Some years ago there was a story reported in the New York Times about a scientist in England who had dedicated his entire research to finding a cure for the common cold. After two years of intensive study, however, he gave up, announcing that, having uncovered at least 400 varieties of rhinovirus, there was just no way a vaccine or pill could be designed to deal with all of them!
I thank goodness this scientist realized the futility of it all after devoting only two years of his life to such an enterprise. A man with this kind of determination could go far, but not in looking for an antidote to the common cold. Why? Because in my experience the common cold is not a disease at all. Rather, I feel it is one of nature’s most profound and basic life-supporting rituals in which we are privileged to participate.
The cold is really a periodic housecleaning – nature’s wonderful design for maintaining balance in an imperfect world. It’s not unlike what happens to our houses in the throes of modern living: the clutter piles up, the dirty laundry, dishes, dust, garbage…. One day we wake up and say, “Whoooa! Time to stop everything and tidy up the place!” So it is with the body as daily life takes its toll: we overwork, overeat, undersleep, get stressed out and constipated. After a while things get pretty sluggish and we’re barely dragging along. Then one day that goopy, achy, queezy, wheezy, runny eyes, runny nose, runny-everything-just-want to-stay-at-home feeling arrives. We can blame it on the guy who sneezed in an elevator or try not to “give in,” or we can smile and say, “I hear you; time to get down to business.” Congratulations! You’ve been invited to participate in that ancient celebration more commonly known as “the cold.”
And so it becomes no mystery why all the classic symptoms of a cold have to do with gunk trying to get out of the body – e.g., sneezing, coughing, itching, diarrhea, fever sweats, throwing up, skin eruptions, even bloody noses, etc. According to Henry Bieler, M.D., author of Food Is Your Best Medicine, the cold is a “vicarious elimination of toxins” via mucus from the respiratory tract. It is a result of toxic overload, not germs: “Germs gather to digest the products of the inflammation and white blood cells rush in to destroy the germs.” To the question, why are colds more prevalent in the winter months, Dr. Bieler answers, “because there is much less active skin function during this time, with considerably less skin respiration and perspiration. Also, the average diet consists of fewer fruits and vegetables during the winter and a higher concentration of salt (which encourages retention). When people are less active, they tend to be constipated and also to overeat, especially during the holiday season – Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s – with consequent impairment of the liver and kidney function and general metabolism. A cold often follows these celebrations.”
Unfortunately, conventional medicine considers the cold a pest – an infectious or inflammatory disease for which it has no use and no cure, only palliatives. Doctors prescribe drugs that alleviate the symptoms – anti-inflammatories, anti-histamines, antibiotics, anti-diarrhea, anti ache…in short, anti-elimination medicine. These remedies give temporary relief by blocking the symptoms, i.e., keeping the stuff stuck inside. They do nothing to get rid of the junk – the reason for the symptoms which keep piling up. Cold medicine enables us to put off the cleaning for a little while, but an active immune system will keep crying out, louder and louder, to get down to
work. In time the message rings out again – another cold, maybe flu, bronchitis, ear infections each time, a stronger call to action. If all these efforts are stifled, eventually overload and exhaustion set in, the warnings stop and the storage process becomes more insidious.
Hippocrates, the ancient Greek who is considered the Father of Medicine, taught that inflammation is “the flame that cleanses the body.” He saw that all of the so-called “infectious” diseases – from colds to mumps to pneumonia – were really acute inflammations and so advised his patients to help the cleansing process when he said, “If you feed a cold, you’ll have to starve a fever.” But over the centuries the message too often got shortened to exclude the “if” (“Feed a cold; starve a fever”) – an omission which, of course, changes the meaning completely and no doubt prolonged the suffering of those who thought gluttony was their best remedy. (The more pointed but less publicized words of Sir William Osler might have saved generations of confusion and suffering. He said, “The cold should not be treated with ‘contempt,’ but be followed by bed rest, a good book to read, no food.”)
In any case, the modern practice of suppressing symptoms and inhibiting elimination with toxic drugs has its darker side. Philip Incao, M.D., who writes and lectures on “Inflammation – the Natural Enemy of Cancer,” cites studies that show cancer patients had less acute inflammations, i.e., colds, childhood diseases like mumps, chicken pox, etc., in early years than others. He suggests that the lack of periodic eliminations, i.e., inflammations, caused early exhaustion or breakdown of vital organs that can “make one vulnerable to cancer later on.” Note there is a vast difference between acute inflammations where the immune system is energized to do its job versus chronic inflammation where over time the immune function has become weakened and, thus, does not have the “umph” to get the clean up done, enabling degeneration to proceed.
How to best partake of this marvelous ritual, i.e., to give the body the utmost assistance in doing its work? According to Bernard Jensen, PhD., D.C., in Nature Has a Remedy, “Let it flow!
Here are some of the ways that I celebrate this age-old rite:
1. I go to liquids – water, herbal teas, vegetable or bone broth, puréed chicken soup, fruit juice, an occasional piece of fruit – all requiring little effort for digestion so that the energy is diverted to the task of elimination. I don’t force it, drinking only when desired. Once I recognize the gear shift (to “cold” mode), I generally don’t feel much like eating anyway, which is all part of Nature’s plan. (When real hunger sets in, I know I’m getting better. I also know I’m getting better at being in tune with my body.)
2. I rest, keep comfortably warm, relax, listen to music, read. Nothing to feel guilty about not doing. Listening to the body, a most miraculous survival mechanism, is top priority now. If I only do that, I know I’ll have done a lot.
3. To aid the cleansing I might take an herbal laxative or an enema for a couple days. Sometimes I might experience mild reactions as the body starts to tidy up: the result of stored toxins getting circulated into the bloodstream on the way to elimination. I just continue doing what I know I have to do. This might include being in touch with a trusted health advisor who understands the natural healing process.
4. As long as a fever stays below 104°F., I just sweat it out. Fever is a natural way the body eliminates toxic material. Normally, body wisdom knows its own limits and self regulates. Trust in this wisdom, but if you’re nervous about it, again, consult your health advisor.
5. I remember the Golden Rule of Ruth Sackman, founder and first President of F.A.C.T., “As long as it’s coming out, don’t worry about it!”
Once confidently in tune with my body’s signals, I relax and, even despite some discomfort, enjoy the break from my usual hustle and bustle. I do not worry that friends may find me rather boring company. In a few days the cold will be on the way out and I’ll be feeling refreshed and ready to jump back into the daily scuffle.
With this kind of housecleaning, an occasional cold is about as exciting as it gets. Flu, pneumonia …cancer – these were not meant to be part of the celebration.
