Shih says there's no one liquid in particular that you should be drinking. Water is of course the most basic way to hydrate yourself, but many people prefer warm liquids like ginger tea when they're sick plus, warm fluids can help with decongestion.
He also suggests adding honey or lemon to drinks, both of which can help with cold symptoms. Since alcohol dehydrates you, drinking it won't do your body any favors when it comes to healing your cold. Plus, many medicines like cough syrup should not be mixed with alcohol. In order to heal itself, your body needs to direct most of its energy towards your immune system, which is what will fight off your sickness. If you're cold, energy that should be going to your immune system will instead be going towards generating heat in order to keep your body warm.
The same goes for exercising or even just going to work. Much of what you do on a daily basis when you're healthy requires energy.
When you're sick, you should be staying in bed in order to allow your body to conserve almost all of its energy for your immune system. Shih says that salt water acts as a "natural mouthwash" and helps cleanse your throat by flushing out bacteria.
It can also help relieve pain and can reduce swelling. According to Dr. By Mayo Clinic Staff. Thank you for Subscribing Our Housecall e-newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest health information. Please try again. Something went wrong on our side, please try again.
Show references Common cold. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed Feb. Sexton DJ, et al. The common cold in adults: Treatment and prevention.
Saper RJ. Clinical use of echinacea. Pappas DE. The common cold in children: Management and prevention. Upper respiratory tract infection. Mayo Clinic; Natural Medicines. Drutz JE. Acute pharyngitis in children and adolescents: Symptomatic treatment. Recommendations for prevention and control of influenza in children, Sullivan JE, et al.
Clinical report — Fever and antipyretic use in children. Reaffirmed July Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. Renaud DL expert opinion. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. See also Avoid rebound nasal congestion Breast-feeding and medications Can chicken soup cure a cold? Chicken soup: Can it treat a cold?
Cold and flu viruses: How long can they live outside the body? Cold or allergy: Which is it? Cold symptoms: Does drinking milk increase phlegm? Cough Vitamin C and mood Does zinc work for colds? Echinacea: Is it effective for the common cold? Exercise and illness Fatigue Hand-washing tips Have a cold? Common sense rules Have a cold? Fight back with humidity Have a cold? Fight it with fluids Headache Honey: An effective cough remedy? How well do you wash your hands? Humidifier care Humidifiers Is antibacterial soap a do or a don't?
Nasal Cleaning Nasal congestion Neti pot: Can it clear your nose? Neti pot solution: Can I make my own? Plugged ears: What is the remedy? Runny nose School health tips Stuffy nose? Vitamin C: Can it prevent colds? Most of us know this but it bears repeating: Nothing you can take actually cures a cold, says Paul Lyons, MD, professor of family medicine and senior associate dean for education at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine.
No matter what you try to combat a cold, one thing that should not be in your arsenal is antibiotics. It could, though contributing to problems like antibiotic resistance; for more on this, read MedShadow. That said, if you do see a doctor for a persistent cold, he or she may decide to prescribe antibiotics if you appear to have a bacterial infection in addition to your cold.
The difference between a cold and the flu is minor for most people. The symptoms are much the same and in both cases you normally start to feel better after 3 days. A cold should be markedly better after a week, though the symptoms might linger. A flu will keep you down longer. Both a cold and a flu are viral but start from different viruses. The flu can turn into pneumonia, particularly in elderly, pregnant or others with compromised immune systems.
Pneumonia can be either viral or bacteria based, and a doctor needs to diagnose that difference. A common ingredient in OTC products as well as in prescription pain medications, acetaminophen has received a lot of publicity in recent years. However, at high doses it causes severe liver damage. In , the FDA required manufacturers of certain prescription products containing acetaminophen like the pain medication Ultracet tramadol and acetaminophen to place boxed warnings on their labels to help make people aware of potential health risks.
To help avoid accidental overdose taking OTC drugs, read the label carefully to make sure you know what active ingredients the product contains. And, says Dr.
Before you reach for a decongestant to clear your blocked nasal passages, consider this: All decongestants increase blood pressure. Says Dr. Lyons agrees that people with high blood pressure should be careful with decongestants, he feels these drugs can be used safely for short periods of time in certain cases.
Pressure worries aside, decongestants — while they help relieve symptoms — should be used with caution. The longer you take decongestants, the more likely you are to experience unwanted side effects.
Not only that, but these drugs tend to lose their effectiveness over time. In fact, after a while, some decongestants — especially nasal sprays — may actually cause congestion when used too frequently or for too long longer than days.
Finally, decongestants can have one side effect that may make it harder for your body to kick the cold to the curb: jitteriness. That floaty, medicine-y, shaky feeling some of us get when taking these drugs may make it harder for you to sleep, and rest is really what you need right now. Lack of sleep wreaks havoc on an already shot immune system, making it even harder for your body to fight off the cold.
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