How to deal with a cold?

Doctor goes where the sun doesn´t. This is an old Slovak proverb, which is very accurate for rainy and almost always cloudy weather. Autumn is already in full swing, resulting in colds and in worse cases in flu. There are some effective steps to take to avoid them, as well as how to drive them away. Not only this you will be reading about today…

Cold, rain and wind outside, dryness and overheated spaces inside. Your immunity is at zero and you are exhausted from work, taking care of your kids, household… There are no better conditions for the development of viral diseases. Before you know it, you sneeze like crazy and find yourself buying all the tissues you can find in the store.

Viruses, welcome!

Congratulations! You probably caught one of the 200 viruses that cause a cold. These little devils are spread mainly by air and touch, by so-called droplet transmission. However, they are mostly transmitted over a long contact with humans. It is therefore very important for you to cover your mouth and your nose with a tissue and thus prevent them from spreading to the environment.

According to doctors, the cold breaks within 48 hours of infection, so you can almost always accurately determine where you caught them. However, it can also be caused by air conditioning, drafts, little exercise.

Did you know that…
… diseases can also have psychic backgrounds? People experiencing stress or tension tend to be less resistant to colds. If you are „fed up with something” throat pain may occur. People who have nothing to say to others suffer from hoarseness. If you have a long-term discomfort with another person and you are about to lose it, you will start to sneeze to express your “keep away from me” attitude. A cold can even be caused from when you are just sad, because it reduces the permeability of your upper respiratory tract.

A runny nose is one of the first signs of a cold. If you only have a runny nose, you are a happy camper. It is mostly followed by a sore throat, a whole-body ache, and when body temperature rises, you definitely have a flu.

A cell infected with flu virus, pic. source: abcnews.go.com

A cold is accompanied by sneezing. It is caused by irritation of the nasal mucosa by an external stimulus, besides the mentioned bacilli, it can also be dust or pollen. After a contact with the nasal mucosa, the nose sends a message to the brain to get rid of the irritating visitor.

Tip for you: Runny nose and its constant cleaning often causes irritated and reddened skin. Fortunately, there are paper tissues that are very gentle to this sensitive spot. For example, because they contain extracts of shea butter.

Pic. source: thesinusdoctor.com

About sneezing alone, there are a few interesting facts:

• Sneezing can reach a speed of up to 160 km/h.
• You never sneeze while sleeping, because like you, your nerves sleep as well.
• The way you sneeze can tell you what kind of a person you are. According to an American study, noisy and aggressive sneezes make you an extrovert and an open person. On the contrary, silent sneezing shows your shyness and suppression of emotions.
• If you sneeze, the rhythm of your heartbeat may change.
• Even though you try hard, you cannot keep your eyes open during sneezing.
• The longest record in sneezing was recorded by Donna Griffiths from England, who had been suffering for an uninterrupted sneezing for 978 days.

Cold fighters

Let´s go back and talk about a runny nose. If it is caused by a cold, not an allergic reaction, there are a few well-known grandmother recipes that will help you. Honey, lemon and ginger do not need to be introduced. They are basically something like “mandatory equipment” in the kitchen during cooler days and with first signs of a cold. But we’ll give you more tips on getting rid of unwanted bacilli in your body.

Mom´s soup not only for the soul

Who would refuse a good chicken broth from their mom? Probably nobody when they feel under the weather. Great chicken soup is good not only for the body but also for the soul. And if you add a little tabasco, chili peppers or crushed garlic, the soup will warm you up in the right way and, in addition, will get rid of mucus.

Pic. source: thechalkboardmag.com

Use steam

Inhalation also helps your nose. Put boiling water in the pot, throw a towel over your head, breathe in through your nose and breathe out with your mouth. If you want to boost the effect of inhalation, add sea salt to water, a couple of drops of eucalyptus oil or try a miracle called echinacea.

Rest above all

Nothing will benefit your body more than relax. Turn off your phone, disconnect from social networks and hide under the blanket. Do not forget to drink. You cannot go wrong with a hot ginger tea.

When garlic is not enough

You can also use another aromatic medicine to fight a cold – an onion. And you can do that in a few different ways. You can cut it and breathe it in until it makes you cry. Onion syrup (onions with honey) will help you suppress coughing. Your grandma would advise you to put it in your cotton or wool socks and leave it there all night. And if you do not like anything from the choices offered, we recommend you cooking onion soup.

Pic. source: meshije.com

The healing power of herbs

Our Mother Nature offers us a whole bunch of helpers from the nature which are helpful in treating a cold. Mint, lemon balm, elder, plantain, echinacea, sage, chamomile, fennel, … Herbs against a cold are very easy to access either in the pharmacy or in your garden.

Alternative methods

Finally, we may surprise you a little bit. There are many more unusual methods to fight a cold. When first signs of a cold appear, try inhaling powdered vitamin C. It acts almost instantly, you only need to suffer a little stinging of your nasal mucosa. In addition, regular lovemaking also works as prevention. People, who make love at least once a week, have a higher number of molecules that are helpful in protecting the nasal mucosa from germs.

You can even get rid of viruses with your hair dryer. Yes, you are reading correctly. A survey in the UK showed that people who breathed warm air had half of the symptoms of a cold than those who were breathing room air. 20 minutes at mid-level will supposedly do its trick. Acupressure does not have to be a bad thing either while treating a cold. Try pushing the corners of both your eyes and add two fingers above your upper lip. For supporters of this method, acupressure is a great way to get rid of not just the stuffy nose.

Pic. source: holisticallyinspired.org

The Internet is full of good tips for suppressing a runny nose or a cold. The truth, however, is that each of us is unique and different things can help you but do not have any effect on somebody else. We do believe, however, that you will not have to try the tips from our article because all illnesses will avoid you. 🙂

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