We all hate getting sick. The runny nose, chest congestion, cough, sore throat, headache, body aches, fatigue, and fever are not only inconvenient but really make you feel terrible! Why do we even have to get sick?
Our immune system can take care of a lot without us even knowing about it. but every once in a while it gets overwhelmed and we get sick. Poor diet, lack of sleep, and excessive stress are the main culprits for immune overwhelm. While these symptoms aren’t fun, there is a positive side to catching a cold or flu. It exercises your immune system and flushes out the lymphatic system. Like everything we need to use it or lose it. Your immune system needs a challenge to continue to function well and actually needs to be exposed to microbes to create more in its arsenal to fight more varieties of microbes. That’s why it’s a bad idea to try to live in a sterile world. We can overdo it and make it too easy on the immune system, which in effect weakens it , making it more difficult for the immune system to respond properly.
Not everyone is aware that we have something called a lymphatic system. It’s basically the sewage system of the body designed to remove waste. It’s a very slow moving system that follows along the circulatory system. It doesn’t have a pumping mechanism and can become stagnant if we don’t drink enough water or move our bodies enough. One more reason water and exercise is good for us! All the runny nose and phlegm production is actually cleaning house for your lymphatic system and removing waste that may have been sitting around for a while.
One of the best inherent healing abilities of our bodies to fight off bacteria and viruses is fever. Yes, fever is actually beneficial. It’s your body’s way of fighting the microbe that’s making you sick. In fact, the ideal body temperature to kill microbes is 102.5F. This might sound like a scary number but if you allow your fever to run its course it will shorten how long you’re sick. Sometimes a headache can accompany a fever. If this happens and it’s intolerable, you can naturally reduce the fever with a tepid bath — a bath that is the same temperature as your body temperature. It can really reduce a fever but it won’t work if you’ve already taken a medicine like aspirin for the fever.
So next time you’re miserable with the flu, take solace in your fever. Try to appreciate your innate ability to heal and know that you’re actually quite healthy to be able to have a healing fever!
