How to beat a cold or the flu

Introduction

Most adult persons suffer from cold at least two times peryear, but there are also those who suffer from this rather common medicalcondition four or even more times per year. Colds usually occur during May or Septemberand they rarely occur during the summer. Children may suffer from cold up toeight times per year as well. The flu is a certain type of cold and it oftenoccurs during the winter. The best way to prevent flu and common cold from occurringis to get vaccinated on a regular yearly basis. Sometimes the makers andsuppliers of the vaccines cannot provide sufficient amounts of vaccines, and inthose cases it is of utmost importance to provide the vaccines for those whoare in the high risk categories. Those include certain types of health careworkers, nursing home residents, people with certain types of chronicillnesses, adults who are older than 65 and infants who younger than two.Staying away from large crowds and avoiding those who are infected may also behelpful most of the time.

Treatment

There are certain cases in which people simply cannot avoidbeing surrounded by crowds or those who are already infected. But there aresome measures that can be taken even in such cases. Rubbing certain ointmentson the affected areas of the nose can be of great help. Creams and lotions mayalso be very helpful. Humidifiers and hot showers may be very helpful for allthose who suffer from a stuffed up nose. Cough drops and gargling with saltdiluted in warm water may also provide excellent results. Those who smokeshould try to reduce the amount of smoked cigarettes to a minimum, because theyaggravate the condition. One should not take any antibiotics because they are onlyefficient in killing various sorts of bacteria. They cannot be used to kill ofthe viruses which are at the core of all flu and common cold problems. It is strongly recommended to takeacetaminophen because it may be of great help when it comes to relieving aches,fever and painful sensations which may be affiliated with these medicalconditions. The flu can be quite annoying in some cases as it may take morethan 10 days to recover fully. Asthma, severe cough, ear pain and high fevermay indicate an underlying condition. Chicken soup may be of great help inrelieving in treating the condition.