Natural Remedies for the Common Cold

If you have even a passing interest in the topic of Natural Remedies for fighting or preventing the common cold, then you should take a look at the following information. This article presents some of the latest news on the subject of immunity and internal defenses, particularly about the common cold.

Sometimes it's easy to confuse the common cold with the flu or even bronchitis until symptoms get a lot worse. The first step in treating a cold is to make sure you have a cold.

The common cold is a viral infection of the upper-respiratory tract that attacks the nose and nasal passages, and can spread to the chest. Scratchy throat, sneezing, headache, aching muscles, and congestion are the usual symptoms. But when a cold gives you a persistent fever, a hacking cough or rash, you might have a more serious viral infection that needs professional attention. But keep in mind that antibiotics won't help since a cold is viral and not bacterial in nature.

Vitamin C will help. Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling first discovered the connection between vitamin C and colds. Though doctors often disagree with the numerous clinical studies available today, most naturopaths would say this is a great step in fighting off a cold. Vitamin C studies have consistently demonstrated results superior to over-the-counter cold medications.

However, manufacturers of vitamin C products are prevented from making any claims for their product, while the makers of OTC common-cold medications spend hundreds of millions of dollars promoting these products as the answer to the common cold.

Zinc is also recommended when you are just beginning to come down with a cold. It is an important regulator of immunity and has been found clinically to be an excellent mineral to take in the event of viral illness, such as the common cold.

Certain herbs help boost your immune system, not just cover up symptoms, so you can at least decrease the actual duration of your cold. Some homeopathic treatments recommended are echinacea, eyebright, monkshood, wild hops, cinnamon, elderberry, ginger and licorice.

Echinacea is a popular cold treatment, so much so that you can even find it in many regular drug stores. While it doesn't "seem" to work on everyone as well as they might hope, echinacea is more effective than over-the-counter medicines. OTC medicines only help reduce some of the symptoms of a cold but don't assist the immune system or fight the infection.

Using herbs and natural remedies makes sense!