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| The symptoms of the common cold
include sneezing, coughing, congestion, headache, sore throat,
watery eyes, aches and pains, and fever. |
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Modern medicine has
yet to find a cure. One reason is that the virus which causes
colds comes in hundreds of different forms. It is also able to
change size and shape making the formulation of a vaccine almost
impossible.
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The only treatments
offered by conventional medicine are decongestants, cough
medicines and acetaminophen to mask the symptoms. None of these
can actually cure the cold - they just make you suffer less!
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However, all the
unpleasant symptoms of a cold are your body's way of defending
and healing itself and it is usually best not to interfere. The
mucus flow is your body's way of ridding itself of the virus -
nasal decongestants can prevent this.
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A strong immune system
is probably the best way to avoid a cold, but if you already
have a cold then bolstering your immune system will help to
shorten it's duration and make the symptoms less severe.
See Boost Your Immune
System on this website
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Eat a healthy well
balanced diet - junk food can stress your immune system and
leave you vulnerable to illness. Add garlic to your diet or take
a garlic supplement. Studies have shown that garlic has
antiviral properties and can help to boost your immune system.
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Taking Echinacea for 6 - 8 weeks before the
start of the cold season has been shown to reduce your risk of
getting a cold by strengthening your body's immune system.
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| Tips
to Help Relieve your Cold |
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Rest - your
body is working hard to heal itself, it needs rest. |
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Drink plenty
of fluids - a good rule is to double your normal
intake to flush the virus from your body. |
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Taking
Echinacea at the onset of a cold has been shown to
reduce it's duration and lessen the symptoms. Experts
suggest taking two capsules immediately then one every
two hour for 48 hours or until relief is felt. |
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Chicken soup
was first recommended for colds by the Egyptians 800
years ago. Recently scientists at Mount Sanai Medical
Center found that it appears to increase mucus flow. |
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Experts have
found that eating hot spicy foods can increase mucus
flow and help a cough be more productive. |
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Wash hands
often and discard used tissues immediately |
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Avoid
alcohol - it dehydrates your body and stresses your
immune system. |
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Don't smoke |
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| Nutritional
Supplements Worth Considering |
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Vitamin C -
at least 1000mg daily - Studies have shown that taking
1000mg daily reduced the symptoms of the cold and
shortened the duration by as much as 72% |
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Zinc
lozenges - Sucking zinc lozenges has been shown to
reduce the duration of colds. |
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Beta
Carotene helps to reduce inflammation of mucus
membranes and strengthen immune system. |
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