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Effective Home Remedies For Sinus Congestion

sinus congestion If you’ve suffered from sinus congestion at any point in your life, you’re well aware of how painful an experience it can be. Let’s deep dive into what it exactly is as well as learn some home remedies for sinus congestion.

What is Sinus Congestion?

Sinus congestion is a condition in which the cavities around your nasal passage get inflamed and congested. Symptoms appear in the form of a stuffy nose, pain around the nose, cheeks, jaw or forehead. One may even experience swollen or watery eyes and a sore throat.There’s a surge in sinus congestion cases during winters primarily due to the dry, cold weather accompanied by an increase in pollutants and allergens in the environment. If there are no obstructive pathologies for the sinus blockage like polyps or deviated nasal septum, then a few home remedies for sinus congestion can help us soothe the inflamed nasal passage and reduce the intensity of the symptoms.

Effective Home Remedies You Should Try

1. Maintain Humidity: Dryness in cold weather is amplified when you are using a room heater. Dry air makes the mucus thick. This clogs sinus cavities and causes pain and pressure on the surrounding tissues. Using a humidifier while running a room heater and keeping yourself hydrated can help in reducing the viscosity of the mucus, making it easy to drain it out and open the cavities up.

2. Drink Warm Fluids: Warming your body with hot soups, curries and teas is an ancient measure, followed traditionally and ritually for ages! This is found to be quite effective in alleviating the symptoms of sinus congestion. Here are a few simple remedies which can be easily prepared at home:

  • Ginger-Turmeric Tea: Boil one-quarter teaspoon of dry ginger and turmeric in one cup of water and have that tea by adding lemon and pepper. It is very effective in soothing the sore respiratory mucosa and boosting immunity levels.
  • Immunity Booster: Take 2 black peppers, 2 cloves, 2 cardamoms, a small piece of cinnamon, small piece of ginger, Tulsi leaves, 2 garlic cloves and ½ teaspoon of ajwain. Boil it till the water becomes half in quantity, strain it and then have it hot with honey (preferably organic). Have this immunity booster drink two to three times a day. It will help you fight off various bacterial and viral infections.
  • Whole Leaves Green Tea: Being rich in antioxidants and polyphenols, green tea is found to be one of the most effective immunity booster and detox drink!

3. Warm Compresses: Apply warm compresses by covering your face with a clean, warm and wet cloth which will moisten the nasal passages, thin out the mucus plug and help in easing its drain, thus opening the cavities up!

4. Steam Inhalation: Steam inhalation is found to be quite effective in moistening the air passages and reducing the congestion by loosening the mucus. Use a bowl of hot water, add a few drops of an essential oil like menthol, eucalyptus or lemon juice and cover yourself with a thick towel to trap the steam inside!

5. Nasal Irrigation: Nasal irrigation simply means flushing out the nasal pathway with a saline solution. It helps remove allergens, irritants and excess mucus! You can use a nasal irrigation system like a Neti Pot, squeeze bottle or bulb syringes filled with saline solution, which you can get at a medical store. You can also make a saline solution at home by mixing 3 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Use sea salt or pickling salt and not iodized salt or table salt which is added with additives. Store it in airtight container!

  • How to Do Saline Irrigation: Put the above mixture into a clean Neti Pot or bulb syringe and stand near a sink. Place the spout in the top nostril and pour or gently spray a liberal amount of solution into one nostril, while tilting the head at 45 degrees, so that it flows through the nasal cavity and out of the other nostril! Blow your nose to get rid of any remaining water. Repeat the process on the other nostril.

6. Eliminate the Causative Factors: Factors which can aggravate the symptoms are allergens like smoke, dust particles, perfumes, hair spray, cleaning products and anything which releases fumes! Try to keep the air around you clean from all these irritants!

While these home remedies for sinus congestion are effective, they only tackle the symptoms. If the issue persists, you should consult your doctor. For more home remedies, you can check out the Healthy Reads section in the app or ask a GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalized coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr 

#BeTheForce 

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COVID Care: Home Remedies For A Sore Throat

sore throat

A sore throat is one of the earliest symptoms of COVID-19 infection in the majority of the cases. It manifests as scratchiness and irritation to the throat lining that worsens with swallowing. A sore throat can make it painful to eat, swallow and even talk!

If you have a sore throat associated with COVID-19, below are some of the remedies that might help you. These remedies do not cure the viral disease, but they can make you more comfortable. If your symptom of sore throat worsen, causing difficulty in breathing, please seek emergency medical assistance without wasting any time.

Some of these emergency symptoms include:

  • Difficulty breathing
  • Extremely high temperature, 103 F or above
  • Chest pain or pressure
  • Confusion
  • Severe cough with choking
  • Blue lips or face

Remedies For Soothing A Sore Throat

  1. Ginger Chips: Ingredients required – ginger root and honey. Wash an inch long piece of ginger root (Hindi name- Adrak) thoroughly, chop it into thin slices and pour a spoonful of honey to marinate them. Ginger chips are ready to be used. Keep one or two ginger chips in your mouth, upto maximum 6-8 in a day. Do not chew, just allow your salivary enzymes to dissolve the chip in your mouth slowly. 
  2. Clove water: Boil a jug of water and turn off the stove, put 3 whole cloves (Hindi name- Loung) in it. Drink this clove water throughout the day. For faster relief, keep 2 cloves in your mouth, do not chew or nibble, just let them stay in your mouth for salivary enzymes to work their magic. (If you have lost your taste due to COVID-19. clove can dramatically help you with taste too)
  3. Salt water gargle: Gargling with warm saline solution for soothing a sore throat is a well known, tried and tested remedy, before over the counter medicines became a norm. So, even if you feel gross about it, give it a try! In a glass of warm water, add 1/4th tsp salt and gargle with this water in your throat. For added benefit, add a pinch of turmeric or a dash of lemon or Apple cider vinegar in it. Make sure not to drink/swallow the salt water.

Please make sure that you do not ignore worsening symptoms and connect with your treating doctor at the earliest. We hope this article helps you. For more COVID-19 related articles and tips to boost your immunity, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play. 

For further queries and to get these tips directly from your GOQii Coach, subscribe to GOQii now: https://goqiiapp.page.link/wssu  

Stay home, stay safe and #BeTheForce 

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COVID Care: Home Remedies For COVID related Cough

covid related coughIf you or your loved one is recovering from the COVID-19 infection, taking proper care for curing your COVID related cough is important. Currently, cough is one of the most common symptoms of the viral infection and can manifest in the form of both wet (productive) cough as well as dry persistent cough.

COVID Related Cough Needs Care!

I am sharing a few remedies that might help you deal with a COVID related cough. These supportive remedies are not meant to replace any medically prescribed cough medications, but to give you additional relief. If your symptom of cough worsens with difficulty in breathing, please report to your treating doctor at the earliest. 

Some of the emergency symptoms are:

  • Difficulty in breathing
  • Extremely high temperature, 103 F or above
  • Chest pain or pressure
  • Confusion
  • Severe cough with choking
  • Blue lips or face

Tips To Manage Wet Productive Cough

  1. Water: Lukewarm water helps in loosening of phlegm and allows for an easy exit out of the system. Drink a generous serving of lukewarm water, sip by sip, throughout the day. For added benefit, throw in 5-7 leaves of fresh ‘tulsi’ in your water jug.
  2. Steam inhalation: 3 times a day will help loosen up the phlegm congested in your lungs. Make sure to take deep breaths (with your eyes closed) when you inhale steam.     
  3. Lie down on the right or left side: Lying in these positions helps drain phlegm from the respiratory tract. While intermittent proning will also improve breathing, do not lie down on your back which is not a cough-friendly resting position.

Tips to Manage Dry Cough

  1. Warm liquids: Warm tomato soup, rice gruel, moong dal soup, herbal decoction (of dried ginger, clove and honey) or plain warm water may help you have an immediate relief from a dry cough. In case you don’t have any soothing drink around, swallow repeatedly.
  2. Turmeric tea: Ingredients required- 1/4th tsp dried turmeric powder (Haldi), pinch of black pepper (Kali Mirchi), 1 spoon of jaggery (Gudh) and 1-2 drops of organic ‘ghee’. How to prepare? Boil a glass of water > add turmeric, black pepper and jaggery in it > allow to simmer till quantity reduces to half > Turn down the flame, strain the tea in a cup and allow it to cool > once warm add 1-2 drops of ghee before drinking. Adding few threads of ginger root and pinch of clove while boiling, makes it a more powerful antiseptic and anti-inflammatory agent while Ghee makes the curcumin from turmeric more bio-active in our body.
  3. Gargling with salt water (1/4th tsp salt dissolved in a glass of water) is an age old remedy for cough and sore throat. You may also add a pinch of turmeric powder in your gargle water for a more antiseptic effect or gargle with a betadine solution dissolved in water (1part betadine in 3 parts water). Do not drink or swallow saline water or betadine.

Hope these remedies provide you some help in dealing with COVID related cough! We wish you and our nation a super speedy recovery! For more useful tips like these, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play. 

For any further queries, reach out to your GOQii Coach by subscribing to GOQii now: https://goqiiapp.page.link/wssu 

Stay home, stay safe and #BeTheForce 

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Best Home Remedies for Ailments

natural-home-made-remedies

In my career as a nutritionist, I have come across three main issues that most people suffer from and these are Diabetes, Hypothyroid, and Acidity.

The reason for these issues to develop is only one—Unhealthy Lifestyle. But, unfortunately, while most are aware of this close to 90% are unable to make lifestyle changes and thus end up getting medicines as recommended by their doctors.

Popping pills seem easier than to bring about a lifestyle change and arrest the issue at the initial stages. Things get difficult when the results are not as expected and are slow. This is precisely when one starts searching for some natural remedies from natural foods.

I am listing down certain good home remedies which actually use natural food and cure your issues, help you get fit with proper healthy lifestyle.

Best home remedies for treating diabetes

  1. Mix 1/2tsp Turmeric + 1tsp Aamla (Gooseberry) powder+1/2tbsp Methi (Fenugreek) seeds powder in a half glass of water and take daily morning on empty stomach. (good for retinopathy)
  2. 1tbsp Methi (Fenugreek) seeds soaked overnight in ½ cup water and chew it next day in the morning empty stomach.
  3. Dry seed powder of Jamun (Balck Berry) fruits have to be used -1tsp twice or thrice daily with lukewarm water
  4. Take 40-80ml of decoction of banyan tree bark. Boil 20gm of bark in 4 cups of water, reduce till 1 cup and then drink daily.
  5. Using Tejpatta (Bay Leaf) in food helps to bring sugar levels under control.
  6. Juice of Karela (Bitter gourd) -20ml daily should be taken in morning. Bittergourd help diabetics with insulin secretion, glucose oxidation and other processes.
  7. Soak Ladyfingers (Okra) in water overnight and then drink that water on an empty stomach to control diabetes.
  8. Paneer Ka Phool” is also known as Rennet, is a kind of Indian flower very effective to control diabetes. You have to put 8-10 pieces of flower in a glass of water and soak it the whole night. In the morning squeeze the flower & filter it & and then have it. Its taste is not so good but effective. Regular use will give you the best results. First, try only 5 flowers, then gradually increase to 8-12.

Home remedies for thyroid

  1. Use cold pressed coconut oil as it contains medium chain TG, which improves thyroid function.
  2. Take 2 tbsp of Apple Cider vinegar, mix little honey and drink this solution daily.
  3. Omega 3 rich compounds like fish oil, fish oil supplements, flaxseeds, chia seeds reduce thyroid.
  4. Licorice Herb: The use of Licorice herb helps to promote balance within the thyroid gland and also promote more energy levels in the body –keeping fatigue at bay. It contains triterpenoid glycyrrhetinic acid which may aid in stopping the growth of more invasive thyroid cancer cells.
  5. Evening Primrose oil: This herb is full of Amino acids and these acids are critical for optimal thyroid health. They aid in improving thyroid function and alleviate the symptoms of an underactive thyroid, such as heavy menstrual periods and hair loss. Just a tablespoon a day is the general recommendation to decrease inflammation and promote thyroid health.
  6. Ginseng: This herb helps to improve underactive thyroid and it can also address the fatigue that is associated with it. It is best to take one dose prior to lunch and another prior to breakfast–about 100-200mg each time.
  7. Black walnut: This contains a high dose of iodine which is helpful for an underactive thyroid. You can have one –two of this nut.

Home remedies for acidity

  1. Mix one tsp of baking soda in a glass of fresh water and drink.
  2. After a meal pops up a piece of chewing gum for 30 min to relieve heartburn.
  • Natural antacid—full ripen banana acts as a buffer against acid reflux
  1. Sipping a cup of ginger water lukewarm, soothes your tummy and acts as an acid buffer.
  2. Being alkaline in nature, chewing 1 tsp of good quality yellow mustard helps to relieve acidity.
  3. Chamomile tea flavoured with honey or lemon is a very good remedy.
  • 1tbsp of Apple cider vinegar with a glass of water acts as a great antacid.

NOTE: These all remedies can be used with your current medications.

Let’s bring our natural food remedy into practice and keep levels under control along with practising a healthy lifestyle.

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