22 Nov Summer Cold and Allergies
Summer the hottest time of the year, comes with all the fun and enjoyment, from reading and relaxing in front of the pool to going for camps, hikes and jogs. Summers are all about children enjoying their ice creams and adults slurping their margarita. With summer also come our uninvited guests, allergies, summer cold and bacterial infections. Yes summer cold is a real phenomenon. It just takes you to have a runny nose and a sore throat during the scorching summer heat and you have your clue to see a doctor. These may be viral upper respiratory tract infections or seasonal allergies. It definitely isn’t fun being indoors when all your friends are out enjoying summer grills, roasts and swimming and you have to be indoors all cooped up with the sneezing, snaffling and achiness.
These dreading summer colds occur more frequently than you realize, just by taking care of few things you can avoid them like when you or your children finish swimming be sure to dry yourselves well and don’t swim in dirty pools. Because of extreme heat you crave cold beverages and ice creams. But be aware of the fact that your body doesn’t cope well with these extreme changes and if you have low immunity you will definitely catch a cold or infection. The studies state that 30 to 50 percent of colds are caused by rhinoviruses which are mostly active during summer and early monsoon.
Summer cold doesn’t feel any different than winter cold. It involves sneezing, nasal congestion, nasal discharge, sore throat, cough, low grade fever, scratchy throat, headache and malaise, an increase in the production of mucus.
Generally if your immunity is low then you may get superadded bacterial infection with this common cold.
Sometimes cold is your body’s way of telling you to slow down or your immune system could be less or it could just be a cleansing of the body. Generally these infections last for 3 to 5 days and go away with the right treatment.
When to get help? If you have a high fever, with excess mucus and has lasted for 3- 4 days, you should definitely go to a doctor.
Treating your Summer Cold:
Home remedies like hot tea with honey for a sore throat, savory hot soup, and nasal drops like saline water mixed with sodium chloride i.e. water with pinch of salt to open the nasal passage. Increase your water intake. Drink hot water with fresh ginger, lemon and honey. Ginger is an amazing remedy as it breaks down and expels mucus, lemon is rich I Vitamin C and honey is an antibacterial that soothes a sore throat.
Homoeopathy is surely a better option than harsh allopathic treatment. Homoeopathy treats illnesses and removes the root cause of it. They are minute doses of substances that work by eliciting (drawing out) an immune response.
Why use homoeopathy?
Homoeopathic medicines are completely safe, free from side effects and are non-addictive. As they work at the level of your immune system, any ailment in your body disappear naturally. As I mentioned before homoeopathy address the underlying issue of your illness instead of just healing your illness. Homeopathic medicines are gentle for newborns as well as elderly.
Some Homeopathic remedies for cold:
- Aconite: must be used within 24 hours of onset. It is an easy remedy to keep at home. It heals high fever with chills, moods like restlessness, fear and anxiety.
- Allium Cepa : as known as the red onion: heals common cold, runny eyes and nose, nasal discharge, burns on the upper lip, sneezing, burn nasal discharges, sore throat.
- Nat Mur: this medicine cures, watery, boring discharge from eyes, nasal that drips down at the back of the throat, sore, sensitive eyes, hay fever.
- Bryonia: heals dry cough that occur in the evening and night. It also heals cough that is aggravated by eating or drinking anything warm. Chest pains, thirst for large quantities of cold water.
Of course you should consult your homoeopath before taking any medicines by yourself.
Dr.Shrirang Upasani
B.H.M.S.
+91-9822-002994