Want to alleviate your cold or flu symptoms with something other than medicine? Here are some suggestions that might assist in alleviating your condition.

Know When To Ignore Symptoms

Inconvenient as they may be, your body's reactions to curing an infection are a good sign. An example of this would be a fever, which is your body's attempt to fight off infections by producing a hotter-than-normal environment.

A benefit of fever is that it increases the rate and efficiency with which your body's natural germ-fighting proteins are distributed throughout your bloodstream. As a result, you may recover more quickly if you allow yourself to run a temperature for a few days.

Blowing Your Nose (and the Right Way)

When you have a cold, you should blow your nose often so that the mucus doesn't get into your head through your sniffles. However, if you blow too forcefully, the pressure may force the phlegm back into your ear canals, where it can cause irritation and even infection. The most effective method of clearing your nasal passages is to press a finger over one nostril and softly blow through the other.

Keep Warm And Rested

When you first feel the onset of a cold or the flu, it's important to keep warm and relax so that your body can focus its defenses on fighting off the illness. Fighting in this war is physically demanding. So, aid it by taking a nap.

Use a Gargling Motion

A sore throat might feel better after gargling because the water moistens the throat. Four times a day, gargle with half a teaspoon of salt diluted in 8 ounces of warm water. Gargling with an astringent, such as tannin-containing tea, might constrict the membranes in your throat and alleviate the tickling sensation.

Try gargling with a mixture of honey and ACV. Brew two cups of hot water with one tablespoon of raspberry leaves or lemon juice; stir in one teaspoon of honey. Gargle only once the fluid has cooled to normal temperature.

Consume Hot Beverages

Hot drinks help clear congestion in the nose, keep you hydrated, and calm the inflammatory membranes that line your nasal passages and throat. If your congestion keeps you up at night, a hot toddy is a tried and true treatment. Prepare some soothing herbal tea. Take a shot of whiskey or bourbon and a spoonful of honey. Try to pick only one. Drinking too much alcohol might cause membrane inflammation, worsening your symptoms.

Apply a Nose Salve

Try using a little mentholated ointment under your nose to relieve stuffiness and soothe redness. Mild numbing compounds like those found in menthol, eucalyptus, and camphor may help alleviate the agony of a rubbed raw nose. However, it would help if you only placed it externally, under your nose.

Wrap Your Congested Sinuses with Hot or Cold Packs

You can use either temperature. Drugstores are a good place to look for reusable heat or cold packs, or you may manufacture your own at home. If you want to apply heat, microwave a moist washcloth for 55 seconds (first check the temperature to ensure it isn't too hot) and then place it on the affected area. A little bag of frozen peas does the trick as a cold compress.

Add A Pillow To Your Head

If you have a stuffy nose, propping your head up might help clear it. You may soften the angle by inserting cushions in the space between the bed's mattress and box springs.

Fly Only When Necessary

Due to the shift in atmospheric pressure, there is no use in putting additional strain on your already overworked upper respiratory system. Pressure variations during takeoff and landing could harm your eardrums if you fly when congested from a cold or the flu. To breathe easier during takeoff and landing, apply a nasal spray and a decongestant before boarding the plane. Pressure can also be relieved by regularly swallowing and chewing gum.

Consume Anti-Infection Foods

Foods that can help you recover from a cold or flu include:

• Bananas and rice to calm an upset stomach and stop diarrhea
• Bell peppers and other vitamin C-rich foods
• Blueberries prevent stomach upset and have plenty of natural aspirin, which may reduce fevers and ease aches and pains.
• Beta-carotene-rich foods, such as carrots
• For example, chili peppers may loosen mucus in the lungs and sinuses.
• Inhibiting bacterial adhesion to the bladder and urinary system walls is one possible benefit of consuming cranberries.
• Mucus in the airways can be loosened with mustard and horseradish.
• Catechin, a phytochemical found in black and green tea, is said to have antibacterial and anti-diarrheal properties.