Infants and Children Common Colds

    "A bad Flu is in the town" and so I also got flu", is the lame excuse given by everyone when they get cold and fever. The reality is that not everyone gets the cold and fever even though everyone are exposed to these viruses and bacteria. Those immunity is low at that time get cold or any type of infection. In a place if there are people who are all having low immunity and also moving and interacting with others they may spread the organisms, causing an infection to spread.

This is why Ayurveda focuses on building an individual's immunity to prevent infections. Unlike the modern notion that vitamin rich food is equal to immunity, Ayurveda is wholistic. This means that immunity does not depend alone with eating nutrient rich food, but on the status of the mind which inturn affects the body's metabolic and physiology. 

Status of the mind affects breathing and breathing inturn affects the  Lymphatic circulation. Lymphatic circulation is the channel through which the immune cells navigate apart from blood circulation and patrols not only invading micro-organisms but also body's own cancer cells.

Stress affects the lymphatic circulation and so the immunity goes down. Colds with running nose and fever indicates down-immunity due to stress. Usually we have noticed people prone to colds when they are doing things mostly time bound manner, through which they stress. Usually some one breaks down with a cold after they had completed their time bound task whether at work or at home.

       There are several means to reduce this type of incidence of getting cold. In our experience doing every day detoxification reduces colds to a considerable extant. At stressful work keeping attention on breath and doing deep relaxing breaths during work works a lot better.

    Pancha Bhoota we suggest to cleanse the liver and change to whole food eating habits, walking ( for children lots of exercises) and relaxing, through which reduce attacks of common colds  can be noticed. We suggest to do these changes for a few months  and get back to us to inform us about your experience. If you do not see substantial changes then please write to us for an individualized treatment for you.

Immediate remedy for cold

          Turmeric in milk.

Daily giving a pinch of turmeric after food ensures good immunity to children. Adding in milk is the best way to give. Right from young age if we train children by giving turmeric they will develop good immunity.

Prevention:

Earth Therapy: 

Reduce the intake of sweets because sugar depresses the immune system. 
We have known this for decades. It was only in the 1970's that researchers found out that vitamin C was needed by white blood cells so that they could phagocytize viruses and bacteria. White blood cells require a 50 times higher concentration inside the cell as outside so they have to accumulate vitamin C. We know that glucose and vitamin C have similar chemical structures, so what happens when the sugar levels go up? They compete for one another upon entering the cells. And the thing that mediates the entry of glucose into the cells is the same thing that mediates the entry of vitamin C into the cells. If there is more glucose around, there is going to be less vitamin C allowed into the cell. It doesn't take much: a blood sugar value of 120 reduces the phagocytic index by 75%. So when you eat sugar, think of your immune system slowing down to a crawl. For more details please using click here.

Give children  Healthy Sweet snacks.  Reduce white sugar but use more jaggery and palm sugar. See here for recipes in the link above.

No cold foods and cold drinks: Eating cold foods (refrigerated) and giving children ice-cold drinks, decreases their digestive enzymes almost inactive.  All Biochemists know the 37 degree celcius or 98 degree fahreinheit is the active temperature for all biochemical enzymes to digest food. Only by eating warm food (not steaming hot) we can give the digestive enzymes this optimum temperature to digest food. When we drink cold drinks or cold food, the enzymes will not digest food. Undigested food goes to the small and large intestines and are eaten by microbes which produces gas and toxic products that are absorbed into the blood. This weakens our immunity.

      Avoid giving cold drinks and cold foods to children which will weaken their immunity.

Pharmacy: Liver is the pharmacy store of the body that produces all anti-biotics and medicines that the body need. So keeping the liver healthy is the best way to boost immunity. Eating everyday liver tonics like "Chyawanaprash" is very good.

Liver Cleansing:

                Cleansing the liver with Castor oil and Gallnut (cleansing)  once every two months (one time castor oil , next time gall-nut cleansing) is good.

       Fiber-rich foods helps liver and helps to throw out fat-soluble garbage out of the system. We recommend using fiber rich whole grains like brown rice (remember to soak in water and cook), whole rye flakes (33% fiber compared to 20% fiber in oats), whole wheat flakes (28%), barley flakes (26%). Millets like Ragi rich in fiber. In all ancient traditions, people ate different types of grains and millets  many of the readers might be unaware of the names.  These millets give different nourishment that help prevent many diseases like cardiovascular, diabetes, cancer etc.  millet, kodo-millet.

Breakfast
Use seven different whole grains for seven days. One can use in the form of pan-cakes (Dosai) or steamed cakes (Idli's), or porridge (oozhu) or cracked-uppuma type (See recipes in Sakthi kitchen).

1. Corn cracked-steamed (uppuma) or pan cake.
2. Barley flakes or pan cake.
3. Amaranth Uppuma.
4. Rye flakes or pan cake.
5. Quinoa flakes or Uppuma.
6. Finger Millet  pan cake or porridge.
7. Buckwheat  uppuma or pan cake.

Asian Type
1. Fox Millet  pan cake or porridge.
2. Barley flakes or pan cake
3. Buckwheat  uppuma or pan cake.
4. Little Millet  pan cake or porridge.
5. Italian Millet  uppuma or pan cake.
6. Banyard Millet  porridge or pan cake.
7. Amaranth  uppuma or pan cake.
No refined cereal drinks like Horlicks, Boost, complain should be used. These products are malted sugars and immeidately increase blood glucose levels.  Instead fruit juices fresh can be used.

See recipes in sakthi kitchen.

Cooking oil should be only unrefined sesame oil/olive oil or any other unrefined oils.

Drink these fresh juices, one a day and repeat the seven every week. It is
easy. Just cut and put in blender with little water and dates if needed ,
blend and drink. Dates increases Iron.

1. Pine-apple juice
2. carrot juice
3. Pine-apple juice.
4. Pomegrante juice.
5. Grape-fruit juice
6. Pine-apple juice.
7. Pomegrante juice.

No bottled or canned. it should be made fresh and not filter it. Clear juices are free from fiber and so drink all juices with the pulp.

Triphala Powder - Strengthen Liver: Everyday night take quarter teaspoon of Triphala powder in 20 ml of hot water for children of ages 5 to 10. half teaspoon in 35ml hot water for ages above 10 to 15. and one teaspoon for ages 15 and above in 50 ml hot water. (Please Click here  to find the link to buy this herb).

 Water Therapy :   We generally recommend giving children one glass of luke warm water first thing in the morning.  Using mild amount of flavors like ginger, cumin seeds, mint leaves, cardamom, coriander seeds, Sarsparilla root powder, hibiscus flowers etc)  for better results.

Fire Therapy:  Allow children to play in sun moderately to allow good exercise and also build good vitamin D levels in their body. This gives good immunity to them.

Yoga is very good especially Surya Namaskar given in fire section can be taught to children. It helps in good lymphatic circulation.

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