It’s October, the month of tailored plaid jackets and hot chocolate. While we marvel in the crisp weather and auburn leaves, germs are preparing to attack their next victims. With the beauty of autumn arrives the onslaught of cold and flu season. For the past three weeks, I have been sick with a sore throat and cough, a nagging reminder that winter is swiftly approaching.
In order to avoid a virus akin to the one I’ve had, I have compiled a list of fast and easy tricks (some of which you may already know) that will knock out your next cold.
1.) A Spoonful of Vinegar Helps the Medicine Go Down. Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar to be exact. (It’s organic and filtered.) Drink a capful of this vinegar in a cup of water every morning and you will notice that it opens up the sinuses and has a slew of other positive benefits, one of which includes balancing the body’s pH levels. Read more about the positive effects of apple cider vinegar here and here.
2.) Zinc.
3.) Airborne – apparently if you believe that airborne works to improve your health, it works as a very powerful placebo. So, believe and drink up, folks!
4.) Healthy foods – believe it or not, health begins in the gut. Therefore, a supplement such as Natren Bifido Factor, a probiotic pill, helps to boost the immune system.
5.) When feeling sore in the throat, gargle with a capful of hydrogen peroxide (make sure it is the mouth rinse-friendly kind) mixed with water. Gargling with mouthwash is effective as well and often kills the bacteria that causes an aching throat – if you catch it soon enough.
6.) Exercise consistently, but opt for rest when feeling under the weather. Light exercise may in fact combat the common cold!
7.) Chicken Soup! Need I say more. Chicken soup always comforts and soothes when you’re feeling less than perfect.
8.) Soak up some sun. Vitamin D has a myriad of known benefits, including positive mood effects. Though it is difficult to find sunshine in the wintertime, catch some rays by taking a walk or doing some homework outside. Read more about Vitamin D here.
9.) Clean up! Avoid overexertion, but remember to eliminate germ-contaminated items. Change sheets, switch towels, and buy a new toothbrush!
10.) Lastly, if you find yourself sick with no escape, watch a comedic television show or film. Laughter is undoubtedly the best medicine of all.