Natural Home Remedies for the Common Cold

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We are all afflicted by the common cold at one time or another. Fortunately, there are some everyday preventative measures you can take to reduce your chances of being stricken.

If you do come down with a cold, we will look at effective home remedies that will help you to combat it and get you back on your feet fast.

Vitamin D Deficiency – More and more research is showing that deficiency in vitamin D is being linked to many illnesses and disease. Our levels must be kept at optimal in order for us to stay healthy. If you live in the north, it is more difficult to get the vitamin D your body needs from the sun alone. That is why there is an increase in diseases such as cancer in these areas.

In order to ensure you are receiving the proper amounts needed by your body, try these methods of raising your blood levels of vitamin D:

• Take in some mid-day sun. Expose as much of yourself as possible (within the constraints of the law!) and take in 20-30 minutes of sunshine each day. Following this regime, your skin can produce about 10,000 IU of vitamin, 50 times more than what is recommended by the US government (200 IU).

• Use a vitamin D supplement. Available in capsule or liquid form, take 5,000 IU daily for 2-3 months when you are unable to gleam it from the sun. At the end of this period have a 25-hydroxyvitamin D test done to check your blood levels. Optimal blood levels are measured between 50-80 ng/mL year round.

Talk to your holistic doctor about making adjustments to dosing as needed. Should you already be afflicted with a cold, here are some natural home remedies that will help you to feel better fast.

• Get Plenty of Rest – Our bodies require an enormous amount of energy in order to fight off a cold. Give it a break and lie down. Rest will help your body to fight and keep your immune system strong.

• Hot Liquid Consumption Drinking hot liquids will relieve nasal congestion while keeping you hydrated. The irritated membranes in your throat and nose will be soothed in the process.

• Blow Your Nose Regularly – Blow your nose when you are congested. It is counterproductive to sniff mucus back into your throat.

• Gargle with warm salt water 4 times each day. This will moisten your throat and relieve it from feeling sore.

• Elevate your head with an extra pillow when you sleep. This will encourage sinus drainage.

• Chicken Soup works! It is not just folklore. Grandma’s chicken soup is an actual home remedy that works. Research has shown it to be effective against the duration and severity of a cold.

Home remedies for the common cold are effective. However, if you do not start to feel better within a few days or are feeling markedly worse, see a doctor to rule out a more serious condition.

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