When it comes to avoiding coughs and colds we all know about the importance of hand-washing and keeping our jabs up to date, but despite your best efforts you may have already managed to catch a cold, perhaps your child brought it home from school or your partner couldn’t quite avoid sharing their germs with you.
If, however you are one of the seemingly lucky ones that appears to be totally immune, regardless of exposure, perhaps you are not actually well enough to get ill! I know that sounds strange but when we are exposed to a virus our immune system should kick into action to fight off the barrage of germs, but if we are not up to par this won’t happen, we’ll just feel vaguely off but nothing much will actually come of it.
Whereas getting ill occasionally can actually be a good thing! When we do fight off those germs then yes we do get ill, which is very inconvenient I know, but we do reap the benefits; not only do we build immunity to that strain of bug we also receive an immune boost, so we might even feel far better afterwards!
Ideally, though, we shouldn’t just soldier on when we get ill, rest and hydration are key but there are also some natural remedies that you might find useful:
Raw set organic honey: mix one – two teaspoons into your regular herbal or green tea then add a splash of freshly squeezed lemon, this may help sooth a persistent cough,
Peppermint oil: add a few drops per 150ml of hot water and inhale deeply, this can cut through congestion and clear your airways, Thyme: crush fresh leaves and add to boiling water, cover and steep for ten minutes then strain and drink once cool enough, this might relax your throat and sooth your cough,
Epsom Salts: mix half a teaspoon with eight fluid ounces of water and gargle several times a day to help sooth your throat.
N.B.: DO NOT DRINK THIS MIXTURE!!!