Do you remember your mom or your grandma saying… “you got sick because you went outside when it was hot and you had the AC on” or “you had the heater on and went outside when it was cold, and you were uncovered, so you got sick.”
According to Ayurveda, a common cold, or respiratory disease can be caused by exposure to a cold environment (weather, foods etc…). Combined with change (mobility, traveling), dryness, overexertion or a light diet and you have a recipe for getting sick. Also, changes that include: seasonal changes, change of jobs, relationships etc…those changes also create stress, which makes the body weaker. Your Vitality or Immune system (Ojas) are low due to overdoing any of the above or combination of one or two of these.
According to Ayurveda, all sickness or disease starts in the digestive system. How does this happen in the digestive system? What? Yes, that’s right.
Picture How easy it is to get a cold, or any disease, when you overdo or continuously repeat the same patterns over and over.
If your doshas are more predominantly (Vata air- ether) and you have been Traveling for a few days, eating “Bad food” for your dosha, Like I did (Green Juices, Coffee, pushing the adrenals to keep going, eating dry, fried, spicy food, no routines around meals for days), these can easily aggravate your dosha and bring it out of balance.
If you are more Pitta (fire and water), maybe you experience more heat and intensity. The Intensity of the day to day struggles or over exercise, homework, can all contribute to a weaker immune system. It could also be related to the food intake, eating salty, pungent and sour foods. Again, any type of change, seasonal and weather, etc…can all make it easier to get sick.
If you are more Kapha, then the onset occurs after a period of consuming an excess of cold foods, too much sweet, sour or salty foods. Exposure to cold, damp weather, can bring on a cold. You might think about how we tend to eat a lot and watch Netflix and over indulge during the winter and colder months, then in spring, we get allergies or a cold. All that excess consumption catches up. The excess “water and earth“ food (heavier foods like cakes, holiday dinners, comfort food, etc.), that we consume during the colder months, starts to melt, just like a snowy, white topped mountain starts to melt during the spring.
It all starts with the Accumulation of toxins. This happens in different parts of the digestive system. That is the reason we all Experience different symptoms when we get a cold, flu or any respiratory disease.
Vata- more dry cough (not too much mucous), pain and fatigue.
Pita- more heat, inflammation. Fever.
Kapha- congestion, more mucous, phlegm. Lethargic.
Depending on where the accumulation happens, those are the symptoms you experience.
In Ayurveda The treatment is to bring In the opposite qualities to alleviate the doshic imbalance. In Ayurveda, we like to say “like increases like and opposites balance each other.”
What to do? Well, maybe call your doctor if you feel super sick.. don’t listen to my nonsense, lol.
Or…you can also start by first, bringing the digestive system back to balance; maybe fast one day. This will be really helpful (consult with your doctor or Ayurvedic practitioner to make sure you can fast).
Why fast? It will help normalize the digestive enzymes. Giving your digestive system time to recuperate and ignite that fire (digestive enzymes) within us; ridding us of toxins or accumulated food that has been trapped in our digestive track.
Drinking Ginger tea or pickled ginger to avoid nausea and bring the Agni (digestive fire) back to normal. Coconut water or natural electrolytes to avoid dehydration.
REST, REST, REST AND MORE REST.
Yoga Nidra is wonderful (I always remember my dear friend and teacher telling me about the benefits of this practice. Well, It’s truly magical. Try to practice it, once in a while. You will love it. And when you are sick, 2 or 3 times a day is even better.
Colds indicate a weakness of the immune system (Ojas). They occur as a result of living out of harmony with our nature. You can look at a cold as a message from your body telling you that you are living out of harmony. Hopefully, you will make a change. If you don’t, then that cold will turn into a disease or illness.
Take, at least, 3 days off and rest. Use this time wisely to see where you have been lacking or overdoing. Ayurveda is translated as a science or knowledge of life, study of your life. Self study.
Neti pot with Himalayan salt (sometimes with herbal preparations according to your dosha).
Eye wash with Rose water
Light diet or fasting: (soups.. yes soups are easy to digest, and very simple to make. Maybe you recall your mom making you that chicken soup when you were sick. You needed that soup; that watery content, full of nutrients to replenish all the liquids of the body. Adding spices to digest, and bring back nutrients into our body, so we can remove all that is not serving us.. (mug dalh soup, with spices like ginger, turmeric, dry fennel seeds, cumin, cinnamon, maybe topped with cilantro). Veggie soups are also easy to digest, don’t use too many ingredients though.
Imagine you want to bring moisture and warmth into your body. For Kapha, add more pungent herbs.
Enemas -(enemas (bastis) purgations, therapeutic vomiting can be done at the onset of condition).
Nasya – (oils in the nostrils with herbal preparations according to your dosha).
Lemon, honey and water if you have sore throat…herbs can be added too.
Baths, with essential oils. Daily.
Pranayama (pranayama is essential. Maybe talk to your yoga teacher or Ayurveda practitioner to ask which practices will benefit you the most).
These are some of the things I do to help me get back to balance from my cold which is more predominantly vata and Pitta, of course.
The excessive movement and intensity of the last couple of weeks made my Ojas lower and the exposure to different climate changes made my body react. Now, here I am turning this illness into a positive.
Hope you can find some understanding to my rambling…lol.
Living your Ayurveda Life !