Do you know any home remedies so that you can treat the flu naturally but still effectively? Suffering from Colds, fever, chills and muscle pains? If you are experiencing any of these, then home remedies are the way to go. Read on for some helpful tips, advice and natural remedies for flu. Or, if it’s in your tummy, see our page on stomach flu treatment.
Flu or influenza is an infection caused by the flu virus, this infection often leaves a person ill rendering him/her unable to do daily activities.
Definition
What exactly is Flu? Influenza is one of the most common viral infections experienced by humans. This is particularly caused by the virus family Orthomyxoviridae. There are several strains of the flu virus, ranging for the self-limiting type (meaning the infection can be controlled by the body) to the severe type such as bird flu and SARS. The most common ones infecting humans belongs to the self-limiting type.
Symptoms
Flu is also one of the common reasons people are confined to bed and are unable to go to school or work. Flu symptoms, such as generalized muscle pain, fever, chills, nasal stuffiness, sore throat, general weakness and discomfort often make the person too sick to continue work or daily tasks. Symptoms of flu usually appear 24-48 hours after the infection. Initial symptoms usually include chills, a slight grade fever of 100-104 deg F, cough and nasal congestion. Other symptoms such as fatigue, muscle pains, petechial rashes, headache, reddened eyes and skin usually follow or can also appear simultaneously.
In order to treat flu, it is important for us to know certain flu facts. Many ask how long does the flu last or how it is acquired or spread. Once you have an infection and symptoms begin to be felt, it may last for 5-7 days (approximately one week). One can be infected with the flu virus in three ways; first is by directly sneezing or coughing at you, next is by inhalation of droplets from the infected person through the air, and through hand to hand, hand to mouth, or hand to eye contact.
Treatment
Knowledge of flu treatment is vital knowledge for every responsible person. Treatment of flu usually focuses on relieving the symptoms and not eradicating the causative agent itself. This is because generally, flu is a self-limiting disease. The immune system would eventually recover from the infection and would successfully eradicate the virus from the body. To help the body achieve this, flu symptoms are relieved and supportive measures to boost the immune system are employed.
Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) is usually given for fever and muscle aches, aspirin is usually avoided especially when children are affected (aspirin can causes Reyes syndrome). To boost the immune system and help the body overcome the infection, plenty of rest, fluids, balanced diet and Vitamin C are given. These measures do not address or relieve the symptoms, but these aid the immune system in battling the virus. Treating the the flu also involves avoidance of smoking and drinking alcohol. If the symptoms of flu involve nausea and vomiting, then stomach flu is suspected. Stomach flu treatment would involve re-hydration therapy, modifying the diet by avoiding too much simple sugars and increasing intake of probiotics, antiemetics to prevent further vomiting and anti-motility drugs to address diarrhea. See more about this virus here.
Home Remedies to Ease Flu Symptoms
- Garlic Cloves: Garlic has the immune-boosting substance allicin, additionally understood to relieve flu and cold symptoms. Cut or squash 1-2 gloves of fresh garlic and brew them in hot water; then, drink it like a tea. An added bonus of this is it could keep others away from you, preventing the virus to spread further. Garlic is probably top of the list as far as home remedies for the flu or a cold are concerned.
- Honey: Honey is known to greatly help the immune system. Honey has antibacterial and antimicrobial abilities; if you have a sore or raspy throat, honey will certainly ease it and assist in recovering. Put it in your coffee, herbal tea, or plain hot water or on its own. When the blend has cooled down a little, you could even use it for gargling.
- Lemon: Lemons are packed with vitamin C, which is known to assist the physical body’s all-natural defenses. Lemon can lessen the strength of the flu and cold symptoms and lower phlegm. Include lemon juice to your herbal tea or make warm or cool lemonade with honey to stay well, build resistance to flu’s and colds, and quicken the recovery process if you do indeed succumb.
- Zinc: Taking lozenges containing zinc after every two hrs will help your nasal passages decongest.
- Goldenseal: Take 5 amounts of 125mg goldenseal supplement each day to eliminate viruses and make your immune system stronger. Repeat for five days. This is one of the home remedies for colds that have been around for hundreds of years.
- Steam: Vapor could help to relieve stodginess and blockage. Boil a pot of water on the range and after that gradually breathe in the vapor using a large towel over your head and the steam.
- Salt Water: Salt water in nasal washes, saline nasal sprays, and gargles has long been made use of effectively to soothe aching throats, and keep breathing passages moist, decongested and devoid of infesting viruses. For nasal cleaning, make use of a neti pot or bulb syringe with a quarter teaspoon salt in 1 mug of warm water. Note: Although a lot make use of warm faucet water in their neti pots, distilled, disinfected, or formerly steamed water is recommended to keep safe.
- Ginger: Ginger’s wellness abilities have long been acknowledged. Steep many slices of fresh ginger root in warm water and sip for an extra wellness boost or to ease a cough or scratchy throat.
- Peppermint Herbal Tea: Peppermint is laced with nutrients that help the physical body combat illness. It likewise could serve as an expectorant, helping the physical body to cough up mucous.
- Green Herbal Tea: Green tea is recognized to have numerous abilities that could help keep you healthy, and because of that considerably better prepared to fend off the flu or a cold. 2-3 cups on a daily basis are frequently encouraged. If you do contract cold or influenza (or feel them starting), think about taking 3 to 4 cups of green herbal tea day-to-day to expedite freeing your body of those vicious bugs and offer your physical body’s defenses an additional invigoration.
Special Homeopathic Remedy for Flu and The Common Cold
Click the bottle below to see more information on FluGo
Treating the flu virus infection is at its most effective when employed during the early stages of the disease, but the best remedy for the flu is to employ best measures to prevent it.
Watch this video to see MD, Dr. Bob Wheeler, talk all about the best natural flu treatments.
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August 18, 2012
this is a great site.. I have learned many natural remedies for colds , flus and other health conditions that i didn’t know about. thanks a lot.. I will certainly be trying them out.
February 15, 2013
Thanks Hugh, I try my best to make this site useful as possible.
April 27, 2013
Hello Sam, what a nice information you Got here, cold and flu need to be well taken care of…