The common cold causes 23 million lost days of work every year. For some of us, getting a cold can be the nearest thing to being hit by a baseball in the head-painful, dizzying and we would do anything to get out of the discomfort at the earliest. So here are a handful of natural ways to get over a cold bout, fast!
Load up on zinc for stronger immunity against the wicked cold. Zinc is known to activate immune cells (T-lymphocytes) that fight off bacterial infections and foreign pathogens. Zinc is known to inhibit the growth of rhinovirus, the cold-causing virus that lives and grows in the upper respiratory tracts. Zinc lozenges are said to reduce the overall duration of a cold by one day if you start on dosage within 24 hours of catching a cold. Research is still ongoing about the universality of the treatment. Foods like chickpeas, cashews, greens, nuts, legumes, and whole grains are also zinc-rich.
We don’t make Vitamin C in our bodies. Yet it is key to immunity, stronger bone structure, absorption of certain minerals, and healthy, soft skin. The antioxidants help improve the immune defense, that is needed to neutralize the foreign pathogens. You can have it in the form of foods that are rich in Vitamin C like strawberries, berries, cherries, citrus fruits, greens or natural supplements, RDA (recommended dietary allowance) being around 90 mg per day for men and 75 mg for women.
While dealing with a bad bout of cold, you should also focus on what you allow to pass through your system. Focus on foods that build immunity and pathogen resistance; provide all the nutrients; ease the symptoms and promote healing, like vegetable broths that hydrate and act like natural decongestants; veggies like spinach, mushrooms; fruits like watermelon, kiwi, acai, coconut water; spices like turmeric, ginger, garlic; teas like black tea, honey with lemon tea, hibiscus tea, among others.
We continue to be served by the timeless effectiveness of gargling practice. It moistens and softens a sore and rough throat to relieve the discomfort. Gargling with warm salt water can moisten a sore throat, pull out the phlegm from the throat, wash out the virus, and bring temporary relief.
What to do?
Add half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water and gargle with it at least four times a day. Other alternatives to salt can be astringents that contain tannins. You can use honey and apple cider vinegar too.
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A detox bath with salts, spices like ginger, and essential body oils can help the body get rid of toxic build-up. A detox bath helps with treating cold symptoms by calming the aggravated nervous system and easing muscle aches and headaches.
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