How to Get Rid of a Cold Fast! 5 Natural Remedies & 3 Cold Prevention Tips

The ultimate goal of the Beauty Detox/Solluna lifestyle is to be the highest form of ourselves; happy, healthy and at peace. But when we’re sick, we tend to be the lowest form of ourselves; exhausted, weak, and even a bit helpless. Not to worry, Beauties! This guide explains how to get rid of a cold fast, and how to prevent getting a cold in the future, naturally!

But first, let’s get a better understanding of what the common cold actually is.

What Causes the Common Cold?

The Rhinovirus (AKA the common cold) is spread when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or even talks [1]. It enters the body through the mouth, eyes or nose. It’s also spread by hand-to-hand contact or by sharing contaminated objects.

Common cold symptoms include:

• Sore throat
• Runny nose
• Ear infections
• Cough
• Congestion
• Perspiration

Most people recover from colds within a week to 10 days. That seems like such a long time, right?! But there’s hope!

Let’s explore how to get rid of a cold fast with natural, at home remedies.

5 Natural Cold Remedies

When we feel miserable, it’s tempting to take an over the counter medicine to relieve cold symptoms, but I urge you to think twice! Reducing the amount of foreign chemicals and toxins in our body is vital for our well-being. Ingredients like acetaminophen found in over the pain relievers and fever reducers like Tylenol can be very harmful to our liver [2]. They also don’t benefit our immunity.

Natural remedies not only help to relieve cold symptoms, but they also boost our immunity. Plus, you probably already have them in your pantry. Follow these easy steps, and your body will thank you!

Cold Remedy # 1 – Herbs & Spices

Herbs and spices are an inexpensive and effective way to restore our body’s resilience.

• Echinacea and Sage – Echinacea boosts the immune system and helps fight off colds, while sage helps break up mucus and acts as an antiseptic. Echinacea comes in many forms; like teas, capsules, and as a dried herb. Whereas sage is often ground into a powder or found with other fresh herbs in the produce section. When mixed together with water, these herbs are just as effective at relieving a sore throat as over the counter sore throat sprays [3].
• Ginger and Cayenne Pepper – This combination increases circulation and boosts immunity. Add them to your dishes, or make a tea. My Immunity Tea recipe has both, and will help ease the burning of a sore throat and reduce the pain of ear infections.

Along these lines, you can also make an immunity paste with warming herbs and spices.

Cold Remedy # 2 – Eat & Drink your Vitamins

One of the reasons we catch a cold is because our immunities are not strong enough to defend ourselves from viruses. The essential vitamins and minerals found nutrient dense foods will to improve our immune system naturally.

• Vitamin C – Taking 200mg of Vitamin C each day can help reduce the length of a cold [4]. That doesn’t mean Emergen-C is the answer! In fact, I highly advise against it. Emergen-C contains processed and refined fructose, which is harmful to your hormones and digestion. Instead, reach for an orange or a grapefruit! Leafy greens, broccoli, and Brussels are also packed with Vitamin C.
• Zinc – Zinc has been shown to reduce the length of a cold by up to 50% [5]. Grapefruit, cucumbers and fennel have high levels of Zinc.
• Elderberry – Elderberries are rich in antioxidants that boost immunity. The stem, bark, leaves, flowers, berries and even the roots are used in traditional medicines dating as far back as ancient Egypt! I recommend Sambucol, which offers many options such as syrup and lozenges that can be found in local health food stores and online.
• Grapefruit Seed Extract – This powerful extract kills bacteria and viruses (even fungal infections), and can be used topically as a natural antibiotic. A few drops can be added to water as a gargle.

Many people believe you absolutely need chicken soup to get over a cold. But on plant based diet, that’s just not an option. My Veggie Rainbow Stew recipe is the perfect alternative to chicken soup because it’s loaded with Vitamin C and Zinc, as well as warming herbs and spices to help relieve your cold symptoms fast.

Of course there’s also my Glowing Green Smoothie! This mineral-rich, vitamin-packed recipe is perfect for curing colds. Also try the Glowing Green Soup recipe!

Cold Remedy # 3 – Water

Hydration is key when we’re sick.

• Drink high-quality, purified water! When we’re sick, we sweat… a lot! That’s our body’s natural defense and why hydration is key to getting rid of a cold fast. Drinking plenty of clean water will help reduce our fever, cleanse our organs, and help transport the nutrients from the healthy foods we’ve been eating. Don’t forget to add lemon to your water for an extra boost of Vitamin C!
• Gargle with salt water! If your throat is on fire, gargling with salt water is the most inexpensive and effective way to relieve your sore throat symptoms. Add sea salt or Himalayan salt to your clean water and gargle for 30 seconds. Easy peasy!

Cold Remedy # 4 – Detox

It’s important to cleanse our bodies of toxic chemicals for many reasons, but it’s especially important when we’re sick and our bodies are most vulnerable.

• Take a natural detox supplement. My Feel Good Detoxy+ is safe and effective way to eliminate harmful toxins from our body so that our organs can function at optimal levels.
• Ditch the alcohol! This is a no-brainer. Alcohol not only causes water retention, but it also overloads our organs and counteracts the progress we’ve made thus far to recover.

Cold Remedy # 5 – Sleep

Sleep affects our health in many ways. Getting enough sleep help balance our hormones, elevate our mood, deepen our concentration and enhances healing. Therefore, sleep is a vital part of the recovery process.

• Experts agree that healthy adult needs between 7 and 9 hours of sleep every night. However, when you’re sick, you will benefit from getting even more sleep. Aim for 8 – 10 hours of sleep each night, and take a power nap of 30 minutes if you’re able.

If you need help falling and staying asleep, check out these natural sleep aids!

How to Prevent a Cold – 3 Tips to Improve your Immunity

While it’s important to know how to get rid of a cold naturally, it’s even more important to know how to prevent a cold. Preventing a cold means we are building our immunity and strengthening our defenses. Here are some tips on how to do just that!

Cold Prevention Tip # 1 – Reduce Stress

Stress is a silent killer. It can lead to high blood pressure, it affects our emotions, and it’s harmful to our hormones. There are many reasons why reducing stress can be beneficial to our health. So let’s take a look at some ways we can manage our stress.

• Sleep! There’s that word again. We know that we need sleep for healing, but we also need sleep for our overall well-being.
• Meditation – A study has shown that meditation can actually turn you into an optimist by boosting positive feelings, and displacing negativity [6]. How awesome is that?! If you need help getting started, try my FREE 7 Day Guided Meditation Course.

If meditation is not your thing, simply take a deep breath and breath out in 5 counts. Do this several times a day to help reduce stress.

Cold Prevention Tip # 2 – Exercise

When we’re not used to working out, adding exercise into our routines can seem like such a stretch (see what I did there?). But we all know that exercise and good health go hand in hand. Exercise increases endorphins and releases serotonin in our brains [7]. These are naturally occurring chemicals that make us happy. So how much exercise do we need?

• The Department of Health and Human Services recommends getting at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week [8]. That’s 30 minutes 5 days a week of moderate exercise.

As an added bonus, exercise also helps relieve pain from menstrual cramps. Another reason to celebrate and embrace exercise!

If you want to kill two birds with one stone, try my Beauty Detox Power Yoga series! You’ll destress while you tone your body.

Cold Prevention Tip # 3 – Improve your Digestion

There is a direct link between immunity and gut health. When our digestive tract is working probably, we’re able to better absorb the nutrients from our foods, and we’re able to remove toxic and build up from our bodies.

• Take a natural digestive enzyme supplement, like my Feel Good Digestive Enzymes from Solluna! This digestive enzyme blend effectively breaks down macronutrients in your food like protein, carbs and fat, which can reduce gas and bloating as well as improve nutrient absorption.
• Add probiotics into your diet! My Feel Good SBO+ Probiotics is powerful formula is a unique formula containing soil based organisms (SBOs) to improve your ability to digest and assimilate macronutrients and speed up the elimination of waste. You can also try my Probiotic and Enzyme Salad recipe!
• Stay away from unnecessary ingredients! Reading labels helps us to understand what we’re putting in our bodies. If we can’t pronounce it, we shouldn’t eat it.
• Follow the Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen rule. Use this guide to navigate your grocery shopping. If it’s on the Dirty Dozen list, it means dangerous pesticides have been found on that fruit or vegetable.

I hope these tips will not only help you get rid of your cold fast but will improve your immunity and overall well-being!

Love,

Kimberly

 

Reference:

[1] Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/symptoms-causes/syc-20351605  

[2] NCBI (US National Library of Medicine National Institution of Health): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5225146/

[3] NCBI (US National Library of Medicine National Institution of Health): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19748859

[4] Harvard University: https://www.health.harvard.edu/cold-and-flu/can-vitamin-c-prevent-a-cold

[5] Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/expert-answers/zinc-for-colds/faq-20057769

[6] NCBI (US National Library of Medicine National Institution of Health): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3156028/

[7] Health Direct: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/exercise-and-mental-health

[8] Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/expert-answers/exercise/faq-20057916