Your holiday break is coming up, this is no time to get sick! You may be feeling a cold coming on right now, but there are home remedies that you could use to fight it off and be healthy during the holidays.
Fluids
Drinking large amounts of water helps relieve congestion and helps purge waste from your system. In addition to water you can drink teas, sports drinks, fruit juice or soups; avoid coffee and soda.
Steam
Dry, cold air is one of the leading causes of congestion. Use a humidifier either at work or while you sleep, or seal yourself in the bathroom and take a hot shower.
Steam opens up your airways and helps you cough out throat congestion.
Blow Your Nose
This may sound obvious, but there are many people who forego blowing their nose when they have a cold. Swallowing infected mucus doesn’t solve anything, and in most cases only advances your cold symptoms.
There is proper technique to blowing your nose that you may not know. Blowing too hard can push mucus into your ear passages, which can lead to ear infections. Blow gently into a tissue, one nostril at a time, until you’re clear.
Neti Pot
If you’ve seen a Neti Pot in use, it probably doesn’t look that great, but people who have used them swear by them. With just a few household ingredients, you can get your sinuses back:
- Mix 3 teaspoons of iodide-free salt and 1 teaspoon baking soda.
- Place in an airtight container.
- Add 1 teaspoon of this mixture to 8 ounces of lukewarm boiled or distilled water.
- Use Neti Pot to flush out your sinuses.
Sleep at an Angle
An extra pillow under your head can help relieve congestion. If it’s too hard to sleep on two pillows, prop up your mattress with books to form a gradual slope.
We wish you happy and healthy holidays. For more health solutions, come see us at Mountain Peaks Family Practice.