I woke up yesterday morning with some achiness and a stuffed up head, sure signs that a cold was coming my way. My standard method of dealing with the moments when cold and flu season hit me is lots of orange juice and a large pot of chicken and rice soup. This is mostly because that's how my mom handled it when my sister and I were growing up.
According to Sally Squires, who writes the Lean Plate Club column at the Washington Post, chicken soup is supposed to help clear up a cold. Scientists have found that the steam from the soup bowl "helps soothe and open bronchioles." The carrots, tomatoes and garlic aren't bad for you either. She dug around a little bit more, to discover other natural ways to ease the effects of a cold or flu. In talking to the experts, what she learned is that honey, especially the natural, unprocessed is good. Cherry bark extract can also help and most natural food stores carry it (it is also one of the ingredients in throat coat tea). Mint and black elderberry can also help calm a cough.
However, time is really the only dependable cure for the standard cold or flu. Frustrating, isn't it!
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