My first visit to India in 1995 was an unforgettable experience. For me, it was a revelation and I loved every bit of it — the color, the culture, the contrasts and the food. Unfortunately, as so often happens when we are working hard and playing hard, I came down with one of the worst chest colds I have ever had.
My work schedule was incredibly full and, with only a few weeks to do about three months worth of work, downtime was not an option. Fortunately, one of my Indian colleagues also happened to be a medical doctor. So, I turned to her for advice.
To my surprise, she recommended two therapies: (a) inhaling medicinal steam from a neti pot; and (b) ginger tea. Coming from the United States and having no knowledge of ayurvedic medicine, these recommendations did not make me feel particularly optimistic. However, desperation compelled…