Natural Remedies for the Common Cold

With the weather being as crazy as it has been in the past, oh I don't know, three months (going from hot to cold and back again) it is hard to keep that little bug, known as the common cold, at bay. This past week, I've been struggling with the sniffles and that yucky post-nasal drip. So, I thought to myself, "what are some things I could do naturally to keep this off?" I am a big fan of Thera-flu, and act like it is the elixir that saves lives when I have a cold, but now that I have my little girl, I can't just take what I want and clock out for a while (I must be the responsible adult). In my searching, I found a lot of great and interesting things.

(Your friendly knitted bacteria. Don't let their smiles fool you...they can't be trusted!)

First off, let's take a look at why you get those annoying, dreadful symptoms of the common cold. Having a moderate fever is actually your body fighting off bacteria and infection, making the living environment for that pesky bug inhospitable. Coughing actually helps clear breathing passages of all that yucky mucus. The stuffy nose is an increased blood flow to your nose, warming the area and helping secretions carry germs out of  your body (blow that nose!). So, even though that all makes you feel crappy, and makes you want to just curl up in a ball and lay in bed all day, it will actually help shorten the amount of time you have the cold. When you take antihistamines to get rid of the symptoms, you are actually prolonging the whole thing. Antihistamines' dehydrating effect keeps the germs harder to expel and makes them more likely to collect in the sinuses, causing infection. I guess no more Thera-flu for me. :(

So here are some natural things you can do to help rid yourself of your illness:

1. Take a steamy shower. Not only will a nice hot shower relax you, it will make it easier for you to breathe. The steam from the shower will moisturize your nasal passages, thinning the mucus and making it easier to expel. Plus, if you want, you can just blow your nose in the shower and just wash it away...right? (people do that, right? or is that just me?)

2. Apply a salve under your nose. Making a menthol or eucalyptus based salve and applying it under your nose can help with irritated skin from blowing your nose all the time. Their numbing properties will soothe the nose, and the strong smell will also help clear those passageways, making it easier to breathe.

3. Garlic. Garlic has something called Allicin in it, which makes it naturally anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral. When it is cooked, though, it loses much of its potency, so you would need to eat it raw (You won't be kissing anyone anyway because you're sick)

4. Honey. Honey coats your throat and relieves irritation, while also having anti-microbial (Kills or inhibits growth of microorganisms..it's okay, I didn't know what it was either) and antioxidant properties to fight infection from viruses, bacteria, and fungi!

5.Cayenne pepper/Horseradish/Chili peppers. These strong and intense flavored foods can help open up your sinuses and break up mucus. Definitely a quick cure for a stuffy nose!

6.Vitamin C-containing foods. Most of us know that vitamin C boosts the immune system, but besides oranges, I wouldn't know what foods to look for. So, here are some good ones to think about when you are looking for that extra boost for your health: bell peppers, kale, guavas, kiwi, broccoli, strawberries, oranges, tomatoes, and peas.

7.Beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is the stuff that makes your food orange, like in carrots and sweet potatoes. It is also something your body uses to produce white blood cells, which fight off infection.

8.Cinnamon. Cinnamon contains something called Cinnamaldehyde which fights off bacteria. To learn more about cinnamon and all its natural attributes, you can read more here.

9.Stay away from refined sugar. Refined sugars like margarine or white flour can actually repress your immune system and reduce the action of your white blood cells. Not to mention, it also feeds bacteria and viruses, and has absolutely no nutritional value. I know it is hard not to grab for the ice cream when you're feeling under the weather, but resist, and you will feel so much better!

(You don't want to end up looking like this guy...do you?)

So, the next time you start to feel the sniffles coming on, try out a couple of these things before you run for the Thera-flu. Hope these are helpful and keep the bug at bay!