Influenza – Lifestyles and Home Remedies

The following are some home remedies and lifestyle and suggestions that can help in reducing and accelerating treatment of your influenza symptoms:

Gargle with salt water – Doing this helps resolve your sore throat.
Slippery elm – This herb has been reported to relieve sore throat and cough. You can take in slippery elm by eating candy that has slippery elm as one of its ingredients.
Shower with warm water – The steam from the warm water can melt the mucus in the airways clearing them and the sinuses up.
Garlic – This herb is widely known to possess anti-bacterial and even antiviral properties that help you get relief from your upper respiratory congestion. You can put raw garlic in your meals or eat them raw.
Chicken soup – Put pepper in your hot chicken soup as well as garlic and hot curry powder to help loosen the mucus in your mouth and throat
Heat compress – If your stuffy nose is aggravated by a severe headache, you can apply a moist and warm compress to the cheek and sinuses to lessen these symptoms
Lemon – Chop the lemon and place the lemon together with its seeds and skin in boiling water. Allow it to boil for about 5 minutes. You can inhale the steam to melt the mucus in your airways. Strain the mixture and allow it to cool down. To make it tasty add some honey and drink the mixture. Lemon has varied benefits for a person’s health including anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial properties that are important for treating flu symptoms.
Honey – Honey can likewise help dilute mucus. You can drink a glass of warm water and mix it with a tablespoon of honey and drink it. Honey is widely believed to be a potent remedy for the symptoms of flu
Ginger – This spice/herb has great anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory attributes that aid in battling viral infection in the body
Turmeric – This herb can be taken two times a day by adding a teaspoonful to milk and drinking it. Turmeric has great antibacterial and antiviral properties that help bring relief in flu symptoms. It can also stimulate the liver which becomes weak when a person becomes sick
Thyme – Boil water with a tablespoon of thyme for 5 minutes. Then inhale the steam and when the mixture cools down add honey. Strain the mixture and drink it. This helps loosen infected mucus enabling you to cough it out
Mustard – This plant contains antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory attributes that can be inhaled (through steam) when boiled with water or by other means. You can also make a mustard paste by mixing lukewarm water with 4 tablespoons wheat flour and a tablespoon of dry mustard. Apply the paste on a clean dry cloth that can cover your chest area. Put a little olive oil on your chest and put the cloth with the paste in it on your chest. Leave the cloth there for a few minutes then remove it. Wash yourself to remove any traces of the paste
Long Pepper – Mix half a tsp of ginger juice, 2 tbsp honey and half a tsp of long pepper powder. You can drink this mixture three times a day to protect yourself from throat complications. This mixture can greatly reduce the severity of your flu symptoms.
Nasal irrigation – This is often done with a neti pot. Put a few salt in boiling water and put the solution into a sterilized bottle. Allow the water to cool down and afterwards apply two to three drops of this solution using a dropper in one of your nostril. The solution melts the mucus making it easier to blow it out. You can use a neti pot that is widely available in the market. This is an effective and very safe way to resolve nose blockages.

Lifestyle/ Diet Recommendation to Treat Flu Symptoms

Maintain good hygiene – Keeping yourself and your surroundings clean is essential to prevent infecting yourself and others from the flu.
Stay hydrated
Abstain from taking in caffeine
Avoid sugar
Take in mega doses of vitamin C
Stop drinking alcohol
Humidify yourself
Adequate rest
Stop eating processed, highly seasoned and junk foods
Drink boiled water
Properly ventilate your room

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