((Before I start though, I must remind you that I'm not a doctor, these are just general health tips. But I do have a huge interest in healthcare and will only write about what I know to be true and about which I have put forth substantial research (via the internet - ehow and webmd). ))
*Water!
This is for your daily life, not just when you're feeling sick!
Drink. Plenty. Of. Water.
Water keeps every part of your body working properly. It helps to boost your immune system, and flush the junk (toxins and waste products) out of your body! It helps to regulate your body temperature, helps keep your joints and muscles lubricated, gosh darnit - water is just fantastic for us and you should drink at least 8 glasses per day, depending on many factors it could easily be more your body needs. When feeling sluggish, under the weather, just 'bleh', it's especially important to keep hydrated!
*Gargling with (warm) salt water.
If you're not familiar with this, it's an (albeit slightly odd) awesome way to help heal/sooth a sore throat!
How to: *sprinkle salt - preferably sea salt - into normal drinking glass (get that water salty!)
*Gargling with (warm) salt water.
If you're not familiar with this, it's an (albeit slightly odd) awesome way to help heal/sooth a sore throat!
How to: *sprinkle salt - preferably sea salt - into normal drinking glass (get that water salty!)
* fill with enough for a few mouthfuls (1/3 to 1/2 a glass) of warm water
*Use this to gargle! Should have enough here for a few times.
(if you don't know what I mean with 'gargle' - google how! ;) )
Why and how does this help? Well there are a few theories to how&why it works - but if you ask me, theory or not, I know this works GREAT for me!
Why and how does this help? Well there are a few theories to how&why it works - but if you ask me, theory or not, I know this works GREAT for me!
We won't go too far into the science behind it (It's basically the process of osmosis - ehow.com has a
great article on salt water gargling.)
1) Salt water essentially dehydrates the bacteria that's causing the sore throat.
great article on salt water gargling.)
1) Salt water essentially dehydrates the bacteria that's causing the sore throat.
2) Salt water is helping to heal with the swelling that's causing the soreness.
Over all - the warmth from the water will help to sooth a sore throat, and one way or another the salt helps with the healing process.
Over all - the warmth from the water will help to sooth a sore throat, and one way or another the salt helps with the healing process.
Something to remember is that gargling one time is not effective, must be repeated throughout the day(s). It is not a successful treatment in and of itself, but with proper hydration and vitamins - these form a very effective solution.
I personally gargle every few hours when my throat is sore, eat as many oranges as I can handle and just keep drinking water all throughout the day - and let me tell you, I was over that sore throat in 2 short days!
*Oranges? Vitamins!
- Vitamins help the body to function properly and add a boost to fighting illnesses.
*Oranges? Vitamins!
- Vitamins help the body to function properly and add a boost to fighting illnesses.
Now, I won't go into depth about dosing amounts and exactly how different vitamins work in the body, simply because I don't have sufficient knowledge about that yet! But what I will tell you is:
*Vitamin C (I'm sure you're familiar with this when cold season comes around!) helps to boost your immune system, which produces the disease fighting anti-bodies we need! You can get your vitamin C in supplements (which I try to take daily, but especially when I'm feeling under the weather or it's cold season) and also in your diet - think oranges, classic right :), but also grapefruit, raw red pepper, mango, kiwi and broccoli are great natural sources.
*Vitamin A helps stimulate productivity and activity of while blood cells, helping to regulate the immune system. It's also great for your eyesight and healthy skin! Some foods that contain Vitamin A include sweet potatoes, carrots, cantaloupes, lemons, bananas, liver, eggs, mozzarella cheese, mangoes, spinach, dried apricots and milk.
*Vitamin D is also very important - but I'm going to just direct you to an article instead of trying my own words!
Read more: How to Get Enough Vitamin D | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2160026_enough-vitamin-d.html#ixzz1cTeQ6GpG
Over all, I would suggest really incorporating these types of foods into your diet as a safe starter plan.
*Give SUGAR a break!
Basically sugar is an immune suppressant. Since we need our immune system to be on it's best behavior when sickness is around, it's smart to stay away from large amounts of sugar. Refined sugar is worse, although natural sugar found in some foods can have the same effect. My advice? Limit the amount of sweet-processed food when you're feeling less than healthy. Try sugarless juices or for us coffee drinkers, stay away from those sweet lattes for a bit. (Sorry!)
*Beat that mucus monster!
Let's face it - phlegm is NASTY. Do your best to stay away from dairy products, meat and soy in order to not increase the ever annoying mucus.
*Drink up - tea!
Depending on the type of tea of course, but the heat from a nice mug of hot tea can help loosen up phlegm, and simply be a soothing experience. Green tea is full of antioxidants, lemon, ginger, and honey (especially good for soothing sore throats!) all have many health attributes - brew yourself a mug of your favorite kind!
I hope you are able to find this article informative and helpful!
Thank you SO much for reading - don't forget to join this site&FOLLOW my blog (check upper right corner of my blog!) for more posts!
~Sara
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