Cold and Flu

Cold and Flu

Cold and Flu occur more frequently in the fall and winter months for a variety of reasons. The most common cold virus thrives in drier, less humid air. This also can lead to drying of the nasal passages which further increases one’s risk for a viral infection. Being cooped up indoors for longer periods of time also increases the risk of catching the cold and flu viruses. Here's some common sense steps to shield ourselves from cold and flu.
- Do not sit in a draft. Always have proper clothing for the cold weather.
- Wash your hands more often in fall and winter month.
- If you see you might be catching cold; buy Echinacea herbal extract(comes in soft gel tablets) from the health food store and have a few tablets with your meal according the label. This herb will build up your immune system and will stimulate your body's own defense.
- If you catch a cold, the best recipe is the good old chicken soup. Your mom's recipe is the best. Just add a little more salt than usual if you are allowed to have salt. Freshly squeezed lemon juice added when you are having the soup will supply you with the needed Vitamin C.
- Rest
-If you caught a cold and did not take care of yourself; it will turn into flu. You know you have a flu when you run a temperature. That means you have infection somewhere in your body. For Flu the infection is mostly in your lungs and chest. I first try to cure myself with salt and hot to warm water. I gargle few times a day with this solution. (Add salt as much as you can tolerate) Also you can put this solution in your nose and flush your nose with it(this is very hard to do for beginners therefore you can use a neti pot).
-We would like to build our body to resist all diseases with mom's remedies; but if you did not get any better, you can try the over the counter drugs for flu.
- Last resort: consult your Doctor.

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Sore Throat and cough remedy

-Dissolve 2 tablespoon of salt or as much as you can tolerate in one cup of warm to hot water and gargle with this mixture 3 times a day. Your sore throat should feel better in no time.
-Another remedy my friend used to use was to cut few pears and quinces(you can use this recipe without quince if you cannot find this fruit) into little pieces and poach them for few minutes in 1/2 cup of water. Then when she was ready to eat them she would drizzle some honey on her portion. If this fruit mixture is not hot anymore she would reheat it for few minutes.
-Another remedy is to use hot water or hot tea with fresh lemon and generous amount of honey.
- To get rid of your cough; you could use the seeds of the quince fruit. Either put 4 to 5 of them in 1/2 glass of hot water for few minutes and then drink the liquid while trying to leave this solution by your throat as long as you can. Or just put few seeds in your mouth and leave them in your mouth like a candy and swallow the saliva in your mouth.

-Also fennel is an effective treatment for respiratory congestion and is a common ingredient in cough remedies.

- A chicken soup with Okra will clean all your respiratory system.

-A hot tea with Goji berries will also get rid of your caugh. You put a handful in hot water for 15 minutes and have the tea and the soaked berries.

Children under 2 years old should not be given honey to eat.


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