Health is wealth. Being healthy adds zest to your life. This is the annual “Flu” time when everybody is having a “cold” and falling sick. With good reasons adults get two to three colds per day. For everyone that gets a cold there will be three or four persons who will harbor the virus but not get sick. The virus in their body triggers their immune system to produce antibodies to fight the cold. As our grandmothers used to say A cold gets cured with medicines in seven days and without medicines in a week! We can strengthen our body’s defense by some simple ways. For those who are coughing and sneezing these will cut down on your duration of the illness.

1. Wash your hands often

Cleaning hands frequently can ward off cold very effectively. You need to was your hands with soap in running water for a minimum of 15 seconds. When sick people sneeze or cough ther spray their surroundings with viruses. We gets these virus on our hands by touching the plenty of surfaces around us. We then touch our face, nose and mouth with our hands and the virus gets easily transferred to us. A normal adult touches one face for at 16 times an hour!

2. Pour hand sanitizer

If you cannot wash your hands pour your hand sanitizer . it helps to de-bug although it cannot replace hand washing. Virus spreads very speedily in office buildings; homes and mass transits.

3. Help your tastebuds

Your throat is itching. Your nose is running. Your nasal passage seems blocked. You feel you need something to scratch the back of your throat. You need to drink honey and lemon in warm water. It is a big help in increasing the production of saliva and makes your nose run a little less.

4. Keep your extremities warm

Wrap a scarf around your nose and mouth. It works in two ways. It will help to prevent the spread of the disease and also the nose will be warmed by the mouth. In cold climate keep your hands and toes warm. It helps to beef up the body’s defense system

5. Avoid Antibiotics

People run to take antibiotics for each and every cold they get. You don’t need antibiotics to treat cold. It causes more harm than good. Doctors are worried about the excess use of antibiotics and the threat it is posing globally. Instead depend on the over the counter painkillers like paracetamol and ibuprofen. They treat sore throats; sinus pain; muscle aches and chills ; fever and also that nagging headache. If need be you can use the nasal drops containing nasal decongestants.

6. Go to sleep

Sleep deprivation triggers common cold. Sleep is healthy. Sleep is important. Sleep help the immune system o repair and fight the virus. So go and curl up in your bed and go to sleep.

7. Clean your house mildly

When somebody is ill in your family just clean your house with a neutral detergent and water. It will help prevent the infection.

8. Have plenty of green tea

Green tea has an amino acid called L-theanine which helps to fight the symptoms of cold. So go on having strongly brewed green tea many cups a day.

9. Have Yogurt/Doi daily in your diet.

Yogurt/doi is teeming with pro-biotics , the live organisms including the friendly bacteria which populate your intestine to drive out the unfriendly micro-organisms. They will go on fighting your war. They help immune system to fight the common cold.

If you have constant fever, irritating constant cough , difficulty in breathing go to your doctor at once. Go for re-consult if symptoms of flu deteriorate.