Friday, 25 November 2016

Cold/Flu Tips

Hey


When I get sick, I think of all the times I took for granted that I was healthy and wanted to be sick because I thought "someone would take care of me". Definitely not the case! At the end, you have to take care of yourself when you are sick. Why am I saying this? Because I am ill right now.
If you are too, don't worry. I have some tips to make you feel better and hopefully get well a bit quicker than normal.


When you get a cold, usually you have a sore throat, cough, runny nose and excess sneezing. With a flu, you can have fever and shivering too. You feel weak and all you want to do is stay in bed. I guess at this stage of life, it is a little distracting to get sick and do nothing when you have assignments to do almost every week.


Ginger is they key element! Ginger is anti-inflammatory to overcome sore throat and is warming for the chest to relieve coughing. Here is what you can do with ginger:

1. Take a small (1 inch) cube of ginger and chop it in very small pieces. Take the pestle from a mortar and pestle and mash the ginger. Take the mashed ginger and squeeze it with the palm of your hand and extract all its juice and pour it in a glass. You can directly drink that fresh or add a bit of  honey and fresh lemon juice or even warm it up for 10 seconds. The choice is yours.

2. Don't throw the remaining mashed ginger from above! Pour a glass of water in a hob and add the ginger then put it on the stove to boil the ginger water. Add a spoon of honey (optional) and drink that water, even eat the ginger as at this point they taste really good!

3. There are a variety of lemon and ginger teas available in the market. Get a good quality one, the most natural and organic one. It should do if home remedies are not your thing.


Another important element is vitamin C. " Large doses of vitamin C may help reduce how long a cold lasts. They do not protect against getting a cold" (MedlinePlus, 2016). 

Since it's not guaranteed that taking vitamin C will completely get rid of your cold, at least it will ensure it lasts less time. Common sources of vit C we know are citrus fruits like lemons, limes or oranges. Fresh fruits and veg also contain vit C but it is best to take them in their raw form as they are highly concentrated in their natural forms.

If you have more sore throat than any other symptoms, I suggest salted water. There are 2 things you can do:

1. Take warm water and salt, then gargle with that water.

2. Take that water and slowly drink it.

If your digestive system is able to handle it, eat spicy food. This will naturally warm up your body, making you feel better. Add that extra green chilli or that extra teaspoon of red chilli powder into your curry or soup. It will also help clear out the sinuses and clear out the clogged nose, releasing everything out.

Lastly, don't forget to rest and look after yourself. It's okay to get sick and it's fine to let it take its time to heal. Don't rush it. Get plenty of sleep and stay hydrated so the sore throat does not get worse.


Take Care


Yours, Nafiza

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