How to Overcome Colds/Flu/Cough/Mucous/and Allergies
highmtn
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Ken asked me to post this for him:
Here are a few excellent things you can do that will help you.
1) First: Just before your warm-ups, take a REALLY hot, long shower. This is not a joke. Take in as much of the fumes as you can (especially through your nose). This will warm the breath and help put moisture (temporarily) back into your cords.
2) Get some tea tree oil or eucalyptus oil. Drop 3-4 drops in a cup of hot filtered water. You can microwave the water like warming up a cup of tea. Then put in the drops and waft the vapors, breathing them in through the nose and mouth for about 2-3 minutes. Do this before and after your warm-ups.
On performance or recording days, do this same thing but take 3 ibuprofen, (DON'T do ibuprofen all the time. This is "emergency" only and avoid alcohol and caffeine and sodas and carbonated beverages).
3) To help your immune system fight off infection:
Juicing is excellent.
Here is a juice cocktail that absolutely rocks.
1 small bushel spinach
1 clove of garlic
1 thumb size sprig of ginger
4-5 peeled carrots
1 stick celery
1/2 apple
(you can add 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper if you can handle it for circulation and blood/oxygen flow).
You must drink this with food. Do not do it on and empty stomach.
4) Danielle L'don grape seed extract spray viral fungal fighter (do triple the dose it says). You can find it here: http://danielleldon.net/virafungalfighter.html
5) Echinacea throat spray by ZAND. Spray the back of the throat and allow it to slowly drip down the back of the throat. You can find it here: http://www.camformulas.com/herbalmist-throat-spray-1-oz-zand-herbal.html?utm_source=googlepepla&utm_medium=adwords&id=35201754639&gclid=CKSE64-brLkCFaU5QgodjAcAbg
6) I like to use this with Oil of Oregano. A few drops under the tongue and down the back of the throat. This is spicy. Only do what you can handle. This is a really good one. http://blueskyvitamin.com/100-wild-oil-of-oreganotm-13-5-ml-physician-s-strength.html?gclid=CJ3Utoecq7kCFap7QgodVGAAYw
7) Zinc Lozenges. Nature's Way is a good one. Follow instructions: http://www.puritan.com/mineral-products-036/zinc-lozenges-with-echinacea-and-vitamin-c-075021?scid=26593&cmp=gpl-_-Mineral%20Products-_-075021&CAWELAID=1782915784%26catargetid%3D520010730000001413%26cadevice%3Dc&cagpspn=pla&gclid=CJPMkqacq7kCFRDZQgod9mIABQ
8) For flu and additional virus fighting (this is EXCELLENT for fighting flu). ABI Colloidial Silver. Get the 1100 ppm. Follow directions. You can find it here: http://www.abi4health.com/index.php?sub=silver5002
9) This company makes all organic vegan super foods to compliment your nutrition. I couldn't recommend them more highly. http://healthforce.com/ All of their products are excellent and will help keep you healthy expecially when on the road and not getting the food you need. They are expensive but worth every penny.
Here in the order of importance:
http://healthforce.com/superfoods-rejuvenation/vitamineral-green
http://healthforce.com/superfoods-rejuvenation/chlorella-manna
http://healthforce.com/superfoods-rejuvenation/earth
10) A pro biotic is also essential. Get one that has been (and stays) refrigerated. This is a good one (but there are many): http://www.professionalsupplementcenter.com/TheLivingShieldVSL3Capsules.htm?device=c&network=g&matchtype=&gclid=CL7Pl8Weq7kCFQ9eQgodNnsAVQ
FOR ALLERGIES:
Local Bee Pollen (the refrigerated kind). Bees have built up antibodies and you can benefit from them.
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper and filtered glass of room temp water.
These things will help you!
KT
Comments
@vikshut,
Ibuprofin is for taking internally. You don't want to take Ibuprofin for an extended period of time. It has side-effects, but if you need it for a few days it's probably OK if you don't exceed the recommended dosage. It will help reduce swelling, which includes swelling of the vocal cords.
Be careful, though, because if your cords are compromised from the illness, you don't want to overdo it and overuse your cords. If you are feeling relief from the Ibuprofen, that could cause you to feel like you're OK and push harder than you should.
Stay within your boundaries, and remember that you need to save your voice for another day. Hold back just a little, even if you're feeling better.
Take it easy and take good care of your voice!
Bob
I'll write in tomorrow morning again about my progress and worst case, I'll take the ibuprofen tomorrow since I'm performing the same evening.
Get lots of rest. Sleep is when your body heals, and you need healing. In the meantime, be very gentle with your voice. Save all that you can for your performance.
Go easy during your performance. Even though it is an important performance, you don't want to hurt your voice.
To the extent possible, have your monitors cranked up so that you won't have to scream to be heard.
Good luck with your show!
Bob
Bob,
The show today was quite a roller coaster ride. I arrived for sound check after having done my warmups (in the range I could manage). But to my shock, I wasn't able to hit the notes of a relatively easy range song. I got all shook up and so did the band. We had an hour break before the show was to start. So, I took 2 ibuprofens and had a hot green tea.
It fortunately worked for me, and i sang my 16 songs with proper support and was on key for the most part (for notes I
couldn't hit, I substituted them with the 3rd of 5th note in the lower octave).
Thanks for all the feedback and advice!
@vikshut,
Glad you survived! Sounds like it was a close call!
I hate it when illness attacks the voice!
Bob