It’s that time of the year again when you feel elated because Christmas time is around the corner but also undergo intense agony and irritation because of common cold. Despite, medical sciences having rapid strides in finding effective cures for a range of chronic and acute diseases/disorders, an effectual treatment therapy for flu continues to elude medical researchers. Until and unless a long-lasting cure is found, over-the-counter pills and medicated lozenges will continue to rule the roost.
These OTC medications can only offer short-term relief from the irritating symptoms of cold or flu. However, resorting to some time-tested practical treatment techniques and making use of home remedies might go a long way in keeping common cold symptoms at bay.
- Sip Hot Beverages and Liquids: Perhaps nothing works more effectively than a cup of steaming hot coffee or tea when you’re down with a flu Savor different flavors of soups that are easily available during the winter season and drink hot juices to get timely relief from nasal decongestion. Adding a dash of ginger or a few droplets of honey in the beverage will soothe the mucous membranes lining your throat and nose resulting in your feeling relieved.
- Blow Nose Frequently: You tend to get niggling headaches when you’ve a flu mainly because of the deposition of the mucus in the nasal and throat membranes. Blowing your nose every 1 hour or so helps in driving out the phlegm from the mucous membranes. Since blowing hard can give you an earache, it is recommended that you block one nostril with your index finger and blow lightly. You can also press your thumb against one of the nostrils and blow softly through the other to decongest the passage.
- Rinse Your Throat: Gargling has always been recommended by physicians and general practitioners as an extremely effective way of getting near instant relief from clogged passages of the nose and esophagus. Add a pinch of salt to a cup of tepid warm water and gargle at least 4-5 times in a day. If your throat feels ticklish, you can alternate your gurgling with a blend of apple cider vinegar and honey.
- Go for a Steam Shower: Opting for a steam shower to get relief from flu is a very effective remedy as Taking a hot shower considerably hydrates the nasal passages making you feel relaxed and relieved. Going for a sauna in a public bathhouse or a cabana is another good way of clearing the catarrh.
- Avoid Flights: If you’re suffering from cold, boarding planes can aggravate symptoms to a great extent. Taking a flight when you’re afflicted with influenza means you’re putting your overstressed upper respiratory tract under greater strain. So, if you’ve have the option of avoiding flights, exercise it by all means. In case you don’t, keep a nasal mist or aerosol with yourself and use it prior to landings and takeoffs.
- Rest As Much As You Can: Your immune system is able to fight with the common cold virus more effectively when you take short naps or relax more often. Needless to say, it is your body that bears the maximum brunt of the immune system’s battle with the flu virus. So it follows that resting your body more often prepares it to undergo the immune system’s skirmishes with the viruses.
Nobody has even ghost of an idea as to when medical researchers will find an effectual cure for common cold or flu. Till such time, we’ll have to be content with the available modes of therapy, including home remedies.
Image credit: Danil Chepko