How to Recover From Your Winter Cold

You’ve done all you could to avoid getting sick, however, it just didn’t seem to be enough and you’ve caught that cold you’ve been hoping to escape. So now it’s time to learn how to get over your illness in the shortest amount of time possible. Lucky for you we’ve put together a list of the most effective ways to recover from a winter cold.

Hydration is Key

First of all, hydrating your body prevents dehydration and its awful effects. You require a certain amount of water each day to clear toxins and have your body functioning well. However when you have a cold, you naturally don’t feel the need to eat and drink plenty of water. This is why staying hydrated is crucial when trying to overcome your cold.

Quick Tip: If cold water aggravates your senses, boil the water a little and drink it warm. Add a slice of lemon for taste.

Gargle with salt water

You’ve probably heard this common sense advice many times before, but it’s common sense for a reason. The salt in the warm water draws moisture from the swollen tissues in your throat, relieving inflammation. Salt is also great for preventing bad bacteria. “You’re creating a high-salt barrier and you’re pulling out the fluids from the tissues in the throat area, so you’re washing the virus out. The salt functions as a magnet…” says Sorana Segal-Maurer, M.D, chief of the Dr James J. Rahal Jr. Division of Infectious Disease in an interview with WebMD.

Quick Tip: Gargle warm salt water especially if you’ve got an irritating cough or sore throat to expedite the healing process.

Drink hot tea

You’ve already read that keeping your fluids up and staying hydrated is one of the most important steps towards recovery; so drinking hot drinks such as tea can benefit you too. A nice, warm cup of herbal tea can fight off any possible infections you may be developing or already have, due to natural bacteria fighting ingredients. Hot drinks can also soothe a sore throat and relieve a stuffy nose. Vive Health stocks a wide range of organic tea to get you through your cold. Celestial Seasonings Lemon Zinger Herbal Tea is a must have in your pantry. Not only does it tick all the boxes of a flu fighting tea, the whole brand of herbal tea is caffeine free.

Quick Tip: A simple honey, ginger and lemon tea can also do the trick. Just make sure its organic!

Eat the right food

Rich in fibre, nutrient-dense whole foods promotes a healthy bacterial balance whilst also boosting the immune system. Eating good meals will help get you on the road to recovery in no time, so it’s important to get familiar with the organic foods you should avoid and what you should be consuming more of when you’re sick. For example, dairy can promote mucus production and fatty food can be difficult to digest so limit your consumption of these foods. Better options include broth soups, dark leafy greens, garlic, turmeric and sweet potato.

Quick Tip: Check out our article 10 Gluten Free Meal Ideas for Winter for more healthy food ideas for winter.

Vitamins are your friend

Herbal medicine and vitamins can help greatly reducing the severity and duration of symptoms. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can sometimes be the main cause for the winter cold you always seem to come down with, so it’s important to put some essential vitamins back in your system. Vitamin C and Zinc are our most common nutrients to think about but if you would like to look in more detail please contact any of our practitioners here at Vive.

Quick Tip: Try our flu protection packs that include all the necessary vitamins you would need in order to alleviate symptoms and re-boost your immune system.

 Advice from naturopath and Vive Health co-founder, Matt Steinacher:

“My experience and research indicates there is no better herb than Andrographis for acute Rhinovirus (the cold). When combined with Zinc and Echinacea (standardised for alkylamides) Andrographis works particularly well for not only reducing the severity of the common cold but also the duration. Keep in mind that it is important to use good quality herb which is standardised for androgrophalide (active group of phytochemical).  Andrographis can also be use preventativly, is antiinflammatory, and protective of the liver in clinical research.