The common cold is often inevitable especially when other people around you are coughing and sneezing in the open. At the first sign of a sniffle, sneeze, or cough, you generally turn to home remedies that have worked for many years. During flu season, it is sometimes hard to distinguish between the cold vs. flu symptoms. Most people use the presence of a fever, chills, and body aches to determine if it is a cold or the flu.
Luckily, both cold and flu usually respond to these old fashion home remedies:
1. Chicken soup or broth
Chicken noodle soup is a classic old time remedy that offers much needed hydration for the body as well as the soft noodles to fill the stomach with an easily digested nutrition. Even plain chicken broth provides a warmth going down that is also very comforting. This remedy has been used to help get rid of a cold for generations, and if any mother be asked, it definitely works.
2. Use steam
This is a good way to loosen congestion from a cold. It can either be done in the shower, or over the sink with a towel over the head to capture the moisture from the hot water. While the hot steam is going in the nostrils, gently blow one nostril at a time to release some of the congestion that has built up in the nasal passages. This is also beneficial when using a mentholated ointment in the water to provide an extra healing source.
3. Stay hydrated
This is a long time remedy that moms have advised since the beginning of time, and it does ring true. Drink plenty of liquids which could include water, tea, or broth. Have at least a glass every hour or two for maximum benefits. This effort can be undone if coffee is your drink of choice. Try to avoid coffee during a cold, or at least cut down on your intake.
4. Blow your nose the right way and often
It is better for you to blow the nose as often as possible instead of sniffling the mucus back into the head. The pressure of blowing the nose hard can carry phlegm back into the ear passages which could cause earaches. The best way to blow the nose when you have a cold is to press your finger over one nostril and gently blow to clear the other nostril.
5. Use warm salt water to treat a stuffy nose
Colds and flu can bring on the worst case of stuffy nose. This can be treated so that you breathe easier with a mixture of salt and baking soda in water. This will remove bacteria and virus particles from the nose. Use a nasal irrigation kit or a bulb syringe to squirt the solution into the nose one nostril at a time while holding the other one. Allow the water to drain back out. Do this up to three times in one nostril, then do the other one.