How to Fight a Cold, NATURALLY!

You know it’s coming, you can feel it creeping through your neck and slowly taking over each part of your body with aching chills and muscles…it’s the signs and symptoms of a cold! You may try to deny it, excuse it for possible allergies or just tell yourself you’re overworked and tired. We encourage you to listen very closely to your body’s first signs of common cold symptoms like the sniffles, headache, runny nose and drowsiness. Your intuition is more powerful than you think; denial will only make matters worse and lead to losing sick days at work that could be used for vacation instead!

During this blistery winter season, we want to keep you armed with a few steps that could be built in to your daily routine to help fight the first signs and symptoms of a common cold! Even if it turns out not to be a cold, taking these natural preventative measures will leave you feeling healthy and strong! If it is indeed a cold, the key is to catch it early and follow these steps as soon as possible.

1. No need to run to the drugstore: A cold is viral and can not be cured with antibiotics which are designed to kill bacteria. So, you’re going to have to let this one ride it’s course or follow the next few natural home remedies. With the below concoctions, you won’t even need the common over the counter non-antibiotic based syrups and nasal sprays. You most likely already have everything you need stocked at home.

2. Drink lots of WATER and TEA: A runny nose is the body’s way of eliminating viruses that invade the body. Antihistamines will dry out all the fluids dripping from your runny nose. Instead, we suggest you flush them out by thinning them out with lots of fluids. Hot liquids are especially strong  in soothing the symptoms of a cold or flu because they help loosen secretions in the chest and sinuses, making them easier to expel and ultimately clearing up congestion.

3. Eat lots of SOUP: Let’s take the same congestion clearing benefits of hot liquids, to hot meals with hearty soup recipes that will also keep the body warm and stomach full. Here’s a recipe for one of our favorites – Turkish Red Lentil Soup!

4. Juicing: Open up your fridge, pull out every citrus fruit and the greenest greens you got, top that with a light sprinkle of cayenne , throw it all in to a blender and you got yourself a powerful healing tropical drink that might not taste like the pool side strawberry daiquiris you’re used to drinking on vacation, but will definitely leave you feeling just as good, without the hangover. Can’t stand sippin on a fresh squeezed juice? Try what our favorite local juice company calls a Rehab Shot; it doesn’t taste good, but we promise it will make you feel better!

5. Get LOTS of zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz: Your body needs it’s energy to battle the virus and after a day of fighting and fluid flushing (as described above) it could get pretty tired! The benefits of sleep are undeniable and highly researched. Under normal circumstances, a good night’s sleep plays a role in immune function, so it’s even more necessary when your immune system is being attacked by a cold.

If maintaining your good health through the above healthy tips isn’t motivation enough to beat your next cold before it gets too overbearing, then maybe decreasing your environmental impact is – Just think about how many trees (tissues are usually made from wood pulp that comes from cutting down trees) we can save if we cut down the number of colds we’re getting!

We’re all about eliminating the use of wood pulp in any products just like we were the first to do with our 100% hypoallergenic sanitary napkins. Wood pulp is a common ingredient used for the absorbent core of most other leading natural brands; not only does the use of this fiber lead to deforestation, but it’s a common vaginal irritant for many women. Hmmm, that makes us wonder about how much nicer would it feel on our noses to have tissues made with 100% cotton instead of wood pulp.

Ok, that might be a far stretch, but I think you catch our flow (pun intended). Whatever you do, stay healthy this winter season so you can enjoy all the up sides of the winter weather. Having a hard time remembering what those upsides are? Look at it this way, we’re only a month and a half away from Spring! Let the countdown begin! In the meantime, tweet us  or comment below with some of your tried and true cold fighting remedies to help us get through the next 43 days!