How to get rid of a cold quickly: Try these six remedies
EVERYONE gets struck down by a cold now and then. But when you’re feeling at your worst, with a runny nose, sore throat and persistent cough, there are steps you can take to feel better, fast.
Adults suffer an average of two to four colds each year, with children catching many more.
Symptoms of the common cold include a runny nose, sore throat, cough and tiredness. Headache and a mild fever are also fairly standard.
The common cold is actually a range of different viruses, with the most widespread being rhinovirus.
Although a cold will usually clear up by itself in a week or 10 days, these remedies can help you get feel better more quickly and get back to your best.
Garlic
For centuries, garlic has been used as a natural cold remedy due to its antiviral and antimicrobial properties.
It needs to be eaten regularly to have the best effect, but studies seem to suggest that garlic can help reduce symptoms or even prevent your illness entirely.
Supplements are the easiest way to increase your garlic intake.
Ginger
Ginger root has been proven to work effectively against rhinovirus, or the common cold.
The UK’s Wellcome Research Laboratories found that the most active antiviral components of ginger inhibited the virus.
Some experts advise drinking three cups of ginger tea daily while symptoms persist.
Zinc
Zinc lozenges and nasal sprays may shorten the duration of a cold by a couple of days. They have been found in studies to interfere with the rhinovirus infection.
GETTY
The common cold is a range of different viruses, with the most widespread being rhinovirus
You should be able to get the recommended daily intake of zinc through a balanced diet, but if supplements are taken, the Department of Health recommends no more than 25mg a day as too much may cause anaemia and weakening of the bones.
Vitamin C
Unfortunately, dosing up on vitamin C when you already have a cold won’t help, according to research.
But if you take the vitamin regularly before the onset of a cold, it may help reduce the duration of the symptoms.
Echinacea
There are conflicting results as to whether echinacea has any effect on the common cold.
Some positive studies seem to suggest that the herbal remedy can make a difference to how long a cold lasts, but can’t change the frequency you catch colds.
GETTY
Over-the-counter products
Over-the-counter products can make you feel better temporarily because most contain paracetamol which relieves pain, but they don’t shorten the lifespan of a cold.
However, a pharmacist may recommend a decongestant to reduce stuffiness and clear a blocked nose, opening up your airways and allowing you to breathe more easily.
Expectorants can loosen thick phlegm, helping it to disperse more quickly.
Antibiotics are completely ineffective against colds because they fight bacteria-related illnesses, not viruses such as the rhinovirus.
You are more likely to catch a cold in cooler weather, due to the link between temperature and immune response.
Our cells are more capable of fighting off viruses when it’s warm, so if we keep warm, the virus will struggle to reproduce and find it harder to take hold.