Here are a few very handy tips for keeping yourself as comfortable as possible if you happen to catch a cold.
Drink lots of fluids. Water, juice, tea and warm soup are the way to go, but you should give alcohol, smoking and caffeine a miss, because they can cause dehydration and make you feel worse.
Chicken soup actually works! Scientists have shown that this age-old remedy acts in two ways to relieve symptoms. One, it inhibits the movement of neutrophils, the cells in the body which cause inflammation. Two, it temporarily speeds up the movement of mucus through the nose, relieving congestion and helping to flush out viruses. And believe it or not, canned soup works just as well as home-made.
Get enough rest. Stay home when you have a fever, a bad cough or are drowsy from medication. Rest helps you recover your immunity faster and reduces the chance that you’ll infect other people.
Keep the air moist. Use a cool-mist humidifier or vapourizer to put moisture into the air which helps ease coughing and congestion.
Soothe your throat. A warm saltwater gargle several times a day, and lemon and honey drinks can soothe sore throats and relieve coughs.
Coping with a Cough
All coughs are different, so to get the right treatment, get our advice first.
There are three main types of cough, which need to be treated differently to get the best results.
1. If a cough is annoying, but doesn’t accompany a serious illness, a basic over-the-counter cough mixture may do the trick. There are many remedies available and your Unichem pharmacist will show you the best one for you. However rest assured, we only recommend over-the-counter mixtures when there is no reason to suspect any serious underlying problem.
2. For a productive, chesty cough where phlegm is coughed up, an expectorant cough mixture is probably the way to go. These remedies loosen phlegm and help to bring it up, so you can feel more comfortable.
3. A dry, tickly, irritating cough without phlegm can be treated with a suppressant. A dry cough does not produce phlegm and is caused mainly by the irritation of the upper airways around the larynx and vocal chords. Cough suppressants such as pholcodine help stop the cough reflex while products with glycerin, and lemon and honey, coat and soothe the back of the throat.
You should see your doctor if the cough lasts for more than 10 days, if you are feeling unwell, or if you are coughing up mucus which is coloured or contains any blood.