We all know how it starts—the morning before a big
presentation and you wake up with the snottiest cold you’ve ever had.
Unfortunately there is no instant cure for the common cold, but there are some
things you can do at home to make your visit to cold city a little more
bearable.
Here are four ways to
kick that cold:
Inhale steam
Buy a humidifier or just hold your head above a boiling pot
of water and breathe in from your nose…just don’t burn yourself! Taking a hot
shower with the door closed will also ease your sinuses and open up your
chest. Feel like you can’t
breathe? Turn the water a tad colder or open the shower door.
Chicken soup
Turns out mom’s chicken soup really does work! Aside from being super nutritious,
remember when we said inhaling steam would do you well? Well, the steam from
the soup helps clear your nasal passages.
In addition, there are also amino acids called cysteines in chicken
soup, which thin the nasty mucus in your system. Um, yum?
Gargle warm salt water
Do you have a scratchy or sore throat? Gargling salt water
can really help! Here are three
do-it-yourself tricks to nix the tickle. To ease a sore/scratchy throat: mix a
½ teaspoon of salt with 8 ounces of warm water, and gargle 4 times daily. Or try this:
Take 1 tablespoon of raspberry leaves or lemon juice (either one is fine) in 2
cups of hot water. Mix all that with 1 teaspoon of honey and gargle away!
Drink lots and lots of fluids!
Everyone always says it—your doctor, your parents, the
school nurse, your 2nd cousin once removed and now us. Drink 8 ounces of fluids (i.e. water,
juices, herbal teas, sports drinks, ginger ale) per day. Staying hydrated will help decongest
you. One more thing? Avoid drinks
that contain caffeine.
BY CHANNA RIFKIN ON 3/12/2012 12:28:00 PM
POSTED IN cold busters, allergies