Who doesn't like having a cold? Me, I really hate having one. It is because that you should bring a hanky or a handy towel everywhere you go. You are even afraid that it might go out or it might "spill".
The last weeks of January and the first weeks of February are the days wherein the weather is really cold. And if the weather is really cold, common cold is common to the atmosphere. Based on what my cousin told me, (she is a nursing student currently studying in CNU) the virus causing this thing is active during the cold season. That is why you will notice that people are always sneezing when the environment is cold.
The signs are unmistakable: scratchy throat, watery eyes, stuffed-up head. What are we going to do with this? I have tips for you on how to beat cold:
Keep at least three feet away from coughers and sneezers. That's how far airborne droplets from a cough or sneeze can travel.
Wash your hands often. Most colds are transmitted through indirect physical contact. For instance, a sick person who transfers her nose to her hands contaminates any object she touches. This is why is hand-washing is by far the most important thing you can do to avoid catching cold.
Beware of closed-in spaces. Office buildings with poor air circulation are a high-risk environment because cold viruses can't escape. What's worse. low humidity dries the mucous membranes that normally trap and dispose of viral invaders. The best antidote is to frequently mist your nostrils with an over-the-counter saltwater nasal spray.
Drink plenty of fluids. They help flush germs from your body and ward off the dehydration that often accompanies colds. To counteract this, drink at least eight glasses of water, fruit juice or other noncaffeinated fluids everyday.
Don't rub your eyes and nose so much. If you must, use a knuckle, not a fingertip, because it is likely to be teeming with germs.
Get off the couch. Thirty to 45 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise, such as walking, cycling or dancing three times a week, is all it takes to enhance your resistance to upper-respiratory-tract infections.
Sterilize your sponges. Lots of colds are caught in the kitchen. The biggest culprits: sponges and dishrags, which provide warm, moist environments that cold germs thrive in. Your best defense is to put these items in the dish-washer on the hot cycle two to three times a week.
Take vitamins E and C. Vitamin E is believed to play an important role in immune function. Vitamin C reduces the duration and severity of symptoms
Calm that cough. A syrup that contains a suppressant is best for dry, hacking coughs. For productive coughs(the kind that produce phlegm), go with a formulation containing an expectorant, such as guaifenesin, which thins mucous secretions so they're easier to cough up.
Get a good night's sleep every night. This keeps your immune cells powered up.
Take the right decongestant. For a stuffy nose, decongestant drops and sprays relieve symptoms faster than oral drugs and cause fewer side effects.
Soothe a sore throat. Gargling with warm salt water(one teaspoon of salt per cup of fluid) work.
Try natural remedies. Echinacea, an edible flower, is believed to enhance your resistance to colds.
Have low-fat chicken soup at lunch or dinner. Chicken soup does seem to have an especially soothing effect.
When you're sick with cold, try to be extra-vigilant about keeping germs to yourself by covering up coughs and sneezes. Teach children to do the same.
Source: Reader's Digest
The last weeks of January and the first weeks of February are the days wherein the weather is really cold. And if the weather is really cold, common cold is common to the atmosphere. Based on what my cousin told me, (she is a nursing student currently studying in CNU) the virus causing this thing is active during the cold season. That is why you will notice that people are always sneezing when the environment is cold.
The signs are unmistakable: scratchy throat, watery eyes, stuffed-up head. What are we going to do with this? I have tips for you on how to beat cold:
Keep at least three feet away from coughers and sneezers. That's how far airborne droplets from a cough or sneeze can travel.
Wash your hands often. Most colds are transmitted through indirect physical contact. For instance, a sick person who transfers her nose to her hands contaminates any object she touches. This is why is hand-washing is by far the most important thing you can do to avoid catching cold.
Beware of closed-in spaces. Office buildings with poor air circulation are a high-risk environment because cold viruses can't escape. What's worse. low humidity dries the mucous membranes that normally trap and dispose of viral invaders. The best antidote is to frequently mist your nostrils with an over-the-counter saltwater nasal spray.
Drink plenty of fluids. They help flush germs from your body and ward off the dehydration that often accompanies colds. To counteract this, drink at least eight glasses of water, fruit juice or other noncaffeinated fluids everyday.
Don't rub your eyes and nose so much. If you must, use a knuckle, not a fingertip, because it is likely to be teeming with germs.
Get off the couch. Thirty to 45 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise, such as walking, cycling or dancing three times a week, is all it takes to enhance your resistance to upper-respiratory-tract infections.
Sterilize your sponges. Lots of colds are caught in the kitchen. The biggest culprits: sponges and dishrags, which provide warm, moist environments that cold germs thrive in. Your best defense is to put these items in the dish-washer on the hot cycle two to three times a week.
Take vitamins E and C. Vitamin E is believed to play an important role in immune function. Vitamin C reduces the duration and severity of symptoms
Calm that cough. A syrup that contains a suppressant is best for dry, hacking coughs. For productive coughs(the kind that produce phlegm), go with a formulation containing an expectorant, such as guaifenesin, which thins mucous secretions so they're easier to cough up.
Get a good night's sleep every night. This keeps your immune cells powered up.
Take the right decongestant. For a stuffy nose, decongestant drops and sprays relieve symptoms faster than oral drugs and cause fewer side effects.
Soothe a sore throat. Gargling with warm salt water(one teaspoon of salt per cup of fluid) work.
Try natural remedies. Echinacea, an edible flower, is believed to enhance your resistance to colds.
Have low-fat chicken soup at lunch or dinner. Chicken soup does seem to have an especially soothing effect.
When you're sick with cold, try to be extra-vigilant about keeping germs to yourself by covering up coughs and sneezes. Teach children to do the same.
Source: Reader's Digest
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