Friday, November 11, 2005
12 Tips to Treat Colds and Flu the "Natural" Way
WebMD Medical Reference
With no cure in sight for the cold or the flu, current
treatments can at
best bring symptom relief or shorten the duration of
those symptoms. You
can take one of a variety of medications that may help
relieve your
symptoms. Or you can take the natural approach. WebMD
went to Charles B.
Inlander, president of The People's Medical Society,
for some home
remedies that may speed your recovery, and help you
feel better along
the way.
*#1 Know When /Not/ To Treat Symptoms*
Believe it or not, those annoying symptoms you're
experiencing are part
of the natural healing process -- evidence that the
immune system is
battling illness. For instance, a fever is your body's
way of trying to
kill viruses in a hotter-than-normal environment.
Also, a fever's hot
environment makes germ-killing proteins in your blood
circulate more
quickly and effectively. Thus, if you endure a
moderate fever for a day
or two, you may actually get well faster. Coughing is
another productive
symptom; it clears your breathing passages of thick
mucus that can carry
germs to your lungs and the rest of your body. Even
that stuffy nose is
best treated mildly or not at all. A decongestant,
like Sudafed,
restricts flow to the blood vessels in your nose and
throat. But often
you /want/ the increase blood flow because it warms
the infected area
and helps secretions carry germs out of your body.
*#2 Blow Your Nose Often (And the Right Way)*
It's important to blow your nose regularly when you
have a cold rather
than sniffling mucus back into your head. But when you
blow hard,
pressure can carry germ-carrying phlegm back into your
ear passages,
causing earache. The best way to blow your nose: Press
a finger over one
nostril while you blow /gently/ to clear the other.
*#3 Treat That Stuffy Nose With Warm Salt Water*
Salt-water rinsing helps break nasal congestion, while
also removing
virus particles and bacteria from your nose. Here's a
popular recipe:
Mix 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda in
8 ounces of warm
water. Use a bulb syringe to squirt water into the
nose. Hold one
nostril closed by applying light finger pressure while
squirting the
salt mixture into the other nostril. Let it drain.
Repeat 2-3 times,
then treat the other nostril.
*#4 Stay Warm and Rested*
Staying warm and resting when you first come down with
a cold or the flu
helps your body direct its energy toward the immune
battle. This battle
taxes the body. So give it a little help by lying down
under a blanket.
*#5 Gargle*
Gargling can moisten a sore throat and bring temporary
relief. Try a
teaspoon of salt dissolved in warm water, four times
daily. To reduce
the tickle in your throat, try an astringent gargle --
such as tea that
contains tannin -- to tighten the membranes. Or use a
thick, viscous
gargle made with honey, popular in folk medicine. Seep
one tablespoon of
raspberry leaves or lemon juice in two cups of hot
water; mix with one
teaspoon of honey. Let the mixture cool to room
temperature before
gargling.
*#6 Drink Hot Liquids*
Hot liquids relieve nasal congestion, prevent
dehydration, and soothe
the uncomfortably inflamed membranes that line your
nose and throat. If
you're so congested you can't sleep at night, try a
hot toddy, an
age-old remedy. Make a cup of hot herbal tea. Add one
teaspoon of honey
and 1 small shot (about 1 ounce) of whiskey or
bourbon. Limit yourself
to one. Too much alcohol inflames those membranes and
is counterproductive.
*#7 Take a Steamy Shower*
Steamy showers moisturize your nasal passages and
relax you. If you're
dizzy from the flu, run a steamy shower while you sit
on a chair nearby
and take a sponge bath.
*#8 Use a Salve Under Your Nose*
A small dab of mentholated salve under your nose can
open breathing
passages and help restore the irritated skin at the
base of the nose.
Menthol, eucalyptus and camphor all have mild numbing
ingredients that
may help relieve the pain of a nose rubbed raw.
*#9 Apply Hot or Cold Packs Around Your Congested
Sinuses*
Either temperature works. You can buy reusable hot or
cold packs at a
drugstore. Or make your own. Take a damp washcloth and
heat it for 55
seconds in a microwave (test the temperature first to
make sure it's
right for you.) Or take a small bag of frozen peas to
use as a cold pack.
*#10 Sleep With an Extra Pillow Under Your Head*
This will help relieve congested nasal passages. If
the angle is too
awkward, try placing the pillows between the mattress
and the box
springs to create a more gradual slope.
*#11 Don't Fly Unless Necessary*
There's no point adding stress to your already
stressed-out upper
respiratory system, and that's what the change in air
pressure will do.
Flying with cold or flu congestion can temporarily
damage your eardrums
as a result of pressure changes during takeoff and
landing. If you must
fly, use a decongestant and carry a nasal spray with
you to use just
before takeoff and landing. Chewing gum and swallowing
frequently can
also help relieve pressure.
*#12 Eat Infection-Fighting Foods*
Here are some good foods to eat when you're battling a
cold or flu:
* Bananas: Soothe upset stomachs.
* Bell Peppers: Loaded with vitamin C.
* Blueberries: Curbs diarrhea, high in natural
aspirin. (May lower
fevers and help with the aches and pains.)
* Carrots: Loaded with beta-carotene.
* Chili Peppers: Can open sinuses, and help break
up mucus in the
lungs.
* Cranberries: Help prevent bacteria from sticking
to cells lining
the bladder and urinary tract.
* Mustard & Horseradish: Helps break up mucus in
air passages.
* Onion: Has phytochemicals purported to help the
body clear
bronchitis and other infections.
* Rice: Curbs diarrhea.
* Tea: Black and green tea (not herbals) contain
catechin, a
phytochemical purported to have natural
antibiotic and
anti-diarrhea effects.
Remember, serious conditions can masquerade as the
common cold:
sinus infections, bronchitis, meningitis, strep
throat, and asthma. If
you have severe symptoms, or feel sicker with each
passing day, call
your doctor.
Reviewed by Cynthia Haines, MD
,
October 2005.
SOURCE: Charles B. Inlander, president of The People's
Medical Society,
a nonprofit consumer health advocacy organization, and
author of /77
Ways to Beat Cold and Flu./
© 2005 WebMD Inc. All rights reserved.
WebMD Medical Reference
With no cure in sight for the cold or the flu, current
treatments can at
best bring symptom relief or shorten the duration of
those symptoms. You
can take one of a variety of medications that may help
relieve your
symptoms. Or you can take the natural approach. WebMD
went to Charles B.
Inlander, president of The People's Medical Society,
for some home
remedies that may speed your recovery, and help you
feel better along
the way.
*#1 Know When /Not/ To Treat Symptoms*
Believe it or not, those annoying symptoms you're
experiencing are part
of the natural healing process -- evidence that the
immune system is
battling illness. For instance, a fever is your body's
way of trying to
kill viruses in a hotter-than-normal environment.
Also, a fever's hot
environment makes germ-killing proteins in your blood
circulate more
quickly and effectively. Thus, if you endure a
moderate fever for a day
or two, you may actually get well faster. Coughing is
another productive
symptom; it clears your breathing passages of thick
mucus that can carry
germs to your lungs and the rest of your body. Even
that stuffy nose is
best treated mildly or not at all. A decongestant,
like Sudafed,
restricts flow to the blood vessels in your nose and
throat. But often
you /want/ the increase blood flow because it warms
the infected area
and helps secretions carry germs out of your body.
*#2 Blow Your Nose Often (And the Right Way)*
It's important to blow your nose regularly when you
have a cold rather
than sniffling mucus back into your head. But when you
blow hard,
pressure can carry germ-carrying phlegm back into your
ear passages,
causing earache. The best way to blow your nose: Press
a finger over one
nostril while you blow /gently/ to clear the other.
*#3 Treat That Stuffy Nose With Warm Salt Water*
Salt-water rinsing helps break nasal congestion, while
also removing
virus particles and bacteria from your nose. Here's a
popular recipe:
Mix 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda in
8 ounces of warm
water. Use a bulb syringe to squirt water into the
nose. Hold one
nostril closed by applying light finger pressure while
squirting the
salt mixture into the other nostril. Let it drain.
Repeat 2-3 times,
then treat the other nostril.
*#4 Stay Warm and Rested*
Staying warm and resting when you first come down with
a cold or the flu
helps your body direct its energy toward the immune
battle. This battle
taxes the body. So give it a little help by lying down
under a blanket.
*#5 Gargle*
Gargling can moisten a sore throat and bring temporary
relief. Try a
teaspoon of salt dissolved in warm water, four times
daily. To reduce
the tickle in your throat, try an astringent gargle --
such as tea that
contains tannin -- to tighten the membranes. Or use a
thick, viscous
gargle made with honey, popular in folk medicine. Seep
one tablespoon of
raspberry leaves or lemon juice in two cups of hot
water; mix with one
teaspoon of honey. Let the mixture cool to room
temperature before
gargling.
*#6 Drink Hot Liquids*
Hot liquids relieve nasal congestion, prevent
dehydration, and soothe
the uncomfortably inflamed membranes that line your
nose and throat. If
you're so congested you can't sleep at night, try a
hot toddy, an
age-old remedy. Make a cup of hot herbal tea. Add one
teaspoon of honey
and 1 small shot (about 1 ounce) of whiskey or
bourbon. Limit yourself
to one. Too much alcohol inflames those membranes and
is counterproductive.
*#7 Take a Steamy Shower*
Steamy showers moisturize your nasal passages and
relax you. If you're
dizzy from the flu, run a steamy shower while you sit
on a chair nearby
and take a sponge bath.
*#8 Use a Salve Under Your Nose*
A small dab of mentholated salve under your nose can
open breathing
passages and help restore the irritated skin at the
base of the nose.
Menthol, eucalyptus and camphor all have mild numbing
ingredients that
may help relieve the pain of a nose rubbed raw.
*#9 Apply Hot or Cold Packs Around Your Congested
Sinuses*
Either temperature works. You can buy reusable hot or
cold packs at a
drugstore. Or make your own. Take a damp washcloth and
heat it for 55
seconds in a microwave (test the temperature first to
make sure it's
right for you.) Or take a small bag of frozen peas to
use as a cold pack.
*#10 Sleep With an Extra Pillow Under Your Head*
This will help relieve congested nasal passages. If
the angle is too
awkward, try placing the pillows between the mattress
and the box
springs to create a more gradual slope.
*#11 Don't Fly Unless Necessary*
There's no point adding stress to your already
stressed-out upper
respiratory system, and that's what the change in air
pressure will do.
Flying with cold or flu congestion can temporarily
damage your eardrums
as a result of pressure changes during takeoff and
landing. If you must
fly, use a decongestant and carry a nasal spray with
you to use just
before takeoff and landing. Chewing gum and swallowing
frequently can
also help relieve pressure.
*#12 Eat Infection-Fighting Foods*
Here are some good foods to eat when you're battling a
cold or flu:
* Bananas: Soothe upset stomachs.
* Bell Peppers: Loaded with vitamin C.
* Blueberries: Curbs diarrhea, high in natural
aspirin. (May lower
fevers and help with the aches and pains.)
* Carrots: Loaded with beta-carotene.
* Chili Peppers: Can open sinuses, and help break
up mucus in the
lungs.
* Cranberries: Help prevent bacteria from sticking
to cells lining
the bladder and urinary tract.
* Mustard & Horseradish: Helps break up mucus in
air passages.
* Onion: Has phytochemicals purported to help the
body clear
bronchitis and other infections.
* Rice: Curbs diarrhea.
* Tea: Black and green tea (not herbals) contain
catechin, a
phytochemical purported to have natural
antibiotic and
anti-diarrhea effects.
Remember, serious conditions can masquerade as the
common cold:
sinus infections, bronchitis, meningitis, strep
throat, and asthma. If
you have severe symptoms, or feel sicker with each
passing day, call
your doctor.
Reviewed by Cynthia Haines, MD
,
October 2005.
SOURCE: Charles B. Inlander, president of The People's
Medical Society,
a nonprofit consumer health advocacy organization, and
author of /77
Ways to Beat Cold and Flu./
© 2005 WebMD Inc. All rights reserved.
// posted by Linda Weissinger Lupowitz @ 7:53 PM 
