Back to school means back to cold season!

The common cold is an inflammation of the upper respiratory tract caused by viral infection which can affect the nose, ears, bronchial tubes, and sinuses. Your more likely to "catch" a cold when you are around lots of people for instance school kids and teachers. Instead of using strong medications there are many other ways to soothe your cough.

Zinc lozenges can be taken. If you are not taking a multivitamin you might not be getting enough zinc in your system depending on your diet of course. Adding more zinc would help reduce the duration of a cold. It is recommended to take a lozenge every 2 to 4 hours during the day but not to exceed 6 to 12 a day depending on age.

Astragalus root is used in chinese medicine. It is an antioxidant that has also been suggested for other conditions such as heart disease and can be used to strengthen your immunity. You can find this in capsules, tea, or extract. However, this is not recommended for pregnant women or children.

Garlic is one of the more common cures which can be used in chicken soup and hot drinks. Allicin is the cold fighting compound in garlic. In order to get the max of allicin you should use raw garlic chopped or crushed. You are also able to find this in pill form. The downfall of this can be bad breath and body odor.

Vitamin C is the most popular remedy. If taken orally in doses of 200 mg or more it can reduce the duration and severity but does not prevent the inflammation. If you have children this is going to be one of the easiest one to get them to take since the chewable tablets are pretty tasty! I definitely didn't mind taking them as a kid. Do not exceed 2000 mg of Vitamin C though as this can cause diarrhea.

Honey is another easy one to get children to take. This can calm a childs cough and help them get a deeper sleep. It is believed to have antioxidants and antibacterial effects. Dark honey, such as buckwheat honey, is higher in antioxidants. You can take this as a teaspoon or added in a hot drink.

My personal favorites are honey and vitamin C or even both combined. I normally put honey in warm orange juice and even sometimes add just a little lemon juice to calm a scratchy throat. I have also used this with my daughter as well. Other things that can be used is lime juice in warm water, echinecea, ginsing, and ginger which can be found in tea form at most health stores and are pretty tasty as well.


{Picture via www.thekitchn.com}