Yogic Medical Solutions – Serial No 2
By Dr Rita Khanna
Yogic Solution for Common Cold
The common cold, also known as “acute coryza,” is an inflammation of the upper respiratory tract ,caused by virus infection. It is a very irritating condition. You are neither sick nor are you fit enough.
In spite of all the modern advances made by science, no drug or vaccine has yet been discovered to cure the common cold. Once you recover from a Cold , you will never get infected by the same virus. Then how come it keeps recurring now and then. Because there are over 10000 different strains of Cold causing virus.
There is an old adage that if you take medicine the cold is cured in a week otherwise seven days. But in case of weak constitution a cold may lead to more serious diseases like tonsillitis, laryngitis, bronchitis, pneumonia and tuberculosis. It is essential to receive proper treatment. Through Yoga Sadhana (practice) it is possible to build up sufficient energy, strength and resistance to overcome cold and its unpleasant effects. All Yogic techniques are designed to strengthen the body and mind and when done under expert guidance, help to make us less susceptible to mental depression, emotional upsets, loss of energy and imbalance in the neuro-endocrine systems.
SYMPTOMS
The common symptoms of cold are running nose, sneezing, heaviness in the head, mild temperature, aches and pains in the body, soreness of the throat, tiredness etc. If the flu virus is more severe, its symptoms are severe as well. This includes headache, high fever, exhaustion, cough and chills, intense muscle pain, sore throat, blocked nose and loss of appetite.
CAUSES
Toxic condition of the body, disorders in the functioning of the heart, overeating, eating acid -forming food, liver problems, high level of cholesterol, sudden changes in temperature, wrong eating habits, excessive smoking, over or under sleep, lack of exercise, pollution, and so on.
YOGIC SOLUTION
Yoga is very effective in conditions of cold and cough. Yoga not only helps prevent cold but improves a person’s health and strengthens the immune system thus lessening susceptibility to colds.
YOGASANAS
Surya namaskar, Sarvangasana, Bhujangasana, Shalabhasana, Dhanurasana, Marjari Asana and Yogamudra in Vajrasana are useful Asanas to shun cold.
PRANAYAMA
Ujjayi, Kapalbhati, Bhastrika, Suryabhedana and Anuloma- viloma are effective means to ward off cold.
YOGIC MUDRAS
The practise of Ling Mudra along with Pran Mudra for a few minutes everyday is very helpful. (If ling mudra is practised daily, along with a proper practise of Kapalbhati Pranayan then various incurable disease of the chest can be healed).
Ki
LING MUDRA
To form Ling Mudra, join both palms and lock the facing fingers together, keeping right thumb straight and upright. The upright thumb must be encircled by the other thumb and index finger. Linga Mudra is the booster of body’s immune system and helps to relieve other problem related to human anatomy.
PRECAUTION
Practice it any time you want. But don’t practice it a lot as it produces heat in the body. It can cause sweating even in winter if you practice it longer. In addition to practice of this Mudra follow a balanced & healthy diet. Drink lots of water, juices and eat more of fruit.
BENEFITS
It stops production of phlegm and gives power to lungs, cures severe cold and bronchial infection, invigorates the body, good in low BP. Regular practicing of this Mudra is effective for those who are overweight.
PRAN MUDRA
To form the Pran Mudra, join the tips of the ring finger and the little finger with the tip of the thumb.
BENEFITS
It improves immunity, improves the vitality of the body, improves eyesight, helps in proper functioning of the lungs, energizes the heart and removes the vitamin deficiency and fatigue.
YOGIC KRIYAS
Jalneti and Kunjal constitute the Yogic method of relieving and curing the common cold.
• Kunjal cleans the stomach of mucus and clears the throat. This has a reflex action on all the glands of the body as they are governed by the same parts of the autonomic nervous system.
• Neti then cleans out all the nasal passages, sinuses, eustachian tubes leading to the ears, as well as the eyes. This reduces inflammation, swelling and pain. The salty water acts by osmosis to draw out mucus and phlegm, and helps to dry and clear the passages.
• Neti also rebalances the Nadis, allowing Prana to flow more efficiently and clears the mind of tension. Kunjal and Neti rebalance the Doshas, reducing Kapha and increasing the digestive fire so that we feel heat radiating from the navel centre. Bhastrika performed after Neti further fans the gastric fire.
NOTE
When you can reduce the unpleasant effects of cold through the regular practice of Kunjal and Neti, it becomes possible to view the cold as a cleansing process with great long term benefits. Therefore we should never try to suppress or ‘cure’ a cold with drugs. Colds remove from our systems the accumulated toxins and poisons that have built up over the years. The extra production of mucus increases the metabolism of the body and the subsequent use of protein and other substances washes out internal dirt more efficiently. This means that our bodies can function better afterwards. With this outlook, cold can even be viewed as part of the path to higher and cleaner living.
DIET
The following diet will aid the elimination of mucus:
• Salads with plenty of tomato, carrot, celery, cucumber; papaya, guava, apple, orange, lemon
• Raw sugar (gurh/ jaggery) mixed with turmeric and made into small balls, taken with a little water
• Hot vegetable or lentil soup
• Chapatti
The following drinks will aid the elimination of mucus and help fight the cold:
• Boiled water with lemon juice
• Cracked wheat (dalia) with raw sugar
• Carrot and other vegetable juices
• Tea with grated ginger, black pepper, Tulsi leaves
• Cumin (jeera) juice – made by boiling one glass of water, then adding cumin seeds until the color of the water changes. Strain and drink.
AVOID
Milk, ghee, cheese, yoghurt (dahee), bananas, and all heavy, starchy & fatty foods which increase mucus and thereby depress the gastric fire.
SOME RECEPIES FOR COUGH & COLD
SOUP
Take more of tomatoes & spinach, 50 gms onion, 5-10 flakes of garlic, 2 shimla mirch (capsicum), cabbage, carrot, lauki (bottle gourd), green coriander, little salt. Cook all these vegetables in the cooker with water. Then strain them. To make it tastier squeeze lemon juice and sprinkle roasted jeera (caraway seeds) in it. If you want to make thick soup then first churn the boiled vegetables in a mixi and then strain.
UKADA (HERBAL TEA)
Take 1 cup water, ½ inch ginger crushed, 1”cinnamon crushed, two black pepper corns crushed, ten Tulsi leaves crushed, ten mint leaves crushed
Boil everything together. Strain and put one teaspoon of honey. Drink four times a day.
HEBAL TONIC
Fresh ginger juice ½ teaspoon, Tulsi juice ½ teaspoon, a pinch of black pepper
Mix all in one teaspoon of honey. Take 3-4 times
FURTHER RECOMMENDATIONS
• Drink only warm water.
• Add 1 teaspoon of honey and lemon juice each to half a cup of warm water and drink it several times a day.
• During fever if feeling shiverish do hot water sponge bath. If fever is high use normal water for sponge bath.
• Do Kunjal first thing in the morning followed by Neti. Repeat Neti 2-3 times during the day.
• Steam inhalations with balm help to relieve stuffiness and sore throat.
• Chest pack along with hot foot bath relieves cold, bronchitis, asthma, pleurisy, pneumonia, fever, cough, whooping cough and so on. Hot foot bath is beneficial especially if powdered turmeric is added to the water.
• Sleep is the best cure when you have a cold.
CONCLUSION
Cold is often ignored as a common infection but it needs to be treated. A Yogic lifestyle makes the body and mind flexible so that we can better handle the stresses and strains of modern living. We begin to tune into the natural cycles of day and night, and seasons, so that changes in weather are accompanied by a corresponding change in our bodies.
Yoga helps us to overcome cold by maintaining our internal heater. Through the science of Prana, a Yogi becomes immune to the dual nature of existence so that heat and cold, pleasure and pain, sorrow and joy, all come under his control and are seen as inseparable phenomena. Heat generated in the body is an aspect of Prana, the life-force. When we awaken Prana, we feel its warmth at many levels. Through regular Paranayam, proper quantity of Vitamin C in your diet as well as consuming fruits and vegetables are some methods to prevent cold. Most essential is washing your hands frequently, especially after coming into contact with someone who has a cold.
Courtesy: Dr. Rita Khanna
Aum Shanti
