How to Fight a Cold

With cold and flu season fast approaching, here a few tips to help you recover faster.

1. Rest - don't try to ignore the fact that you are sick.  Take the time to sleep, sleep, and get more sleep until you are better.
2. Fever - your body creates a fever when it is trying to fight off an infection.  Let the fever do it's work and try not to take fever reducers unless absolutely necessary.  If you don't have a fever but want to create your own, try a very hot bath or soak in a hot tub for 20 minutes to help kill the bug.
3. Cut out Dairy and Sugar - dairy can make your body produce more mucous and that is not what you want right now. Use dairy substitutes or just avoid for a few days.  Avoid sugar because it can reduce your immune activity by 50%.
4. Protein - your body needs protein when you are sick to help your immune system do its job. You might not be very hungry, but try to eat some protein anyway.
5. Fluids - hot fluids will help loosen mucous, sooth sore throats, and keep you warm.  Try herbal teas, clear broths, or add lemon slices to hot water.
6. Probiotics - good bugs in your belly fight bad bugs in your body.  Taking a good probiotic will increase the good bugs in your system to help boost your immune system.

These tips were inspired by a newsletter by Dr. Paulson