Despite the winter hardly arriving and, at least in the south, the temperatures are pleasantly spring-like, we are well aware that the cold is coming and, with it, all the seasonal ailments that it brings with it.
The TV will soon start bombarding us with more or less useful advice, urging us to take this or that medicine and resort to this or that vaccine.
However, if we perceive that this is not OUR way of taking care of ourselves, fortunately there is another that will not have the "honors" of a service on the news, but that deserves to be known.
A way that is not composed of tablets to be taken or syrups to be swallowed, but rather addresses the individual, offering him a way of looking at the influence with completely new eyes: ayurveda.
Influenza according to Ayurvedic medicine
For Ayurveda, seasonal influences are not the mere fruit of some bacteria, but are strictly related to the whole universe, with the balance of the doshas and the change of climate. Prof. Antonio Morandi, specialist in neurology and director of the Ayurvedic Point school : " There are two phases in the epidemic: that which develops more or less in December and spring. Traditional medicine likewise considers these two waves. For the Indian one, instead, the first phase serves to "discharge" the heat accumulated during the summer, the second to eliminate the mucus accumulated in winter ". This is due to the different balance of the doshas: " Each season is dominated by one of the three doshas: Vata , Pitta and Kapha energies that permeate both the human organism and the environment. The dosha of winter is Kapha which expresses coldness, slowness, heaviness, closure. In this season the amount of mucus that cannot be freed increases because the quality (or guna) of Vata which is the movement is not present in the environment. It dominates in the spring and is synonymous with motion, freshness, wind: here, at that time of year, there is the possibility of expelling the mucus, which happens punctually with the influences of February-March. In the summer, instead, there is a great accumulation of heat (Pitta quality) and, if it is not adequately released, this leads to the fevers of December ".
Influence? Ayurveda comes to our rescue
If this is the big picture, some deductions, as they say, are spontaneous. If there is an increase in Kapha for seasonal reasons, we must avoid, through the diet for example, ingesting foods that favor the accumulation of this Doshica energy. So, off to hot, light foods, with a spicy, bitter or astringent taste (dairy products are not recommended); for those who tolerate it, garlic is excellent. A friend who should never miss in the kitchen to ward off or fight the flu is ginger that can be taken in the form of an infusion or pure along with honey.
But how he anticipated the aforementioned prof. Morandi in this period can be seen, in subjects predisposed, to a "shot of tail" of pitta, the dosha that dominates in the summer. The doctor deepens: " The heat (quality of Pitta) accumulated in summer tends to be found mainly in the small intestine and in the stomach. To eliminate it, you need to use all the methods that improve digestion and promote evacuation and intestinal absorption ".
In fact, if our gastric fire fades not all toxins will be adequately burned and the unburned residues may accumulate and result in one of the best known flu symptoms. A remedy offered by Prof. Bhagwan Dash for gastric disorders is Pippali (long pepper): " The patient will take it as a powder, half a teaspoon mixed with honey and ginger juice three times a day. If this substance is administered at the first fever attack it prevents any further increase in temperature. This preparation also increases the patient's resistance to attacks of bronchitis and congestion in the throat ”.
If finding Indian preparations could be difficult for someone, here is another simple and precious ingredient that, generally, never in the Italian markets: turmeric. It can be consumed together with a glass of milk three times a day. The professor. Morandi recommends using sesame oil with which it is possible to make gargles in case of acute states of sore throat and colds: " This practice should be done every morning because it prevents oral and pharyngeal infections ".
In the case of flu, some lifestyle changes are to be taken: avoid excessive physical and mental strain and not expose yourself to the cold wind.
