Wet Socks/Magic Socks
One of my absolute favourite therapies for colds and flu is wet socks. It sounds strange, but it's quite effective for keeping infection away and breaking a fever.
I encourage my patients (babies (3 mths and above) to adults!) to do this in three situations:
Photo Credit: CSG socks
First sign of illness
Feverish
Very congested
You'll need a thin pair of cotton socks and a thick pair of wool socks (if you don't have wool socks, you can use another thicker sock or fleece sleeper in a pinch).
Soak the thin cotton sock in very cold water.
Wring it out
Sit on your bed and put this thin cold sock on your warm foot
Put the dry wool sock on top
Go to sleep
Your body will work hard to warm up the cold foot/sock by increasing blood circulation to the feet. This kicks the immune system into gear, and immune cells will circulate in the body looking for infection to fight. It also helps reduce nasal congestion by moving circulation toward the feet and away from the head.
Typically patients enjoy the treatment, their feet warm up quickly, and they sleep well. Occasionally, the body is too weak to warm up the socks and sleep is inhibited. In this case, remove the socks and try again another time.
If you or your kids are getting sick frequently, there are a lot of things we can do naturopathically to support the immune system and kill the infection quickly. Book an appointment now to find out more!
*not for babies <3 months as body temperature regulation is difficult, a fever at this age is an ER visit