How to Prevent and Treat Colds and Flu

The most common symptoms of cold and flu are coughing, sneezing, having a sore throat and sometimes fever. These symptoms are mild and you can treat them with over-the-counter cold and flu medications as well as remedies that you already have at home. You should feel better after a few days, but if that’s not the case, seek medical help.

Over-the-Counter Cold and Flu Medicine

Over-the-counter cold and flu medication have the power to quickly relieve your body aches and dry cough, ease your sore throat, reduce fever and help you breathe better by clearing out your stuffy nose. You can get cold medicines from the nearest pharmacy or by ordering them online. The dosage depends on how serious your symptoms are.

For a better effect, you can get day & night pills (pills you can take in the morning and at night). You can take one or two pills in the morning and if needed, repeat that in the afternoon and before going to sleep. If you have milder symptoms, you can take one pill in the morning and one at night.

The great thing about over-the-counter cold and flu medication is that it can help you feel better in just a few days. But if for some reason, you don’t feel any improvements in your health, you should stop taking the medications and consult with your doctor. Long term use and taking large amounts of the pills could be dangerous for you. These meds can make you feel tired and sleepy, so consider getting night pills instead (pills you take only before going to sleep). That way you’ll avoid drowsiness during the day.

If you’re not that much into pills, you can get the next best thing – flavoured syrup. The syrup can help if you have a runny nose, blocked sinuses, constant sneezing and itchy eyes. You can find both vanilla and peach flavoured syrup. You should measure the dose with the help of the measuring cup that comes along with the syrup. The recommended dosage for adults is 15ml of this flu medicine every 6 hours. The active ingredients in the syrup are chlorpheniramine maleate and phenylephrine hydrochloride.

In the list of medications that help with colds and flu are also the hot drinks. Hot drink sockets contain paracetamol and relieve symptoms like headache, fever, aches and pains all over the body and sore throat. The sockets are usually lemon flavoured and quite tasty. You only need to mix the content of the socket with hot water and that’s it.

Try a Mixture of Lemon and Honey

Honey has a long history of being used as a remedy for many conditions. It’s rich in antioxidants, has antibacterial and antifungal properties, has the power to heal wounds, it’s rich with nutrients, can help with digestive problems and soothe a sore throat. The important thing is to pick honey that’s raw and natural instead of one that’s pasteurized. One great option is Manuka honey.

Honey can fight bacteria and viruses thanks to its antibacterial and antifungal properties. If you have a sore throat or a persistent cough, make yourself a mixture of lukewarm water, honey and lemon. The lemon will add the much-needed vitamin C to the mixture and help boost your immune system. Plus, lemon and honey go great together, which means you’ll get a tasty drink that’s also very healthy and beneficial.

Stay Hydrated – Drink Plenty of Water and Tea

Water is very important for the proper functioning of your body. It regulates the body temperature, protects the organs and transports oxygen and nutrient to the cells among other things. When you’re sick, your body is more prone to become dehydrated than usual so for that reason, it’s very important that you drink plenty of water along with herbal tea.

The recommended daily intake of water is 2l give or take. As per tea, you should drink one that can help you with the symptoms of colds and flu despite keeping you hydrated.

You can try with chamomile tea which is known to have calming and antibacterial properties and helps in the treatment of infections. Ginger tea is rich in antioxidants and eases the symptoms of colds and flu. Peppermint tea can help with nasal congestion and coughs. Echinacea tea is believed to help with the treatment of infections on the respiratory tract and it can also boost the immune system. And lastly, the famous green tea can help prevent colds and flu in the future as long as you’re persistent in drinking it.

Boost Your Immune System with Vitamins

Vitamins can help you boost your immune system when you’re sick and speed up the recovering. You should take vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin B6, magnesium and zinc. Those vitamins can be found in foods like fruits (strawberries, broccoli, oranges, avocado), vegetables (bell peppers, mushrooms, potatoes, spinach, greens, legumes), meat (chicken, red meat) and fish (tuna, salmon, sardines).

A balanced diet can provide you with all the vitamins you need but you can also take supplements if it’s easier for you. You can find those in the nearest pharmacy or online too.

Give Inhalations a Try

Steam inhalations are commonly used by people that have symptoms of cold and flu. Inhalations can help you with nasal congestions, sinus problems, coughs, headache and sore throat. You can do it just by breathing in the vapour of hot water or for a better effect you can add a few drops of essential oils to it.

You can use lavender essential oil which has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties and can help you relax, peppermint essential oil which relieves the symptoms of common colds and helps with headaches and eucalyptus essential oil which has the power to reduce fever and fight viruses. You can pick one or use them together. Just a few drops of essential oils are enough.

After the bowl of hot water and essential oils is ready, place a towel on your head and breath the vapour for a couple of minutes. You’ll feel instant relief. You can repeat the inhalations for two or three times a day depending on how bad your symptoms are.