In the last newsletter I talked about recommendations from a classical Chinese medical text for staying healthy in the Autumn. While these recommendations undoubtedly work, at some point everyone will get a cold. If you do get a cold there are a few important things that you can do (although you should still keep to the earlier recommendations for supporting the health).

The single most important factor in recovering quickly from a cold is rest. Every Autumn I talk with people who tried to push through the cold, only to have it become worse. There is also a natural tendency to want to resume normal activity levels as soon as possible with a cold. However, not resting for long enough and then returning to a high level of activity often leads to a recurrence of the cold symptoms, often at a deeper level within the body. So rest as much as possible if you have a cold!

You can also improve how you are feeling by drinking tea or other hot beverages. If you are feeling on the cool side you can try drinking black tea, coffee or fresh ginger tea, as all of these drinks are warming and "surface relieving" - meaning that they will help you to sweat. If you are on the warm side drink green tea, which is cooling. There are many different Chinese herbal combinations that can be used as well, although you should talk with a practitioner to make sure that you will be taking the right thing.

Of course, these traditional recommendations are for self-care for a mild cold. If you have a fever, colored mucus, cough, vomiting, or are not feeling better, contact your physician to rule out a more serious infection.

Many people wonder how long they will be contagious when they have a cold or flu. According to the Center for Disease Control website (www.cdc.gov), “the period when an infected person is contagious depends on the age and health of the person. Studies show that most healthy adults may be able to infect others from 1 day prior to becoming sick and for 5 days after they first develop symptoms. Some young children people with weakened immune systems may be contagious for longer than a week.”

If you do get sick the CDC recommends the following precautions to minimize the chance of spreading the cold:
"Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough. Clean your hands often. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Stay home when you are sick and check with a health care provider when needed. Practice other good health habits."

The key to getting over a cold quickly is being in good condition before you get it. You can strengthen your health with energy strategies (such as regulating activity and rest, eating foods that support the energy, etc.), Medical Qigong and Chinese herbal medicine.

For more information on Medical Qigong, Chinese herbal medicine and energy strategies see our website.

We are pleased to be offering an intermediate Medical Qigong workshop called “Linking the Channels” on Saturday, November 12th. This workshop is for students who have taken the Foundations of Medical Qigong course. The focus of this course is on gaining greater ease and skill with the core quiet and moving exercises and developing “linking strength” through the exercises. To aid in this we'll also be covering two additional exercises, Meridian Daoyin Gong and the Second Moving Gong.

I am limiting the size of the workshop to ensure individual attention. Please contact me for more information or to register.