Treatment of colds with traditional methods

Colds and their causes

To avoid complications and quickly take action, you need to understand what a cold is.

The cold is a common disease; children most often suffer from it due to immature immunity. The cause of the development of the disease is the entry of viruses and microbes into the body from contaminated surfaces, decreased immunity and activation of opportunistic microflora or contact with sick people.

Colds are manifested by coughing, sneezing, and runny nose. The outbreak of the disease occurs mainly in the off-season due to favorable weather conditions for the proliferation of microbes and viruses.

They can enter the body through secretions: sputum, saliva, nasal mucus. If a person touches his eyes or mouth with dirty hands, they enter through the mucous membrane of these organs. The body copes with most infections. But if there are enough pathogens, this leads to the development of the disease. How many days a cold lasts will depend on the functioning of the immune system.

Causes and risk factors for developing colds:

• constant stress;
• violation of hygiene rules;
• deficiency of vitamins and microelements;
• alcohol, smoking, chronic pathologies;
• weakened immune system;
• frequent visits to crowded places;
• hypothermia and overheating

Cold symptoms

The main symptoms of a cold in adults include:

• swelling of the nasopharyngeal mucosa, difficulty breathing;
• temperature more than 37-38 degrees;
• runny nose, sneezing;
• body aches;
• redness of the throat, itching, pain, irritation, soreness;
• chills;
• severe nasal discharge;
• increased tear production;
• cough;
• headache.

If colds develop against a background of severe weakening of the body, a significant deterioration of the condition may occur. If they are not treated on time and bed rest is not observed, this can lead to complications.

Therefore, it is necessary to take action as soon as the first signs of a cold appear.

How to cure a cold with medicine?

So, colds are caused by viruses. Its main symptoms:

• clear nasal discharge, snot, which flows like a stream on the first or second day;
• irritation, sore throat, cough. The throat is red and swollen;
• sneezing;
• high temperature (not always);
• headache and muscle pain, so-called body aches.

A runny nose accompanied by thick, yellow-green discharge is a sign of a bacterial infection. If at first they were transparent and then turned green, then the viral infection was joined by a bacterial one. This occurs on the 3rd–4th day after the onset of the disease.

Currently, doctors know about the existence of about 200 varieties of viruses. Timely diagnosing which of them causes the disease is problematic. Therefore, antiviral drugs have a wide spectrum of action. However, they are effective only at the onset of the disease. If you did not have time to start taking an antiviral drug in the first 3 days after the onset of a cold, then “the train has left.” To cure a cold in a child or adult with antiviral drugs, you will have to work hard - on the first day of the disease, many of them have to be taken every 2 hours.

There are antiviral drugs:

• broad spectrum of action - Aflubin, Groprinozin, Nazoferon, Laferobion, Viferon, Amiksin;
• against the influenza virus - Tamiflu, Relenza, Remantadine;
• antiherpetic - Zovirax, Acyclovir, Valtrex, Famvir, Fenistil.

These drugs help avoid complications caused by viral infection. For example, when they are used, the body will have enough strength to overcome both viral and bacterial infections. The inflammation will be quickly localized and will not develop into otitis media, tracheitis or bronchitis.

Figure 3 - Untreated inflammation spreads throughout the respiratory system

Effective ways to cure a cold in 1 day exist only in commercials. All medications and traditional methods during this time can only remove the symptoms - nasal congestion, lacrimation, cough, fever. To finally defeat the virus, the body will need from 3 to 10 days.

The principle of treating colds is the same for patients of different ages. Medicines with similar effects are available in adult and pediatric dosages. To cure a cold in an adult or child, doctors prescribe:

• regular nasal toilet. This means that your nose needs to be rinsed with sea water (you can use regular 9% saline solution) at least 3 times a day. You can use drops (No-Sol) or sprays (Pshik, Sanorin).
• vasoconstrictor drops - Rinazolin, Galazolin, Dlynos, Otrivin, Rinorus, Naphthyzin, Nazol. They should only be used if you are unable to breathe through your nose. If you are treating a child who is not yet talking and cannot determine whether his nose is blocked, use the drops on a “scheduled” basis. To avoid addiction, vasoconstrictor drugs are used for no longer than 5 days.
• antiviral drug. The name of the drug depends on what type of virus the doctor suspects - influenza or ARVI. These products are available in the form of nasal drops, sprays, tablets, oral drops, and suppositories.
• symptomatic drugs. These are medications to eliminate painful sensations, relieve inflammation of the mucous membranes (Forteza, Vokara, Homeovox, Strepsils, Travisil), antiallergic drugs (Vibrocil, Milt, Alerzin, Edem, Diazolin), drugs to reduce fever (Nurofen, Ibufen, Ibuprofen, Paracetamol) .

Figure 4 - If you have a cold, stop working and lie down

If a bacterial infection is added to a viral infection, broad-spectrum antibiotics are prescribed from the 3rd day of illness. The doctor selects the drug taking into account individual tolerance, acceptable side effects, the patient’s age and medications that have been used over the previous 3-12 months (to exclude antibiotic resistance).

It’s not worth performing feats of labor and suffering from a cold on your feet, because:

• you will infect others;
• the likelihood of complications will increase (up to pneumonia);
• recovery time will be lengthened;
• Due to poor health, performance will decrease.

Treatment at the first sign of a cold

The following actions are suitable for people who understand that their deteriorating health is associated with hypothermia, and only the first symptoms of a cold have appeared.

These methods are not suitable for treating children and are not recommended for use in cases of influenza or the development of a bacterial infection. Measures to quickly get rid of a cold:

1. If it is possible not to take sick leave, you should refrain from visiting the clinic. Standing in line at medical institutions is fraught with aggravation of the condition.
2. You should not take antipyretic drugs at temperatures below 38.5°C.
3. An effective remedy for colds is vitamin C; it will help fight the disease much more effectively. You can take it in tablet form, but it is also found in large quantities in berries (raspberries, currants).
4. Treatment of a cold is accelerated by drinking more fluids.
5. It is effective, if you have a cold, to drink complex medications intended for symptomatic treatment.
6. At the first signs of a cold, you can apply warm compresses to the chest or back, use menthol ointments, jars, and mustard plasters.
7. You can drink a cup of hot tea and go straight to bed.
8. If there is no hyperthermia, short walks outside will help speed up recovery.

Cold treatment with folk remedies quickly

1). You can't work. If you experience cold symptoms, it is best to go home. This will help prevent various extraneous complications.

2). Drinking enough. Drink helpful fruit drinks, juices, tea and plain water. Do not drink hot drinks, including strong drinks.

3). Temperature measurement. If it does not exceed 38 C, then it is better not to take medication at all. The body usually copes with it on its own.

4 ). Necessary warmth. Feet should always be in warm socks. And under a warm blanket you need to sleep for 8 hours and gain strength.

5). Vitamin C is required . This vitamin can quickly boost any immunity, and this directly affects a quick recovery.

Ginger. Its root is created to cope with colds. Pour boiling water over the chopped roots. When the drink has cooled, add a little honey to it.

Pine cones. Cones must be collected before the end of June, approximately 4 cm wide and those that have not had time to open. Take a full jar of them (1 liter), after cutting them into equal slices. Fill it completely with good vodka and leave for a whole decade. Next, pour into another container from the stack. To cure a cold, it is enough to take just 1 tablespoon of this tincture, 3 times a day, 25 minutes before any food.

This recipe can also be used if you have headaches, tuberculosis, pneumonia and bronchitis.

Important recommendation!!! This prescription will be strictly contraindicated for any kidney disease and chronic hepatitis.

Honey. This natural product has always aroused special respect among all people (except for those who are allergic to it). Its composition is able to cope with almost any emerging infection or virus. Always use only natural honey and avoid low quality.

To cure colds, it is dissolved in milk, tea and even water. Indeed, in this form, its components almost immediately enter our blood, then into all body tissues and cells. But always remember that such honey contains a lot of glucose and especially fructose.

Bath or sauna. The main thing is to catch the necessary moment when there is chills, weakness and aches of the whole body are felt, there is a sore throat and there is no fever. Any bath or sauna must contain essential oils. You need to steam for about 2 hours and regularly drink liquid, for example ginger lemonade, real citrus juice, which is diluted 1 to 1 with water, or ordinary water.

Choose a bathhouse only in the closest proximity to your home. After all, after any bath you will have to immediately lie down in your warm bed.

Important information!!! Anyone who has any serious problems with their heart, people suffering from blood pressure (hypertension), varicose veins, thrombosis should refuse a 2-hour bath.

Treatment of colds on the lips with folk remedies.

A cold on the lips (also known as herpes) is an unfavorable viral disease, a consequence of other colds or exposure to the herpes virus, or a severe weakening of one’s own immunity.

Dry medicinal mint leaves. We will need the following items: 1 tablespoon of medicinal leaves, ordinary gauze, 1 glass of boiling water, suitable dishes, a large saucepan, cotton swabs or cotton cloth.

The leaves are placed in a container, poured with boiling water and always covered with a suitable lid. We place this vessel in a large prepared pan of water, turn on the heat and let it sit for exactly 15 minutes. After cooling, the broth is filtered.

We moisten our cloth or tampons in the resulting decoction and apply it to our cold (herpes). The more often you apply the lotion, the faster you will get rid of your cold.

Fresh medicinal mint leaves. Here you need almost the same necessary elements: exactly 2 tablespoons of leaves, which should be finely chopped and 1 glass of clean boiling water. The rest of the preparation will be the same as with dry leaves. All these folk remedies for colds on the lips from mint have always had an effective therapeutic effect on everyone.

Chamomile. In addition to fighting herpes externally, chamomile fights the problem from the inside. We will need exactly 1 tablespoon of chamomile (dried flowers), boiling water (1 glass), ordinary gauze, 2 dishes of different sizes and volumes, cotton swabs or soft fabric.

A healing solution from chamomile is brewed in the same way as described above - from mint, only for 25 minutes. The strained decoction is applied externally using lotions. For effectiveness, add 1 tbsp propolis tincture 10%. Lotions are applied every next hour.

You can find out more detailed and detailed information about the treatment of herpes on another page, just click HERE.

FINAL PART. Each of us is strictly individual, so the proposed recipes can also affect everyone individually. That is why, first you must obtain the necessary approval from your proven, competent specialist. Do not take any folk remedy without its real approval.

Many of us have often used our (other) natural methods to cope with the colds we have. I would like to ask you to post these methods and methods in the comments of our site, open to anyone.

Any of you can distribute these already published recipes to help. To do this, simply share the recipes on your favorite social network. The button (icon) is located at the bottom of any published article.

Good health to everyone!!!

Treating a cold at home

Treatment for a cold begins with bed rest.
You should drink plenty of fluids, this will reduce the viscosity of mucus in the respiratory system and facilitate its easier removal. To understand how to cure a cold at home, you need to know the intricacies of the functioning of the immune system. High temperatures should not be tolerated; it is harmful to health.

You should get plenty of rest, give up the computer, TV and reading. You should not try to cure a cold faster by using as many methods of control as possible at once.

Medications

The best medicine is prevention. Naturally, it is impossible to completely insure against a possible cold, so at the first symptoms it is necessary to take action. How to treat a cold depends on the characteristics of the symptoms.

Some doctors recommend starting to take antiviral drugs and immunomodulators in the first days of illness. Their action is based on the introduction of artificial or stimulation of the production of their own interferon.

They are especially often prescribed when treating children. The World Health Organization believes that taking such medications is inappropriate. There is no reliable clinical trial data confirming their effectiveness.

Symptomatic therapy

Symptomatic therapy includes:

• antipyretics;
• expectorants;
• throat sprays;
• nasal drops.

Medicines by point of action

The last category includes several types of drugs, the most effective of which are vasoconstrictors and sea water.

The former are used to relieve swelling of the mucous membrane and facilitate breathing. They help prevent possible complications, including otitis media and sinusitis. Typically these are drops based on xylometazoline and oxymetazoline.

Sea water is necessary to moisturize the mucous membrane and remove pathogenic microorganisms from the nasopharynx. Instead, you can use a cheaper analogue - saline solution.

Throat sprays may contain antiseptics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and pain relievers. It is important to pay attention to the indications and composition of the drug so that the active ingredients do not cause an allergic reaction.

Complex action agents that eliminate symptoms include drugs containing acetylsalicylic acid, paracetamol, phenylephrine and other substances. Depending on the composition, they relieve an allergic reaction, facilitate breathing through the nose, and eliminate fever.

The temperature during a cold does not drop to 38.5 degrees; if it rises above, you can use drugs with paracetamol or phenylpropionic acid derivatives.

You should not self-prescribe antibiotics and take them if you are not sure of the bacterial origin of the disease. Before deciding what to take, you should consult a physician.

Treatment of colds and runny nose with folk remedies

One of the unpleasant symptoms of a cold is a runny nose. It is manifested by copious mucus discharge from the nose.

We recommend reading: Treatment of allergies

You can overcome it with folk remedies:

1. Nasal rinsing. It can be made not only with saline solutions, but also with decoctions of medicinal herbs (field chamomile, calendula). To prepare a decoction, add a pinch of herb to a glass of water and cook in a steam bath until it boils. Allow to cool and strain;
2. Nasal drops. A couple of times a day, drop 3-4 drops of Kalanchoe juice or freshly squeezed beet juice into each nasal passage. You can prepare a medicine from onion juice and vegetable oil by mixing them in a 1:1 ratio;
3. Inhalations. They provide a mild and long-lasting effect of the drug on the nasal mucosa. Inhalations are carried out with a special inhaler or in the traditional way (inhaling steam over a container). For inhalation, you can use any alkaline mineral water (without gas), decoctions of medicinal plants (pine needles, eucalyptus, chamomile). You can do inhalations by adding 2-3 drops of essential oil;
4. Dry heating. Pour heated salt or peas into a small fabric bag. Apply a warm bag to the nasal sinuses. Hold until it retains heat. Repeat warming up in the morning and evening.

You need to know that with any runny nose it is important to blow your nose correctly. You need to blow your nose carefully so that the pressure in the nasal cavity does not rise. Otherwise, bacteria and viruses that are in the nose can enter the auditory tube, which will lead to inflammation of the middle ear. It can also damage the mucous membrane, which is already inflamed.

Folk remedies

Treating a cold at home involves using several methods. They can be used as symptomatic therapy or as part of a complex treatment, simultaneously with medications.

Among the folk methods intended for the treatment of a runny nose, the following can be distinguished:

• rinsing the nasal mucosa with saline solution. You can prepare it like this: add 1 tbsp to 1 liter of water. a spoonful of sea salt;
• instillation of freshly squeezed Kalanchoe juice;
• drops from beets, potatoes or aloe. They must be diluted with water in a ratio of one to two;
• drops of honey and onion. Grind the onion and mix with 50 ml of water and 0.5 tsp. honey Place 2 drops into each nostril every 6 hours;
• if nasal breathing is made difficult by crusts, vegetable oil (sea buckthorn, burdock or olive) can be used to soften them. A few drops are injected into each nasal passage;
• potato inhalations. Helps ease breathing and speed up recovery. The potatoes must be boiled in their skins, mashed, and then inhaled in the steam for about a quarter of an hour;
• onion inhalations. Chop the onion and place it in a closed container for 30 minutes. After opening the container, you need to take 2-3 breaths through your nose. Garlic also has antiseptic properties and can be used instead of onions;
• Garlic can also be used in another way - take a clove and insert it into your nose as deeply as possible. You may feel a slight burning sensation, this is normal. The effect of this method appears quickly, the main thing is not to overdo it, so as not to damage the mucous membrane.

Conquering cough

The cough goes away quickly if measures to eliminate it are taken in time.
They include the use of medicinal decoctions, heating and inhalation. One of the effective ways to relieve cold symptoms is rubbing. In this case, it is necessary to apply the medicinal substance to the chest area and rub it in. You can use the following folk remedies:

1. Castor oil. Heat 2 tbsp. l. and stir with 1 tbsp. l. turpentine. Rub into the skin of the chest, bypassing the heart.
2. Honey. Rub the chest, pre-heating it to body temperature. Wrap up and leave until cool.
3. Camphor oil. Promotes vasodilation, warms. It is necessary to rub the area of ​​the back and chest with oil.
4. You can also make a compress from apple cider vinegar: mix in a ratio of 3 to 1 with water, moisten a cloth and apply to your chest for 15 minutes. Can be applied to the neck to relieve discomfort in the throat.

Cough can be relieved by using the following drinks.

1. A decoction of medicinal herbs: mint, coltsfoot, sweet clover, oregano. 1 tbsp. l. pour 1 tbsp. boiling water and leave for an hour in a warm place.
2. Lime tea. To prepare the drink, you need to brew several flowers of the plant in a cup of boiling water. To improve the effect, add lemon and honey to the prepared tea.
3. Black radish juice. The medicine is used fresh. Peel and chop the root vegetable. Add honey and place in a warm place, covering with a lid. Leave for at least 5 hours, then drink the resulting syrup 1 tbsp. l. every 8 hours.
4. Mint. 1 tbsp. l. brew the plants 1 tbsp. boiling water and boil for 5-10 minutes. Add 1 tsp. honey and lemon. Drink before bed, preheated.
5. Herbal decoction. Has a mucolytic effect. To prepare it, take licorice, sage and pine buds in equal proportions. 1 tbsp. l. mixture pour 1 tbsp. boiling water and leave to infuse for 3 hours. After this, filter and drink 2 tbsp. l. every 4 hours until you feel better.
6. 1 tbsp. l. Heat the sugar over the fire until it turns brown. After this, cool and add milk. Once hardened, it becomes a lollipop that must be held in the mouth until dissolved; it helps make coughing more productive.
7. Brew 1 tbsp. l. sage in 1 tbsp. boiling water, strain and drink in the evening.
8. 1 tbsp. l. Brew red clover in 1 tbsp. boiling water After 30 minutes of infusion, add honey and drink. Helps treat cough and reduce fever.
9. Brew tea from acacia and lilac. Drink a cup 3-4 times a day.

Inhalations

Inhalations can be steam or using a nebulizer. They cannot be made at elevated temperatures. Inhalation products:

• aroma oils (juniper, pine, tea tree). Add a few drops to a container of boiling water and breathe in the steam for 15 minutes;
• infusions of chamomile, lingonberry. The herb is poured with hot water and left for 30 minutes in a thermos. After this, the liquid is used for inhalation.

Healing the throat

If you have a sore throat, it is necessary to quickly begin treatment for a cold, because it is most often one of the first signs of the disease.
Rinsing will help with this. Rinsing with herbal decoctions helps, using chamomile or sage. 1 tbsp. l. raw materials pour 1 tbsp. water and boil for 15 minutes. Do not use hot solution to avoid causing burns.

In 1 tbsp. add 1 tsp of water. salt, you can also take baking soda and 10 drops of iodine. The mixture helps to quickly relieve symptoms, reduce inflammation and discomfort.

If necessary, traditional methods can help relieve fever. For this, table vinegar of 6-9% concentration is used. Take 1 tbsp. water and heat it to 37-38 degrees, then dilute it by half with acetic acid. Soak and wring out a cloth in the resulting solution and wipe your feet, palms, and armpits. Next, cover yourself with a sheet and lie there for 15 minutes. If necessary, repeat the procedure.

Reducing the temperature

In order to bring down a high temperature, you do not always need to take pills. Sometimes you can cope with a fever using folk remedies.

Pour in 1 tbsp. spoon of lingonberry leaves with a glass of boiling water, cover with a lid and leave for an hour. Strain and drink half a glass twice a day.

Pour 1 teaspoon of willow bark with a glass of boiling water, cover with a lid and leave to steep for 2-3 hours. Strain the infusion and take 2 tbsp. spoons 3-4 times a day before meals.

A good antipyretic is linden blossom. It can be brewed like regular tea and drunk throughout the day.

Daria, Odintsovo

TEST: How ready is your body for colds? More details

Other methods

The following measures can help quickly cure colds and runny nose:

1. Take sick leave and stay at home, wrap yourself up well, put on warm socks and put mustard powder in them. During rest, the body recovers better and produces the energy necessary to fight the disease.
2. At a temperature of 36.6-37.2 degrees, you can do light exercises and take a contrast shower - this will stimulate sweating.
3. If the temperature does not rise above 37.5, you can go outside.
4. It is necessary to ventilate the room 2 times a day. It is not recommended to be in a draft so as not to cause complications.
5. Sometimes ventilation is supplemented with quartz treatment. Ultraviolet irradiation reduces the number of viruses in a room. After disinfection, the windows are opened, the room is filled with oxygen, and the ozone disappears.

Patients with cold symptoms are advised to take hot baths and wash their faces more often to cleanse the skin of bacteria.
You need to change your bed as often as possible and ventilate it on the balcony. Sweating profusely helps cleanse the body of viral waste products. It also lowers the temperature. Herbs are used to stimulate the sweating process. They recommend a decoction of birch, burdock, sage, dill, chamomile flowers, and marshmallow root. The decoction is prepared as follows: 1 tbsp. l. vegetable raw materials pour 1 tbsp. cold water, the broth is heated in a water bath and infused. Cranberry juices, lingonberry infusion, viburnum and raspberry tea also help reduce heat.

Bed rest helps treat colds.

What to do if your throat hurts badly.

• There is one nasty, but very effective remedy. This is a water treatment for runny nose and sore throat. Dilute a spoonful of vinegar in a glass of water at room temperature. Take a canvas rag, soak it in this solution, wring it out, but not too hard, it should be damp. We put it on the throat, tie a woolen scarf on top and go to bed, in the morning there will be no trace of a runny nose and sore throat!

I have done this procedure several times, it is unpleasant, but effective.

In the meantime, the night is still far away, only frequent rinsing will save you. The more often the better, at least once an hour.

I think everyone knows how to gargle, take some water, throw back your throat, and gurgle the solution while making a sound (it’s easier, try it). And repeat this until you have rinsed out all the solution. It is not necessary to pour a whole glass, you can use a quarter.

The composition of the rinse may vary, but it must be warm (in no case hot!)

• Soda and (or) salt. One teaspoon of both per 200 ml of water, you can add 8-10 drops of iodine.
• Herbal decoctions of herbs with an antiseptic effect, such as chamomile, eucalyptus. For example, Iodinol, an inexpensive and effective medicine. Even though it came from a pharmacy, it won’t do any harm. Pour into the bottom and dilute with water.

Treatment of colds in children

If a child has a cold, the parent needs to know how to quickly cure it. When treating children, certain precautions must be taken.

For children, the limiting temperature to which antipyretics should not be given is not 38.5, but 38. In children, hyperthermia can cause dangerous febrile convulsions. They should not be given berry decoctions, which can cause allergies; honey should be used with caution.

The basic rule is to do no harm. You should not get carried away with pharmaceuticals; you need to call a doctor. Many treatment methods that are used for adults are unacceptable in this case. It is not recommended to hover your child's feet to avoid burns.

The use of iodine and products based on it is contraindicated for children under 5 years of age; they can cause burns. If the child is very small and lies most of the time (under the age of one year), he needs to remove mucus from the nose with a special nasal aspirator.

It is not recommended to do inhalations, especially steam inhalations, at temperatures above 37.5 degrees. Under no circumstances should analgin and aspirin be used as antipyretics for children; the latter has a high hepatotoxic effect. You should not wrap up a small child if he has a fever, as this can seriously worsen his condition.

It is necessary that the air in the room is cool and humid, then it will be easier for him to breathe. If there is no temperature, it is recommended to go outside, do inhalations with a nebulizer, and humidify the air in the room. Doctors remind that it is necessary to treat colds in children using vasoconstrictor drops for the common cold to prevent the development of otitis media.

How to treat a cold

Colds actually go away on their own in about a week once antibodies appear. But we can help the body cope with the disease more easily.

Stay home and relax

Of course, we are very busy and cannot afford to relax because of a runny nose. But the body is also very busy: it is overwhelmed with the fight against viruses. And his deadline is more important.

Bed rest is just what you need when you feel unwell.

Additionally, respiratory viruses (those that infect the respiratory system) are highly contagious. If you have the strength to go to work or study even when sick, then think that you can transmit the virus to a weakened person. And it will not be so easy for him to cope with a cold.

Drink more fluids

This is not “drink eight glasses a day” advice. Liquids are really needed when you have a cold. Dried fruit compote or warm tea helps cope with unpleasant symptoms. You should drink 3-5 cups more per day than when you are healthy.

When there is enough fluid in the body, it is easier for all mucous membranes (which suffer most from the effects of viruses) to work. When a person is sick and drinks a lot, he easily produces phlegm from his lungs and mucus from his nose, which means that viral particles do not linger in the body.

When you have a fever, the body loses a lot of moisture, so a high temperature is also a reason to drink a cup of tea.

You can add herbal decoctions to tea: chamomile, linden, sage. They help alleviate cold symptoms and bring at least some variety to the tea menu.

Use nasal drops

Nasal drops are different, because a runny nose is different.

1. Salt water drops . Saline solution 0.9% is a good way to moisturize the mucous membrane. It will help to gently rinse your nose and remove mucus. Some manufacturers offer sea water, but in general you can use regular saline solution, which is sold in a pharmacy: it is cheaper. You can also prepare salt water at home. To do this, a teaspoon of salt must be dissolved in one liter of water. You can instill such water often, every half hour. Then you will really feel the full power of a simple remedy.
2. Oil drops . They help when the nose is not stuffy. They moisturize the mucous membranes and make breathing easier.
3. Vasoconstrictor drops . They remove swelling of the nose, which makes it impossible to breathe. Such drops should be used with caution: do not use them for more than five days, so as not to cause addiction, do not exceed the dosage specified in the instructions, so as not to provoke poisoning with the active substance (this is especially important for children).

Help your throat

A sore throat is best helped by gentle therapy: warm tea in small sips, warm gargling, lozenges.

It is better to gargle with something that feels good to you. For example, the same herbal decoctions: chamomile or calendula.

Do not force yourself to make elixirs from iodine, soda or aloe with kerosene.

The purpose of rinsing is to relieve pain and swallowing, and not to destroy all living things. The virus still cannot be washed off this way.

Use painkillers

When you just have a headache, don’t force yourself to suffer and take ibuprofen or paracetamol based remedies.

Let the temperature work

Reduce the temperature above 38.5 °C. Before this figure, it is better not to fight fever, because it is needed to destroy viruses. Of course, if you feel unwell, it is better to help yourself with painkillers and antipyretics.

Ventilate your rooms and take a walk

A draft and fresh air from a window will not cause deterioration. On the contrary, they will help. Ventilation is a way to clean the air in a room from germs, the simplest and most accessible method of disinfection.

Quiet walks in the fresh air also help you feel better, but you should not walk in a shopping center, but in a park or at least an alley where there are not many people.

Of course, walking is a remedy for when you feel more or less normal or are already recovering.

When not to treat a cold at home

If after 3-5 days it does not get better, you need to call a doctor. The basic rule is that on the 3rd day it gets better, on the 5th there are only residual symptoms. The following signs should alert you:

• for more than 3 days the temperature remains at 39 degrees or more;
• severe cough accompanied by wheezing and lack of sputum;
• breathing problems;
• very severe headaches that do not go away;
• pain in the face, especially around the nose and eyes;
• sputum with blood or pus;
• inability to eat due to severe swelling of the throat.

These signs indicate that it is no longer a cold and treatment should be started immediately. In severe cases, hospitalization will help avoid serious health consequences. Then every second can be precious.

Cold prevention

One of the effective methods is hardening.
Hardening consists of preparing the body for changes in external conditions. This will help you avoid illness. If your immune system is weak, there are additional methods of protection:

1. Avoid crowded places.
2. Dress for the weather.
3. To wash hands. A good remedy for preventing infections that cause colds.
4. Take vitamins. Vitamin deficiency leads to deterioration of immunity.
5. Follow the rules of a healthy lifestyle.

During the period of greatest prevalence of the disease, you can wear a mask.
The effectiveness of protection increases if such a mask is worn by a patient. With proper treatment of a cold, you can achieve improvement in a short time. It is important not to forget about bed rest and avoid stress.