Beat the cold & cough blues

It could be termed as common cold, but it could cause a world of misery leaving you with a nose rubbed raw, a congested chest, sore throat and watery eyes. While the over the counter (OTC) medications prevent and shorten its wrath, WTN tells you about a few conventional ways that can help you get better.

First of all, it is essential to remember that fluids moisten the throat and breaks up congestion. To say hydrated drink sports drinks, herbal teas, fruit drinks, ginger ale, chicken soup. However, drinking coffee and other caffeine drinks might dehydrate you. Hence it is important to stay hydrates whether you follow the OTC or the conventional remedies.

Piping hot soup

When suffering from could any soup will do you good and clear your chest. But chicken soup is the best for it stops inflammation and prevents mucus from being produced. Add extra chopped garlic for a powerful boost or spices like black or red pepper flakes.

Ginger

Garlic contains the compound allicin that blocks the enzymes leading to bacterial and viral infections. Put a few slices of raw ginger in very little water and boil it for few minutes. Its curative properties, relieve congestion, soothes cough, sore throat and helps you get rid of nausea.  It also helps dry running nose – lessen inflammation of mucous membrane in the nasal passage – and expels phlegm and speeds up recovery -.

Try: Take 6 spoonful of grated ginger with a pinch of cinnamon and boil it. Cover and keep it aside for 30 minutes. Strain and reheat the tea slightly. Try to inhale the steam as well.

Special spiced tea, milk

Add tulsi, ginger and black pepper while preparing your tea. The three ingredients fight common cold and cough. Also, drinking boil black pepper, cumin seeds and jiggery and straining it before drinking will relive you of chest congestion. Secondly, you may try the age-old warm milk and turmeric drink.

Try: If you can bear the heat of spices, try popping a hot pepper and allow it mix with the saliva for sometime before finally munching it away.

Honey

A concoction of tea and lemon eases sore throat pain and suppresses cough. Honey has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. Intake of honey during bedtime reduces the cough symptoms. Honey at bedtime reduced the severity of cough symptoms in children above 2 years of age. Also, you may add very little onion juice to honey to help loosen phlegm. Onion has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

Vitamin C & probiotics

Include enough lemons, limes, oranges, and greens in your diet. Adding lemon juice to hot tea and honey reduces phlegm. Similarly, probiotics, commonly found in yogurt or curd reduces chances respiratory infections.

Gargle with salt water

Gargling with salt water prevents upper respiratory infections and reduces their severity if the infection has already struck. It soothes scratchy or painful throat, nasal congestion and loosens mucus.

Try:  Mix a teaspoon of salt to warm water and gargle with it 3-4 times a day. Also, you can use an astringent gargle, such as tea containing tannin or a thick, viscous gargle made of honey, lemon juice and hot water. You may also add turmeric to fight the cough.  Secondly, you may prepare a mix of antibacterial sage, apple cider vinegar and salt to draw the excess fluid from the throat tissues.

Steam inhalation

Loosen up the stuffy nose with steam. Influenza lives and gets transferred easily in dry environments.  Humidity lessens nasal inflammation. Merely adding a few drops of eucalyptus oil to the pillow, handkerchief or steam container with very little water can help easy breathing.

Try: Fill a bowl of hot water with any of the essential oils like eucalyptus, juniper, rosemary, thyme, orange, lavender peppermint, tea tree etc and inhale for 10 minutes. Repeat this 3-4 times a day and it will dislodge congestion.   Remember to first put the essential oil in the bowl and then the water.

Regularly blow your nose

Instead of sniffing back the mucus, clear your nostrils regularly. Just remember not to blow too hard or you will end up with an earache.

Stay warm & relax

Warm baths reduce cold and flu symptoms. Adding Epsom salt and baking soda in equal amounts to bathing water reduces body aches. One box of Epsom salt and one box of baking soda to the water can also help reduce body aches, especially with the addition of a few drops of essential oil. Also staying warm helps fight infection. So, stay warm and relax.

Use hot packs

Dip a napkin in warm water (slightly hot if possible) and cover your nose. You may add a couple of essential oil drops to it. Leave it on for a minute or two and repeat the process. This will open up the choked nose making breathing easier. Also place hot water-bottles on the chest to loosen phlegm and congestion.

Apply

Dabbing a drop of menthol, eucalyptus or camphol under your nose clears the breathing passages.

Try: Slightly heat coconut oil and pour it in an airtight container. Add a few drop of essential oils, shake well and put the lid on. Once it cools completely rub the salve on the chest, forehead and under the nose.

Pile extra pillows

Sleeping with an extra pillow under your head will help you breath easy and relive the nasal congestion.

-windowtonews