Common cold – Conquer it with these surefire tips

It’s important to have great health insurance but even the best plans available like Esurance in US can do very little against the common cold. What is the common cold? This question dates back to the beginnings of civilization itself.

The ancient Egyptians had hieroglyphs for the common cold, the 5th-century Greek physician Hippocrates noted that the cold occurs more in the winter, and the Aztecs treated this ailment by mixing together chili pepper, honey, and tobacco.

But there’s still no cure for the common cold. As the name suggests, it continues to afflict many of us each year.

As we all know by now, the common cold is a highly contagious respiratory illness typically involving a runny or stuffy nose, coughing, and a sore throat. Because a cold rarely becomes a serious health problem, we tend to regard it as an incurable nuisance.

As you probably know, healthy habits strengthen your immune system. Do your best to get enough sleep and exercise, and try to stay hydrated and eat nutritious foods. Managing your stress well can also help your body stay healthy.

So you’ve come down with a cold. Don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s estimated that adults have, on average, 2 to 4 colds a year and children as many as 6 to 10.

Though there’s no cure, get relief by taking good care of yourself and treating the symptoms as best you can:

1. Take care of yourself
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases recommends getting plenty of rest, drinking fluids, gargling with warm salt water, and using cough drops, throat sprays, or over-the-counter pain or cold medicines.

2. Weigh the side effects
If you’re thinking about taking an over-the counter medicine to alleviate your symptoms, check the side effects first before deciding they’re worth it.

3. Avoid certain drinks
Refrain from beverages containing caffeine or alcohol since they cause dehydration and can make you feel worse when fighting a cold.

4. Consider alternatives
Warm chicken soup, saunas, and steam rooms, reputedly do wonders, though relief may only be temporary.

5. Don’t spread the germs
Cover your mouth or nose with a tissue (or even your sleeve) when you cough or sneeze so you don’t spread germs through the air or from hand contact.

Colds usually take anywhere from several days to two weeks to leave your system. However, if your cold lingers or gets worse, consult your homeopathic physician or consultant.




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Dr. Anil Singhal MD (Homeo)