Almost everyone gets a cold at some point of their lives. It is a common infection of the upper respiratory tract caused by different types of viruses. Although it’s not something life threatening, but it causes a great amount of discomfort to the infected person. A runny nose, chest congestion, throat infection,and watery eyes are the common symptoms. Nowadays, over the counter medicines, and also branded and generic medicine online, are easy ways to procure them.Here we look at five ways to treat a cold.
- Drink plenty of water- keeping your-self well hydrated with regular intakes of water or fluids like juices, soups and warm water with lemon, honey and ginger helps loosen the congestion and prevents dehydration. Avoid intoxicating drinks like alcohol or liquor and other caffeinated drinks like coffee and tea to prevent dryness or depletion of fluids from the body. Staying hydrated also help make the immune system strong and helps in resisting infections.
- Take medicines-Buy medicine from a local pharmacy or get it online. Nasal drops and sprays are used to unblock the congested nose and relieve the pain in the throat. Inhale steam which helps in breaking loose the cough and gives relief. However if the pain and fever does not subside it is best recommended to show a doctor.
- Use of ginger-Ginger is said to possess many health benefits, one of them being helping in treating cold and cough. Adding ginger to tea along with black pepper and Tulsi help in alleviating the mucus from the runny and stuffed nose and speed up the recovery process. Ginger juice added in honey also works wonders. Taking a spoon of ginger juice mixed with honey three times a day effectively cures cold. Salt rubbed on small ginger pieces can also be chewed.
- Turmeric in milk-Just like ginger, turmeric too is said to have properties that can cure cold. It is a common ingredient found in all Indian homes and is widely used in almost all Indian food. Turmeric has antioxidant properties and when it’s mixed with warm milk it effectively helps in treating the cough. Ideally, a glass of milk should be taken just before bedtime. This remedy has been passes down by generations.
- Gargle with salt water-This is again an age old therapy of mixing salt in warm water and gargling. This remedy helps in relieving the sore throat .A pinch of Turmeric can also be added in salt.
Common cold is as common as its name suggests. Thesymptoms usually last for two weeks and many a times it gets treated on its own with a little bit of care and rest .You can take preventive measures such as keeping a distance from a person who is already having cold as cold is easily spread from one person to another .Also, there is no vaccine available for cold so generally its best treated with self care methods mentioned above.