Catching the flu is undeniably a great inconvenience. Common flu symptoms usually include a sore throat, dry cough, stuffy nose, headache, muscle pain and fatigue. The worst of these should disappear after three to five days, but the cough and tiredness can stick around for a while, making life quite difficult. Constantly feeling fatigued can interfere with schoolwork, and I can personally attest that there is nothing quite so annoying as having to rush in to class coughing and cursing your runny nose.
Unfortunately colds are not always avoidable especially since the flu is highly contagious at this time of the year. Steps such as receiving a flu shot can certainly aid in the prevention process, but they are by no means fool proof. According to Discovery Health, alterations in flu strains each year may cause the vaccination to be ineffective. It is still a good idea to get a shot, of course, but don’t neglect to wash your hands often and get plenty of rest. If you do happen to feel some of the common symptoms creeping in, here are a few remedies that you can try at home to make yourself feel better. Be forewarned, though. Some of them appear to be legit, but others……Well I wouldn’t try them myself.
1.) Sock yourself.
Allegedly congestion can be eased by going against the warnings of many a mother to not let your feet get wet. Readers Digest suggests that if you warm your feet in hot water and then go to bed wearing one pair of thin socks, soaked in cold water and wrung out, followed by a pair of thick dry socks, your symptoms will be eased. Apparently it helps to improve circulation. Another old, and significantly more shocking, sock cure comes from Olde England. Back then, a popular treatment for sore throats was to wrap your dirty socks around your neck. Of course, bacon could be used as well.
2.) Go Bananas
This might be an overly sweet prognosis, but a cooked banana is said to help lower temperatures. Simply boil it on low heat along with some sugar.
3.) Crying Onions
If you are not adverse to a bit of discomfort (and being rather aromatic afterwards) a plaster of onions could be a perspective remedy. Fry up some onions and then proceed to slap them onto your chest to relieve congestion
4.) Now that’s just nutty
For all the singers who wish to avoid a sore throat or, for that matter laryngitis, there is an old suggested cure that involves chewing on walnut shells. The source of this reasoning may stem from the high amount of antioxidants in walnuts, but it still seems like trying this could really hurt your teeth.
If you are brave enough to give any of these cures a test drive to help alleviate any flu symptoms, by all means go ahead. However bear in mind when it is appropriate to see a doctor. If you have a fever that lasts for more than three days or a persistent cough, it could be a sign of a secondary bacterial infection and, therefore, a signal to seek help.