Treat Your Cold Symptoms The Natural Way
by Sheila McCormick on November 29th, 2007
Loading ...
As the days get shorter and the nights grow cooler, people spend more time indoors thereby increasing their chances of exposure to autumn colds and flu. Colds are easily spread from person to person but there are many natural products at your health food store than can help prevent colds or lessen their intensity. When you catch a cold there isn’t much (if anything) your doctor can do for you that you can’t do for yourself. Colds are caused by a virus and there is no cure. There are, however, many natural remedies that can help you deal with cold symptoms.
Natural cold remedies are preferred by people who want to avoid the side effects of conventional prescriptions and over the counter medications. As always, the healing we need can be found in natural substances provided to us by Mother Nature.
Hot fluids can soothe sore throats, clear postnasal drip, dilute mucus and help stimulate the sinuses to drain. Good choices include broth, hot apple cider, natural herbal tea and soups. Aromatic teas such as elder, ginger chamomile or peppermint can be especially comforting.
One of the most popular natural products used to treat colds is Echinacea. Herbalists usually recommend taking Echinacea every two to three hours with total daily doses of three or more grams per day at the first sign of a cold. After one or two days the dose is reduced and continued for the following week. Look for Echinacea in tincture or capsule form.
Zinc lozenges are another popular natural treatment for colds. Zinc is an essential mineral that’s required by more than 300 enzymes in our bodies. The lozenges should be taken every two hours during the day at the very first cold symptom. Lozenges usually contain either zinc gluconate or zinc acetate.
Cayenne, an herb that causes your body to sweat, is often found in cold and flu preparations. When a person ingests cayenne, the nose runs and the body sweats, thus contributing to a general cleansing of the body. This is important because it helps detoxify your system. Breaking up stagnant and congested mucus brings relief from cold symptoms. Cayenne brings fresh blood to the site of the infection and fresh blood contains infection fighters that attack foreign invaders in our bodies.
Inhaling chamomile, thyme or eucalyptus can help loosen mucus and soothe the throat, nasal passages and bronchial tubes. Inhale the steam for 15 minutes three times a day when symptoms are acute. When symptoms improve, continue to inhale the steam at bedtime for at least a week to help the inflamed bronchial passages heal. Hot and cold tea preparations can also soothe cold symptoms and influenza.
If you have a healthy immune system, your cold should get better in three to four days with natural remedies. If you catch a cold this winter, resolve to treat your symptoms the natural way and avoid the unpleasant side effects of conventional cold medications.
This website uses IntenseDebate comments, but they are not currently loaded because either your browser doesn't support JavaScript, or they didn't load fast enough.