Colds

Cold & Flu by 1st Chinese Herbs

What is a cold?
A cold is a viral infection that starts slowly with body aches, sore throat, sinus congestion, listlessness, runny nose, and sneezing. At times, you might have mild body discomfort or difficulty sleeping.

What causes a cold? 
A cold is caused by a contagious virus and is referred to in the medical community as a viral upper respiratory tract infection. If you are stressed, your immune system becomes compromised and it becomes easier to get sick. Additionally, poor hygiene can lead to an increased chance of infection.

How can I avoid getting a cold?
You can try to avoid getting a cold by doing the following:

Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too. Stay home from work, schools, churches, meetings, gatherings of any sorts, to help stop the spreading of the illness.

Cover your mouth and nose. Wear a mask, or cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.

Clean your hands. Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. There are many gel formulas such as Hobe Labs Hand Sanitizing wash available on the market.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

Practice other good health habits. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, use supplements, herbs, and eat nutritious food,

Essential oils may help to boot your immune system. To help alleviate and disinfect dry air passages, add 10 drops of eucalyptus oil to a bowl of hot water or vaporizer and leave in bedroom overnight. A small handkerchief sprinkled with a few drops of the oil and left under the pillow may help as well. These antiviral essential oils are best applied as a rub, diffused into a room, in a dressing, put into a spirits bottle, as a compress, or in a bath.

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References

  • Diamond, Harvey, and Marilyn Diamond. Fit for Life. New York, NY: Warner, 1985. Print.
  • Ody, Penelope. The Complete Medicinal Herbal. London: Dorling Kindersley, 1993. Print.
  • Rector-Page, Linda G. Healthy Healing: An Alternative Healing Reference. United States: Healthy Healing Publications,1994. Print.
  • Weil, Andrew. Natural Health, Natural Medicine: A Comprehensive Manual for Wellness and Self-care. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1990. Print.
  • Werbach, Melvyn R. Nutritional Influences on Illness: A Sourcebook of Clinical Research. New Canaan, CT: Keats Pub., 1990