Water Therapy For The Common Cold

18 December, 2009 No Comment

The common cold is one ailment that has struck all of us at some point of time. If you have astrong immune system and are able to keep it off, you’re extremely lucky. But most of us aren’t and tend to succumb to it a few times each year.

The common cold is a viral infection and is also known as acute viral rhinopharyngitis or acute coryza. In the United States alone, over a billion colds are suffered each year!

All of us are familiar with the symptoms of a common cold that include sore throat, runny nose, fever, hoarse voice, malaise, chills, headache, nasal congestion and a decrease in appetite.

Unfortunately, the common cold does not have any cure and over the counter drugs and antibiotics can only help alleviate some of the symptoms but cannot treat the actual cause. Water therapy for common cold is one of the best ways by means of which you can get immediate relief and reduce the duration of the illness.

Water therapy for battling common cold:

In naturopathy, a cold is considered to be the body’s natural way of detoxifying itself. Most of us catch a cold when the season is changing. This is because at this time the body tries to settle in the new season and cleanses all waste matter which is expelled in the form of mucus. This process of natural detoxification causes cold and flu.

Water therapy is the most useful and most overlooked form of treatment for common cold. Water helps flush out all the harmful toxins from the body, regulates body temperature and keeps us hydrated. When struck by a cold, it is advisable for you to increase your water intake considerably. This will not only help cleanse your system faster but will also replenish the loss of fluids.

You can simply begin by drinking warm water at regular intervals. This will also soothe your sore throat and keep the mucus lining of the lungs lubricated and produce a productive cough. Adding 1 tbsp of honey to warm water with 1 tsp of lime juice will relieve phlegm and soothe cough.

You can also drink herbal teas at this time. A good blend would be to add a small piece of ginger, ¼ tsp powdered cinnamon and 1 clove to boiling water. Sweeten it with honey and drink this infusion after every 2 hours. This will keep you warm and will also help alleviate some of the symptoms accompanying the cold.

Garlic soup is one of the best remedies for battling a common cold. You can add a few cloves of garlic to any soup or broth to speed up the healing process. Clear chicken soup is also a great remedy for overcoming cold.

Adding salt to hot water and gargling with it will help relieve sore throat. Steam inhalation is also a great way to reduce headache and nasal congestion accompanying a cold. You can add a few drops of eucalyptus oil to boiling water and inhale the steam for instant relief.