Every year, as each winter season approaches us, it gets harder and harder for people to avoid getting a cold. It never fails, just as soon as the weather changes a little and starts to turn cold, people begin to sniffle, sneeze and cough and the symptoms of the common cold begin to come around once again.
But before you run out to the nearest store to buy a supply of tissues, cold medicine and soup, you need to understand exactly what you are up against. Your chances of being exposed to a cold germ will increase or decrease depending on the amount of contact you have with other people and how you take care of yourself.
The cold germ is spread from person to person when someone, who is infected, sneezes or coughs into the air or on you. The airborne germ then enters someone else’s body through an orifice, like your eyes, nose or mouth. You can also catch a cold by touching something that a person who has been infected has also touched and then touching your mouth, nose or eyes.
There are many things that you can do to prevent yourself from getting a cold.
1. You should wash your hands a lot. This frequent hand washing, especially when using any anti-bacterial soap, will help you to get rid of any potential germs that you might have come into contact with.
2. You should carry and use anti-bacterial hand lotion several times throughout the day. Use it especially when you cannot get to a bathroom and you know you have touched something infected or have been near an infected person.
3. You should also get plenty of sleep or rest. If you are tired and fatigued, your body’s resistance decreases and you will find that you are more susceptible to colds.
There are many ways that you can fight a cold once you have caught one.
1. You should eat spicy foods. Spicy hot foods will cause your body to expel mucus. When you eat these types of foods, your nose will start to run and you will begin to cough up mucus. Spicy foods work just like a natural decongestant but without side effects. This advice is good for those people who cannot take over the counter medication.
2. You should drink plenty of liquids. Liquids like soup, water, juice and flat ginger ale will keep your body hydrated. This is true especially if you have a fever. During a fever, your body loses a lot of fluids. You will need to replenish what you have lost. Therefore you need to drink often throughout your illness. You should also avoid drinking any dairy drinks because the dairy will cause mucus to form and coat your throat making it very difficult for you to swallow and cough.
3. You should use a vaporizer. It will keep the air that you breathe moist. If you do not have a vaporizer handy, then just crack open the windows in your home. This is very important if you have an extremely warm and dry home. Cracking the windows will have the same effects that a vaporizer has.
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