Through
the ages, the lowly cold virus has defeated many a stalwart’s attempt
to find a cure! Folk remedies for the common cold abound. Here are some
of the more “sane” recommendations!
- Cover yourself with a warm red cloth.
- Rub chest and joints with paraffin and cover with greased baking paper.
- An old Japanese folk remedy was to wear a string of onions around your neck.
- Raw potatoes cut in pieces and placed on the forehead - for colds and flu
Folk remedies notwithstanding, to date, no cure for the common cold exists.
Or does it?
Way
back in 1928, Dr. Richard Simmons hypothesized that colds and flu
viruses enter our bodies through the ear canal and not through the eyes,
nose or mouth as most of us have been taught. Dr. Simmons' findings
were dismissed by the medical community.
However,
if the doctor was right, then it must be possible to treat an oncoming
cold through the ear canal as opposed to the usual nasal or internal
medical treatments. As it turns out, this is the case.
What
makes the treatment even more fascinating is that it doesn’t involve
any high-tech method or expensive prescription medication. It involves
the humble hydrogen peroxide! The kind you can pick up at the pharmacy
for a few rupees.
“Hydrogen peroxide in the ears” you ask? Yes, the good old H2O2. At the onset of a cold, here’s what you do: Lie on your side (comfortably curled up) and put about 5 drops of H2O2 in
one ear. There will be some bubbling along with a ticklish feeling. But
do not be alarmed, it will subside in a couple of minutes. The H2O2
will start to kill off the viruses. Continue lying on your side for a
few more minutes and then drain the liquid in the ear onto an old rag or
tissue paper. Roll over and repeat in the other ear. That’s it!
Continue this treatment two or three times per day until your cold
subsides. Remarkable results can be achieved in getting rid of colds
within 12-14 hours. Keeping your fingers out of your ears is a good
habit to develop for obvious reasons!
There’s even better news. This approach also works for the flu. H2O2 therapy is effective 4 out of 5 times; especially if used when the symptoms first appear.
So, is H2O2 a cure for the common cold or just another old wives’ tale? Try it and see. You may surprise yourself!
(Note: Always check with your doctor before trying this or any other therapy).