| Breaking News |
| Metabolic Cardiology |
| Prevention |
| Inflammation |
| Wireless Safety |
| Doctor/Patient Health Partnership |
|
Chicken Soup With a Kick
| |||||
|
|||||
 |
 |
|
|||
|
So you’re sitting in bed, watching television or reading a book, and resting because you’re sick with a cold or the flu… thankfully, you’ve already got some chicken soup made, warming on the stove. As steam rises from the bowl next to you, you inhale memories of mom’s or grandpa’s recipes wafting through your childhood home, and remember the warmth of the blankets someone wrapped you in, or the fire that melted the snow and ice melting off your shoes and mittens while your favorite characters animated the TV screen. This aroma is strangely invigorating, though, as you have added some serious kick to this soup…. sliced garlic and hot peppers. Of course, you have prepared yourself in advance for this spicy flavor adventure with a box or few of tissues next to the bed. Chicken soup is more than just comfort food when you’re sick with some form of respiratory illness, it actually has medicinal benefits. As tradition and familiarity may increase feelings of security and well being, comforting foods may actually provide an immune system boost especially if one believes in their power to heal. Chicken soup differentiates itself from other comfort foods, as it contains cysteine, an immunity enhancing amino acid. N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), an antioxidant supplement that is also used in pharmaceutical agents to dissolve mucous, is actually a form of cysteine.
Giving grandma’s chicken soup that extra healing punch involves adding fresh garlic and/or fresh ginger root, as well as spicy hot peppers or Tabasco. Nutritious garlic is an anti-microbial agent and natural blood thinner, and ginger root is an anti-inflammatory food. The hot peppers, however, are what can best cure what’s ailing you. Eating soup so spicy that it brings tears to your eyes will help break up mucous in your respiratory system and kick the congestion out.
The excess mucous which characterizes most upper respiratory infections actually serves a protective purpose: it gathers up bacteria, allergens, antigens, and other foreign substances that enter the lungs when we breathe so that the body can get rid of them. Over-the-counter decongestants that suppress the symptom of mucous production don’t do anything to get rid of the abovementioned triggers. The problem with mucous congestion is that it can lead to bronchospasms, or constriction of the muscles lining the airway walls, which can restrict breathing and prevent a good night’s sleep. A remedy like spicy chicken soup, especially when sipped throughout the day, can help eliminate sinus and lung congestion.
To make a spicy chicken soup:
In a soup or large sauce pan, saute chopped onion and a few tablespoons of olive oil on low-ish heat until translucent. Add chopped carrots and celery until partially cooked. Add salt, pepper, a few bay leaves, a small organic chicken or chicken parts, and at least enough filtered water to cover the chicken. Bring this mixture to a boil, then simmer on low-ish heat. After 25 minutes or so, take the chicken out and remove the bones and skin, returning the meat back to the soup. Add any beans or fresh vegetables like sliced green peppers or zucchini, as well as sliced hot peppers, garlic, and/or ginger and continue simmering for 20 minutes or so. If you wish to add pasta or rice, cook separately and add to individual bowls when serving. Top with chopped fresh herbs, like parsley or cilantro.
Try experimenting with modest amounts of seasonings and spicy or pungent ingredients, then add more to taste. The hotter the soup is with volatile ingredients, the better it is as a cold and flu-buster. Additional natural remedies include Sinupret (a German herbal product), Breathe Easy tea with Chinese herbs, and daily supplementation with 600 to 1,200 mg N-acetyl cysteine.
If you happen to succumb to a cold or flu, don’t let it get the better of you this season! The moment you sense the symptoms coming on, make spicy chicken soup (or ask someone else to). Enjoy your rest with healing herbs and foods, and maybe some good memories too!
© 2010 Heart MD Institute, PA
|
Pathology (becoming ill) is really a form of dis-ease that emerges from chaotic imbalance of mind, body and spirit. Heart disease frequently results from this disturbed relationship. When considering any illness, diagnosis or treatment, it's important to focus not only on the disease and the physical dysfunction created, but also on the human operational planes - the physical, metabolic, emotional, mental, and even the spiritual.
- Heartbreak and Heart Disease
