Home remedies for runny nose, sore throat and cough?

The main point of difference between a viral cold and a cold caused due to allergy is the duration of time that the ailment takes to recover. cough and cold medications helps in restraining the symptoms but they do not cure the problem, nor do they help in preventing other complications such as ear infections, respiratory disorder or severe pneumonia. The purpose of any cough or cold medication is to slow down the symptoms and reduce the incidence of cough, congestion, and mucus for the stipulated time period that the medication is effective.

One simple home remedy that eases the cough and cold symptoms without bringing in unpleasant repercussions is to drink a concoction made form hot water with honey, fresh lemon juice and a dash of cayenne pepper. Take a glass of water and bring it to a boil. Pour it in a cup, add a teaspoon of honey and squeeze in half a fresh lemon. Add a bit of cayenne pepper to the blend and sip it slowly. Also remember to drink plenty of water throughout the day to replenish and hydrate the body, but chilled or ice drinks should be strictly avoided. Apply a warm compress to the sinus areas to get relief from the discomfort and congestion. Sucking on zinc lozenges is also considered to be helpful in reducing the symptoms of a common cold.

Some experts believe that taking vitamin C is helpful in coping with the runny nose and cold. Nasal discharges if thin have far less chances of developing or leading to sinus and ear infections. Drinking additional fluids such soups, broths and warm water; and maximizing the humidity of indoors with a humidifier can help in thinning the nasal discharges.

Among herbs, Echinacea is believed to be a popular holistic remedy in treating common colds. Most folk therapists consider the potency and efficacy of Echinacea to be much higher and better than most other herbal concoctions whose reliability and safety can be questionable. It is believed that Echinacea has been proven successful in most medical research studies. The conclusions of a recent study carried by medical researchers presented strong support for Echinacea's potency as a common cold suppression method and treatment. According to the medical experts, the participants who consistently consumed Echinacea supplements had 55 percent less chance of catching a cold virus than their equivalents that were put on a placebo. The individuals who caught a cold while on Echinacea experienced a shorter duration of the symptoms than the placebo-takers.

answered by G M

From your list of symptoms it seems like what you are suffering from is the good old common cold. Thankfully the common cold is nothing serious; it is however probably the illness that causes the most frustration and discomfort. The constant runny nose, itchy throat, sneezing, and congestion can really ruin your week - and a week is approximately how long the common cold lasts, whether or not you take any treatment. The common cold cannot be cured, and all you can do is ease the symptoms while you wait it out. It is very important not to take antibiotics to treat a cold - the common cold is a viral infection, and therefore antibiotics are useless to fight it.

What you can do is get plenty of rest and drink lots of fluids. Water is of course necessary, but in addition, you can drink fruit juices, particularly those that have a high vitamin C content, and drink chicken soup as well. Chicken soup is particularly good, but any hot soup will do. In addition, you should gargle with warm salt water - this will go a long way towards easing the sore throat. You can also prepare a drink by mixing some lemon juice and honey. If you like, you can also add a little ginger juice to the mixture. If you find that this tastes unpleasant, you can simply add the ginger juice to a teaspoon of honey - this retains a strong flavor of the honey and is in fact quite tasty.

For the nasal congestion, you can use saline nasal drops and steam inhalation. The drops can be prepared at home by putting a teaspoon of salt in a glass of water. As for the steam inhalation, the treatment is usually more effective if you put a few drops of eucalyptus oil in the water after you take it off the stove.

answered by G M