Sniffling, Sneezing or Coughing? 3 Natural Ways to Ease Your Symptoms (That Doctors Use Themselves)

According to WebMD, most colds in the United States happen during the fall and winter. “Beginning in late August or early September, the rate increases slowly for a few weeks and remains high until March or April, when it goes down. The reason may partly have to do with the opening of schools. Cold weather may also play a role because it leads you to spend more time indoors, where you’re in closer contact with people who are contagious.

Changes in humidity in different seasons may also affect how often people get sick. The most common cold viruses survive better when it’s low. Also, cold weather may make the lining of your nose drier and more vulnerable to an infection by a virus.”

Which means that we still have a couple of months of sniffling, sneezing and coughing to get through. Taking OTC drugs (over the counter) can deliver immediate relief but they can also be dangerous if misused or combined with other medicines, especially those containing acetaminophen. And they can be expensive, especially if you buy the name-brand remedies.

To help ease symptoms of a stuffy nose, sore throat, or cough, without using medicines, here are 3 “natural” remedies you can try that even doctors use for themselves and their children. (And as always, check with your doctor first when medicating babies or toddlers or if you’re on other medications for an underlying illness.)

STUFFY NOSE? – Take a shower with essential oils.

Doctor of Emergency Medicine, Sarah Villafranco, M.D., and founder of Osmia Organics suggests this “trick” to help ease congestion. Steam up the shower, add 5 to 10 drops of essential oils to the shower floor (away from the flow of water) and sit in the shower for 15 minutes. Dr. Villafranco, who is a mother-of-two says this is safe not only for adults but for children too. (For kids under 4, limit to 10 minutes.) She mixes equal parts of thyme, lavender, eucalyptus, and lemon oils. “They’re all antibacterial and fight infections when inhaled. Lavender also soothes irritated nasal passageways to open up a stuffy nose,” she says.

*To avoid overheating, she gives her daughters cold water to sip while in the steamy shower.

SORE THROAT? – Try honey and lemon tea.

Dyan Hes, M.D., medical director of Gramercy Pediatrics in New York City uses natural medicines with her own two children and swears by honey and lemon to soothe a sore throat. “To treat sore throats, I give them honey and lemon in decaffeinated tea a few times a day. It works!” That’s because lemon contains immunity bolstering vitamin C and honey adds anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties that naturally soothe the throat, while tea is a rich source of antiviral compounds. Dr. Hes says the glucose in honey can also help prevent diarrhea-induced dehydration, which can be a common problem with viral infections.

COUGH? – Eat some chicken soup.

Mothers have known for years that chicken soup can help make you feel better and now studies are showing that they were right. Murray Grossan, M.D., an ear, nose and throat specialist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles explains that the chicken broth’s amino acids thin mucus in the lungs and clears nasal passages which helps relieve a cough and stuffy nose. Dr. Grossan, father-of-three, adds garlic and pepper to his recipe which he says are “time-tested treatments for respiratory diseases that work the same way as modern cough medicines to thin mucus and ease breathing.” Adding a bit of garlic to the soup will also help settle an upset stomach.

TOO SICK TO MAKE HOMEMADE CHICKEN SOUP?

When you’re sick and miserable the last thing you want to do is stand around in the kitchen preparing chicken soup. But don’t worry because relief can be as easy as opening a can. Dr. Stephen Rennard, a pulmonary expert at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, who has researched the healing properties of chicken soup, found some canned soups worked as well, if not better than the homemade version.

These included:

*Campbell’s Home Cookin’ chicken vegetable

*Knorr’s chicken noodle

*Campbell’s Healthy Request chicken noodle

*Lipton Cup-0-soup chicken noodle

*Progresso chicken noodle

 

So before heading out to the store to load up on cough and cold medicines, why not try one of these simple, inexpensive, and natural remedies?