20 Home Remedies for Fighting a Cold

20 Home Remedies for Fighting a Cold. During cold and flu season, it can be hard to avoid sick people and all the germs floating around. This is especially true when people go to work or school sick. The common cold is a viral infection of your upper respiratory tract that affects the nose and throat. It's usually harmless unless you have an extremely weakened immune system, although it might not feel like it's no big deal. Many types of viruses cause the common cold, but the most common is called the rhinovirus.

It's normal to get the cold, and most people recover from it in about a week to 10 days. Symptoms might last longer if you're a smoker, so it's a good idea to ditch that habit if you don't like being sick. The symptoms of the common cold appear up to three days after exposure to a cold-causing virus. Of course, the symptoms vary from person to person but the most common is a runny or stuffy nose, low fever, congestion, cough, sore throat, sneezing, and body aches.

Unlike the flu, there is no vaccine for the common cold, so you have to rely on proper sanitation and a healthy immune system to keep you from getting sick. The best prevention methods are washing your hands regularly, disinfecting items, sneezing and coughing into tissues to prevent the spread of germs, and to avoid sharing drinking glasses or utensils with anyone.

If you come down with the cold there are many home remedies that will give you relief from your symptoms and help you recover faster. Of course, if your symptoms worsen you should talk to your doctor. If you're interested in easy and affordable natural treatments, keep on reading to discover 20 home remedies for fighting a cold.

As a note: you should speak to your doctor before starting any new home remedy.