Chicken Soup for a Cold?

You’ve got a cold. Tis the season. It’s unfortunate, but a fact of life that as we experience cooler weather and keep our windows closed, we close the germs in with us. Those around us sneeze and then touch shopping carts. Your sister’s son wipes his runny nose on your shirt. It happens. And there’s no cure for a cold. The best we can do is treat the symptoms so that we feel more comfortable until it passes.

First, get a flu shot. Yes, there are a lot of types of flu, but protection against the experts’ prediction of the most common ones can save you from the hassle. A cold generally manifests itself with a runny or stuffy nose, cough, sneezing, and sometimes a sore throat. A flu can share the symptoms, but might add the bonus symptoms of headache, fever, general aches, and exhaustion.

Whichever you have, the most important advice is to rest. Your body needs to use all of its energy fighting the virus in your symptom. While you’re resting, hydrate. Avoid heavy juices or caffeinated beverages. Water is the best because it helps thin mucus, which sounds disgusting but is really helpful. Tea is another good choice. Add a spoonful of Manuka Honey to add the antioxidant and infection-fighting properties for good measure.

Even if I told you not to, you’d head to the Cold section of the drug store, but I won’t tell you not to go there. Just make sure that multi-symptom remedies don’t have you doubling the dose of any of the ingredients. Dextromethorphan suppresses coughs, pseudoephedrine clears nasal congestion, and good old acetaminophen deals with miscellaneous aches and pains.

If you want a natural remedy, choose carefully. For example, zinc is recommended to shorten the length of your cold, but too much can suppress your immune response and actually make you feel worse.

Chicken soup actually does help a cold. The amino acid that is released when chicken is cooked thins mucus and can soothe a cough and congestion.

Now that you’ve done all you can for yourself, you just have to wait it out. During that time you will probably use several hundred tissues. Please throw these away immediately after use. Leaving used tissues on the floor or anywhere other than the garbage can will just spread the germs to others. Another consideration for the health of others includes calling in sick to work. You could infect others and you are violating the most important rule: rest.

Above all, use hand sanitizer and wash your hands regularly. Wash or sanitize after you blow your nose…every single time. This will not only protect others, but keep you from becoming infected with germs that others have left carelessly lying around.

Basically, your mother was right. Stay in bed, drink lots of fluids, eat chicken soup, take cough suppressants and decongestants if you need them, wash your hands, and take care of yourself.

Hopefully, someday someone will come up with a vaccine for a cold. Until then, keep getting the flu shot and buy cold medications in advance so you have them when it hits. In my house it always does.