With cold and flu season well on it's way, we could all use some information on how to naturally ease and cure our symptoms.
Spices such as coriander, cinnamon, and ginger help to promote sweating, therefore assists in breaking a fever. These spices are commonly used in Indian medicine known as Ayurveda. Add some hot spices to your meals to help clear up your conjestion. Prior to my vegan days, I would grab some Taco Bell and order the extra hot sauce, it would clear up my sinuses right away!
Try out this Ayurvedic fever reducing recipe:
1/2 teaspoon of coriander
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger.
Mix spices into a cup of freshly boiled water and steep for ten minutes before drinking.
Garlic contains the compound allicin which fights bacteria and viruses in addition to fugus.If you're not a vampire, take a stab at chewing a clove every 4 hours. I know what your thinking......eat a clove of garlic? Alone? Don't worry, another option is to cut up small pieces and swallow them like a pill. If that is still of no interest to you, just chop the garlic and add to your meal, or your moms homemade soup (after all you are sick, mom must have brought soup over). And if you just really can't stand the taste of it, try smashing up the cloves finely and putting them inside your socks. The garlic will absorb through the feet and although you might smell funny, you might feel better sooner than later.
Soups-while the most common response to someone that is sick is "eat some chicken soup" vegetable soups work just as well. Eating soups raise the temperature of your nose and throat making it harder for viruses, which strive on cooler environments, to survive.
Keeping yourself hydrated is of the utmost importance. I'm sure you've heard it before, but I'll say it again....water, water, water!!! Those little germs you have love to make a home in your throat and nasal passages when they are dried out. By staying hydrated, the moist membranes are able to trap those little guys so you can blow them out, or, get ready for this......swallow them at which point the acids in your stomach with destroy them.
Drinking eight glasses a day is a must and when you have a fever, you should drink even more! It sounds like a lot, but isn't it better than feeling lousy from an illness? For a little flavor, cut up some oranges and toss them into your glass or pitcher. This is a quick way for some added vitamin C too!
For a sore throat, gargle some warm salt water. This will get rid of dead white blood cells and increase the blood flow to your throat. What does this do? Helps your body fight off it's infection. You can also use salt water to squirt into your nostrils to help flush the passages and aliviate conjestion. Just squirt in one nostril, blow your nose and repeat on the other side.
Sipping on some warm water or tea with lemon will shrink swollen tissues in your throat, killing virus cells.
While it is debateable whether or not vitamin C can help prevent a cold, there are a few ways it can help. Evidence suggest taking vitamin C daily may help reduce your sickness time by a day. It can relieve a runny nose by acting as anti-inflammatory and helps improve the function of your immune system.
Vitamin E is not only boosts your immune system but also helps to shorten a cold and has the ability to prevent you from catching one. Take 200IU daily.
Zinc can help to reduce the length of time you are ill. Studies show using zinc gluconate every two hours the first two days you are sick will help reduce the duration of your illness. It is important that you take zinc with food in order to prevent nausea. Zinc lozenges have become popular and are most effective when taken in does ranging between nine to twenty-four milligrams.
While ginseng has been proven effective for colds, echinacea has shown no significant results on the common cold.
Elderberry extract helps with the flu by cutting the austerity of symptoms in half, decreasing length of illness. Be sure to take it within 48 hours of experiencing symptoms.
And please, stay away from alcohol and caffiene while your are sick. No good will come of it. It is important to stay hydrated when ill and consuming alcohol, caffienated teas, sodas, and coffee will cause dehydration. Also, avoid sugary foods which slow down your white blood cells making it hard to fight off viruses.
Get plenty of rest and take good care of your body. Treat your body well and it will do the same for you!
Happy Health!
Photo-www.wikipedia.com
Laeticia is an organic vegan dedicated to a healthy lifestyle and the mom of a sweet little boy. She is currently training for a half marathon and writes for several health related websites.. Follow Laeticia on Twitter, facebook, and her blog
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