Cold
and Flu Remedies From Home and Nature
You probably pass
by hundreds of expensive cold and flu remedies in the pharmacy aisle,
but sometimes it feels more comforting to use a home remedy for
cold and flu, especially for your children. Or, if you do purchase
cold and flu remedies, you may be attracted to remedies using natural
ingredients that promote a healthy immune system, rather than products
that come with strong side effects. Of the countless cold and flu
remedies recommended over the years, there are many home-based and
natural common cold remedies
that have surprised modern scientists with their effectiveness.
For example, getting
plenty of rest is a winning cold and flu remedy which often gets
overlooked because no one likes to miss school, sports, work, or
other important activities. Many of us are tempted, or even encouraged,
to “tough it out” through a cold or flu, but bed rest
is one of the best cold and flu remedies because it helps the immune
system to recover from the battle against nasty viruses.
Blowing the nose
properly is another example of cold and flu remedies that many of
us take for granted. Sniffling is more convenient and less messy,
but blowing your nose gently, one nostril at a time, is essential
to clearing out mucus so that your sinuses can heal. Even young
children are able to learn how to blow their noses properly. Tell
children not to blow too hard, though, or it may cause ear problems
and ear infection symptoms.
Water, in various
forms, can be made into several effective, convenient, and affordable
cold and flu remedies. Drinking hot water with lemon, honey, and
tea will relieve nasal congestion, soothe a sore throat, and keep
nasal passages hydrated. Gargling with warm salt water (saline solution)
has been used for centuries as a way to ease sore throat symptoms.
While you’re at it, make some extra warm salt water to fill
a Neti Nasal Pot and rinse out excess mucus from nasal cavities.
Finally, your cold and flu remedies are not complete until you turn
water into steam and breathe it in. Whether you are near a shower
or you heat water over the stove, steam can clear out and relieve
nasal passages and the throat from cold and flu symptoms. Children,
of course, need adult supervision when trying to use any cold and
flu remedies.
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