Tips on how to beat a COLD

FEED a cold, starve a fever. Or is it starve a cold, feed a fever? Oh, heck, who feels well enough to eat anything anyway? Just pass the tissues. Common cold? Ha! What’s so common about it?
Unless they mean that, this time of year, we all have in common the sniffles, the sneezes, the hacking cough and the other reminders that cold season has begun. And if it’s not a cold, it’s the flu. Until scientists come up with a cure for colds and flu, we suggest trying one or more of these ways to win the battle, or at least make yourself less miserable.

OTC pain relief

Acetaminophen, aspirin or ibuprofen can reduce your fever or achiness. But read and follow directions: Just because they’re sold without a prescription doesn’t mean they’re harmless. Acetaminophen can cause liver damage. Ibuprofen may upset your stomach.

Rest

The world will go on without you. Taking a day or two off work, or at least slowing down from your usual routine, allows your body to put all its energy into getting well.

Drink up

Your body needs extra liquids, to replace those lost during a cold and to help flush out the impurities. Have six to eight glasses a day of water, juice or other mostly clear liquids. That would include chicken soup. It’s a fact: Hot chicken soup can help unclog your nasal passages by increasing the flow of nasal mucus.

Head for the showers

A steamy shower, a hot bath, a hot teakettle or a plain old pan of boiling water can help with congestion and moisten a dry throat. If you’re taking the kitchen route to steam relief, take the pan off the stove. Drape a towel over your head in a tent and inhale the steam until it subsides.