Mish 's maketh war against common cold

I have been very quiet for a while now and it has been eating away at me that I was not able post anything for such a long time. Truthfully I have been swamped at work and as of late, I have been fighting a battle against a cold and possible flu!

The Game Plan Brew: Silent killer not depicted. Read on. :)

In my quest to stay healthy because of this busy lifestyle, sadly I lost the first round against the common cold. According to Commoncold.org, a cold is caused by a virus that enters through the nasal passages. I contracted my dose in a train with closed windows on an icy morning from a friendly lady next to me. From infections, it takes about 8-12 hours to become a runny-nosed, scratchy throat, hoarse sounding, and coughing mess. Experts say that the cold weather has nothing to do with contracting the cold virus! The cold weather rather causes us to be in closer proximity to each other because we tend to opt for the great indoors.  So it really gives the cold virus the chance to spread like hot gossip.

A cold lasts for anything between 4 and 14 days. Here is the catch; there is no cure for the common cold. You cannot shorten the period it takes your body to work through it. Well, not really. All you can do is alleviate the symptoms. This does not inspire hope of winning any wars against this virus. When I made this miserable discovery, I resolved to alleviate, alleviate, alleviate… Until I feel great!

How would you do this? The best thing is prevention but this post is not about prevention. It is about treating the symptoms because life just doesn’t come to a screeching halt just because you have a cold. Even a sneeze-filled day continues to demand its quota of deadlines, meetings and other mundane tasks. *Cough-cough*

Here is what you can do to alleviate or I’d call it cheating your cold as best you can:

• Drink lots of fluids. Hydrate your body by increasing your intake. This helps flushing those awful germs.

• Cut out sugars and coffee. Replace your caffeine with 2-3 cups of green tea. A great battle weapon.

• Rest more than you normally do. By rest, I mean solid sleep time. Try to get in an hour or two more per day. Don’t just lay in bed, sleep! Take a sick day if you have an event to be ready for within a day or so.

• Reduce stress. When you have a cold, you tend to feel hazy and your head can be stuffy. So outsource some work. Negotiate later deadlines if possible. Delay the washing. Do whatever it takes. This is a defence that works!

Special Game Plan brew

Honey

 
It soothes the throat because of its antibacterial properties. It gives your body that boast it needs for the day and add a dash of happiness to your beverage of choice. It tastes great in coffee, tea and just hot water. 

Lemon juice

 
Here is your vitamin C defence mechanism. It takes care of the horrible phlegm that builds up during a cold.  Try to lower your dairy intake, especially milk, as it activates phlegm. #MishteryTip

Ginger Root
It will boast your immune system and add to soothing that scratchy patch in your throat. 

Chillies

This is your not so silent killer of germs. 

Method

Boil some hot water. Add grated ginger to water. Grating the ginger releases its goodness and is far more effective this way. Now add a couple of squeezes of lemon juice. Freshly squeezed or bottled. Add just a pinch of cut up chillies to your brew. Let it steep for about 3-4 minutes before you strain the tea. You are now ready to add your honey. You can add about a teaspoon or two or three depending on your preference.

Now go out there and fight against the common cold with vengeance!

For more information visit the following sites for more about colds and flu:
Dr Oz: http://www.doctoroz.com/blog/donna-cardillo-rn-ma/cold-and-flu-home-remedies
Herb: http://www.herb.co.za/herb-remedies/coldremedies.htm