You've started noticing a slightly running a nose and that your throat is a little sore. While you might be trying to tell yourself that those feelings probably don't mean anything, the truth is that you are probably already fighting off a cold or the beginnings of the flu. Before you go sprinting to the medicine cabinet, why not take a look around your kitchen and see what kind of natural health items you have on hand Using natural health methods to cure an illness is a fantastic alternative to trying to cure your flu with chemicals and drugs. While you don't want to blow off instructions from a doctor, why not try out natural health methods for a few days before you schedule your doctor's appointmentObviously you already know that the basics of fighting the flu are getting all the rest you can and drinking a bunch of fluids. Your immune system also requires a good amount of Vitamin C is also a good idea. That all sounds fine and good when you feel fine but once you start to fight a flu you just want relief and quickly. Wanting some quick relief is one of the reasons that so many people opt for medications instead of letting natural methods do their jobs. They offer quick relief from cold and flu symptoms. Taking these medicines seems like a good idea but they do eventually wear off and, often, your cold will last longer because, instead of working through the symptoms, the medication just puts them on hold for a little while. Instead of simply letting your symptoms linger in favor of giving you a few minutes of easy breathing, natural health cures help you breathe and kick that flu to the curb.If you are like the rest of us, when you get sick, the first place you visit is probably the pharmacy aisle at your local drug or grocery store. It is common for people to look to over the counter medications to cure all of their illnesses. But what if you didn't have to

What if you didn't even have to leave the house to find a cure for your cold or flu Why do you need to go outside at all when you are sick Better options are available for people looking to stop their cold and flu related symptoms.Expense does not have to be a factor when you choose natural health. In fact, everything you need to stay healthy naturally can be found in things you probably already keep stocked in your home. It's easy to run out to the drug store and grab a few boxes of medication when you feel the sniffles set in because it feels like the drugs are a magical cure. You feel well again! So much time is wasted trying to decide between all of the over the counter medicines that are available when you could start healing immediately by choosing one of the many natural remedies already sitting in your cabinets.Taking over the counter medication isn't the only way to feel better when you catch a cold. All you need to do is take the right steps to stay healthy and you can keep germs from invading altogether. In spite of your intentions, of course, sometimes those cold and flu germs manage to sneak in and take hole, even though you've worked hard to keep them out. It's tempting to take a bunch of antihistamines and sleep for a few days in the hopes that the flu will go away while you slumber but don't do it! It seems like a good idea, but there are so many better options to help you cure your cold. Nature is full of material that you can use to combat your symptoms and to fight against your cold or flu. You can find natural health hints by reading further.

Try some peppers for cold relief. Bell peppers are full of vitamin C and can really help boost your immune system if you eat them regularly. Using cayenne pepper in your cooking is another great way to boost your health (and clear out your sinus passages). Cayenne pepper in tea or in other foods can help you breathe and can cause you to sweat which will help bring down a fever. Cayenne pepper is a great way to raise your body temperature so that you can start sweating out all of those cold and flu germs that are making you sick.Believe it or not, onions are great for your health! One of the most famous cold and flu remedies is a syrupy substance made of onions and honey. The mixture consists of onion slices covered (steeped) in honey for a long period of time (usually overnight). It is important that this syrup has time to settle so, after combining the ingredients, it needs to sit, untouched, at least overnight. Eat one spoon full of the syrup once every three hours or so for a few days and your cold or flu should get better! You can also just add some onions to your food-they go well with just about everything!It turns out that your grandmother was right: chicken soup really can cure a cold-scientists have proven that it is possible! The ingredients in the chicken and vegetables are natural immune system boosters so, instead of jumping for the Dayquil the next time you feel like something is trying to get you, why not settle in with a giant bowl of some chicken soup (it's best when it is homemade but canned varieties will work as well) and help your body kill that cold before it really gets started Whether or not you want to believe it, natural health remedies are the best option for people who want to keep themselves from getting sick at all.

Preventative measures like washing your hands several times a day, eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly can do wonders for you. These are all things that will keep you and your immune system strong and healthy. The saying about staying on the offense being a good defense applies to more than a sporting match. Your health benefits from this as well.Start with water. You already know that you need to drink six to eight glasses of water a day to stay healthy but water can be used for more than simple refreshment. Drinking water is one of the best remedies for a headache-certainly better than an over the counter pain reliever. It is possible for your headache to start because your body needs water. Instead of waiting a long time for the drugs to take effect, drinking a glass of water will help you feel better in just a few minutes. While water is great for hydration it is great for other things too. Breaking fevers is usually done by having someone sit in a hot bath with a cool compress on their heads. The heat of the water in a hot bath will make you start sweating, which is what will help break your fever (and it will relax your muscles as well). Sweat is how your body does its own temperature regulation as well as how it brings fevers down. People have used ginger as a cure for the cold or flu for years. Even when you aren't sick, ginger is something that you probably keep in your kitchen for cooking and for making tea. Adding some ginger to your food is a good idea when you start to feel sick is a great way to help fight off the germs. It's easier for you to heal when you've had some ginger. If you are a tea drinker, just add some ginger tea into your regular rotation and could will do wonders for your immune system.

Garlic is a great and healthy addition to your diet. If you want to get better fast, take 500 mgs of garlic thrice daily when you have a cold so that the garlic can really do its job. A 500mg supplement gives you about the same amount of garlic as one clove. This can be accomplished by either taking a tablet of garlic or by including a clove of garlic into your meals at least three times a day. It's easy to keep garlic on hand-bottles of the spice are relatively inexpensive and garlic flowers are even cheaper. Taking in the extra garlic is great but don't keep the regiment up longer than five days. Your doctor should be called if you spend more than five days feeling very sick.

You don't have to eat a bunch of oranges to meet your vitamin C requirement! Vitamin C is found in leafy greens as well! This is good news because it means you have a variety of options available to help you combat an impending flu! Oranges are not the only citrus fruit that contains vitamin C!

Bell peppers are another good source of this essential vitamin so why not chop some up and toss them in your pasta sauce The added boost to the flavor won't just help your flu-y taste buds taste the soup better, you'll be helping your body fight off the infection altogether.

Do you know that there is a proper and an improper way to clear your sinuses If your sinus issues don't seem to be going away it is possible that it is because you are blowing your nose incorrectly. Here is how to properly blow your nose: close one nostril and gently blow through the other one. Be gentle! If you don't blow your nose carefully you could cause yourself further distress. You might accidentally cause earaches. Even the people who hate blowing their noses find that, after a while, they don't mind doing it anymore. If you simply sniff the mucous back in, you could make your infection even worse. Washing your hands after you blow your nose is a must!Using salve is a great natural remedy. Head and chest congestion are no match for a well made and effective salve. Salves are made of herbs and spices that are full of nutrients that you need-salves allow them to be absorbed through the skin which can help you get the nutrition you need even if you have an upset stomach, can be great for your skin and will attach your congestion and boost your immune system. Even if it isn't strictly natural, vaporub is a great salve to use. Salves work wonders because they can be put to work on a variety of places on the body and they do a variety of helpful things. Nevertheless, according to some studies, Fenugreek can help.

Echinacea is another very popular natural health remedy. As soon as you start to feel a cold or flu hit you, take some Echinacea so that it will do its job. Some people insist that, when taken early on, Echinacea can stop a cold or the flu in its tracks. If you're already in the throes of a cold or the flu, taking some Echinacea can help the healing process along and lessen your symptoms. About 1200 mgs per day while you're sick is enough to help you get better. Don't try to take all 1200 mgs at once; in order to get the right dosage take 400mgs three times a day.Don't eat sugar. Your immune system is weakened when you consume sugar and you are more likely to catch a cold. If you want to feel healthier, eating less sugar is the way to go-just ask someone who used to eat sugar but has stopped doing so. Sugary drinks can be comforting when we don't feel well but plain water is better for our health. If you want to get rid of a cold or the flu, eating sugar is counterproductive and gets in the way of other natural health cures you might be trying.Eating and drinking foods that contain ginseng is also smart. Getting your hands on ginseng is not difficult-a lot of the teas you already drink are probably infused with this element and you can also find it in the herbal section of your grocery store.

You should not wait until you are sick to fill your home with ginseng; filling your home ahead of time means that you will be prepared and might even be able to fight off the infection entirely. Drink some ginseng tea if you feel like you are starting to get a cold. The ginseng will be great for your system and the warmth of the tea can do wonders for a sore throat and clogged sinus passages.Steam is good. Instead of spending lots of dollars on sinus medication, take a long hot shower or bath. The steam will help clear up your sinuses which will help you breathe. The water's heat will relax your muscles and allow you to rest easier. Putting a towel over your head and aiming your face at some steaming water is a good alternative to taking a long shower or bath. The steam is directed toward your face by the sides of the towel which also help keep the water from cooling too quickly. Ridding your sinuses of discharge is made a lot easier by the breathing in of steam.Drink tea! Teas that contain peppermint, yarrow and elder are fantastic remedies for people who suffer from a cold or from the flu. Making your own tea with helpful ingredients is useful as well. Tea can help raise your body temperature so that it starts to sweat, which will help it get rid of the toxins that are attacking it. Getting better can easily be done by using the right herbal and natural health cures. Why would you take a bunch of chemicals and drugs to heal your body when natural methods work just as well Rather than reaching for pills, reach for teas, hot water and herbs. Most importantly, to give your natural healing methods time to work, you need to get lots of rest!

There are all sorts of natural health remedies and solutions to illness. Instead of dropping a bunch of money on over the counter drugs, check out the remedies you already have on hand! After a while you might even start to realize that you'll get better faster if you choose natural health remedies. Try something natural, your body will thank you for it!

When you get a cold you can choose something besides spending money on pharmaceuticals. To help yourself fight off illness and to get better when you do get sick, forego the chemicals and choose the natural health cures that are already in your kitchen. Why spend all that time and money standing in the pharmacy aisle if you don't have to Natural remedies are better for your body anyway!

Using natural health to build up your immune system is one of the best ways to prevent illness from taking hold. To keep your illness from progressing and to prevent future sickness from occurring it is important that you learn the proper ways to treat your system naturally. Use some common sense and, instead of taking a lot of drugs, use natural methods to treat your cold or flu.Natural health cures are all over the place! Why would you fill your body with drugs when there is another way Obviously you want to follow orders given to you by a doctor but if you don't have doctors' orders why not try the natural route