Image courtesy of howstuffworks.com
It’s that time of the year again! A new class of students has flooded into the Purple Valley, and old classes have made their way back. While it is so exciting and fun to meet new people and be reunited with old friends, it’s NOT fun to become acquainted with new bacteria and colds. The “Williams Plague” is merciless and seems to catch everyone in its path each year. While a trip to the Williams College Health Center can guarantee a cold care kit and maybe even antibiotics, other approaches to surviving your cold are available on or around campus.There is a lack of information regarding holistic medicine and its benefits on and around campus. This could be due to a lack of information circulating around campus regarding holistic medicine or a comfortability for the majority of the population in biomedicine and allopathic treatments to illness. Whatever the disconnect, I went on a mission to find some of the most common forms of medicine. I have always turned to holistic medicine when dealing with sickness, and results tend to vary from person to person, so make sure when you try these methods that you are patient and tracking your progress over time. If you feel uncomfortable or unsure of how a method is working for you, or have a bad reaction, you should see a healthcare professional about alternate treatment options.
Tea and Honey
Tea mixed with honey is a great way to soothe a sore throat, keep warm in the winter, and cure a variety of ailments. Honey is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and a healthier option for a sweetener. Ginger or Mint tea can help soothe an achy stomach, while lavender and chamomile can help aid in sleeping. Want a healthier alternative to coffee for a long night of working? Green Tea is a great substitute that has natural caffeine, and simultaneously hydrates you while strengthening your body. Stop by Goodrich Coffee Bar, or any of the dining halls during operating hours for a great selection of teas next time you start to feel a cold coming on or are trying to kick it out! Don’t like tea, but still trying to soothe a sore throat? Warm water and honey, or warm water and lemons will do a great deal of good for you.
Humidifier
When the weather starts to get colder, the air tends to become drier and harsher on our throat and nose. A great solution to this is to invest in a small humidifier. While you sleep you can be at rest knowing that you won’t wake up with a dry and tender throat or a hurting nose because the warm vapor emitted by the humidifier will make sure to keep these organs moistened throughout the night. If you are a fan of essential oils, add a drop or two to your humidifier water supply and you can get even more uses out of it. Lavender oil has been proven to help with sleep, and I personally love Eucalyptus oil to open up my airways and break down some head and chest congestion.
Warm Apple Cider Vinegar and Salt
Growing up, whenever I had a sore throat my mother would break out the Braggs unrefined Apple Cider and I would cringe because I knew what was coming. She would warm up the apple cider vinegar in a mug, pour some sea salt into the liquid, and have me go to the bathroom and gargle the concoction. I hated the taste of it, but to this day I swear by it. The apple cider vinegar acts as a great antibacterial solution, and the combination of it and the salt soothes the throat and kills bacteria that lurks in the moist and bacteria breeding environment. If you can get your hands on a bottle of Apple Cider Vinegar warm it up or dilute it with warm water, add some salt (comes in the Health Center’s Cold Care kits), gargle and spit out the solution. Repeat this process over the course of a few days or until your throat feels soothed. If you cannot access apple cider vinegar, warm water and salt can get the same job done.
Sleep
Though you cannot buy this last one or happen upon it in Whitman’s, it is one of the best ways to prevent and cure a sickness. Sleep! We all can get caught up in crazy work and extracurricular schedules, but making sure that you are getting adequate sleep each night is a sure way to cure a cold. Your immune system has to be strong and supported in order to fight off the nasty colds it encounters, so give it a boost of energy by trying to get at least an extra hour of sleep each night. Though pressing deadlines tend to keep us from our beds, maintaining our overall health is most important in physical and mental development and producing the best work, so prioritizing sleep can actually help you succeed more in the long term.
So there you have it– 4 accessible and holistic approaches to avoiding and curing whatever strands of sickness you may come into contact with over the next few months. As many of us are away from home where we may have people to help remind us to stay healthy, it is important to prevent illness in our daily regimen. So next time you are walking through Paresky or dashing to class from a dining hall, grab a cup of tea. While you’re at it, hit the bed more often, and gargle some warm water and salt before bed at night! Good luck and remember to put your health first! Your body will thank you in both the short and the long run!