Cold, Cough and Flu
“The best thing about getting a flu shot is that you never again need to wash your hands. That's how I see it.”---Chuck Palahniuk
These are some of the most common disorders that people face during the cold season and sometimes also in the summers. They may not seem like such a big problem initially but soon it starts making everyday work harder to do. You will soon see your dustbin full of used tissues. All of these result from different factors but they have two things in common, one thing is that they all are respiratory disorders and other is that they all attack more during the colder seasons as compared to the hot and humid seasons.
Common Symptoms
Sometimes you may get one of the three diseases mostly it is possible to have two at a time or even all three. The most common symptoms of these respiratory disorders are the following:
- Sore throat
- Runny nose
- Muscle soreness
- Fever
- Cough
- Chest pain
- Headache
A person may or may not experience all the symptoms at the same time or may experience some other symptoms as well. That is merely due to individual differences among people, their immune system and
When to Worry
While most people don’t take these issues seriously they can affect your health and get worse. You can treat cough, cold and flu through home remedies first like the ones we are going to tell you about below. Mostly you do not need to see a doctor for such issues and take some rest to feel better because they are viral and antibiotics won’t work on them. If nothing works and your condition starts to get worse you should go and see a doctor as this may be a symptom of some other respiratory disorder. You must seek medical health if you get any of these below-mentioned issues in addition to the above-mentioned symptoms:
- Blood with cough
- Strange colors like pink, green or tan mucous.
- Excessive pain
- Breathing difficulty
- If the problem lasts longer than a week
Prevention
It is always advised to take care of yourself so that you don’t catch a disease in the first place. Some preventative measures can help you in staying safe from the cough, cold and flu in the cold season. Some of the best prevention measures are given below:
- Avoid eating or drinking cold things like ice-creams or chilled beverages.
- Keep your body covered to save yourself from catching a cold.
- Take ginger tea to boost immunity.
- Keep a distance from already infected people.
- Wash your hands often.
- Wear a mask when you go out.
Home Remedies
Home remedies should always be a priority for the treatment of such seasonal problems because they keep on reoccurring. You will be surprised to know that home remedies can treat these problems faster than medications if they are mild and of course for moderate to severe cough, cold and flu you can use home remedies along with the medications for better and faster restoration of health.
1- Drink Therapy
Ginger tea, lemon, and herbal teas relieve cough, cold and flu symptoms. You can add one teaspoon of honey to it for better effects and good taste. Soups also help heat up your system and keep you hydrated.
2-Take Rest
Rest is the best thing to restore your energy level to enable your body’s immune system to combat the diseases. All you need to do is stay in your bed and let your immune system handle the rest.
3-Gargle
Take at least one teaspoon of salt in half a cup of warm water and gargle at least two times a day. For better results, you can do several times a day. It also helps in the prevention of the development of other such seasonal infections.
