If you have a scratchy throat, running nose and a cough, you have most likely caught a viral infection which is know as common cold. More than 200 viruses that get into the body chiefly through the nose and tear ducts cause colds.
Symptoms of cold
- Running nose.
- Sore throat and hoarseness.
- Watery eyes.
- Coughing.
- Low fever, below100 degrees.
- Headache.
- Sinus swelling.
How to prevent cold?
Most colds are spread through touch. To help and prevent a cold.
- Keep your hands off your eyes, nose and mouth.
- Wash your hands often.
- Clean the doorknobs counters, phones with disinfectant such as Lysol.
- Blow your nose on tissues and not on cloth handkerchiefs.
- Try to stay away from people who are sneezing and coughing.
- Try to get extra sleep when your immune system feels down.
- Regular use of chicken soup also seems to help. It contains amino acid that keeps the lung clean.
Cure for cold, Home remedies for common cold
Nobody has found a cure yet for the common cold but there are things you can do to feel less sick. They start with staying home from work or school. The following are a few remedies.
- Drink lots of fluids to avoid dehydration.
- Take a painkiller for aches and fever.
- If you have a sore throat, try gargling with salt water a few times a day. (You can make this yourself by mixing I teaspoon of salt in 8 ounces warm water)
- Don't smoke and avoid smoky places.
- To clear up a stuffy nose try over the counter saline drops or sprays.
- Try taking a 500 milligrams tablet of vitamin C 4 times a day.
- Use a cool mist humidifier or a vaporizer or take a hot steamy shower to keep the nasal passages from drying out.
Identifying the need of Home remedies for Colds
- If you have fever of 100 degrees or higher with severe swelling or pain in the ear.
- If you have a severe throat pain and your throat or tonsils have a white or yellow coating.
- If you have sever cough with thick, colored mucus coming from the nose or throat.
- If your fever lasts for more than 4 days or goes higher than 102 degrees.
- If your cold hasn't improved after 10 days or has gotten worse.
