Thursday, January 15, 2004
Folk medicines to fight the effects of the cold wave
LOOKING AHEAD by Wally Dobelis
The cold wave ff the weekend of January 10 has been a painful experience for many of our neighbors. It appears that New Yorkers suffer from colds, coughs and sore throats more than most Americans, despite what authoritative physicians and governmental health services indicate. To quote, informally, Dr. J, Smith, one of the top pulmonologists in NYC if not the world, there are a hundred varieties of emissions in the air in our city, none of them in excess of the acceptable, and all comparable to those in other large US cities. The worst is the stuff from the rear end of the bus. The emissions of 9/11 are no longer in the air.
On the surface, that sounds plausible, the rains have washed down the 9/11 particles in the air and on our buildings. But are they really gone, or do they rise again, as puddles dry and as the strong harbor winds of the Battery waft dust storms around, forcing those of us in the street to breathe through a scarf, or seek temporary refuge in a doorway? The incidence of chronic bronchitis in Manhattan is too frequent to be accidental, says this observer. This is particularly applicable to those of us who live within a couple of miles of Ground Zero, especially the ones who go to work in the Wall Street area every day.
What to do when the cold weather aggravates the malaise? According to the New York Times, we drink hot drinks, a good idea. City Bakery on 17th Street has sold
masses of hot cocoa. We call the Department of Housing Preservation and Development to complain about lack of hot water and heat. They had 5,000 calls a day, more than triple the normal. But we had no excessive calls to 911 or 311, looking for medical help.
We also take medicines, orthodox and New Age. As an example, a neighbor, R.T., finally shook a persistent case of colds, coughs and sore throat with Sambucol, an elderberry preparation from Israel that the New Age guru Dr. Andrew Weil says will shorten a case of the flu, curing it in three rather than in six days (per reputable research). We also take folk medicine.
None of the remedies discussed below are to be considered as substitutes for conventional medical care. Your family physician is still the essential caregiver for colds and coughs. Do not use the emergency services of our many local hospitals for coughs and colds, they must charge $250-500 per visit, to compensate for unpaid emergency services that are, as they should be, mandated upon them.
Herewith some of the folk medicine preparations that both taste good and do well. Consider an inspiring tea of shredded ginger root, with sliced lemon (peel and all), a mashed clove of garlic, simmered for 20 minutes, and taken with a spoonful of honey, to mask the garlic taste. Or try elderberry tea, always a favorite.
Then, there’s an easily home-made cough syrup, containing a few spoonfuls of lemon juice, a cup of honey and a quarter cup of warm water. Take it by the spoonful, or serve it with tea. To soothe a sore throat, serve it with chamomile tea.
An eucalyptus chest rub preparation will open bronchial passages and sinuses for easier breathing. It also has anti-microbial elements, to facilitate healing. Make it of 40 drops of oil of eucalyptus, 10 drops of oil of camphor, 10 of wintergreen, combined with a spoonful of olive oil, to facilitate rubbing. The essential element is the first. Using eucalyptus oil in a steam inhalant also works.
As for strengthening the immune system against colds and flus, there are myriads of advisors with food and vitamin suggestions. To mention a few easy items, such mushrooms as shiitake, well-known Oriental health food bought in the Union Square Greenmarket will help, as will drinking three glasses of good water, the eating of fresh garlic (easiest to swallow in a sandwich), drinking green tea and eating green vegetables.
There are also the actions we take to protect ourselves from the world, as well as protecting others from us. In a subway, wrap yourself in a newspaper – the Paper of Record is the best, at least from the point of size. If you must sneeze or cough, do it within your paper, it will protect others. For short trips, remain standing rather than use an available sat in a crowded train, you can control your environment and move away from sneezers. Carry plenty of tissues, flush them down at your destination. If you spit up yellow, or, particularly, green phlegm, there is an infection, and you must see a doctor.
One final suggestion – grow a spider plant in your home, it fights the toxic pollutants in the air. They are fun and look good.
The cold wave ff the weekend of January 10 has been a painful experience for many of our neighbors. It appears that New Yorkers suffer from colds, coughs and sore throats more than most Americans, despite what authoritative physicians and governmental health services indicate. To quote, informally, Dr. J, Smith, one of the top pulmonologists in NYC if not the world, there are a hundred varieties of emissions in the air in our city, none of them in excess of the acceptable, and all comparable to those in other large US cities. The worst is the stuff from the rear end of the bus. The emissions of 9/11 are no longer in the air.
On the surface, that sounds plausible, the rains have washed down the 9/11 particles in the air and on our buildings. But are they really gone, or do they rise again, as puddles dry and as the strong harbor winds of the Battery waft dust storms around, forcing those of us in the street to breathe through a scarf, or seek temporary refuge in a doorway? The incidence of chronic bronchitis in Manhattan is too frequent to be accidental, says this observer. This is particularly applicable to those of us who live within a couple of miles of Ground Zero, especially the ones who go to work in the Wall Street area every day.
What to do when the cold weather aggravates the malaise? According to the New York Times, we drink hot drinks, a good idea. City Bakery on 17th Street has sold
masses of hot cocoa. We call the Department of Housing Preservation and Development to complain about lack of hot water and heat. They had 5,000 calls a day, more than triple the normal. But we had no excessive calls to 911 or 311, looking for medical help.
We also take medicines, orthodox and New Age. As an example, a neighbor, R.T., finally shook a persistent case of colds, coughs and sore throat with Sambucol, an elderberry preparation from Israel that the New Age guru Dr. Andrew Weil says will shorten a case of the flu, curing it in three rather than in six days (per reputable research). We also take folk medicine.
None of the remedies discussed below are to be considered as substitutes for conventional medical care. Your family physician is still the essential caregiver for colds and coughs. Do not use the emergency services of our many local hospitals for coughs and colds, they must charge $250-500 per visit, to compensate for unpaid emergency services that are, as they should be, mandated upon them.
Herewith some of the folk medicine preparations that both taste good and do well. Consider an inspiring tea of shredded ginger root, with sliced lemon (peel and all), a mashed clove of garlic, simmered for 20 minutes, and taken with a spoonful of honey, to mask the garlic taste. Or try elderberry tea, always a favorite.
Then, there’s an easily home-made cough syrup, containing a few spoonfuls of lemon juice, a cup of honey and a quarter cup of warm water. Take it by the spoonful, or serve it with tea. To soothe a sore throat, serve it with chamomile tea.
An eucalyptus chest rub preparation will open bronchial passages and sinuses for easier breathing. It also has anti-microbial elements, to facilitate healing. Make it of 40 drops of oil of eucalyptus, 10 drops of oil of camphor, 10 of wintergreen, combined with a spoonful of olive oil, to facilitate rubbing. The essential element is the first. Using eucalyptus oil in a steam inhalant also works.
As for strengthening the immune system against colds and flus, there are myriads of advisors with food and vitamin suggestions. To mention a few easy items, such mushrooms as shiitake, well-known Oriental health food bought in the Union Square Greenmarket will help, as will drinking three glasses of good water, the eating of fresh garlic (easiest to swallow in a sandwich), drinking green tea and eating green vegetables.
There are also the actions we take to protect ourselves from the world, as well as protecting others from us. In a subway, wrap yourself in a newspaper – the Paper of Record is the best, at least from the point of size. If you must sneeze or cough, do it within your paper, it will protect others. For short trips, remain standing rather than use an available sat in a crowded train, you can control your environment and move away from sneezers. Carry plenty of tissues, flush them down at your destination. If you spit up yellow, or, particularly, green phlegm, there is an infection, and you must see a doctor.
One final suggestion – grow a spider plant in your home, it fights the toxic pollutants in the air. They are fun and look good.
# posted by Wally Dobelis @ 6:28 PM 
