Home Remedies To Get Rid Of Common Cold And Flu
Common cold and flu, as the name itself suggests is quite common and is something that almost everyone has at some point in their life suffered from. Even though we do not think of it as a deadly disease, we all know how annoying and troublesome it can be to suffer from common cold and flu. It is tiring and uncomfortable. We can take medicines but there as also a lot of things you can do at home that can ease your condition.
Certain things can be done to avoid unnecessary medication and if natural remedies are effective then why not. Though a lot of different remedies are available online, we can be sure of one thing, not all of them work as we want them to. Here are some of the simple remedies for the common cold and flu that will help you relax and recover from the cold and flu.
Here are some of the simple but effective ways to get rid of cold and flu:
1. Hydration: Seems like a very basic thing but it is actually the most simple solution to almost everything. Drinking warm water and adding a bit of lemon and honey can help with congestion. Make sure to avoid too much caffeine and alcohol as that also dehydrates the body. It is better to take care of yourself and make sure your body is hydrated enough.
2. Rest: A hectic schedule, while you are sick, is not going to better your condition, rather it will make it worse. For quicker treatment, it is better to give your body enough time to heal and relax.
3. Soothe your throat: During cold and flu, your throat is one of the organs that have to go through a lot of pain and trouble. To soothe your throat from being sore, a number of things can be done.
You can take a salt water gargle by mixing ¼ to ½ teaspoons of salt with your water. Take around 8 ounces of water and warm it up a bit. Add the measured amount of salt and let it dissolve. Use this water to gargle, and this will help relieve some of the uneasiness and discomfort. For kids suffering from common cold and flu, we recommend not letting them gargle as they are too young and kids below 5 years might not be able to gargle properly and consuming too much salt water is not good.
4. Getting rid of stuffiness: Stuffiness along with congestion is a common symptom of cold and flu. There are many types of nasal drops available in the market that help relieve stuffiness and would clear out the congestion. Once you purchase the drops, take the squeezable bottle and place the tip of the dropper around 10 mm distance and then press the bottle, releasing the liquid into the nose.
5. Take a hot shower: Take a steamy shower so that not just the warm water relaxes your body muscles but also the steam from the shower unblocks the nasal passages and will help you breathe better.
6. Steam: An alternative to the hot shower is taking hot water in a vessel and breathing in the steam directly coming out of it. So for this, you need a vessel, hot water, and a towel or a big piece of cloth to be put over your head. You need to simply heat the water in the vessel up to the boiling point and put a lid on it. Sit near the vessel and put a towel or cloth that covers the pot as well as your head. Bring your face near the pot and open the lid. Make sure no steam is leaving outside the cloth, and you are getting enough steam to breathe in. This method will unclog your nasal passages and clear your congestion and help you breathe. For this method, you can even add essential oils in the water to enhance the experience.
7. Salve usage near the nose: Take mentholated salve and put a very tiny amount of it under your nose. This will help you breathe better and relieve the irritated skin. Menthol and eucalyptus can be used for this purpose as it is very good for you to be used while experiencing common cold and flu. Make sure to use a very small amount, and it should be put near the nose and nowhere inside it. These oils can also be used to put in the vessel in the method of steam above.
8. Pillow: While sleeping or resting your head on the ground, we generally tend to use a single pillow. When a person is suffering from common cold and flu, it is recommended to use extra pillows. When we use more than one pillow the elevation at which our headrests, increases. When this happens, the nasal passages that are congested start getting relieved a bit. Following this method will not completely cure your common cold and flu, but it will be much more comfortable to lie down using this method using a single pillow under your head. Try keeping the elevation in a manual slope for maximum comfort.
9. Food items: There are certain foods which help us fight common cold and flu better, depending upon the properties of those specific foods. Here are some of the foods that are best consumed especially if you suffer from the common cold and flu.
Vitamin C rich foods
Chili peppers. These help in the opening up of the sinuses and also help break up the mucus that has been formed in the lungs, etc.
Mustard or horseradish also helps in the process of breaking the mucus up.
10. Blowing Nose: It may sound silly even to include this but even though it seems obvious, blowing nose correctly can be quite crucial. Stuffing mucus back inside is really bad and can lead to the person to experience aching in the ear. Take a tissue and block one of the nostrils, blowing both nostrils together is not the correct way. Block one of the nostrils and out into the tissue through the other nostril and then repeat the same process again interchanging the nostril action. Blow gently, and you will be much more comforted.
11. Use of humidifier: A wide variety is available in the market when we talk about humidifiers. It helps to relax the nasal passages. You can purchase a humidifier online also and actually use it even when you are treated from the common cold and flu.
These were some of the simple and most basic methods that can be used for the treatment of the common cold and flu. It is, however, important to understand that even if it might look like common cold and flu, we should not take it lightly. Often the common cold and flu can be nothing but symptoms of a much bigger disease such as asthma, sinus infections, etc.
The common cold and flu if is experienced for a very long while or if the common cold and flu become very difficult to treat and it keeps getting worse, it is highly recommended to visit a doctor and seek professional help. This helps spot major diseases at its early stages, and thus the treatment becomes easier.
Common cold and flu, as the name itself suggests is quite common and is something that almost everyone has at some point in their life suffered from. Even though we do not think of it as a deadly disease, we all know how annoying and troublesome it can be to suffer from common cold and…
Common cold and flu, as the name itself suggests is quite common and is something that almost everyone has at some point in their life suffered from. Even though we do not think of it as a deadly disease, we all know how annoying and troublesome it can be to suffer from common cold and…