Congestion (for Nick)

[Guest guest]

Hi Nick,

I always find that if I understand what's going on when my body's conducting a

symptom, it's easier to put up with it. With congestion, the body has seen fit

to round up some of the wastes that have been accumulating in the body, attach

them to mucus (a transport medium), and exude them through the membranes of the

respiratory tract. To help move the wastes out of the body, we sneeze, cough,

and blow our noses a lot. While this is going on, the chest, throat and nasal

cavity can become inflamed and feel very full and congested. This is because

the body, in its unfathomable wisdom, did a quick cost:benefit analysis and

reckoned that using the energy and vitality necessary to move the wastes out was

preferable to allowing them to further accumulate. It's kind of like what

happens everyday at rush hour when all the downtown workers head out to the

suburbs. You wouldn't want to 'cure' traffic congestion by putting up

roadblocks in town or stealing peoples' keys so they couldn't get home. In the

same way, remedies (even natural ones) may make you feel better but they

actually force the body to stop what it's doing and retain the wastes. In

addition, since the ingredients in the remedies can't be converted to muscle,

blood and bone, nor used for any other purpose by the body, they must be

eliminated, further adding to the body's burden. Congestion calls for pure

physiological rest (sleep & fasting) and that's the only thing that can help it.

 

Most commonly, the above scenario happens when people go for long periods

overburdening their bodies on a daily basis with unhealthy dietary choices.

January - March are the peak months for colds and flus because they follow 3-4

months of winter weather, being inside all the time, a few holidays where

gluttony is the social mandate, too little sunshine and exercise, too little

rest, taking remedies in order to keep working when symptomatic, etc. Very

rarely, about 1 time in 1,000 I'd guesstimate, these symptoms happen because

people are doing the right things -- that is, they're stopping their old habits

and giving their bodies a chance to get rid of stored wastes. That's why raw

fooders tend to get elimination 'crises' in their first couple years of

transition. If these are still being experienced many years into transition,

it's obviously a sign that further improvements can be made. The perfect

response when a raw fooder finds him/herself in the above scenario would be to

lie in bed for as long as the symptoms are present, mentally review his/her

recent dietary habits, identify problem areas and resolve to eat more

healthfully in the future.

 

I hope you're feeling better soon!

 

Well wishes,

Nora

www.RawSchool.com

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Very well said. I NEVER try to supress a cough, I cough as vehemently

as I can to try and cough the mucus up. I could see a situation though

where, if someone is singing professionally, they may want to suppress

the cough during their performance so they don't cough in the middle of it.

Ron

 

RawSeattle , " Nora Lenz " <nmlenz wrote:

>

> Hi Nick,

> I always find that if I understand what's going on when my body's

conducting a symptom, it's easier to put up with it. With congestion, the

body has seen fit to round up some of the wastes that have been

accumulating in the body, attach them to mucus (a transport medium),

and exude them through the membranes of the respiratory tract. To help

move the wastes out of the body, we sneeze, cough, and blow our noses a

lot.