Cold

Cold Causes

1. How to prevent the common cold? Although we all wish we knew how to prevent the common cold, there are more than 200 viruses that can cause it which makes the task difficult. The rhino virus is the one most frequently responsible, and not surprisingly, it is also one of the most contagious.
2. A person with a cold is usually contagious for a day before they develop cold symptoms and for about five days after, and the virus is easily spread through sneezing, coughing, yawning and sharing objects handled by an infected person.
3. The good news is that colds are very rarely serious and are only of concern if they lead to secondary infections such as strep throat, pneumonia, bronchitis and croup.

Cold Symptoms

1. Pain
2. Watering eyes
3. Body ache
4. Nosebleed
5. Runny nose

How Can I Prevent Colds in My Child?

If you have children, you may wonder how to prevent the common cold and though there are no proven strategies, a strong and healthy immune system will protect your child from all types of illnesses, including colds.

Keep your child’s immunity in peak condition with the following tips:

1. As a deficiency of certain vitamins and minerals can weaken the immune system, it is important to feed your child a healthy, balanced diet. Ensure a wide variety of fruit and vegetables and limit junk food and candy. If your child is a picky eater or avoids healthy food like the plague, use a daily multivitamin supplement, including Vitamin C and zinc.
2. Keep your child away from second-hand cigarette smoke and obvious sources of environmentally toxic agents like car gas fumes, pollution and harsh detergents or cleaning materials.
3. Avoid unnecessary use of prescription medications, especially antibiotics and steroid drugs.
4. A healthy lifestyle including a balanced diet and regular physical exercise will help to keep your child healthy, strong and protected from illness.
5. Limiting the bacteria and viruses that your children come into contact with, will also decrease their risk of falling ill.
6. Encourage your child to maintain a healthy weight, and if your child is overweight or obese, encourage weight loss in a natural and safe manner.

Cold Home Remedies

1. Vitamin C deficiency can often cause Cold problems. So go for rich natural source of vitamin C like Oranges, Gooseberries (Amla), Sweet lime (Mosambi),Grapes, Guava (Amrud) etc.
2. Eating hot Gram flour halva helps in controlling running nose instantly and effectively. (Roast Gram flour with Ghee (Besan) till it changes to light brown color, Then add water and Sugar and cook for few minutes).
3. Eating a small piece of Onion (pea size) or sucking a piece of Clove (Laung) helps to get instant relief from cold or running nose.
4. Ragi mixed with Turmeric powder sprinkled on the burning coal and the fumes inhaled cures nose blockage or cold very fast.
5. Turmeric powder sprinkled on the burning coal and fumes inhaled (but after that don't drink water for 5 hours) cures nose blockage, cold very fast.
6. Boiling Long pepper (pipple) in the Milk with Sugar candy (Mishri) and drinking this milk helps in curing running nose or cold.
7. Eating a Apple everyday before meals cures and prevents running nose or cold.
8. Dry Ginger powder (Sonth) mixed with old Jaggery (Gur) taken twice a day helps to cure running nose or cold.
9. milk boiled with Ginger, Black pepper (kali Mirch), Basil (Tulsi) leaves, Cloves (Laung), Red Sugar candy (Mishri) or Jaggery is very useful in curing Cold. This should be taken hot before going to bed, and cover the body to reserve body heat, for few days.
10. Few drops of Fresh neem leaves juice put in the nostrils cures running nose or cold easily.
11. Taking Steam with Eucalyptus oil drops helps in curing cold or nose blockage.
12. Rubbing the whole body using Salt while taking bath helps to cure cold or running nose.
13. Rating Sesame seeds (Til) roasted with ghee and mixed with Jaggery helps in curing running nose during winter.
14. Black pepper powder, Ginger juice and Basil juice mixed with Honey taken thrice a day cures running nose or cold.
15. Making Tea with few Mint (pudina) leaves or with Ginger or with Basil leaves and drinking cures running nose or cold.
16. Figs (Anjeer) Boiled in water and this hot water taken twice a day cures cold or running nose.
17. Taking Garlic in any form helps in curing running nose, sneeze or cold.
18. Betel leaf with a Clove can be taken to cure running nose or cold.
19. Aniseed (Saunf) and Cloves boiled in water for 10 minutes added Sugar and filtered. Drinking this hot decoction helps to cure cold or running nose.
20. Eating half spoon of Turmeric powder and drinking hot water for few days helps to overcome running nose or cold.
21. Drinking hot water with Lemon juice and Honey in the night helps to overcome running nose or cold.
22. Smelling Asafoetida (Hing) helps to reduce cold or running nose.
23. Tamarind (Imli) leaves boiled in water for few minutes and filtered. Taking this decoction also cures sold or running nose.
24. Make a slit in one Onion and fill Turmeric powder in the slit. Roast this Onion on a burning coal and eat before going to bed. Avoid drinking water whole night which helps in curing cold or running nose.
25. Applying Castor oil (Erand Ka teil) on the center of the head helps in curing running nose due to excessive heat in the body.
26. Drinking Tender coconut water in the day time helps in curing running nose due to excessive heat in the body.
27. Drinking a spoon of Betel leaves (Pan) juice helps to cure cold or running nose especially in children.
28. Drinking a spoon of Carom Leaf (Ajwain) Juice mixed with honey helps to cure cold or running nose especially in children.
29. Nut Meg (joy phal) paste with honey taken helps to cure cold or running nose especially in children.
30. Adding few drops of Doctors brandy in hot milk and given to children helps in curing cold or running nose.
31. Mix a gram of dalchini powder with a teaspoon of honey to curb a cold. Prepare a cup of tea to which you should add ginger, clove, bay leaf and black pepper. This should be consumed twice a day. Reduce the intake as the cold disappears.
32. Make soup from Tamarind pulp and take it to get relief from common cold.

Cold FAQ's

1. What are Colds?
2. What Causes a Cold?
3. Tips for parents to prevent colds of their child
4. What are Cold Sores?
5. What Causes Cold Sores?
6. Natura tips to prevent and treat cold sores
7. What are symptoms of Cold ?
8. How to prevent Cold ?
9. How to Select a Cold Medication ?

Cold Articles