It seems we have just about reached the peak of the flu season once again. Facebook profiles are plastered with coughs and sneezes. Everybody knows somebody who has H1N1. Plans are cancelled, work is missed and we end up in bed…more then we would like (although sometimes it seems to be the only way we get much needed rest).
Along with the flu season comes the marketing of everything and anything that people claim is the best for preventing and treating the cold and flu. Airborne, Echinacea, Vitamin C products, the latest and greatest herbal concoction and of course all the wonderful over the counter symptom suppressants all fly off the shelves, each person with their own family secret of that special combination that kicks it the quickest. Sometimes these items get costly and often times, they don’t seem to work.
Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a FREE way to prevent the cold and flu from terrorizing our daily lives….well (I bet it was obvious I was going to say this) there is!
When you have the first signs of a cold or flu, drink hot boiled water, continuously. I’ve tried it, and it works! The other day I got that first sign of a cold setting in. My head got a little heavy and I could feel it planning the attack on my nose. So I took the advice of the Four Tantras of Tibetan Medicine and from the moment I noticed I started to drink hot boiled water, and I didn’t stop little sip after little sip until I started to notice the symptoms subside. And they did subside. And I did not get sick.
Here is what the four tantras (rgyud bzhi) say about the benefit of drinking hot boiled water:
chu bskol drod skyed zas ‘ju skyigs bu sel
bad kan lto sbos dbugs mi bde ba dang
cham pa rims gsar ‘phral du zlog par byed
Boiled water increases heat, digests food,
removes hiccups and immediately relieves
bloating due to phlegm, discomfort breathing,
colds, and new contagions.
removes hiccups and immediately relieves
bloating due to phlegm, discomfort breathing,
colds, and new contagions.
As you can see, according to Tibetan Medicine hot water has many great benefits for maintaining good health in daily life. Mainly it increases our digestive heat, the foundation of good health. The only side effect is….well, you might have to run to the bathroom a couple extra times :)
2 comments:
Hi Matthew,
Congratulations first of all your qualification in Tibetan Medicine!!
I really enjoyed your post. Can I ask if there are any guidelines regarding the advice on hot water? I remember reading somewhere that if 24hours have already passed since the first signs of developing symptoms, the therapy can be counter productive. Does this comply with what you have learnt?
Many thanks for your help!
Emiliano
Hi Emiliano,
Thank you for your comments and question. I am happy you enjoyed the post.
I personally never learned that it would be counter productive after 24 hours. The stanza from the text is very simple, however it does say rim gsar which means 'new contagen'. I do think the real trick is to getting it at the first sign of symptoms. At the same time, I don't see any harm at drinking a moderate amount of hot water during the cold and flu. In fact I still think it has some benefit as opposed to drinking cold or iced water etc.... It cleans the phlegm, calms the wind and can also help any hidden or immature heat mature. It also keeps your kidneys function strong so your body is able to fight off the sickness. The only exception to this is if you have a fully developed fever. If your skin is hot, you do not have the chills anymore, you are sweating, but feel very warm and have a high temperature, then it would not be good to drink the hot water anymore. At this time it is more beneficial to allow the boiled water to cool down, even refrigerating it and then drinking it. This is the best water for bile or heat nature conditions. But make sure to drink any boiled water within 24 hours as it is said to become too heavy for digestion at that point.
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