Tag: cold care

A Pound of Cure: Flu and Cold Season

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Image Copyright: everydayroots.com

Despite all of your best efforts at taking preventative measures to stay healthy during flu and cold season, it’s happened. You’re sick.

When your ounce of prevention lets you down, it’s time to go running toward that pound of cure.

Sleep is Vital

Your body needs the chance to rest while your immune system kicks into overdrive. Lay off the coffee for a couple of days (believe me when I say that I know how much that sucks) and sleep, sleep, sleep!

Drink Plenty of Fluids

Now’s the time to really drown this thing. If you were drinking 8 glasses of water a day to stay hydrated and prevent a cold, try drinking 16 glasses a day to wipe it out quickly.

Homemade Decongestant

Nasal and chest congestion is by far the worst part of having a cold. I try to steer clear of over-the-counter meds, so I always use homemade remedies. Here you’ll find my all-time favorite recipe for homemade decongestant along with some other helpful recipes for fast relief.

Plenty of rest and plenty of water is key. Cold and Flu viruses generally run their course in 5-10 days. I’ve had great success with minimizing the symptoms without the use of over-the-counter meds. As always, I’m constantly on the look out for remedies I haven’t tried. How do you find relief from cold and flu symptoms? Let me know in the comments!

 

An Ounce of Prevention: Flu and Cold Season

Cold and Flu Season

I’m just starting to get over the worst cold I’ve had in years. It’s also the first cold I’ve had in years. I used to get sick with every change in the season. It was like clockwork. I’d be down for two weeks, completely miserable, at least twice a year…that’s a full month of misery out of every year. Then I made some simple changes.

My father always says that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I totally think he is the wisest man on Earth. As it turns out, he actually lifted that quote from Benjamin Franklin. Still, my father is a very wise man. An ounce of prevention is definitely worth a pound of cure. I say this with confidence because the cold I’m getting over is honestly not nearly as bad as colds I’ve had in the past. I say this with confidence because as soon as I stopped taking the preventative measures I’ve stayed true to for a long time, I got sick. Super simple lifestyle changes and you can pretty much kiss colds goodbye.

1 Keep Your Hands Away from your Eyes, Nose, Mouth, and Ears.

This is the main way cold and flu viruses enter your system.

2 Wash Your Hands Frequently

Those hand sanitizers that are so popular just don’t work. End of story. Picture your doctor examining another patient then giving their hands a quick rub down with hand sanitizer before coming at you with those unwashed hands. Ew.

3 Drink Lots of Water

I can’t stress this enough. Water really keeps your body’s different systems functioning full force. I’ve been drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day for almost a year, and it’s changed my life.

4 Limes are Better than Lemons

I always add some lime juice to my tea or water. It’s not really about the flavor, I just feel like limes pack more of a punch than lemons. Is this backed by science? I have no idea.

That’s it. Four really simple habits that seem like no-brainers, until you become aware of how often you touch your face… with unwashed hands… while thirsty… without any limes in your refrigerator at home. Sounds silly, but it’s so true. I made the mistake of relying mostly on those hand sanitizers and slacking on drinking water for a whole week before I got this cold. Sigh. Lesson learned.