Did he just sneeze and not cover his mouth? Nasty! He has just spread his germs to several cubicles around the office. He’s coughing; oh ok, he covered his mouth; Yay. Wait look, he didn’t wash his hands and he’s touching doorknobs and shaking hands!

Is he serious! Let me get my Lysol disinfectant! Does this scenario sound familiar? Has this happened to you at work? Or maybe at home? Or while shopping?

Are you the infected? Or the infector? Either way you stand, you have probably been on both sides.
Well… that’s probably why the entire office called out sick. Or someone in your household got sick and eventually spread it to everyone, right?

It is a sad cycle of poor hygiene which evolved into sickness. People have no consideration of their health or the health of others. The hygiene of health has been thrown out the window.

But wait…

We have a resolution for you! Here are some home remedies you can adopt to protect your health from being attacked. Before addressing the infection, the warning signs and symptoms need to be identified.

These specifically are for early signs of cold and flu symptoms. The first few days are symptoms before the cold kicks in fully, usually it takes one day. The determinant depends highly on the strength of your immune system.

Identifying symptoms

How do you know when you are coming down with a bug? Or something foreign in the body? Can you recall of being around someone who was sick? Or maybe they are recovering from a bug? These are some questions you need to ask yourself to figure out if you are coming down with something.

If you experience any of these annoying symptoms, then there may be a virus brewing in your blood stream right now:
Itchy and scratchy throat is the key culprit of warnings. Chills. Fever. Headache. Stomach aches. Dizziness. Sore throat. Sneezing. Watery eyes. Achy muscles.

Once these signs are identified, the next step is to act immediately with one of the home remedies. The earlier the bug is addressed the quicker you feel better. If the early signs of a health attack are not pinpointed in the premature stages, the longer it will take to get rid of the virus.

Sometimes life gets the best of us and we overlook our health until we are knocked down on our butts, but I am here to help you with that!

You won’t have to go to the drugstore or be in someone’s hospital/urgent care to get rid of that stubborn common cold or flu unless you feel horrible (close to K.O. style). You know your level tolerance to sickness (no more than 2 days, 3rd day is the borderline day).

Let’s jump right into the remedies to help defeat these colds and seasonal sicknesses.
The beauty of home remedies:

Fluid when sick

We would think to stay hydrated when sick, but this is one of the tips we take for granted. When the body is under attack, the appetite for food or fluids is nonexistent. All your body is trying to figure out is how to get rid of the problem causing you to look and feel horrible.

The fluid needed for the body to properly function is exhausted due to the different symptoms of a flu or cold. The forming and accumulation of phlegm increases the chances of dehydration.

Fluids is important in clearing the body of this invader that has infected the body. Hydration is key to speeding up the recovery time of a virus or bacteria infected body. Water specifically hydrates the cells, keeps the body cool, transports substances throughout the body and much more.

Have you ever felt so thirsty, it felt like mucus was in your throat? Basically, the same concept, mucus needs moisture from the fluids you drink. When you lack the hydrating fluids, the body creates a buildup of mucus (which is either good or bad) that protects the membranes to stay hydrated and are less suspectable to bad mucus.

Fruits

As mentioned in the remedy tip above, the body doesn’t want to consume anything when under attack, so it’s best to fuel up. What do I mean by fuel up? I am glad you asked! Imagine…no you don’t want to imagine being sick…remember or recall. How is that?

When you were sick, did you eat much? Did you feel like eating or drinking? Specifically, when you were younger because adult age there are more obligations and priorities you have.

If you answered, yes, then you are following. The “no’s” or “nay” sayers are just being bullheaded or they were adults once they left the womb.

During that time of being sick, you were in the bed all pathetic and frail because you were unaware of the benefits eating or “fueling up.” When a person is knocked down from a flu or cold: the fluids, energy, and functionality of the body has been drained.

Fruit is the best substances that is light with replenishing and nourishing benefits. It also least likely to cause nausea or vomiting unless there is a stomach bug. Fruit is the perfect fuel builder. On top of that, it is loaded with lots of water along with other vitamins and minerals!

Seasoning cabinet

Another name for the seasoning cabinet is a “medicine cabinet.” Every house has a kitchen, and every kitchen has a seasoning cabinet. Whatever is in your cabinet put it in a pot with water and boil. It is just that easy, well not really. Let’s break it down into specifics because I don’t want you blaming me for YOU putting several containers of seasonings in a pot of water along with other items in your seasoning cabinet.

There are specific seasonings that are powerhouses for stopping and shutting down a cold or flu in its’ tracks; some are cayenne, paprika, red crush peppers, ginger (fresh is best), cinnamon, turmeric, oregano, sage, rosemary, basil, garlic powder (fresh is best), onion powder (fresh is best), clove, thyme, cumin, nutmeg, parsley.

Once you gather the desired seasonings, you will pour an estimated amount of seasoning into a pot of water and bring to a boil. Once the broth has boiled for a minimum of thirty minutes, you will strain out the seasoning and drink the broth. Personally, if you make a large amount, you can always share or store in refrigerator for a month.

It is suggested to start off small will the amount of broth consumed and please do your due diligence on research.

Tea please preferably herbal tea

The herbal tea remedies is one of my favorite ways of feeling better. Technically, with the seasoning remedy, you have crafted up your own herbal tea recipe. There are other ways to create a cup of medicine in a mug; there are herbal teas that have specific instructions bought from the store. Then there are those who have their own backyard garden with fresh herbs; where they can put together a herbal concoction. Of course, they must have knowledge of each herb they are infusing in their tea.

It is a playing field in the herbal tea world. The warm temperature of herbal tea is soothing for the inflamed membranes of your throat and nose, which provides relief to sore throat symptoms and coughs.

The temperature is important because when the essence is transferred from the herbs to the hot water, the broth then carries the solution straight to the source of infection. I thought I should leave a few suggested “must haves” for the just in case moments.

These herbs are great for the overall wellbeing: elderberry, licorice, ginger, turmeric, lemon balm, fever grass, the skin of any citrus fruit with peel.

Sleep, sleep, sleep, and more sleep

Are you tired when you feel horrible? Why is that the case? The time your body can recuperate from a cold or flu attack is when you are resting. If you do not get enough ZZZ’s, the body will not have enough time to defeat the virus. While you sleep, upon you taking your desired home remedy approach, the body can use your defense system to combat the foreign intruders from leaving congesting mucus in your chest. Getting a decent amount of sleep aids in the immune system to do its job. On top of that, when feeling sleepy the body is signaling you to slow down because it takes a lot of energy to operate when sick.

On that note for the busybodies,

Please sleep because it is a must for an effective recovery.

BONUS TIPS:

Avoid dairy products

Have you ever eaten ice cream with a phlegm congested cold? Or have you drunk milk for a sore throat? I would hope your answer is no for both questions.

Just so you know,

if you are trying to get rid of any cold, flu, or sickness, stay away from all types of dairy products. Whenever I think of milk and mucus, I imagine a party. The mucus and milk become one, like the yellow and white yolk of an egg. They are dancing partners; it is difficult to separate them. The dairy has an inflammatory attraction which is a result of mucus accumulation.

There are some researchers stating dairy specifically milk has NO correlations to difficulty expelling mucus, then there are others saying the total opposite. What better way to find out for yourself then to try it on yourself.

If you are about that life then go for it,

BUT for those who have phlegm in the color range of green or yellow I do not suggest trying. FYI please be advised if you try, make sure to increase your fluids and purchase some elderberry cough syrup. Elderberry is very effective in breaking up phlegm. If you are someone who needs to see it to believe it or experience it firsthand.

Cleanliness

Cleanliness is half the work for a cold, but it matters a lot. Let me tell you that most of the symptoms of a cold is caused by dirty and infected environments and people. If the place is not kept clean and the people have poor hygiene, then people are guaranteed to get infected, especially if health is compromised.

The lack of practicing proper hygiene has been one of the main reasons people get a cold, the flu or infected with some illness. Here are a few hygiene practices people overlook that can lead to a cold or flu:

• Washing hand when leaving the restroom.
• Washing hands when shaking people’s hand or handling animals.
• Washing hands when touching surfaces especially public surfaces (elevator buttons, escalator, railings, and so on)
• Washing hands before and after preparing food
• Keeping hands out of face, hair, nose, and any other unsanitary area, if so, wash hands

Make sure to disinfect all the things that you touch at home, at work or in public. It will keep you and your family protected from colds and all the other viruses and bacteria’s.

You are what you eat

Upon cleanliness, the thing that matters the most is the foods which are eaten. The symptoms of a cold pop up quicker when your food is unhealthy. Most importantly, healthy foods protect the immune system from the attack of viruses and bacteria. Foods rich in vitamins and minerals are helpful nutrients needed to fight off the colds and their symptoms. Some vitamins needed to prevent a cold or flu are zinc, magnesium, and vitamins: A, B6, C, D, E.

Fruits and vegetables are the foods needed to keep a healthy body inside and out. Avoiding refined breads, sugar, processed foods, and dairy products will keep you guarded from cold attacks.

Conclusion

Let’s not forget about the spicy herbs. There are several home remedies that help fight colds, but it’s up to you to look for them. With the few tips mentioned above, a cold is least likely to attack your body. Practicing personal hygiene and a healthy selection of foods will leave your health impenetrable!

Keep your health protected with some of your home supplies and cutback on medical expenses!