How to Stop a Cold Before it Takes Hold

Everyone knows the feeling. You wake up in the morning and your throat feels a little swollen, your nose is slightly stuffy and your head aches or your eyes sting. You pop a few aspirin, hop in the shower and head off to work and, as the day progresses, you find that most of your symptoms have disappeared in the distraction of your daily routine. However, by the time you go to bed, your headache is back, and, when you awake the next morning, you are battling a full blown, nasty cold. If only you had started fighting it yesterday before it took hold, you could have been outside enjoying the sunshine or working on that project that is due tomorrow rather than shuffling your way around the house, leaving a trail of tissues in your wake. Although you cannot always prevent the onset of a cold, there are several steps that you should take at the first sign of infection to try and drive off the pesky illness before it takes over your body.

Things You'll Need

• Orange juice with pulp
• Water
• Chicken or beef broth
• Vitamin C drops
• Hand sanitizer
• Daily vitamin

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Instructions

• 1

  Take it easy. The best way to fight off an infection is to give your body the time and energy to counterattack. If you can take half a day off work, do so, and stay in bed. If you do not have that option, move around as little as possible. Do not go out for lunch or take an afternoon stroll. Keep still and talk as little as possible. If you are an active person who exercises daily, forgo your workout for a day and stay out of the pool if you are a swimmer. All of these things will help your body focus its resources and reserve energy on killing off the cold that wants to move into your system.

• 2

  Use hand sanitizer liberally. If you can keep surfaces that you touch clean, then you are less likely to backtrack over your own cold and give it a second or third chance at you later in the day.

• 3

  Avoid sweets. While the temptation when your throat hurts may be to sooth it with some ice cream or a fizzy cola drink, you should resist these comfort foods. Colas dehydrate you, and sweets do not contribute anything to your energy level. Instead, drink a sweet fruit smoothie or a sports drink that is fortified with vitamins in order to keep your body focused on the battle at hand.

• 4

  Fuel up your vitamin C arsenal. Vitamin C drops are not only a fast way to ease sore throats, they also contribute to the overall levels of vitamin C in your body, and many doctors believe that a healthy dose of vitamin C will stave off a cold when nothing else will. Drinking orange juice with the pulp is another good way to stay hydrated and up your vitamin C intake.

• 5

  Remember your daily vitamin. In the flurry of counteracting the cold with vitamin C and other healthy practices, you may forget to take your daily supplement. It is important to keep all your vitamin and mineral levels on par at all times, and even more vital when your health is threatened.

• 6

  Drink lots of broth. You can drink chicken broth or beef broth. These soups are nourishing and also will help sooth irritated tissues in your throat. You can breath in the steam from the mug of soup as you drink it to sooth and open up your sinuses and nasal passageways as well.