How to Fight off a Cold

One of the most uncomfortable conditions that is most likely to affect us over the course of the year, are those annoying colds.  So what to do to avoid them?  There are a lot of recommendations that you could follow, from staying nice and bundled up to practicing good hand hygiene.  And yet, you need to know that this virus, if not taken seriously, could even develop into asthma symptoms.

You need to take care of yourself and prevent this illness, especially in children that are more susceptible to contagions in schools.  It’s best to have them regularly drink infusions with natural herbs, which usually helps.

Colds are not the same as the flu

A cold is not the same as the flue, although it is less severe, it is more contagious and generally leads to complications, like amygdalitis or inflammation in the ears.  It is generally less severe than the flu, and involves headaches, fever, and general malaise.

Although colds take on average less than a week to go away, the symptoms are usually fairly annoying, and prevent us from carrying out our normal daily activities like normal.

They are:

Sneezing

Nasal secretions

Nasal congestion and runny nose

Itchy and painful throat

Cough

Headache

Watery eyes

What to do when you have Cold

Whenever you get a cold, taking antibiotics or any other sort of medicine will only mask or hide the symptoms.  It could even make healing take longer.  It’s best to help yourself with natural medicine, herbs and infusions that will make you feel better.

Laurel

Make an infusion with boiling water and laurel (bay leaves), cinnamon, and sage.  Let set and drink.

Radish

If you are experiencing chest congestion, one teaspoon of spicy radish with quite a bit of honey will make you better.

Lemon and honey

Make a tea with one lemon rind and one tablespoon of honey in one cup of water.  Boil for 10 minutes and let cool.  You can drink it three times a day.

Onions with garlic

If your cold is accompanied by throat inflammation, an infusion made with garlic and onion, eucalyptus, and ginger will make you feel much better.  You need to brown the sugar in a pot and let add eucalyptus, one onion, garlic and ginger.  Boil for 5 minutes and serve.  Drink like water.

Drink a lot of water

It is absolutely necessary that you drink a lot of water daily, especially when you have a cold or also the flu.  Fluids are lost in both cases.  You need to replenish them by drinking 8 glasses of water a day, and it’s even better if you accompany them with lemon.

How to prevent colds

If you don’t want to catch a cold, you should:

Avoid cigarettes.

Stay away from people with colds that could get you sick.

Avoid using utensils after people who are sick.

Avoid excessively hot or cold foods as these could irritate the throat and damage the mucosa.  This could slow healing.

Revised by: Dra. Loredana Lunadei on 12/31/2017

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