Getting treatment for a cold right away…
Colds are annoying. Yet they offer your body, mind and spirit time for a quiet transformation. Let us explain.
When we get sick, our body reacts to the pathogen. This may appear as body aches, fever, chills, sore throat, headache, ear ache, nasal congestion, cough, fatigue etc. What we typically do in American culture is take a fever suppressant, cough suppressant or painkiller to diminish the symptoms so we can continue on with our lives even though we really just want to curl up in a ball and sleep. Doing this signals to our immune system that its reaction is not correct. Over time our body's immune response weakens because it’s been repeatedly told that’s not necessary. Though we may feel better without resting and taking the time to feel the illness, this does not mean the pathogen is fully evicted from our body. Some part of it may be lingering and the body is using it’s energy to hold it in latency.
Why is it important to come in for treatment when you have a cold?
Over time, we may have lots of little unresolved colds being held within our bodies. Let's say a virus comes along and your body is working very hard to fight it. The energy used to contain all those little unresolved colds is now being directed to help the immune system to fight the virus. The virus has more intense symptoms than other virus' because it’s not just the virus, it is all that is unresolved too, fighting the Wei Qi. This is a big demand for the body and can take more time to recover.
Why do we recommend coming in for treatment when you have a cold?
To support your body’s Wei Qi. Wei Qi is qi that circulates in the muscle and skin layer. It helps the pores to open and close to regulate temperature and sweat. It increases circulation to the muscles when working out or doing activities. It also is the first defense against a cold. It is the reason we have a fever: the more Wei Qi at the surface the hotter the temp.
When you come in for a treatment we nourish the systems that support the Wei Qi, because no function of our body does it alone. With boosting up the immune system and supporting the Wei Qi, you have more resources to recover from the pathogen and not leave anything lingering to come back later.
It is common with treatment to decrease the length of time an illness lasts, have a quicker resolve of fever and to get sick less.
What we recommend for colds:
Come in as soon as you are feeling sick.
After treatment, eat soup. Soup provides liquid that helps break down food without taking fluids from your body (you will be sweating so the more liquid the better) The soup also gives you a headstart on breaking down your foods through the cooking process, meaning it will require less energy from your body to digest it.
We recommend sipping some Ginger or Cinnamon tea, wrapping up in warm cozy clothes under blankets to get a good sweat going (you may want to have some clothes to change into nearby if the sweat is quite great). And rest.
We recognize that taking time from your daily life is a privilege. We hope that you feel supported enough in your spirit and life that you can ask for this space. It is a hope we have for everyone to be able to access today not someday.
Treatment is safe for everyone. Elderly, children, those who are pregnant, and those with preexisting conditions.
