13 natural ways to cure sickness

December 21st is the first day of winter and the shortest day of the year. It is when we experience the least amount of sunlight. Around this time many people catch a cold or flu. The following suggestions are 13 natural ways to cure sickness without going to a doctor first.

You will not get fully healed using all these methods if your case is severe. Everyone experiences different levels of a cold when we get sick. If you are in need of medical care, visit a doctor. However, before you make an appointment right away try to do these things first.

Usually before a cold you may feel a tickle in the throat and it intensifies over time. Within days the body shuts down and you are too tired to move. You are weak with no appetite or desire for anything except to get rest and get better. Cold and Flu season is here.

SIDE NOTE

I am not a doctor and am not prescribing any medication. If you do not like any of these suggestions, see a doctor and I hope you get better soon. These are natural home remedies and things to do when you catch a cold. Take what resonates and leave the rest. Thank you for reading on.

What Is A Home Remedy?

A simply prepared medication or tonic often of unproven effectiveness administered without prescription or professional supervision. (Merriam-Webster dictionary).

What Does Natural Cure Mean?

A method of treating disorders, including the use of herbs and other naturally grown foods, sunlight, fresh air, etc. (Collins dictionary)

How Can I Heal Naturally?

1. Sleep

Go to sleep and sleep for as many hours as possible. Your body may need to recharge.

Electricity Vs. Sleep To Recharge Your Battery

Many years ago I watched a movie called, The Electric Grandmother. She was an A.I. grandmother shipped to a family who lost their natural mother. She came in to take the place of their biological mother, to feed the children and run the household. Each night when she went to sleep she would go into the basement, sit on a chair and plug herself in to an electrical device. Her electric body was recharging, the same way we charge our cell phones and computers. Similar to the electric grandmother, we too are electrically recharging our body system when we sleep.

The Importance Of Sleep

We cannot function properly or survive without sleep. Getting adequate rest for humans is equivalent to a robot connecting to an electronic device to recharge. We humans operate the same way using a different method.

Our electrical device is sleep. Perhaps the amount of hours of sleep you need is not as much as we need when we are healthy. However, when you are unwell, take a time-out and rest. Avoid limiting the number of hours you should sleep. Resting without a time limit will show how much rest the body really needed.

One time I slept for almost 16 hours straight while sick. The next day I was a little better. This time when I came down with a flu, the maximum amount of sleep needed to feel a little better was 10 hours. You may not get well right away, but the sleep is a huge boost to your system. Proper rest is one way to naturally cure our sickness.

2. Fasting

When you are feeling sick it is a good time to fast. For those who do not normally fast, your body might naturally slow down your appetite. All the coughing and exhaustion will not make you want to eat so let it be. Go with the flow and be on an empty stomach for some time.

Let go of eating solid foods for the first few days or so and let your mouth and stomach relax while you get better. Instead go to sleep and naturally detoxify in the process. Drink water for the first day and sleep off your exhaustion while fasting at the same time.

3. Citrus Fruits

When you feel hungry, eat citrus fruits like oranges and clementines. Snack on other fruits as well such as blueberries, apples or grapes. Eat them in moderation. In the winter clementines are readily available in grocery stores. They are perfect little bites of sweet orange, especially if you are coughing a lot. If it is difficult to swallow, choose clementines over oranges because they are easier to consume. The juice feels refreshing going down your throat. It clears out clogged lungs, helping you to cough it out and get rid of mucus.

Smaller pieces of orange slices will not get stuck in between your teeth. Blueberries will, even though all kinds of berries are very good to have when you are feeling sick. Eat some citrus fruit to help build up vitamin C in your body.

The citrus fruit wakes the body up while detoxifying at the same time.

4. Teas

Drink plenty of tea or hot water with lemon. A lot of teas leave an astringent residual taste due to the tannins just after a few sips. This will aggravate the throat, especially if you have a consistent cough.

The closer you reach to the bottom of the cup, the more you can taste it. Drink some, but perhaps not all the way to the bottom. Sipping on it feels good and keeps you warm when you are cold. It aids in clearing out the sinuses as well. Do this as soon as you realize you are catching a cold.

Drink warm water along with tea to help offset the dry aftertaste. It will feel better on your throat. Drink on average two cups of tea a day when you are sick. Flush out toxins in the body by clearing it with liquids such as green tea or any herbal decaffeinated tea.

5. Soup

Aside from drinking hot tea, once you are ready, eat light and soft foods. Consume hot soup. Make the soup simple with no clumps of vegetables.

Sipping on soup slowly will nourish the body and make you feel better, even though you are out of energy. Soups do wonders for us when we feel cold and tired. It is also an easy go to meal when you cannot bother cooking. During the flu season always have some soups in your home, either homemade or store bought. You never know when you need it.

Having soup is good way to keep your energy up. There are many different kinds of flavours to enjoy. Another option instead of having canned soup is to make your own beforehand. Put it away in the freezer to use in the future when you cannot get up to make it yourself.

Special Note

I recently published my second vegetarian cookbook called:

The Complete Meatless Lifestyle Vegetarian Cookbook-Volume 2
Authentic Homemade Vegetarian Cookbook is the first volume.

Both books have several healthy vegetarian soups to choose from. Volume 2 has a full chapter on soups. Please invest by purchasing my books on Amazon and receive an abundance of healthy recipes in return.

Thank you for your support.

6. Bread

Along with a cup of soup have a slice or two of bread, lightly toasted and spread with butter.

Eating lightly toasted bread with a little butter will satiate your hunger. Choose one that is simple and without grains so that you do not choke on your food. It is better to eat plain whole wheat or dark rye bread because the bread is softer. Your throat is sensitive and coarse during this time. More grains will aggravate the problem so avoid it when you are not feeling well and eat simple softer bread instead.

Then eat a piece of fruit after your meal. Pick from eating an orange, pear, an apple or grapes.

7. Water

It may be something you do not want, but try to drink plenty of water. Drinking clean water will replenish the body and get rid of what needs to go naturally.

Drink the water at room temperature. Try to take in four or more glasses of water if possible. It is harder to drink when you are coughing all the time and swallowing it aggravates the throat. However, if you can handle it do what you can.

Check out Why buy a Berkey filter?. This is a good long-term investment to have if you do not have clean water.

8. Shower

When we are sick the last thing we want to do is take a shower. Perhaps for the first day if the body is unable to move, do not move. When you are that weak, it is likely that you are not even getting out of the bed much.

However, after some time, a warm shower is very good for your body. Wash off all the toxins being purging out of the body. When you are sneezing, coughing and germs are going all over the place it becomes easier for others around you to catch a cold. This is especially the case if you are touching things without washing your hands.

The body needs to be cleaned so take a shower when you can. Again, the first night you may not need to because the body cannot move much anyway. Once you feel ready, clean yourself up and go back to rest.

9. Vicks VapoRub

Vicks Vaporub will help you breathe better when you are coughing, wheezing and unable to catch a breath. Lather a small amount on your chest and neck area before heading off to sleep. Rub it on your neck, throat and chest and cover those areas up to keep warm. Add a little bit under your nose as well. The intense mint sensation will open up your nostrils and help you breath a bit better.

Even if your sense of smell goes away, you will still feel the cool tingling effects of the ointment while resting.

10. Layer Up Clothes

Layer up when you have a cold. You may go through hot and cold temperatures in a short period of time. Cover up your body and keep a blanket close by. When you are hot, remove a layer and when cold, cover back up.

I wear up to 5 layers of tops when sick, especially in the winter. First a tank top, then t-shirt, a long sleeved shirt, a sweat shirt and lastly a cover up with blanket on top. Anytime it feels hot, a layer comes off. Have a small cloth or tissues nearby to cough into to stop germs from spreading all over the place.

11. Cough Out The Phlegm

As unpleasant as it is, cough out the phlegm. Try to do this away from people out of respect because it sounds gross. When you are coughing and phlegm comes up do not swallow it back down. It needs to come out to clean your throat. The more you keep it in the longer it can take to get better because you are swallowing back what naturally wants to come out.

After you take it out replenish your body with liquids, juice, water, tea or fresh fruits. Drinking liquids and eating citrus fruits will naturally bring out more phlegm to help clear your throat.

12. Frequency Music

There is healing music available on YouTube. Listening to it may help you fall asleep faster. Look for videos related to cold, sinus and flu frequency healing sounds. They may have positive effects that can naturally help cure a cold. There are videos on full body regeneration and healing the mind as well.

Take advantage of listening to soothing sounds and keep the music running until you feel better.

13. Coconut Oil

Blowing our nose constantly will eventually start to hurt under and around the nostrils. The skin will crack and dry up and needs to stay moisturized. Rub a little coconut oil inside and around your nose. Coconut oil replenishes the dry skin easily. It will allow you to blow your nose easier without pain. The lips might be cracked from breathing through your nostrils.

If the nose is blocked and the air is dry, coconut oil is a natural cream to replenish and nourish your skin.

Coconut oil is a great organic product to have in your home. It is not only good to have around when you are feeling sick, but in general because it has several benefits for your skin, hair, nails, teeth and nose.

In Summary

Avoid running off to the doctor the moment you feel sick. Give your body a few things first to see if it helps. Of course, if you are not getting better see a doctor and find out what the problem is. If it is an infection, something serious, you may need to take medication. However, for a regular cold all you might need is rest, liquids, healthy foods as well as fasting to recover.

There are several other ways to help you get better but I am sharing only 13. Other simple remedies are consuming ginger or peppermint. Also, mix eucalyptus oil in hot water and put your head above it covered with a towel to help open up your breathing. This is another way to naturally help cure a sickness.

Without a doubt the doctor will prescribe you some prescription pills. You may need them, but before going that route see if any natural remedy works first.

Hope you feel better soon.

**Originally published on January 10, 2022 on mcinthehouse.com**

Newly published on December 21, 2023.