Getting a cold is common place.But when are you sure its a cold?Hi I am Dr.Amrita and welcome to the Healthwealthbridge blog .
There’s a saying
“A cold gets better by itself in 7 days and with medicines in a week.“
The problem is sometimes if your immunity is not great (stress,less sleep,irregular meals) this 1 week cold may run longer.
- Headache
- heaviness of head and forehead
- Blocked ears
- Blocked nose
- Sticky sensation at the back of throat
- Cough
- Fever
The entire family of minor irritations pile up to cause major trouble.
This is when you will need medicines to stop any further damage.
Being an ENT surgeon checking people with cold comes with the job description.
What can you do to stop cold in its tracks ?
Keep your immunity high and working well.
Have fruits and vitamins rich in antioxidants
Try following the Ultimate Nutrition tips to prevent flu.
You can also occasionally take Vitamin supplements to augment to natural sources.
Our food unfortunately reach us, considerable time after getting plucked from trees.This makes their nutritional content unreliable.
Remember the Protein in your diet .It’s important to keep your cells healthy .Since a majority of cell components are protein.Your dietary protein is important to keep your immunity intact.
Drink water .
Hydration helps your cells work to its fullest .Water also helps flush out toxins.
Sleep
A very important, free and effortless activity ,which alone helps your body repair itself and fight another day.
You should never compromise on quality or quantity of sleep.I wrote an article to help you sleep better .Read it here.
These work .Research is going on to make their use more streamlined.But Probiotics are proven to improve immunity.
Be happy and get the happy hormones going full force. Smiling is proven to improve immunity.Added bonus ,you look great when you smile .
It’s difficult when you are ill. So you need to make this a part of your daily habits to reap the benefits.Plus endorphins are released when you exercise .
Don’t forget the nature walks or at least visit a garden .
They are source of biophilic microbes which are beneficial to humans.
Being among nature also helps cut down stress .Anything which helps lower stress is good.
Stress is known to increase cortisol ,the hormone that suppress immunity.
Maintain a healthy weight.
Obesity is a form of malnutrition. Excessive weight disrupts your hormones and can make your immunity weak.Additionally metabolic conditions like diabetes make people prone to infections.
Don’t smoke
The tobacco smoke has carcinogens and irritants which kill the protective layer of your mucous membrane lining your airways.This makes it easier for virus and bacteria to make their homes there.
Avoid alcohol.
Doesn’t help you get healthy in any way.Even a little amount of alcohol makes you prone to liver problems. It makes your immune cells weaker and less able to fight germs.
Take steam inhalation 2/3 times a day when you have a cold.
When you have a cold all the lining epithelium of your nose and airways get irritated. They start secreting copious amount of fluids to get the virus out and decrease irritations.
The excessive secretions get stuck in the sinus spaces ,thickening progressively.
Unfortunately the secretions are the favourite food and partying zone of bacteria .When the cold goes on for long ,a simple viral flu get complicated due to secondary bacterial infection.That’s why you end up needing antibiotics.
When you take steam these secretions easily liquefy and helps them drain naturally.
Avoid touching your nose or mouth, after you have been around someone with a cold.
Wash your hand or use a hand sanitizer if you shake hands with someone having a cold.It’s not rude to practice preventive healthcare. Just don’t hurt their feelings.
Someone at home has a cold.Don’t forget to give them seperate towels.
A friend in office has a cold snd pops over to say hello.She forgets her hanky on your laptop.Don’t forget to sanitize the work surface.Germs may lie there cozily upto 24 hours.
Always carry antibacterial wipes .When in doubt ,use it.
I know these go without saying.But if you have a small kid ,these are important things you can do to keep your family healthy and fighting fit.
How do you fight cold?
Comment below to let me know.