common cold remedy Archives

June 30, 2022 By Arooshi Garg 1 Comment

4 Ways to Naturally Heal Common Cold and Flu

It’s that time of the year again when the ‘change in weather’ hits us all! Immunity levels suddenly drop, paving the way for cold, cough, flu, and body aches, which hamper our daily activities, work and physical well-being. What exactly is cold? Can you naturally heal common cold and flu? Let’s find out!

What is Common Cold?

You get a cold when a tiny living thing called a virus gets into your body. There are a hundred different types of viruses that can get you sick. Once a cold virus gets inside you, your immune system – the body’s defense against germs, launches a counter-attack. Your body’s response to the virus is what brings on the classic symptoms such as cough or a stuffed nose. The common cold is a viral, infectious disease that infects the upper respiratory system. It is also known as Acute Viral Rhinopharyngitis and Acute Coryza.

The viruses that cause common cold are contagious. You can contract them when someone who is infected sneezes, coughs, or shakes your hand. It can be spread by air droplets from coughs and sneezes and by touching infected surfaces. There are over 200 sub-types of viruses that can cause a cold with the Rhinovirus being the most common. Although colds occur more commonly during monsoon and winter, they can develop any time of the year. After a couple of weeks, at the most, your immune system fights off the illness and you should stop having symptoms.

Because there are more than 200 viruses that cause common cold, the human body can never build resistance to all of them. This is why colds are so common and often return. According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), adults get 2–3 colds per year, and children may have up to 12 per year.

How Can You Naturally Heal Common Cold and Flu?

The symptoms of common cold are the body’s reaction to the cold virus. It triggers the release of chemicals, making the blood vessels leak, causing the mucous glands to work harder. So what’s the solution? With no long-term solution to this issue, the only way is to either avoid it or treat it! Here are 4 ways to naturally heal common cold and flu.

1. Steam Therapy
Steam therapy is absolutely natural. Our bodies are made up of 50-60% water and steam is just droplets of water. Quite simply put, you are renewing one of your body’s natural biochemical elements.

Steam therapy or steam inhalation, is the method of introducing warm, moist air into the lungs via the nose and throat. The prime benefit of breathing in moist, warm steam is that it may help ease the feeling of irritation and swollen blood vessels in the nasal passages. The moisture may also help thin the mucus in your sinuses, which allows them to empty more easily. This can return your breathing to normal.

Ways to Use Steam Therapy

Traditional: Boil a few cups of water, then pour the steaming water into a large bowl. Place gently on a firm flat surface such as a kitchen table. Put a towel over your head to form a ‘tent’. Lean over with your face 15-20cm from the steam and inhale. Eucalyptus Oil, Lavender Oil and Holy Basil Leaves can be added for extra benefit.
Shower: Run a hot shower and inhale the steam – you can even use few drops of essential oils to help refresh and revitalize.
Personal Inhalers: An easy and portable way to enjoy steam therapy on the go. A great idea for the office or holidays, inhalers are also popular with public speakers, actors and singers to help open up the airways before a performance.

2. Gargle
Gargling several times a day with warm salt water can reduce swelling in the throat and loosen mucus. This helps in flushing out irritants or bacteria. Salt water creates a high-salt barrier and pulls out a lot of fluids from the tissues in the throat area. This helps in washing the virus out. The salt functions as a magnet for water. It’s good for symptomatic relief.

It’s best to use pure water because tap water often includes chlorine. One can also add Turmeric juice or powder to have an antiseptic effect. One can gargle every 4 hours if the cough/cold is troublesome.

3. Maintain Hydration Levels
Drinking plenty of fluids is one of the most important things you can do when you have a cold or flu. Because cold and flu symptoms like runny noses and sweating, which often accompanies fever, increase the amount of water your body loses. Dehydration might occur if your fluid intake is not increased to compensate.

Keeping your body hydrated also helps loosen mucus in your nose and relieve congestion. Staying hydrated ensures that the body can function properly and can defend itself more effectively against the cold or flu.

When you have a cold or flu, drink a minimum of 2 liters of fluid each day. Drink water or other healthy fluids whenever you are thirsty. Use your thirst as a guide to when and how much you should drink. If you are caring for a child who is over one year, ensure they drink a minimum of 90–120ml of fluid per hour. Babies under one year require at least 30–60ml fluid per hour. Pregnant women should increase their fluid intake to up to 2.50L per day.

Try these herbal concoctions:

Herbal Tea: In a glass of boiling water, add a pinch of cinnamon, a few holy basil leaves, crushed ginger and a few crushed black peppercorns. Add honey and drink while hot.
Carom Seeds Infused Water: Boil Carom Seeds in water. Strain and add Jaggery powder. This helps in relieving cough and congestion.
Garlic Concoction: Combine 2-4 cloves, chopped garlic and 3-4 slices of fresh ginger with 1 cup of water. Cover and let it steep for at least 20 minutes. Add honey and lemon to taste. Drink it while it is lukewarm.
Licorice Tea: Boil a 1/2inch piece of licorice + 1/2 tsp grated ginger and 1/2 spoon of cinnamon in 1 cup water for 10 mins. Strain and drink.
Raw Turmeric Drink: Boil a 1 inch piece of raw Turmeric or a 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder for 5 minutes. Add ginger juice/honey and consume.
Green Tea and Chamomile Tea
Soups: Vegetable soup/chicken soup/clear soup/chicken broth, lemon coriander soup, garlic spinach soup, tomato fennel soup or veg broth – all work well. A hot bowl of soup helps break up the congestion associated with both common cold and flu. The salt in the soup and its warmth can soothe a sore throat.

4. Rest
Rest is the best treatment! When you have a cold or flu, doctors recommend plenty of bed rest. When you limit mobility/take rest, your body has more resources to fight off your illness. Your body temperature goes up if you remain very active. Flu and cold organisms replicate at a faster rate when the body gets hotter. Also, if you head to the office when you are sick, the stress of work can make it hard for your body to attack the illness.

Do not over-exert yourself. You can do light intensity workout if you have the energy, your symptoms are mild such as just a runny nose, or if you have been fever free for more than 48 hours.

Avoid Exercise: When you have fever, body aches, cough, vomiting, diarrhea or chronic health concerns such as asthma /heart diseases.
Best Exercises: Walking, yoga or a light jog. All these stimulate you to take deep breaths and can help open up clogged passages.
Worst Exercises: Endurance runs, machines at gym and weight lifting.

We hope this information helps you naturally heal common cold and flu symptoms! For more home remedies and staying healthy during monsoon, check out Healthy Reads. You can also get these tips, and more, directly from a GOQii Coach by subscribing for GOQii’s Personalized Health Coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

Have a personal remedy of your own? Share it with us in the comments below!

June 16, 2022 By GOQii Leave a Comment

5 Hacks to Avoid Falling Sick This Monsoon

There’s nothing worse than being unprepared for an unforeseeable downpour, getting drenched and letting out that first sneeze which marks the beginning of the dreaded monsoon illness. Whether it is a common cold and cough, a fever or something as bad as sinusitis, the fact remains that no one wants to deal with it! There’s no need to panic. With enough precaution and a little help from the 5 hacks below, you can sail through the rains like a champ and avoid falling sick this monsoon.

5 Hacks To Avoid Falling Sick This Monsoon

Avoid Street Food: This undoubtedly has to be number 1 on the list! The dampness in the air is the perfect host for germs that can ruin the balance of your digestive system. Street food is partially cooked, which promotes bacterial growth. Food stalls that are outdoors are exposed to contamination, flies and are generally unhygienic. You might not know what you’re consuming along with your favourite Chaat. Just steer clear and pick a healthy, home-cooked alternative instead!
Thoroughly Wash Your Fruits & Veggies: During monsoon, fruits and vegetables tend to have more grime on them than usual. Thoroughly washing them will get rid of most of the germs that cause infections. Leafy vegetables should be avoided during the monsoon, as the soil they are grown in could be highly contaminated, and the bacteria find it easier to leech onto the leaves of these plants. Certain fruits and vegetables even have worms in them, so washing them thoroughly helps get rid of them.
Use Boiled Water For Cooking and Drinking: Water-borne diseases are very common during monsoons. The best way to avoid germs and harmful bacteria is to boil the water you use. Apart from killing bacteria and germs, drinking boiled water has several benefits such as improved digestion and getting rid of toxins from your body. Boiled water can also prevent the common cold and viral infections.
Take a Warm Shower After Getting Soaked: Getting soaked in the cold rain might appeal romantically to your senses but it definitely works differently for your body. Cold temperatures weaken the body’s immune system. Hence, after getting wet, your best bet is to jump into a warm shower quickly. Warm water gets your body temperature back to normal and increases blood flow. Make sure that you dry yourself properly and slip into some warm clothes. Taking a warm shower will also help you wash off the dirt and bacteria you might have picked up in the rain.
Sleep Well! Sleep Right: Getting good sleep is mandatory not just during monsoons but throughout the year! Your body needs to charge on a daily basis in order to function properly. Sleep helps you do that. Sleeping for less than 8 hours might compromise your immune system and weaken it – exposing your body to bacteria and viruses. Getting an appropriate amount of sleep will help you get ready for the next day and strengthen your immune system, reducing your chances of falling sick,

There you have it! Follow these 5 hacks and avoid falling sick this monsoon. Were these tips helpful? Did we miss out anything? Let us know in the comments below!

For more tips on how to stay healthy during monsoon, check out Healthy Reads or ask a GOQii Coach directly by subscribing for personalized health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

#BeTheForce

July 30, 2019 By Shaeba Shaikh 2 Comments

5 Simple and Effective Home Remedies For Common Cold

The common cold season is here, where common cold is not that common! Symptoms such as congestion, a runny/stuffy nose, sore throat, coughing, sneezing, body aches, low-grade fever and Malaise (general unwell feeling) run rampant!

The Common Cold is an Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (URTI) mostly caused by the Rhinovirus. It is very common during this time of the year but can be managed well with these 5 simple home remedies!

1. Ginger Ale

Simply boil water, switch off the flame, add a crushed(inch sized) piece of Ginger to it, half tsp turmeric powder, a pinch of black pepper, and cover it for 3-5 minutes. Strain and have it with a tsp of raw organic honey. It works very well for clearing congestion, improve runny nose and also to relieve headaches and a sore throat.

2. Chicken/Veg Broth

Boil chicken or any veggies of your choice with 1 onion, few pods of garlic, 1 inch piece of ginger, salt and black pepper. Once boiled, remove the onions, ginger, garlic, blend them and add them back to the broth. The anti-inflammatory properties in them will help reduce congestion, can open up a blocked nose, will give a soothing effect to the body and help in reducing any aches/pains.

3. Lukewarm Water Gargles

Gargling with Lukewarm salt water works wonders to clear any throat itching/congestion, as salt has a tendency to absorb the water and along with it the infection causing Microbiota. Best time to do this is early in the morning after waking up.

4. Honey-Pepper Mix

Mix 1 tsp of raw organic honey with a pinch of black pepper and half tsp fresh ginger juice. It is a good remedy to reduce dry cough. Works very well on an empty stomach.

5. Hot Water Steam

Boil water in an open vessel, add a tsp of turmeric powder or Eucalyptus oil(1-2 drops) in it. Cover your head with a towel while covering the vessel. Take this hot water steam in the morning and evening for 10-15mins to cure blocked/stuffy nose and/or Chest congestion.

A simple Tulsi leaf decoction works wonders as well in reducing the effects of Common Cold. You can also check out LIVE and archived classes on GOQii Play on combating common cold.

We hope this article was helpful to you! How do you combat common cold? Let us know in the comments below!

#BeTheForce