Cold and cough
Your nose is running, you’ve got a cough, and your throat is raw. Is it a cold, allergies, or the flu?
There are similarities to all three, but a few telltale signs can help you tell them apart.
The Start of a Cold
It usually begins with a sore throat, and before you know it, you’ve also got these symptoms:
Runny nose (clear and watery)
Sneezing
Fatigue
Cough
You usually don’t get a fever with a cold. If you do, it may be a sign you’ve got the flu or an infection with a bacteria.
For the first few days that you’re sick, your runny nose will be watery, but it turns thicker and darker after that. You may also get a mild cough that can last into the second week of your cold.
Since a cold can make your asthma worse, check with your doctor to see if you need to change your regular treatment plan.
If you cough up thick or dark mucus or you get a fever, you may have an infection with a bacteria. See your doctor to find out how to treat it. Also see him if your cough doesn’t get better after a few weeks.
Your symptoms usually start between 1 and 3 days after you get infected with a cold virus. They typically last for about 3 to 7 days. By then the worst is over, but you may feel stuffed up for a week or more.
You’re most contagious during the first 3 days that you’re sick, but it’s still possible to spread it during the first week.
Is It Allergies Instead of a Cold?
Sometimes you might mistake cold symptoms for hay fever. If they begin quickly and are over in 1 to 2 weeks, chances are it’s not an allergy.
Allergies are caused by an overactive immune system, your defense against germs. Your body overreacts to things like dust or pollen. It then releases chemicals like histamine. This causes the passageways in your nose to swell, leading to a runny nose, coughing, and sneezing.
Hay fever isn’t contagious, but some people may inherit a tendency to get it.
Is It the Flu?
Take your temperature. A mild case of the flu often has symptoms like a cold, but a cold rarely raises your temperature above 101 degrees F.
Besides a fever, the flu often gives you muscle aches and a headache
.Trusting on home remedies to cure common cold and cough is something that many Indian households still believe. Besides treating common cold and cough effectively, these home remedies are also free from any side-effects. Here we have mentioned some of these home remedies that will help you treat common cold and cough.
Ginger tea
Ginger tea not only tastes good but also helps in treating common cold and cough. The tea helps in drying running and dripping nose, thus expelling phlegm from the respiratory tract. Among various health benefits of ginger, it is known to soothe common cold and speeds up the recovery process.
Mixture of lemon, cinnamon and honey
Another effective home remedy for common cold and cough is a mixture of lemon, cinnamon and honey. This syrup effectively cures cold and cough.
How to make the syrup: In half spoon of honey, add a few drop of lemon and a pinch of cinnamon. Have this syrup twice a day to cure common cold and cough.
Luke-warm water
Drink luke-warm water frequently as it helps in fighting against common cold, cough and sore throat. Warm water reduces inflammation in the throat and helps in replenishing the fluids and infection out of the body.
Milk and turmeric
An essential ingredient found in almost all Indian kitchens, turmeric has a strong antioxidant which helps in treating many health problems. Turmeric mixed in warm milk is a popular and effective way to fight against cold and cough. Drinking a glass of warm turmeric milk before sleeping helps in faster recovery from cold and cough.
Gargle with salt-water
This is an age-old therapy that effectively treats cough and cold. Adding turmeric in this salt-water is also beneficial.
Honey and brandy
Brandy is known to keep your chest warm as it increases body’s temperature and missing honey in brandy helps in fighting a cough. Just a teaspoon of brandy mixed with few drops of honey improves cough and common cold.
Spiced tea
Add tulsi, ginger and black pepper while peparing your tea and this spiced tea is great for your health. These three ingredients play an important role in fighting a common cold and cough.
Honey, lime juice and warm water
This is a perfect dose to improve digestion and for the circulation system. Adding honey to luke-lime water is the best solution in controlling common cold and cough.
Amla
Being a strong immunomodulator, amla fights against many diseases. Eating one amla regularly provides many health benefits as it ensures the proper functioning of the liver and improves blood circulation.
Ginger-tulsi mixture
Extract the ginger juice and add crush tulsi leaves to it and add honey. Consume it to get relief from a cough.
Flaxseeds for cold and cough
Flaxseeds are another effective remedy to cure common cold and cough. You can boil flaxseeds until it thickens and strain it. Add a few drops of lime juice and honey to it and consume the mixture for cold and cough relief.
Ginger and salt
Cut ginger into small pieces and add salt to it. Chew these ginger pieces to fight cold, cough and a sore throat.
Saute garlic
Saute a few garlic cloves in ghee and consume this when warm. This can be a bitter concoction but has a great soothing impact for common cold and cough.
Jaggery solution
Boil water with black pepper, cumin and jaggery to it. Consume this solution when warm and it will give you relief from chest congestion.
Carrot juice
This uncommon home remedy is great to fight common cold and cough. It may sound strange but this interesting drink helps in relieving common cold and cough
Also try some Do it yourself treatments
No. 1: Drink Up!
Get plenty of fluids. It helps break up your congestion, makes your throat moist, and keeps you from getting dehydrated.
No. 2: Make It Steamy!
You can loosen up your stuffy nose if you breathe in some steam. Hold your head over a pot of boiling water and breathe slowly through your nose. But be careful. Don’t let the heat burn your nose.
No. 3: Blow Your Nose
It’s better than sniffling mucus back into your head. But make sure you do it the right way. If you blow hard, you’ll send germ-carrying phlegm back into your ear passages, which can lead to an earache.The best technique? Press a finger over one nostril while you blow gently to clear the other.
No.4 Stay Warm and Rested
It’s especially important to get rest when you first come down with a cold or the flu. It helps your body direct its energy to fighting off your infection. This battle taxes your body. So give it a little help by lying down under a blanket to stay warm if necessary.
No . 5: Gargle With Warm Salt Water It moistens your sore or scratchy throat and brings temporary relief. Try a half teaspoon of salt dissolved in 8 ounces of warm water four times a day.
No 6 Drink Hot Liquids They relieve your congestion and soothe the inflamed lining of your nose and throat.
No 7 Put Hot Packs on Your Sinuses You can buy reusable ones at a drugstore. Or make your own. Take a damp washcloth and heat it for 30 seconds in a microwave. Test the temperature first to make sure it’s right for you.
No. 8 Try an Extra Pillow Under Your Head Do this at night when you sleep to help relieve congested nasal passages. If the angle is too awkward, place the pillows between the mattress and the box springs to create a more gradual slope.
Homoeopathic medicines
Belladonna: This remedy should be considered when there is a sudden stopping of nasal discharge, and it is replaced by a congestive, usually throbbing, headache and high fever
Arsenicum Album (Ars.) A streaming cold with burning discharge from eyes and nose. Patient is restless and anxious and very chilly with apparent difficulty in keeping warm. Eyes and nose have a watery discharge. There is sneezing, without relief, and the nose feels stuffed up. Symptoms are worse for cold, during the night and better for warmth.
Aconite Napellus (Acon.) Sudden onset and early stage of a cold, brought on by exposure or being chilled by a cold wind.
Calcarea Carbonica (Calc-c.) Stuffy colds, with offensive smell in the nose and unpleasant smelling yellow mucus. Dry, sore, ulcerated nostrils. Individuals that catch colds easily at every change of weather and babies with snuffles.
Euphrasia Red, watery, irritated eyes, frequent sneezing, and a mild, clear nasal discharge suggests a need for this remedy. The person may cough from irritation and from phlegm collecting in the throat. Symptoms can be worse at night, and the person tends to feel better from eating and lying down.
Natrum muriaticum Colds with clear nasal discharge like egg-white, sneezing (which is often worse in the morning), headache, and a diminished sense of smell or taste may respond to this remedy. The person may develop cold sores around the mouth, and the lips can be chapped and cracked.
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