Originally published in Front Porch Magazine, March 2017

Feel a scratchy throat cramping your style, or is that sneeze a signal of bad times to come? Before you reach for that medicine bottle, why not try a few simple Eden Energy Medicine (EEM) techniques to nip that cold in the bud before it takes over?

EEM combines aspects of Chinese Medicine with other modalities to balance the energies of the body so that you can achieve wellness and health. These techniques can reduce the length and severity of cold and even flu symptoms, and sometimes they can even stop an illness in its tracks.

The Four Thumps, Connecting Heaven and Earth, the Cross Crawl, and the Hook-Up are parts of a Daily Energy Routine (DER) that should be your go-to exercises at the first signs of an illness. They help move toxins out of the body, and bring in fresh, healing energy. See previous issues of the Front Porch (January and February 2017) for an explanation of these techniques.

Aside from the DER, there are other exercises that can help strengthen your body to move out any sickness that might be taking hold. Meridians are a system in the body that are vital to the flow of healthy energy. Working with the Lung Meridian can help to alleviate any associated symptoms of a cough or cold.

One technique is to flush the Lung Meridian. It runs on each side of the body from the lung, up and over the shoulder, down the inside of the arm in line with the thumb, and off the thumb. Flushing it brings new energy to it. You simply trace it backwards (from the thumb to the lung) once and forward (from the lung to the thumb) three times. Do this on each side.

The Lung Source Point is an acupoint that can also bring fresh energy to the lung. It is located at the crease between your hand and wrist just below the puffy part of your thumb. You can use a couple of fingers in that area to be sure you are on the point, and then just massage or press it for a few minutes. Repeat on the other side.

Neurolymphatic points hold in toxins that can only be released by massage or exercise. To release the toxins in the Lung Neurolymphatics, deeply press or massage the space in the middle of your sternum starting at the base of your collarbone.

Oftentimes when a cold comes on, we just want to relieve our sinuses so that we can breathe better and feel more comfortable. EEM has a few techniques to help with this as well.

At the side and base of your nose, where it flares at the bottom, are Large Intestine points that can help with relieving sinus pressure. With the pads of your fingers, press or massage the points on either side of your nose for about one to two minutes until you can breathe more clearly.

You can also do what is called the Cheekbone Press. Place the pads of your fingers underneath your cheekbones next to your nose. Push in and up and hold for about fifteen seconds. Breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. As you continue to press in, drag your fingers to the opening of your ears and pull down the sides of your neck.

Many of these points may be sore at first. If they are, it means that they needed a little bit of help to get that energy moving. Once you work with them more and more, your system will feel more balanced and healthy and you will be on the road to recovery in no time.