| The symptoms of the common cold include sneezing, coughing,
congestion, headache, sore throat, watery eyes, aches and pains, and fever. |
| Modern medicine has yet to find
a cure. One reason is that the virus which causes colds comes in hundreds of different
forms. It is also able to change size and shape making the formulation of a vaccine almost
impossible. |
| The only treatments offered by conventional
medicine are decongestants, cough medicines and acetaminophen to mask the symptoms. None
of these can actually cure the cold - they just make you suffer less! |
| However, all the unpleasant
symptoms of a cold are your body's way of defending and healing itself and it is usually
best not to interfere. The mucus flow is your body's way of ridding itself of the virus -
nasal decongestants can prevent this. |
| A strong immune system is probably the best
way to avoid a cold, but if you already have a cold then bolstering your immune system
will help to shorten it's duration and make the symptoms less severe. See Boost Your Immune System on this
website |
| Eat a healthy well balanced diet
- junk food can stress your immune system and leave you vulnerable to illness. Add garlic
to your diet or take a garlic supplement. Studies have shown that garlic has antiviral properties and can help to boost your immune system. |
| Taking Echinacea for 6 - 8
weeks before the start of the cold season has been shown to reduce your risk of getting a
cold by strengthening your body's immune system. |
|
| Tips to Help
Relieve your Cold |
 |
Rest - your body is working hard to heal
itself, it needs rest. |
|
Drink plenty of fluids - a good rule is to
double your normal intake to flush the virus from your body. |
|
Taking Echinacea at the onset of a cold has
been shown to reduce it's duration and lessen the symptoms. Experts suggest taking two
capsules immediately then one every two hour for 48 hours or until relief is felt.; |
|
Chicken soup was first recommended for colds
by the Egyptians 800 years ago. Recently scientists at Mount Sanai Medical Center found
that it appears to increase mucus flow.; |
|
Experts have found that eating hot spicy foods
can increase mucus flow and help a cough be more productive. |
|
Wash hands often and discard used tissues
immediately |
|
Avoid alcohol - it dehydrates your body and
stresses your immune system. |
|
Don't smoke |
|
|
| Nutritional
Supplements Worth Considering |
|
Vitamin C - at least 1000mg daily - Studies
have shown that taking 1000mg daily reduced the symptoms of the cold and shortened the
duration by as much as 72% |
|
Zinc lozenges - Sucking zinc lozenges has been
shown to reduce the duration of colds. |
|
Beta Carotene helps to reduce inflammation of
mucus membranes and strengthen immune system. |
|
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