Cold Remedies That Are Helpful
Load up on Vitamin C, if you are going to be around sick people or kids in any state of health. The good thing about Vitamin C is that your body gets rid of whatever you don’t need.
To prevent cold from settling in, right when you feel the first signs of it like tickle or itch in your throat, sometimes cough, general malaise, etc take a healthy piece of fresh ginger a bit larger than your thumb, peel it or just chop if you can’t peel, and drop it in a pot of boiling water . To this mix add about 1/2 cup of chopped scallions and about three whole sticks of cinnamon. Boil for fifteen minutes and let steep and cool for another 15. Strain out the food bits. When it’s cool enough to drink, have it. Don’t sweeten it, don’t ice it, just gulp it. It is medicine so shouldn’t be delicious. Do this optimally the minute you start feeling sick, but definitely at least once before you go to bed in a 24 hour period. Wrap yourself up in warm sleep clothes and blankets, and hop on into bed. Make more tea in the morning, and take a good vitamin supplement with your Vitamin C.
Drink plenty of fluids to help break up your congestion. Drinking water or juice will prevent dehydration and keep your throat moist. You should drink at least 8 to 10 eight-ounce glasses of water daily. Include fluids such as water, sports drinks, herbal teas, fruit drinks, or ginger ale.
Inhale steam to ease your congestion and drippy nose. Hold your head over a pot of boiling water and breathe through your nose. Be careful. If the steam burns your nose, breathe in more slowly. You can buy a humidifier, but the steam will be the same as the water on the stove. Moisture from a hot shower with the door closed, saline nasal spray, or a room humidifier is just as helpful to ease congestion.
The best way to stay healthy is not to get sick. Get plenty of rest, wash your hands often and try not to touch your face, eat a balanced and nourishing diet, drink lots of water, ease up on your caffeine or alcohol, find healthy ways to manage your stress, spray and wipe non-porous common surfaces (doorknobs, elevator buttons, toilet flush handles, telephones, and so forth) with Lysol.