Cayenne Pepper, Among Many Things, Stops Heart Attacks

by Healthy Life Tricks

Did you know that cayenne pepper can prevent heart attack in a minute? So you better make sure you always have it on hand or at least in your kitchen cabinet, cause you never know when you might need this valuable ingredient.

An American herbalist, Dr. Christopher, has never lost a patient to a heart attack in his 35-year career. What he does is he gives a cup of cayenne pepper tea (a teaspoon to a cup of water) to patients who are still conscious.  These theory is scientifically proven from personal experience and not on studies done in controlled conditions. So it is even more trustworthy.

The reason why Cayenne pepper helps with heart attack is because it has at least 90,000 Scoville units, according to the Scoville Heat Units (SHU). This also includes Habanero, Thai Chi, African Bird, Jalapeño, Jamaican Hot Pepper, and Scotch Bonet. 

A combination of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper and a glass of water can be given to patients who have had a heart attack, but are still conscious and breathing.

If the person is unconscious, put a few drops of cayenne pepper extract under the patient’s tongue.

This will increase the heart rate and carries blood to all parts of the body, thus balancing circulation. It has hemostatic effect, stops bleeding, and helps in heart recovery.

The remedy below is considered to be the best remedy for emergency cases of heart attacks. Just remember to use cayenne pepper and not hot pepper.

Ingredients:

• Cayenne pepper powder
• a few fresh cayenne peppers
• 50% alcohol (you can use vodka)
• glass bottle (1 litre)
• Gloves

Preparation:

1.   Put your gloves on because cayenne peppers are pretty hot.

2.   Fill a quarter of the glass bottle with cayenne pepper powder and put enough alcohol to cover the powder. If possible, do this on the first day of a New Moon.

3.   Blend a few fresh cayenne peppers, and add enough alcohol so it gets a sauce-like texture.

4.   Add the mixture to the bottle which should now be 3/4 full.

5.   Fill the bottle to the top with alcohol and close it well. Shake it several times during the day.

6.   Leave the tincture until the next New Moon (after 28 – 29 days), and strain it using a gauze. Keep it in a dark bottle.

7.   If you want to have a very strong tincture, strain it after 3 months.

8.   Close the bottle and store it in a dry and dark place. It doesn’t spoil, so you can use it as long as you want.

Dosage: 5 – 10 drops of the tincture to a conscious patient who has suffered a heart attack or a stroke. Add another 5-10 drops in 5 minutes. Repeat the treatment until the patient’s condition improves.

If the patient is unconscious, put 1-3 drops under the tongue, and start a CPR. Repeat the treatment every 5 minutes until the patient’s condition improves.

Health benefits:

• Cayenne pepper has antifungal properties which prevent the occurrence of Phomopsis and Colletotrichum
• It has a beneficial effect on the digestive system – it stimulates the production of gastric juices, and relieves gases.
• It has anticancer properties, especially for lung cancer and smokers. The capsaicin in cayenne pepper is known to prevent the development of tumors caused by tobacco, and similar results are noticed in patients diagnosed with liver cancer.
• It helps in the treatment of stomach problems, migraines, flu symptoms, allergies, obesity, redness, toothache and arthritis.

There are 26 different nutrients in cayenne pepper, like calcium, zinc, selenium, magnesium, vitamins C and A.

Prepare this remedy and always have it handy, because cayenne pepper is one of the strongest natural spices that can do miracles for the heart.

Source: HealthyFoodHouse.com

CAREFUL WITH THAT CAYENNE

Careful With That Cayenne

I have recommended cayenne pepper before. Even though this is a supplement, not all supplements are harmless or harmless in the given amounts.  I recommended taking cayenne pepper for circulatory reasons.  In that article, it stated that cayenne pepper is THE supplement to have around in case of a heart attack.  But as I've always maintained, much of what passes for therapeutic or fix-it advice on the net regarding supplements is sales copy.  And nothing sells better than fear or greed.  Promise someone they will be richer, better looking, taller, you name it, that's greed--you're selling people what they want and lots of it.  Selling fear means you scare people into a position.  "If you don't want to lose the value of your IRA, listen to this interview."  Same thing with food and with supplements.  

So, yes, it's true that cayenne pepper is great for circulation.  Absolutely.  But do you really need its powerful benefits?  I don't know.  Only you can answer that.  Maybe you could use its benefits for a short time, like in an emergency situation.  Or for a few days after that.  But remember there are a few organs involved in the circulation of your blood to, through, and from the heart.  There are your kidneys for one.  There is your heart for two.  There is your liver.  And your brain sending electronic impulses to everything else.  

Gingko Biloba is better tolerated for the long term.  That's not an endorsement per se, but Gingko is milder.  If I wanted to maintain healthy circulation I'd be running, walking, swimming, hiking, playing basketball or tennis.  Find what you like.  It may be yoga.  Find what you enjoy, find that which brings you that twenty-year-old joy.  Could be dancing or any of the other activities I mentioned.  

But be careful with cayenne pepper.  There are a few important caveats that I want to share with you.

Marie Dannie over at Livestrong reports that 

Too much capsaicin in food can lead to general symptoms of irritation in the mouth, stomach and intestines, and in some cases, it can cause vomiting or diarrhea. Capsaicin is present in both fresh and dried cayenne, as well as in cayenne powder.

A more serious risk is heartburn:

Cayenne pepper in even small amounts, but especially in high quantities, can cause heartburn. The capsaicin content in cayenne irritates the stomach and esophagus lining, increasing the amount of stomach acid produced, which can flow upward into the esophagus, creating a burning sensation in your upper abdomen. A 2010 publication of “Revista de Gastroenterologia de Mexico” found that capsaicin caused gastrointestinal reflux symptoms in people suffering regularly from heartburn as well as those who normally do not experience any reflux problems. 

Have never experienced this reaction with Ginkgo Biloba.  Again from LiveStrong.  This time from Joseph Pritchard--not good for your liver or kidneys:

Capsaicin [has] been associated with stomach upset, kidney and liver damage as well as abdominal pain, the University of Maryland Medical Center explains. Capsaicin has been associated with increased stomach acidity as well as lowering the effect of ranitidine and other stomach acid reducers. Capsaicin also potentiates the effects of blood-thinning medications. 

This is why you need something milder.  Perhaps you can find a way to take milder amounts of cayenne pepper.  Or simply take Ginkgo Biloba.  But don't give up on Cayenne Pepper on my account.  Dr. Edward Group points us to "17 Health Benefits of Cayenne Pepper," some of which seem a little contradictory in my view.  Check out how Dick Quinn relied on cayenne pepper for heart health. 

#1 killer is systemic large artery disease. Kendrick: Chronic injury to endothelium (i.e., pre-diabetes) & then blood clots (repair/response). Answer: Cayenne Pepper

Some folks keep cayenne pepper in a 1st Aid Kit.  Go figure. 

#1 killer is systemic large artery disease. Kendrick: Chronic injury to endothelium (i.e., pre-diabetes) & then blood clots (repair/response). Fix: Eliminate injury (Keto diet), take magnesium + add high-heat cayenne to your dishes (both reduce platelet stickiness). pic.twitter.com/wk8rmjyCAm

— Alan Watson (@DietHeartNews) April 7, 2023

🚨 Shocking Study: giving a child TYLENOL linked to Dramatic increase in Autism. Don't give Tylenol. Give Magnesium and Vitamin C

🚨 Shocking Study: giving a child TYLENOL linked to Dramatic increase in Autism.

"[If Tylenol's given] you're 2000% more likely to have a child w/autism than if you don't give them any acetaminophen from 12 to 18 months."pic.twitter.com/zjgQPcaiHF

— Natural Immunity FTW (@NaturallyFTW) April 21, 2023

Lots of alternatives to aspirin or Tylenol.  Ginger opens up blood vessels.  Vitamin C opens up blood vessels.  These compounds dilate blood vessels.  And have other therapeutic benefits.  Cayenne pepper same thing.  In fact, many folks keep tablets of cayenne pepper in a first-aid kit.  

Diabetic Circulation & Disastrous Circulation from Metabolic Syndrome

Diabetic circulation is best improved through exercise.  For circulation, cayenne pepper may also help to move your blood.  Good blood circulation is for life and limb.

Destroy Annoying Pests with Food

The bitter rind of cucumbers chases ants away.  Much better option than those toxic sprays can linger for hours and leave a nauseating air.

You can add other ingredients to cucumber rind to make the chase of the critters even more hurried.  Here are a few amazing takeaways from the article linked in the previous sentence:

". . . keep crawling pests, such as ants, out. These include garlic – grind it up with water and apply – cayenne pepper, cinnamon, powdered charcoal, bone meal, talcum powder or chalk. Keep in mind that different pests have different aversions, so you’ll have to see what substance works best with the ones trying to sneak into your home."

"Boiling water is excellent for ant control or if you see where they are creeping into your house, squeeze some lemon into the hole or crack."

"If you don’t want to spread sugar around your house, boric acid, about as toxic to us as table salt, is naturally occurring and is another way to kill roaches dead."  I've had great success with boric acid to shoo roaches.

"Baking soda and powdered sugar mixed in equal parts is a good roach killer."

"Cloves smell better than moth balls and are a natural deterrent against winged pests."

"Grind rosemary leaves into a fine dust and sprinkle it onto your pet or its bedding to ward off fleas." And my guess is that their memory and temperament would improve as a result.

CIRCULATION

VITAMIN E

I was looking for treatments for circulation, particularly poor circulation in the lower extremities.  My dad suffered terribly from poor circulation in his legs.  I wish I'd known then, what I know now.  

So what is it that I know now?  Just what I read this morning at DoctorYourself.com:  

According to Wilfrid Shute, M.D. and Evan Shute, M.D., Vitamin E in quantity has many benefits. One is an oxygen-sparing effect on heart muscle.  Another benefit is that Vitamin E helps to gradually break down blood clots in the circulatory system, and helps prevent more from forming. Vitamin E encourages collateral circulation in the smaller blood vessels of the body. It seems to promote healing with the formation of much less scar tissue. Vitamin E helps strengthen and regulate the heartbeat. 

Did you get that?  Vitamin E helps gradually break down blood clots . . . and helps prevent more from forming."  Wow!  Just wow. But that's not all.

Vitamin E encourages collateral circulation in the smaller blood vessels of the body. It seems to promote healing with the formation of much less scar tissue.

It is one thing to hear from a friend or from a commercial or from your own reading what the benefits of a particular vitamin are. How often do we hear that Vitamin C is an anti-oxidant and that people should be taking it for colds?  We hear that a lot.  But there are so many more benefits to Vitamin C that are overlooked. Deliberately overlooked?  Hmm.  I don't know.  Maybe.  Yes, Vitamin C does fight scurvy and is an anti-oxidant.  Yes, but it also builds collagen, which may prove more important than its use as an anti-oxidant.  In fact, turmeric is a more powerful antioxidant than Vitamin C or E.  

Studies have shown that turmeric is effective in halting cancer in all 3 stages, reducing the number of tumors and protecting the throat, stomach, and colon against cancer.  In animal studies, turmeric was toxic to cancer cells within thirty minutes.  

But back to Vitamin E and circulation.  

The above benefits, say the Shutes, mean that vitamin E is important in the treatment of many diseases of the circulatory system. These cardiologists treated heart attacks, angina, atherosclerosis, rheumatic fever, acute and chronic rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart diseases, intermittent claudication, varicose veins, thrombophlebitis, and high blood pressure. That's quite a list, to which they soon added diabetes and burns as well. Many medical authorities were skeptical, to say the least. Vitamin E seemed to be too good for too many illnesses. 

Well, that is quite a list.  And how credible are the authors of these findings?  I mean, how do they know?  What proof do they have? 

Before the Shutes' viewpoint on vitamin E can be disregarded we must consider that they treated more than 30,000 cardiac patients over a period of more than 30 years. Their success cannot be easily dismissed. Today, the Shute Institute in London, Ontario, Canada, continues to see cardiac patients from all over the world, providing what is arguably the most thorough and successful vitamin E treatment for heart disease anywhere. 

So there's that.   

Guidelines on taking Vitamin E.  Dr. Saul summarizes the Shutes' opinion on that question. 

A person in good health may wish to begin with a supplemental amount of 200 I.U. of vitamin E per day and try it for a couple of weeks. Then, 400 IU  might be taken daily for another two weeks. For the next two weeks, 600 I.U. daily, and for the next two weeks, 800 I.U. per day and so on. One ultimately takes the least amount that gives the best results. This approach is essentially that of Richard A. Passwater and is provided in more detail in his book Supernutrition (1975, Pocket Books).  

There were reports about ten years that said taking 400IU is the maximum amount one should take per day.  But a friend of mine takes 3 to 4 to 5 times that and he looks healthy.  Nor do I ever hear of any physical ailments from him.  So there's that.  But Sau's summary above says that the best way is to take a graduated amount, starting at 200I.U. and working up to as high as 800I.U. a day.   

After recognizing Vitamin E's versatility in everything from heart disease to hemorrhoids, Saul explains why a single vitamin or its deficiency can account for so many functions our bodies: 

First, the reason one vitamin can cure so many ailments is that a deficiency of one vitamin can cause many ailments. Each vitamin has many different uses in the human body. There are, after all, just over a dozen vitamins and your body undergoes countless millions of different biochemical reactions daily. Therefore, each vitamin has to have a large variety of applications. 

My own experience with Vitamin E is that is a terrific topical wound healer.  I said healer. Absolutely.  And this has been corroborated by friends who've experienced similar miraculous responses from topical Vitamin E.  I had an open sore on my wrist that would just not go away.  I was suffering some serious stress at work and the open wound that started as a cut just did not heal itself.  It would start to scab and then the scabbing would recede. Frustrated by the lack of progress, I got a Vitamin E capsule.  I knew that Vitamin E was good for skin, I just didn't know how good.  Within 3 days after applying the Vitamin E to the wound, it had almost entirely healed.  The wound had closed and the scab was hardening to its later stages.  I could not believe my eyes.  I shared the information with a friend. He told me "That's why I take it internally.  For healing."  

Now tracking the internal improvements derived from Vitamin E is a lot harder.  I mean if you've got internal ulcers, it's kind of hard to know if they've been treated or healed by swallowing Vitamin E gelatinous capsules. 

For foods rich in Vitamin E, check out this list: 

1.  Spinach

2.  Vegetable oils [but be careful here: I recommend only olive oil, coconut oil, sesame seed oil, and macadamia nut oil.  All others, forget about it, especially forget about Canola and Soybean oils. Ugh!]

3.  Hazelnuts

4.  Sunflower seeds

5.  Avocados

6.  Shrimp

7.  Rainbow Trout

8.  Broccoli

9.  Butternut Squash

10.  Kiwi

CIRCULATORY FOODS BESIDES VITAMIN E
1.  Cayenne Pepper
2.  Gingko Biloba
3.  Ginger
4.  Onions.
5.  Garlic. 
6.  Parsley is really good for you; it's got Vitamin C too.
7.  Horse Chestnut (I've tried this in supplement form only once.)
8.  Willow Bark is Nature's aspirin.
9.  Green tea is "known to improve the function of the cells that line the capillaries."  Hmm.

H1N1 ATTACKS THE LUNGS

H1N1 and the Damage It Can Cause

H1N1 ATTACKS THE LUNGS
The respiratory tract.  H1N1 attacks the lungs, which form the major organs of your lower respiratory system.  You may not know that you have the H1N1, which is a particularly pernicious attack on lung tissue. A coworker/friend who had H1N1 said she had a case of bronchitis.  I am sure that is how it was registered.  She said that it was a particularly bad case of bronchitis and that she could not get rid of it.  She said this as she coughed.  

from thehealtsite.

The alarming rate at which swine flu is claiming lives, recovering from the flu is definitely akin to getting a new lease of life. However, most patients who develop the flu and are discharged from the hospital after proper treatment and care, often fear if – life would be the same even after recovery. Read to know if swine flu is completely curable.

ROAD TO RECOVERY

On the surface, there might not be a lot of changes that one needs to deal with after recovery. ‘A normal healthy individual can recover from the symptoms of swine flu within 48 to 75 hours, if proper treatment is given on time, which means soon after developing the symptoms. Even with supportive therapy, like proper ventilation to improve oxygenation of blood, one can recover from the flu within five to seven days. Although, general fatigue, weakness and tiredness can be persistent for about a fortnight, it subsides with rest and proper diet,’ informs Dr Prakash Jiandani, Director of Critical Care Unit, Wockhardt Hospital, South Mumbai. Here is the proper treatment and medicine guide for a swine flu patient.

However, people who suffer from moderate to severe symptoms of swine flu, end up with a suppressed lung function or problems related to the respiratory tract. ‘This is because the progression of swine flu attacks lung function and most deaths or critical cases of swine flu are the ones with respiratory infection or failure. That’s a reason why oxygen therapy, with proper ventilation, becomes a necessity for patients suffering from swine flu in advanced stage,’ says Dr Jiandani.

COMPLICATIONS of SWINE FLU

In most severe cases of swine flu, one develops acute respiratory distress syndrome or ARDS, a life-threatening condition and prime reason for so many lives being lost to the flu. In this condition, the lungs of the patient are damaged to such an extent that there is low level of oxygen in the blood, which interferes with the functioning of other organs. For people with a suppressed immune system, like the ones suffering from diabetes, hypertension, elderly generation, etc., recovery from ARDS is very rare. Here is a complete food guide for people suffering from swine flu.

At its severity, the H1N1 virus, causing the seasonal flu, disrupts the functioning of the lungs to a great extent. If one develops ARDS, it could mean that the air sacs or the alveoli of the lungs are filled with fluid and hence, unable to pump requisite oxygen for proper functioning of the entire body. The symptoms of ARDS include: Shortness of breath, rapid breathing, and low blood pressure.

This detail--that the alveoli could be filled with fluid and "unable to pump requisite oxygen" should be a very serious cause for concern with this particular flu.  Do not mess around with toughing it out or going mild on treatment.  You want to aggressively consume large amounts of Vitamin C, eat whole lemons or drink the juice from them perhaps, but whatever you do be sure to get massive amounts of Vitamin C.  Look, if you've already got a chronic condition or you've got injuries somewhere or you've got arthritis, getting the H1N1 could be life-threatening, so don't play around with this.  Other folks I know, a few years older than me, who contracted H1N1 did not do so well in recovery and probably have been working out of a chronic condition since then [two years ago] and may very well end up fighting that chronic condition for the rest of their lives. It is awful.  And very serious.  A friend of mine in the medical field said that the H1N1 is no more serious than any other flu, joking that there is no flu season, that the flu does not take a vacation the rest of the year and then in the winter it comes back with a vengeance.  

Bill Sardi wrote about the swine flu in the winter of 2014. Lots of people died.  He pointed to the collective depressed immunity brought on by vaccines as the culprit.  Regardless, you need to fight for your life.

However, if recovery takes place with all the requisite treatment modalities, ‘it might end up with a scar formation in the lungs which could lead to a radical sequel of the same in the future. There is quite a bit of chance of recurrence of respiratory problems even after recovering from the flu,’ says Dr Jiandani. Prevent the spread of swine flu following these 10 dos and don’ts.

LIFE AFTER RECOVERY

Although ARDS is a life-threatening condition, if one recovers from it, one might have to live with:

Scarring in the lungs: For most people suffering from ARDS, there develops scar in the lungs and the air sacs thickens, which remain unaltered even after recovery. This stiffening of the lung tissues can make it difficult for proper oxygen dissemination in the bloodstream.

Being prone to infections: ‘With a suppressed immunity and scarring in the lungs, a person might also be prone to bacterial infections and other respiratory tract infections in the future,’ says Dr Jiandani.

Abnormal lung functions: Most people with ARDS recover with their lungs functioning normally. However, in some rare cases, the lungs might need supportive oxygen supplementation for few hours a day or few times in a month to help one breathe to the optimum.

Emotional disturbance: Low levels of oxygen in the blood stream due to an impaired lung function can also lead to memory or cognitive impairment and could lead to depression and emotional imbalances in some survivors.  

FOODS & NUTRIENTS THAT FIGHT H1N1
ANTI-OXIDANTS
Vitamin C, Vitamin C, Vitamin C.  One way not to have to live with ARDS is to treat the flu, any flu you contract, immediately with Vitamin C.  Not sugary Cranberry juice or orange juice or even an orange, though the flavonoids of an orange actually would help.  But instead get a blast of Vitamin C by way of ascorbic acid or buffered capsules with a full panel of bioflavonoids or try one of the synthetic Vitamin Cs that bypass your digestive tract.  You want lots of Vitamin C, for according to this report, anti-oxidants [like Vitamin C] destroy the virus, protect and repair lung tissue.  ". . . this discovery is another reason to drink red wine to your health. Antioxidants may be a weakness of the H1N1 flu virus."

GARLIC

BEEF or CHICKEN BROTH

CAYENNE PEPPER

WHITE FOODS (I am not being racist, I swear)

Radishes, mushrooms, Asian pear, and white fish.  Sounds good.  I am thinking of halibut and perhaps a fish chowder with a buttery cream sauce, not one of those made with a heavy cornstarch.

One food that is hard for me to avoid is dairy.  I love raw milk, cheeses, yogurt, and butter.  I would still recommend some butter during your bout with and recovery from H1N1.  Maybe even yogurt too.  Probiotics help with immunity.  

Have a Cold? How to Feel Better

Mark Sisson has penned what I would deem an excellent guide for treating the common cold.

No one likes a cold, and various colds of one origin or another are going around this winter season. One of the worst parts of the common cold is that it’s unpleasant enough to make daily life annoying but mild enough to force you to still go out into the world and maintain a normal schedule.

But you don’t want to have to do that. You don’t want to get anyone else sick, and you want to feel better—fast. How do you do it? How can you speed up your clearance of a cold, whether through actually expelling the virus from your body, getting rid of the symptoms, or both?

Let’s talk about that.

How to Feel Better Quickly When You Have a Cold

These are the basic, research-backed things to do when you have a cold and want to get over it fast.

• Get enough selenium
• Get enough zinc
• Eat a bunch of garlic
• Drink raw golden milk
• Try nasal irrigation
• Try povidone-iodine gargling and nasal rinsing
• Drink bone broth
• Eat spicy food

Get Enough Selenium

Almost every upper respiratory tract infection I’ve ever studied has selenium deficiency as an enhancing variable. Most viruses, for example, sequester selenium and utilize it to replicate and to weaken the host, leaving them wide open for further, deeper infection. The common cold is likely no different.

Eat Brazil nuts (one to three per day) and oysters and wild salmon. It is possible to overdo selenium, so don’t go overboard with supplementation. Just eat selenium-rich foods while you’re experiencing symptoms.

Get Enough Zinc

Zinc is the most important mineral for immune function, especially regarding upper respiratory tract infections. Depending on the virus, zinc has been shown to inhibit replication, lower binding, and block various physiological processes many viruses use to attack and ingratiate themselves with the host (you). And this isn’t just theoretical or based on cell culture studies. The best evidence we have shows that zinc supplementation reduces the duration of common colds in adults.1

Eat Lots of Garlic

Garlic is a potent superfood lurking in plain sight. Garlic and its components can improve immune function, reduce the occurrence of common colds, and block viral entry into host cells.234 If I feel a cold coming on, I’ll crush and dice up an entire head of garlic and lightly simmer it in a big mug of bone broth. I find I am usually able to ward off whatever’s headed my way. Of course, that’s just an anecdote and the available evidence is more equivocal.5

Drink Raw Golden Milk

Ayurveda is the traditional Indian system of medicine. Although talk of chakras and levitating gurus lets rational skeptics dismiss it entirely, modern science has vindicated many Ayurvedic therapies, herbs, and concepts. Golden milk is one, and it’s really simple. Add turmeric and black pepper (plus other spices) to milk and it turns gold. In Ayurveda, golden milk is used to fight sore throats, colds, and flus. Does it work?

Well, turmeric is absolutely rife with potent pharmacological effects. It may be able to relieve cough and clear up excess mucus, at least according to animal studies.67

Milk might actually be a bigger aid. Research has shown that a combo of two milk components—whey protein and lactoferrin—is able to reduce the incidence of the common cold in people.8 That was a concentrated supplement, however. Your standard glass of milk doesn’t have nearly as much whey or lactoferrin. Raw milk may be a better option, as it contains more lactoferrin than pasteurized milk, and raw whey provides more glutathione-boosting effects than heat-treated whey. To preserve these benefits, you’ll have to drink your golden milk unheated, of course. Here’s how I’d make it:

Fill a blender bottle with turmeric, black pepper, raw milk, and extra whey protein. Add a sweetener if you prefer. Shake vigorously. Drink. Maybe chase it with a lactoferrin or colostrum (the “first milk” that’s highest in lactoferrin) supplement.

Try Nasal Irrigation

In Sanskrit, “neti” means “nasal cleansing.” The neti pot is a exactly what it sounds like. You fill a tiny kettle with warm saline water, tilt your head over a sink, and pour the water into one nostril. It flows out the other one, clearing your nasal cavity and letting you breathe again. The scientific term is “nasal irrigation,” and it really does work against the worst part of a bad cold: the stuffy nose that keeps you up at night, gives you dry mouth, and makes food taste bland.9

Also, it’s better than antibiotics in kids with rhinosinusitis.10 It even improves symptoms in infants with bronchiolitis, another kind of viral infection.11

Gargling and Nasal Irrigation with 1% Povidone-Iodine

Make a 1% solution of povidone-iodine (1.5 tablespoons 10% povidone-iodine/betadine into 250 mL nasal irrigation bottle and fill the rest up with sterile/distilled water) and gargle with that at the first hint of a sore throat and spray it into your nasal passages. Betadine is intensely virucidal when applied topically. One study even found that COVID patients who gargled with 1% betadine had quicker clearance of the virus and its associated symptoms.12 Since the common cold is often a coronavirus, it’s also probably susceptible to betadine.

Worth a try.

Bone broth/chicken soup

People call it “Jewish penicillin,” and they’re not lying: evidence has confirmed that chicken soup eases nasal congestion, improves the function of the nasal cilia protecting us from pathogen incursions, and reduces cold symptoms.

Does it have to be chicken? As most cultures include soup in their list of effective cold remedies, I suspect it’s the goodness of the broth that’s important and any true bone broth-based soup will work. Hell, in a pinch pure collagen peptides might even do the trick, though I’d opt for the real bone broth if you can.

Spicy Food

Some people, when ill, swear that spicy food helps them “sweat it out.” Maybe, but a better bet lies in its effect on our nasal cavities. Capsaicin, the chili pepper component that produces a burning sensation in mammalian tissue, reduces nasal inflammation. When your nasal blood vessels are inflamed, the walls constrict; the space gets tighter and you have trouble breathing. Studies indicate that capsaicin is effective against most symptoms of nasal congestion.13

My Cold Remedies

The foundation for my resistance and response to upper respiratory tract infections isn’t any specific food or supplement, of course. It’s everything. It’s my sleep, my stress, my training, my play. And yes, my food. As I said about my experience with COVID, I’d been training for it my entire life. But it does happen to the best of us, and it’s the worst. We shouldn’t accept being sick. I never do.

I’ve mentioned my common cold medicine: an entire head (yes, a head) of crushed garlic lightly simmered in a mug of bone broth spiked with cayenne, hot sauce, or fresh chilies. If I feel a cold coming on, I’ll drop whatever I’m doing and prepare it. This is a potent combination of three of the cold-busting ingredients with the most support in the literature (broth, garlic, and spicy food). Lately, I’ve been including black garlic, a delicious fermented variety that tastes like molasses and has increased pharmacological activity.

If I have a sore throat, heating up and drinking a blend of lemon juice (lime works too), water, and raw honey in a 4:4:1 ratio always makes me feel better. I tend to use a wild neem honey harvested in India. I’m not sure if the bees feeding on neem makes a difference, though the plant does possess antiviral and immunomodulatory effects. I’ve also heard great things about black seed honey, made from bees who feed on the black cumin seed flowers.

I also use these zinc acetate lozenges recommended by Chris Masterjohn. If you ever feel a sore throat coming on, suck on these and let them dissolve in your mouth. Each one takes about 30 minutes to dissolve, but it really does help.

How do you folks beat colds? What do you do?

Thanks for reading, everyone.