When the flu strikes, it can really take a toll on your body.  While there is no cure for the flu or a cold, there are many at-home remedies that can provide you with short-term relief, and a few of them might actually help you get better.  See which ones show the most promise!

Chicken Soup

Grandma might have been onto something.  Chicken soup may help alleviate some of your cold symptoms in more ways than just filling you up!  Sipping spoonfuls of chicken soup can help replace some of the fluids you’ve lost.  The warm, salty broth can help sooth your sore throat.  And inhaling the steam can loosen up your stuffy nose.

Hot Team

Not only does tea have antioxidants, breathing in the steam can relieve your congestion, and swallowing the fluid keeps you hydrated, offering the same perks as chicken soup.

Steam/Humidifier

Breathing in steam is one of the best ways to break up all that congestion in your nose, offering much-needed relief when you’re feeling stuffy.  You can invest in a humidifier, visit a sauna, lean over a bowl filled with hot water and cover your head with a towel, or just soak up all the steam from your bathroom shower.

Saline Rinse

Using a nasal spray can help thin out some of the gunk stuffed up in your nose.  You can try out an over-the-counter saline rinse, or make one of your own.

Menthol Ointment

Dabbing a bit of menthol-infused ointment on your nose, chest, or throat can relieve a cough and open clogged nasal passages to ease your congestion.

Saltwater Gargle

A saltwater gargle can help ease your sore throat while rinsing out irritants and germs.

Nasal Strips

While they don’t get rid of the stuffiness, nasal strips do the trick of creating more space for airflow so you can have a better night’s rest when you’re sick.

Bed Rest

No one has time to spend more than two days bedridden, but when you get proper rest, your body is ready to fight off germs so you can feel better, sooner.

Let Your Fever Run Its Course

The rise in your body temperature helps fights your cold and flu-like symptoms, making your body too hot to force germs out.

Still feeling under the weather?  Visit AFC Urgent Care West Long Branch for walk-in treatment! We treat colds, the flu, and more on a walk-in basis no appointment necessary!