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When your nose is running, your throat is on fire and you can’t sleep for coughing, being told you just have a cold is little help.
People with a weak, low immune system as well as infants and children, are most prone to catching a cold and the most common kind is known as the ‘rhinovirus’.
When you contract a cold, for the first day or two you will feel fine, but the germs that escape your immune system, start to incubate and replicate in your body. Around day three, you will start to sniff and feel congested and this will be followed by a runny nose, headache, sneezing, as well as muscle aches which will all get worse, before they get better. After about a week, things will ease up and symptoms will disappear so you feel human again.
Most people find over the counter medicines, as well as lots of fluids and rest, help them to feel better, but natural products and remedies can help ease the pain, and we have had a look at a few ideas you might want to try if you do get sick.
A spoonful of honey
The nursery rhyme suggests that a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, but we think that should be honey. Whether you take it straight from the spoon, add it to hot water or milk, honey is well-known for having natural healing and antiviral properties and can be a gentle way to treat a cold and sooth a nasty sore throat. It is thought that the antioxidants help the immune system deal with a virus or cold causing bacteria, and it is believed to be even more true of raw and organic honey.
Epsom bath salts
This might seem old fashioned, but adding one mug of Epsom salts to a bathtub of warm water and soaking in it for around 20 minutes, can help you feel soothed when you have a cold. Keep the water as hot as you can, and it is thought that this natural mineral will go some way to easing those uncomfortable muscle aches and also help you to sleep which can in turn lead to a faster recovery.
Apple cider vinegar
Mix one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with a glass of warm water and then drink it down, adding some honey to taste. Drinking this mixture two or three times a day, can help to re-balance your body’s pH levels making it harder for the virus to survive.
Mixing a few drops of peppermint and eucalyptus essential oil together and applying a little to your chest, neck, and forehead, can help when you have a cold and are feeling under the weather. You can also put this blend into your bath, or add to a bowl of hot water and breathe the vapour in through your nose and benefit from this natural decongestant!
Go for ginger
Sipping ginger infused water, with a teaspoon of honey, might sound like a basic approach, but it’s a popular one that works. The reason ginger offers relief from cold symptoms, is that it warms up the body, the potent natural anti-inflammatory properties sooth and it’s spiciness helps to clear congestion. Simply crush up a thumbnail of ginger and let it seep in hot water for five minutes before straining and then adding to honey in a new cup. You can also add ginger to warming vegetable soups and super green smoothies and let all that natural goodness help your body bounce back from the germs that are attacking it.
So, wrap up, eat well, drink plenty of water, wash your hands often, carry an antibacterial gel in your bag, and if you do get sick, try some of these ideas to help you on your road to recovery.
Team Pure Beauty