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Dr. Stephen J. Kaufman

Denver, CO.

(303) 756-9567

The Cure for the Common Cold and Sinus Problems: How to Treat Them , How to Prevent Them

From the time I was young, I was plagued by the common cold. I got them several times a year, and they ALWAYS lasted 2 to 3 weeks. As a fledgling chiropractic physician and naturopathic practitioner, I explored many ,many herbal, nutritional, and manipulative methods. I did find ,during my chiropractic education, that I was able to prevent colds by extensive fasting and consumption of raw foods. However, this was impractical (I like desert!). When I first moved to Colorado in 1979, I even started to get colds more frequently, which would occasionally turn into a difficult bronchitis, sometimes requiring antibiotics. This was embarrassing for an organic doc! Of course, I also had many patients that also suffered from respiratory tract infections. I eventually found solutions that work for me and a lot of my patients. When I do get a cold now, it usually lasts for only a few hours! Believe me, this has changed my life! Let's talk about treatment first, and then go on to prevention, which is easier. (Okay, I'll talk, you read.)

If one begins this protocol at the very first sign of a cold, one can usually avoid it. Often we forget to start treatment early enough ,however, and are then forced to deal with a greater illness. In either case, the Bowel Tolerance Dose of Vitamin C often cures a cold in a few hours.

There are three portals of entry around your face, where viruses have access; the nose, the mouth and throat, and the ears. Keeping these three disinfected is the key to wiping out a cold in a few hours.

For a sore throat, and in fact most cold symptoms, the best thing I have found is turmeric and honey. Mix turmeric powder (yes, the spice from the super market) and enough raw, unfiltered honey to make a paste. Take 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of the mixture on a spoon. Chew and swallow it 4 times a day. Don't eat for a short while afterwards to allow the turmeric to coat the throat and mouth. I have had hundreds of patients use this simple ,inexpensive remedy and in almost all cases the sore throat will be much better or gone in a day or two. (Children, if they will take this, should have a correspondingly smaller dose.) Only continue for 2-3 days as this may cause loose stools. Turmeric is a powerful anti inflammatory and anti infective agent.

The ears are best disinfected by putting 2 drops of hydrogen peroxide in each ear, with a Q tip. Dip the Q- tip in the H2O2, ring out the excess, and dab it in the ear. This can be done twice a day for two or three days. For many of my patients, this stops the cold in a few hours. If it stings or hurts, I would advise not repeating the treatment, although I have not had a patient complain about this.

If you can, irrigate the nasal passages with salt water. This is best done right before a shower. Mix 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water, and very ,very gently drip it with a tablespoon into each nostril. Do this three times into each nostril. Then take a shower and gently blow out the excess mucous. This can be repeated (without the shower) 2 or 3 times a day. This is great for prevention, and often will stop frequent colds. Nasal irrigation is probably the best thing for sinus problems. A nasal irrigator or neti pot is also useful, available from National Allergy Supply. They also carry them at Whole Foods market.

The best thing I have seen for coughs is lily combination, a Chinese herb formula. The one I use is made of freeze dried granules, by Sun Ten Formulas( available 619- 275- 2293). This is said to be primarily for dry coughs, but I use it for any kind. I used to get severe bronchitis every winter in Colorado, often necessitating antibiotics (which I am loath to take.) Even codeine didn't help. This went on for 5 or 6 years. I tried dozens of natural cough remedies . Some of them lessened the cough, but not by much. Since my first dose of lily combination over 12 years ago I have only had one cough! I have prescribed this for scores of patients and have found it to work in about 80% of them. I use a fairly stiff dose. Four capsules as a tea in a cup of hot water, four times a day. (Children receive a smaller dose adjusted by weight). This is taken for 2-4 days, as needed. If it doesn't work in 4 days, it probably won't.

I use and recommend :

Echinacea,(Nature's Way), 2 or 3 capsules, three times a day.

Maithake combination, by Solaray, 3 capsules three times a day.

Apricot Semen and Linum formula, a Chinese formulation by Qualiherb, 2 caps three times a day.

Some people get good results by using zinc lozenges. The best type to use is zinc acetate. Suck (don't chew) a 1/4 of a tablet, every 20 minutes for not more than a day or two. (More than two days of zinc can provide a toxic level of zinc.)

During a cold, you should drink plenty of water, especially warm or hot. Avoid cold drinks and foods. Spend as much time lying in bed as you can for the first day or two.

Prevention

Some of the rules are common sense. A recent study found that people who exercise regularly get colds less often than non-exercisers. Wear warm clothes in cold weather. Don't get chilled in air conditioning. Avoid the wind. Most importantly, make sure you get enough sleep. Don't eat excessive dairy or wheat products. (What's excessive? That depends on you!) People with sinus problems especially need to try avoiding dairy completely for 2 months to see if it helps. If you simply must eat dairy , reduce it to twice a week or so. Any dairy should be eaten at room temperature.

In our dry Colorado climate, it's important to run a humidifier during the winter. I run several throughout the house; at least, keep the bedroom humidified. The ultrasonic ones have been found to send particles of bacteria into the air. I recommend a steam type.

Avoid eating a lot of cold foods, as well. This is one of the major caveats in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. Warm that ice cream up before you eat it, and drinks should be closer to room temperature. If you do eat dairy, eat it before 5:00 in the afternoon. It's much more congesting and harder to digest in the evening.

Colds may be spread by contact to the hands. Wash your hands frequently, especially after touching others and always after touching or even being around people with colds. Get out of the habit of touching your face or ears, unless you've washed your hands first.

Although socially questionable, wearing a face mask around people who have colds may prevent you from getting one.

Keep your head covered in cold weather, and don't go out with your hair wet. Dry it first.

Some people get colds as frequently as once a month. This is a problem with your immune system which will usually respond to applied kinesiology treatment of the neck. Some of the nerves to the sinuses and face can be influenced by specialized treatment to the spine. I discovered this 20 years ago and it has held true. Every patient I have seen with really frequent colds has been successfully treated by this method.

Patients with frequent colds have poorly functioning immune systems. The most potent nutrients that I have seen to stimulate immune function include glutamine and maithake (either the capsules by Solaray or the d-fraction, available Natural Ways, 619-275-2293).

One does need some exposure to sunlight, which we get less of in the winter months. Everyone should take a multi vitamin of some kind, although a person may need more of specific nutrients that support immune function, including vitamins C, A, pantothenic acid, grape seed extract, quercetin, zinc, selenium, the B complex, magnesium, etc. With a proper nutritional intake, dietary intelligence, and applied kinesiology treatment, almost all of the patients I have seen have ceased to have frequent colds and revert to the "national average" of perhaps 1-2 colds a year.

Sinus Problems

A recent study by the Mayo Clinic showed that most chronic sinus infections were not due to bacterial infections but fungal infections, and therefore do not require antibiotics.

(This should make you wonder why you've been prescribed antibiotics all those years, but never mind). In fact there is an extremely effective natural approach to sinus problems, which I will detail here. The vast majority of the patients I've seen have experienced great improvement, and have not required further medication.

It's very important to irrigate with salt water daily, or even twice a day. (This is described above under colds.) This will continuously cleanse the nasal passages, washing any infectious agents away.

We use an osteopathic manipulative treatment which was developed many years ago. It consists of gently separating all the sutures between the bones in the face. We then stimulate numerous acupressure points around the nasal passage, and flush the lymphatic system around the neck to encourage drainage. One technique that we have found to work very well is to treat the upper trapezius area by squeezing the muscle and rolling it between the thumbs and forefingers. This really seems to flush out a sluggish lymphatic system. We do this extensively for about five minutes on each side. The skin should be bright red when the treatment is done.

We also treat any tender trigger points in the muscles of the head. We similarly stimulate acupressure points in the muscles of the neck, since the nerve supply to the sinuses can be influenced from the spine. We often find problems with excess tension in the neck muscles accompanying sinus problems. This treatment is often dramatically effective in stopping sinus drainage and opening decongested nasal passages. Occasionally it is necessary to use acupuncture in stubborn cases. ( I have developed a special technique in acupuncture for sinus problems, but often it isn't necessary, as the other techniques work so well.) Since sinus problems are a result of improper functioning of the immune system, we also attend to overall body function. It is important to pay particular attention to liver detoxification, digestion, and elimination and bowel functioning.

Most patients with sinus problems have food allergies, and it may be necessary to try eliminating these. The most common allergies are dairy products (milk, yogurt, cheese, sour cream, etc.) ,wheat (in just about everything! ), citrus products (orange, grapefruit, lemon, and pineapple), and excess amounts of sugar.

We frequently find some or all of the following nutrients to be very effective:

pantothenic acid

quercetone

vitamin C

Serrapeptase (an enzyme which has an antiinflamatory effect on the sinuses)

vitamin A

grape seed extract

citrus bioflavinoids

grapefruit seed extract (Yep, grape and grapefruit seed, 2 different things).

Alleraid 2- often eliminates an allergy to cats, dogs, or horses)

All supplements available from Natural Ways 619-275-2293.

Sinus Problems
"You haven't helped me improve my handwriting, yet, but you've helped correct so many of my other deficiencies! Thanks, from the bottom of my sinuses!
---Karen Vatters

“On behalf of our sons Jameson (6) and Jacob (8 months), we thank you for all you’ve done to bring them health. Jameson come to you with severe excema, allergies and breathing problems. He plays soccer, rolls in the grass and rides his bike with full energy, just like any healthy six year old boy would. We brought Jacob to you at three months of age with bronchitis. Your treatments not only stopped the bronchitis, but have helped to boost his immune system. He is a strong, thriving baby boy. Thank you for your reassuring, gentle manner with our sons. We appreciate all you’ve done for them and for us.”
---The Faylor Family

Ear Infections

"For 13 months I had suffered from constant, chronic ear infections. Since seeing Dr. Kaufman I have had no ear infections. I am also much less irritable and I sleep better. " ---Cameron Hensley, age 1 1/2

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