Common cold, an infectious disease, starts to spread among the population as soon as the monsoon comes. Unfortunately, there is no treatment for the common cold, you can only use OTC medications and cold and cough remedies to manage the symptoms. Typical cold symptoms include a sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, coughing, sneezing, and, in certain cases, mild temperature, and all of these could be managed at home. Generally speaking, cold treatment is not necessary for most people because they recover naturally in a few days. 

However, there are instances when the symptoms are so bad that they keep you up at night and stop you from performing your daily activities, and in that situation, remedies can be hugely beneficial. One thing you should remember is that you must see your healthcare provider if your symptoms worsen or don't improve. Let us now take a look at the most effective cold and cough remedies, treatments, and tips on how to prevent cough and cold.  

What is the Common Cold?

A common cold is caused by viruses and causes mild to moderate sickness in most patients. Your throat and nose will feel jammed, and you will feel body pain and aches when you get a common cold. You will also get coughs and low fever, and the symptoms will last for at least a few days before naturally going away. Adults frequently experience two or three colds annually, and even though the common cold is caused by several viruses, most often, rhinoviruses are the culprit. 

Droplets are released into the air when a sick person coughs or sneezes, and the virus enters your body through the mouth, eyes, or nose. Handshaking with a sick person, sharing items like dishes, towels, or phones with a common cold patient, or touching your mouth, nose, or eyes after coming into touch with the virus will get you infected. 

Cough Treatments for Common Cold Patients 

A cold can cause a sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, coughing, and sneezing, and only a handful of specific medications for cough treatments can help you get relief from these symptoms. Treating a cold or the cough it generates is not necessary, and antibiotics won't help you recover from this illness, however, cough and cold remedies can give you relief if you are suffering too much from the cold. These are the most common cough treatments that are in use today: 

• Suppressants

Cough suppressants work by inhibiting your brain's cough response, which is one of the effective cough treatments because it lessens your cough quickly. Dextromethorphan (DM) is one of the most often used active components in suppressants, and many OTC suppressants have dextromethorphan in them because of their quick action. Other varieties of cough suppressants include menthol, camphor, and eucalyptus oil, and these chemicals are present in several ointments that can be used topically. 

• Expectorants

Expectorants aid in the release of mucus, or phlegm, by thinning out the mucus, which in turn facilitates easier coughing and clearing of the airway. If you require an expectorant, make sure to search for the component guaifenesin on the label since it is approved by the FDA, and is available as a syrup, or pill. A few natural expectorants that can be helpful for you in this condition are honey and menthol, which are the components of several cough drops.

• Combination Medicines

Certain cough medications mix dextromethorphan and guaifenesin, and may also contain other medications to treat many symptoms at once. Decongestants for stuffy noses, antihistamines for allergies or runny noses, and analgesics are some examples of these additional substances that are used in these medicines.  

Natural Cold and Cough Remedies

1. Honey and Tulsi Tea

Honey and tulsi tea is one of the most known cold and cough remedies that you have surely heard of. While tulsi, or holy basil, has long been utilized in traditional medicine for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory qualities, honey is well-recognized for its calming effects on the respiratory system. Brew black tea, add a teaspoon of honey and a few leaves of tulsi in it, and drink it hot for cough relief.  

2. Chicken Soup 

Chicken soup's contents help your immune system, and even though it cannot treat colds, it can give you relief from the symptoms. It keeps you hydrated, improves your mood, and there is some evidence to suggest that the nutrients in chicken soup may cause your body's neutrophils to move more slowly. Neutrophils are white blood cells that aid in defending your body against illness, and they remain more concentrated in the parts of your body that require them the most when they move slowly, which aids in the healing process. 

3. Probiotics

Probiotics are friendly bacteria that may shorten the duration of an upper respiratory infection as well as lower your risk of getting sick with one. They can also support the health of your immune system, however, additional research is required before concluding how it works. 

Tips for Cough Relief

Follow these simple cough relief tips to manage your condition without any medication:  

• Gargle with Hot Water 

Gargling might provide comfort from a sore throat, and you should gargle with half a teaspoon of salt diluted in eight ounces of warm water a few times a day for the best benefits. Try gargling with anything astringent, such as tannin-containing tea, to constrict the membranes and lessen the irritation in your throat, or try honey-apple cider vinegar gargle for quick relief. 

 

• Take a Hot and Steamy Shower

One of the most popular cough relief tips that everyone agrees upon is taking a hot shower no matter the weather. In addition to hydrating your nasal passages, the warmth and humidity of a steamy shower may also promote relaxation and help with sinus congestion. 

STEAM INHALATION – it helps sooth the dry airways and gives quick relief from a blocked nose, helps bring out phlegm from sinuses and throat.

• Apply Cold or Hot Packs to Get Relief from Congested Sinuses

Using hot or cold packs to release congested sinuses is one of the most useful cough relief tips. Reusable hot or cold packs are available for purchase at pharmacies or you can also make them at home if you want because both are equally effective. You will feel the release quickly after you start this treatment, but you should continue a few times a day to maintain the effects. 

Concluding Thoughts

The common cold is almost inescapable in the rainy season, and even though you may be reading up on how to prevent cough and cold, in the end, there is not much you can do. This virus-borne illness doesn’t have any treatment, and the best you can do is to use OTC medications to get relief from headache and cough, or to use home remedies for symptom relief. You should always remember that certain illnesses can mimic the symptoms of the common cold, and some of these illnesses can become serious without treatment. That is why, you should contact your doctor without delay if you think your symptoms are not improving even after a few days, or they are, in fact, getting worse. Also, prolonged cough after a bout of common cold could be allergic and give trouble for as long as  few months.