Your Health

All-Natural Relief For Cold And Flu Symptoms

Posted 1/7/2011

When it comes to soothing a sore throat, honey may be just your cup of tea.

(NAPSI) - Considering adults average two to four colds a year and approximately 15 percent of Americans come down with the flu annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there’s a chance that you will find yourself under the weather-but easing your suffering may be easier than you realize.

A sore throat is often one of the first signs that you are coming down with something. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, many things can cause a sore throat. These include infections with viruses, such as colds and flu; sinus drainage; allergies; and cigarette smoking, among others. Fortunately, the sniffling, sneezing, runny, scratchy stuff can often be relieved with everyday household items and ingredients.

Honey, for example, has been used for centuries to help alleviate some of the symptoms associated with a common cold. A study by a Penn State College of Medicine research team found that honey may offer an effective and safe alternative to over-the-counter cough medicine. The study found that a small dose of buckwheat honey given before bedtime provided better relief of nighttime cough and sleep difficulty in children than no treatment or dextromethorphan (DM), the cough suppressant in many over-the-counter cold medications.

For relief of irritating throat symptoms, the National Honey Board suggests trying a spoonful of honey to soothe and coat your throat. Take a spoonful as often as you need to relieve the irritation. Since it’s also important to stay hydrated, you may want to add honey to a steaming cup of tea to help soothe your throat. For added vitamin C, try mixing in orange, grapefruit or lemon juice.

This recipe for an all-natural Honey Citrus Soother may help your sore throat:

Honey Citrus Soother

(Makes 4 servings)

3 tea bags, green or black

1 cinnamon stick

3 cups boiling water

¼ cup honey

1 cup grapefruit juice

Place tea bags and cinnamon stick in a 1-quart teapot. Add boiling water; steep 3 to 5 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick and tea bags; discard. Stir in honey and grapefruit juice.

Other easy ways to relieve cold and flu symptoms include:

• A humidifier: To open the nasal passage without any irritating side effects, place a steam or warm-mist humidifier in your bedroom. Dry air can make cold and flu symptoms feel worse. The humidifier combats the dry air while providing moisture to your entire body.

• Sleep: The age-old advice that sleep is the best cure to the common cold is, well, true. Sleep and immunity are tightly linked. Those who get less sleep are three times as likely to get sick as those who averaged at least eight hours, according to the Archives of Internal Medicine.

• Head outdoors: Vitamin D is emerging as an important infection fighter, according to the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine. Being exposed to sunlight increases your vitamin D intake and, therefore, increases your infection-fighting ability.

• Chicken soup: You hear it time and time again, but does it really work? The answer is yes. A study conducted by the University of Nebraska found that chicken soup contains anti-inflammatory qualities that activate the release of mucus, reducing congestion and proving that chicken soup is in fact a great remedy for your stuffy nose and congested chest.

Learn More

For more recipes and advice, visit www.Honey.com or call (303) 776-2337.