The emergence of the pollution in our surroundings caused by industries smoke, polluted air, etc., has led to many respiratory diseases and cough problems. People who are more allergic to dust are more prone to cold-related problems. The presence of viruses in the air leads to infectious air and hence leads to cold and cough issues. Everyone has gone through the problem of the common cold. The symptoms of the common cold can be a runny nose, sore throat or cough, etc. The common cold is not a serious issue and can be cured within 4-5 days. It is because of the viral infections caused to the body and requires fluid treatment, antibiotics are not alone sufficient to cure a cold. There are so many variants available for common cold cough medicine which helps the patient to cure it faster.
Cold is not only caused by one virus but is caused by multiple viruses and only antibiotics should not be used to cure a cold. These viruses can spread and transfer through the air. Young children and infants are more infected or prone to cold and cough due to their immature immune system. Cold is an infection caused by many viruses in the upper respiratory tract. This can be easily transmitted to one person from another by coming in contact with the infected person or inhaling the same air of an infected person.
Symptoms of a common cold are as follows:
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Runny nose
- Continuous sneezing etc.
The use of antibiotics is not essential for curing a common cold. There is no particular vaccine for this problem that can be cured at home by simply taking fluid medicine. In scientific language, a common cold is known as upper tract respiratory infection in the body. More than 250 viruses are known for causing the common cold problems in human beings. The common virus which causes the common cold is Rhinovirus and it peaks in September- November and during these months almost all the types of a common cold are caused by this virus.
The common symptoms of a common cold are as follows:
- Runny nose or nasal drainage
- Sore throat
- Sneezing
- Headache
- Body aches
- Fatigue
- Low-temperature fever, etc.
You can start seeing its symptoms a day before the common cold. Its effects may depend upon the type of virus by which people get infected. The virus causing cold mainly targets the upper respiratory tract. The symptoms of a common cold are almost the same in all irrespective of the age factor. The type and degree of symptoms may vary from person to person. After the virus enters the body it starts reflecting its symptoms one or two days after that. Many people misunderstood the common cold with the flu. The common cold is caused by Rhinovirus whereas flu is caused by an influenza virus.
There are so many home remedies available to cure a common cold and cough at their very earlier stages. Some of them are discussed as follows:
- Gargling: Gargling is the most common home remedy used to cure cough and sore throat. You can adopt gargling, with the use of warm water you can also add a pinch of salt to the water to have soothing effects. Another gargling mixture can be a glass of warm water with added lemon and honey into it. Doing it twice or thrice a day will provide you relief.
- Drinking fluids: Common cold causes runny nose, which means loss of water level in the body, and to maintain that water level and avoid the problem of dehydration, you must drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. You may drink warm water, green tea with added ginger & honey, hot soups or tea, etc., which will help the body in maintaining the normal water level in the body.
- Steamer: the common cold can cause nasal congestion which leads to difficulty in breathing also. You can use a steamer to decrease congestion or you can use a bowl of hot water and a towel to cover your face will also help. Inhaling steam or warm water has soothing effects and try to decrease the nasal congestion in the nose and also helps in relieving cough.
- Use of Honey: Honey is the common solution to the problems of cold and cough. Taking a spoonful of honey with added ginger will help you to breathe better and also have soothing effects for cough.
- Enough sleep: Common cold can be cured by taking enough hours of sleep and rest. Under this situation, our body is already feeling that fatigue, and resting for hours and sleeping will help you.
- Hot shower: Taking a hot shower will moisturize the nose and helps in decreasing fatigue and soothe the body. Instead of taking a bath with cold water, try to use hot water or steam shower in cold and cough.
- Eating good foods: You must avoid eating any fast or junk food rather you can have vitamin-rich food or fruits to feel better. Foods you can have in cold and cough are:
- Bananas and blueberries
- Onions and carrots
- Vitamin c rich food
- Green tea has a natural antibiotic content present.
- Eating garlic: Garlic helps in fighting with the cold due to its antibacterial contents. People can eat garlic directly or can use more garlic in cooked food. People who eat garlic in sufficient quantities face fewer problems of cold and cough than others.
- Taking vitamin- d: Eating vitamin-D supplements also help in avoiding the problem of cold and cough.
- Menthol: Menthol is the main ingredient in many vapor rubs and mint leaves contain antibacterial properties and also help in pain relief. The use of menthol in the steaming process can also help in getting relief from the common cold and cough. It helps in avoiding congestion in the nose and includes soothing properties.
Common cold and cough may last for about 6-10 days and can be cured at home by using various home remedies discussed above. Cold or cough can last for more than 2 weeks then there is a need to see a doctor. When you are facing severe symptoms of cold and cough with a longer duration then you must visit a doctor for more details and avoid any serious issue. You need to see a doctor immediately if you are one of the following:
- A pregnant woman
- People with age of 66+
- People facing other medical problems
These three categories must visit a doctor before curing it with other remedies. They have a high risk of increasing complications which can be proved to be dangerous. There is common cold treatment medicine available in the market but the best among all is the TOREX syrup which is fully organic and 100% Ayurvedic with all the natural ingredients present in their cough syrups. Torex cough syrup helps in not only curing wet cough but also helps in curing dry cough. It is made up of using 20 natural herbs and is safe for consumption by all either by children, infants, adults, or old age people. This syrup is made especially with tulsi and honey which are the most important ingredients which help in curing of cold and cough. This is the herbal syrup meant to cure all kinds of cough and cold.