these find some outlets in the form of cold and fever which serve as safety valves and enable the body to cleanse itself as the toxin accumulations have exceeded the point of tolerance. As the cold constitutes the curative process, it would be wrong to attempt to suppress or abort it and stop the body from doing what is wants to do and needs to do. So it is a mistake to look upon the cold as something harmful, instead it should be recognised as a healing effort on the part of the body.It is only when the workload is too great for vital organs like the stomach, lungs and kidneys that Nature uses the cold as a Safety valve.

Treatment

Fortunately, the treatment is quite simple and costs nothing. It entails the exercise of a little WILLPOWER and intelligence, but surely that is not asking for too much. If the person wants to get well,a little sacrifice is a small price to pay for relief. The most important factors in preventing cold or reducing its severity are fasting, enema, diet and Yogic Kriyas plus exercises - all of which can be learnt by anyone very easily. Natural living habits are the best guarantee for good health and of course, freedom from cold.Every time the cold is suppressed unnaturally like with medicines it inevitably leads to serious illness. If we suppress this, where does the accumulated harmful material ( which is being expelled ) go ? Obviously it will be driven into glands, muscles, joints and organs or retained in the body to play havoc again. So it is entirely justifiable to say that safety valves should not be closed or blocked by suppressing cold.

The prevention and cure is simple living based on Natural laws as explained below :

1. Fasting and enema should be taken up intermittently, besides vigorous exercises and Yogic kriyas. Sufficient sleep and rest/ relaxation are fundamental to a high degree of resistance to infection.
   
2. Eat less and cut down on starchy food, tea,coffee, fried and fatty food. Cultivate the habit of eating vegetables, fruits, cereals, sprouts and drinking juice and soups which will provide sufficient nutrition (minerals and vitamins,particularly A & C) - Such a diet will move your bowels freely and regularly.

Specific treatments ( see chart at the end of the book)

1. Kunjal (Vaman Dhauti) followed by Jalaneti - daily for 3 to 4 days, and thereafter to continue Jalaneti only for another 15 to 20 days and Kunjal once or twice a week. Immediately after Jalaneti, do Kapal Bhati followed by steam inhalation, Bhastrika and then put medically prepared ghee drops in each of the nostrils. Then cover with a 4-fold towel for two minutes followed by vigorous Yogic exercises.
   
2. Throat packs provide relief for cold when accompanied with sore throat.

Diet

Diet should be light, nutritious and well balanced. Avoid fried food, milk and milk products in any form for 15 to 20 days totally. Eat light dinner by 7.00 p.m. Avoid all refrigerated items including water. Avoid ice cream, soft drinks, overloading the stomach with sweet dishes at night time, dust, fumes,pollution, air -conditioning , smell of varnish, paints,spray, perfumes, smoke etc. Take garlic, tulsi water,black pepper, silajeet, ginger, dates, figs, munakka,rajma, soya, carrot, sesame seeds, gram, Vitamin C 1000 mg to 2000 mg daily. General Hints

1. Wear socks and shoes and not chappals. Cut/clean nails.
   
2. Wear sweater and muffler rolling it around the neck and covering the chest.
   
3. Take minimum 8 glasses of water/liquids including 4 glasses of lemon water daily (lemon water during treatment period only).
   
4. Rest more and work less for at least one week.
   
5. Have sound sleep of 7 to 8 hours daily.
   
6. Expose the body to sunlight and fresh air breathing deeply every day.
   
7. Bowels must be cleared every morning.
   
8. Take plenty of enzyme rich foods ( papaya,tomato, carrots, spinach), fibre, roughage (whole wheat flour, lots of vegetables, soups,fruit juices, fruits etc.), besides the following items :

Soya, rajma, potato, cabbage, dry fruits, pears, whole grain bread, raisins, figs, munakka, apricot, dates, garlic, ajwaian, molasses, honey, tomato,apple, guava, grapes, lemon, citrus fruits, raspberry, chulai, fenugreek (methi), amla, carrot, spinach,bhindi, peas, sesame seed, gram (chana).

Medium of cooking may be soya oil or mustard oil mixed with safflower oil in equal quantity.

The best items are those shown in bold letters.