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Ah, the sights and sounds of winter: the first blizzard, crunching
snow, and the sneezing and wheezing colleague or classmate.
We can run, but we can’t escape the common cold. While there’s no
cure, there are many local practitioners who provide
alternative
treatments for these pesky viruses.
Acupuncture is effective in treating the aches and pains, stuffy
nose and dripping sinuses associated with colds and flu, according
to Lauren Fehr,
licensed acupuncturist at
Lauderdale Wellness
Center, 2443 W. Larpenteur Ave. Fehr encourages people to schedule
an appointment at the first sign of the sniffles. “That’s the best
time because the body is trying to fight off the cold and the
treatment can help,” she said. Fehr also uses herbal remedies to
help treat a cold.
If the thought of
acupuncture makes you uncomfortable, Fehr offers
assurance to needle weenies: “ Acupuncture needles are extremely thin
and solid,” Fehr said. “It’s nothing like a shot or having blood
drawn. The sensation you usually get is one that’s a little bit
tingly but seldom intense.”
Swapping
acupuncture needles for colored lights sounds like the
latest variety of snake oil, that is, until you speak with
Esogetics
practitioner SchaOn (pronounced “Shawn”) Blodgett. He uses what he
calls “ Colorpuncture.”
Before dismissing this, Blodgett asks skeptics to consider
McDonald’s brand colors,
red and
yellow. “They conducted expensive
and extensive marketing research and found the color yellow helps to
motivate employees,” Blodgett said. “It also increases the digestion
rate, so when customers come in, they feel hungry. For employees,
red will make them work faster. When customers arrive, red will make
them want to get their food, eat and leave quickly.”
Esogetics applies a similar color-based theory to its treatments.
“We have therapies for the cold and flu that encourage the lymphatic
system to start moving, which strengthens your immune system,”
Blodgett said.
“Much of the immune system is based in your intestines, so we want
to flush out the toxins. To fight a cold, we have about 50 specific
therapies that we can use just because each situation is different.”
Blodgett, who sees clients at Shen-Men, a Healing Arts
Collaborative, in the Baker Court Professional Building, 821 Raymond
Ave., doesn't have a problem treating clients who have colds. “Come
on in. I see sick clients all the time,” he said.
A good offense
When dealing with a cold, “the best defense is a good offense,” said
Dr. William Skon, a St. Anthony Park resident who practices at
Skon
Chiropractic Clinic, 1567 Selby Ave.
“In
chiropractic, we talk about innate intelligence—the body’s
ability to heal itself,” Skon said. “The nervous system controls
innate intelligence and the connection from the brain to the rest of
the body comes through the spinal column. With colds and fevers, we
adjust the upper cervical area, the upper neck—lots of stuff happens
there.”
Skon recommends taking extra precautions this time of year: “The
number one thing is to increase your water. When we get into winter,
with heat running in the house, it gets drier—plus we’re in enclosed
spaces, which makes it easier to catch the viruses. The virus
invades the body and kills off the normal cells.”
If you succumb, however, you’re not out of luck. “Remember to
increase water consumption and don’t [eat] dairy products, which
create more congestion,” Skon said.
While it’s OK to eat fruit when you’re sick, Skon cautions against
drinking juice. “There’s so much sugar in juice that it compromises
the immune system.” He also encourages people to exercise four to
five times a week, get enough sleep and decrease stress.
Although studies are inconclusive about the efficacy of many
vitamins and supplements, Skon said, “It’s best if you get vitamins
and minerals from foods, but that’s not always possible, so we’ll
often recommend a daily supplement. Teas (black and green) can be
helpful, and garlic is a natural antibiotic.”
Matt Caldwell, a chiropractor at
Lauderdale Wellness Center, said
a chiropractic adjustment helps reduce stress for pa-tients with
colds or the flu. He also advises eating a balanced, plant-based
diet and lowering sugar and alcohol in-take. “Increasing sleep
also helps,” he said.
Kris Groth, a registered occupational therapist at
Lauderdale
Wellness Center who began doing
CranioSacral therapy about 14 years
ago, said
CranioSacral therapy can give the body a jump-start. It
involves the manipulation of the skull bones (the cranium) and the
sacrum. “[It] treats the whole body,” Groth said, “helping it to
balance out and boost the immune system. It helps clear sinus
drainage and anything that got stuck.
“If [the body has] been wanting to kick that cold, a treatment will
give it an extra boost.”
“Colds are self-limiting, meaning that they often clear up on their
own with time. However, if the cold develops into a deeper condition
(for example, bronchitis) and persists and worsens rather than
improves, consult your medical physician.”
Natalie Zett is an award-winning writer and frequent contributor
to the Park Bugle.
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