The hot summer weather has finally started to subside and with the onset of the fall season, for some of us there is the increased potential for little (or big) colds and flus. Every culture has their own home remedies to address this, and in Korea it is easy to go to your local traditional Korean doctor, or 한의사, to get acupuncture and herbal medicine. For those who prefer a more home-remedy approach, here is a simple and effective trick from Naturopathic Medicine that can be done at home with minimal materials: a regular pair of cotton socks, and a thicker pair of wool socks.
1. Before going to bed, soak your feet in warm to hot water for 5 minutes until they are sufficiently warmed.
2. Take a pair of cotton socks and dip them in cold water– cold faucet would be fine, but even better if you can put them briefly in some ice water.
3. Wring out any excess water from the socks, but not to the point where the socks are completely dry. Put on the wet socks (and try your best to get past the unpleasant cold-wet-sock feeling).
4. Put on a pair of wool socks OVER the cotton socks and go to bed.
5. During the course of the night, most people will find that not only will the inner wet cotton socks get completely dry, but some also experience that their feet get too hot and need to kick off both pairs of socks.
6. You can repeat this procedure on a nightly basis for as long as you have cold symptoms.
Disclaimer: this procedure is not intended to be substituted for proper medical care in the case of severe colds and flu symptoms, but rather as a preventative measure at or before the onset of such cases. Try it out and see if it works for you!
You might want to read 4 Ways To Survive Monsoon Season in Korea