12 Tips to Treat Colds and Flu the Natural Way

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12 Tips to Treat Colds and Flu the " Natural " Way

 

WebMD Medical Reference

 

With no cure in sight for the cold or the flu, current

treatments can at

best bring symptom relief or shorten the duration of

those symptoms. You

can take one of a variety of medications that may help

relieve your

symptoms. Or you can take the natural approach. WebMD

went to Charles B.

Inlander, president of The People's Medical Society,

for some home

remedies that may speed your recovery, and help you

feel better along

the way.

 

*#1 Know When /Not/ To Treat Symptoms*

 

Believe it or not, those annoying symptoms you're

experiencing are part

of the natural healing process -- evidence that the

immune system is

battling illness. For instance, a fever is your body's

way of trying to

kill viruses in a hotter-than-normal environment.

Also, a fever's hot

environment makes germ-killing proteins in your blood

circulate more

quickly and effectively. Thus, if you endure a

moderate fever for a day

or two, you may actually get well faster. Coughing is

another productive

symptom; it clears your breathing passages of thick

mucus that can carry

germs to your lungs and the rest of your body. Even

that stuffy nose is

best treated mildly or not at all. A decongestant,

like Sudafed,

restricts flow to the blood vessels in your nose and

throat. But often

you /want/ the increase blood flow because it warms

the infected area

and helps secretions carry germs out of your body.

 

 

*#2 Blow Your Nose Often (And the Right Way)*

 

It's important to blow your nose regularly when you

have a cold rather

than sniffling mucus back into your head. But when you

blow hard,

pressure can carry germ-carrying phlegm back into your

ear passages,

causing earache. The best way to blow your nose: Press

a finger over one

nostril while you blow /gently/ to clear the other.

 

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*#3 Treat That Stuffy Nose With Warm Salt Water*

 

Salt-water rinsing helps break nasal congestion, while

also removing

virus particles and bacteria from your nose. Here's a

popular recipe:

 

Mix 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda in

8 ounces of warm

water. Use a bulb syringe to squirt water into the

nose. Hold one

nostril closed by applying light finger pressure while

squirting the

salt mixture into the other nostril. Let it drain.

Repeat 2-3 times,

then treat the other nostril.

 

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*#4 Stay Warm and Rested*

 

Staying warm and resting when you first come down with

a cold or the flu

helps your body direct its energy toward the immune

battle. This battle

taxes the body. So give it a little help by lying down

under a blanket.

 

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*#5 Gargle*

 

Gargling can moisten a sore throat and bring temporary

relief. Try a

teaspoon of salt dissolved in warm water, four times

daily. To reduce

the tickle in your throat, try an astringent gargle --

such as tea that

contains tannin -- to tighten the membranes. Or use a

thick, viscous

gargle made with honey, popular in folk medicine. Seep

one tablespoon of

raspberry leaves or lemon juice in two cups of hot

water; mix with one

teaspoon of honey. Let the mixture cool to room

temperature before

gargling.

 

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*#6 Drink Hot Liquids*

 

Hot liquids relieve nasal congestion, prevent

dehydration, and soothe

the uncomfortably inflamed membranes that line your

nose and throat. If

you're so congested you can't sleep at night, try a

hot toddy, an

age-old remedy. Make a cup of hot herbal tea. Add one

teaspoon of honey

and 1 small shot (about 1 ounce) of whiskey or

bourbon. Limit yourself

to one. Too much alcohol inflames those membranes and

is counterproductive.

 

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*#7 Take a Steamy Shower*

 

Steamy showers moisturize your nasal passages and

relax you. If you're

dizzy from the flu, run a steamy shower while you sit

on a chair nearby

and take a sponge bath.

 

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*#8 Use a Salve Under Your Nose*

 

A small dab of mentholated salve under your nose can

open breathing

passages and help restore the irritated skin at the

base of the nose.

Menthol, eucalyptus and camphor all have mild numbing

ingredients that

may help relieve the pain of a nose rubbed raw.

 

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*#9 Apply Hot or Cold Packs Around Your Congested

Sinuses*

 

Either temperature works. You can buy reusable hot or

cold packs at a

drugstore. Or make your own. Take a damp washcloth and

heat it for 55

seconds in a microwave (test the temperature first to

make sure it's

right for you.) Or take a small bag of frozen peas to

use as a cold pack.

 

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*#10 Sleep With an Extra Pillow Under Your Head*

 

This will help relieve congested nasal passages. If

the angle is too

awkward, try placing the pillows between the mattress

and the box

springs to create a more gradual slope.

 

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*#11 Don't Fly Unless Necessary*

 

There's no point adding stress to your already

stressed-out upper

respiratory system, and that's what the change in air

pressure will do.

Flying with cold or flu congestion can temporarily

damage your eardrums

as a result of pressure changes during takeoff and

landing. If you must

fly, use a decongestant and carry a nasal spray with

you to use just

before takeoff and landing. Chewing gum and swallowing

frequently can

also help relieve pressure.

 

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*#12 Eat Infection-Fighting Foods*

 

Here are some good foods to eat when you're battling a

cold or flu:

 

* Bananas: Soothe upset stomachs.

* Bell Peppers: Loaded with vitamin C.

* Blueberries: Curbs diarrhea, high in natural

aspirin. (May lower

fevers and help with the aches and pains.)

* Carrots: Loaded with beta-carotene.

* Chili Peppers: Can open sinuses, and help break

up mucus in the

lungs.

* Cranberries: Help prevent bacteria from sticking

to cells lining

the bladder and urinary tract.

* Mustard & Horseradish: Helps break up mucus in

air passages.

* Onion: Has phytochemicals purported to help the

body clear

bronchitis and other infections.

* Rice: Curbs diarrhea.

* Tea: Black and green tea (not herbals) contain

catechin, a

phytochemical purported to have natural

antibiotic and

anti-diarrhea effects.

 

Remember, serious conditions can masquerade as the

common cold:

 

sinus infections, bronchitis, meningitis, strep

throat, and asthma. If

you have severe symptoms, or feel sicker with each

passing day, call

your doctor.

 

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Reviewed by Cynthia Haines, MD

</content/Biography/8/101088.htm>,

October 2005.

 

SOURCE: Charles B. Inlander, president of The People's

Medical Society,

a nonprofit consumer health advocacy organization, and

author of /77

Ways to Beat Cold and Flu./

 

 

© 2005 WebMD Inc. All rights reserved.

 

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