Top 10 Ways to Treat Cold and Flu
Flu Treatments are a Dime a Dozen! You can even go to the all new Google Flu Map, and find out if you are in the path of the upcoming Influenza pandemic this season! Listed below area great group of ways you can at least deal with the uncomfortable feelings a flu brings along!
10 Ways to Treat a Cold or Flu
Get Plenty of Rest
The more rest you get while you are sick with a cold or flu will help your body use the energy towards fighting the virus. Take a rest under a blanket and try to sweat it out.
Keep Hydrated
Not only should you drink plenty of liquids while you are sick, drinking hot liquids will help relieve nasal congestion. Hot liquids can also help soothe a sore throat and help open up your nasal passages. Sipping hot chicken broth is a great alternative to hot tea or coffee
Steam up the Bathroom and Take a Long Shower
Steam works the same way as hot liquids work. It opens up your nasal passages to relieve stuffy noses. It also helps to hydrate your skin which tends to dry out while you are sick. In addition, a hot shower will relieve achy muscles sometimes caused by cold and flu
Use Hot or Cold Packs on your Sinuses
Your local drugstore will have reusable packs that you can either keep in the freezer or pop in the microwave. Either hot or cold will usually help temporarily relieve congestion and promote better breathing. Even a wet washcloth placed in the freezer or microwave will do the trick if you don’t have (or care to go get) reusable packs.
Prop Yourself Up at Night
Adding an extra pillow under your head will help promote easier breathing and allow the sinuses to drain.
Blow your Nose Often
When sick with a cold or flu, it’s important to blow your nose regularly rather than sniffing it back into your head. Do not blow too hard though, or you can risk earache.
Wash your Hands!
Washing your hands often will help promote quicker healing and also keep others in your home from getting the same thing!
Gargle Several Times a Day
When sick with a cold, the throat tends to dry out and get sore just like your nasal passages do. Gargling with warm salt water several times a day will help to soothe and heal an irritated throat. You could also try gargling with very weak hot tea, or warm water with lemon.
Steam Up your Room with a Humidifier
The mucous membranes of your nose tend to dry when you are sick and are also irritated by blowing. Humidifiers can help by moistening the air with little water droplets. They can also help in the spreading of the flu. The flu virus stays around longer in dry air. By using a humidifier, the water droplets will adhere to virus particles and force them to ground – no longer airborne.
This one is my favorite...
Have a Warm Stiff Drink!
When I was younger and I had a cold, my father would heat up amaretto and put it on vanilla ice cream. The cold of the ice cream and warmth of the alcohol seemed to always make me feel better! Or, you can try a shot of whiskey – my grandma said that always works!
Do you have other tips for fighting off a cold or flu? Please share them below.
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