Sniffles, sneezes and snot

Every member of the family woke up with the cold this morning. T has had it since Monday (the 3 year old man version of a cold! Very dramatic with lots of heartbroken sobbing and woe is me wailing). Baby has had it a couple of days, lots of snot and mild crankiness, needs lots of comfort feeding. J just wants tissues to take to school. Hubby and I are pretending we haven't got it because we haven't the time to feel sorry for ourselves!

Hubby is very much a Lemsip man, or these days more likely paracetomol and orange juice, but I have always believed that cold remedies from the pharmacy are not so much remedies as symptom suppressers and that my cold actually lasts longer if I take them. I usually just put up with it until it's gone. This time, though, with a baby to take care of (and having had my asthma worsen) I've been looking into alternative ways to at least make myself feel a bit better.

Top of the list for me is chicken soup, purely because I'd planned to do something with chicken for dinner so it makes sense to have something that will do us good whilst still being tasty! I was going to put in a link to a recipe, but there are so many out there that I'll let you do that bit yourself. The science bit:

1. The liquid part of the soup helps replace all the fluids lost through feverish sweating and runny noses.
2. Chicken soup is hot and hot can help to loosen mucus (yes, I know it's yucky, but you need to know this stuff). The steam helps prevent congestion, too.
3. The garlic in the soup has antibiotic and antiviral properties. It also works as an expectorant (more yuckiness - it will help you cough up phlegm). To maximise it's healing potential, use squeeze fresh cloves through a garlic crusher.

To complement the paracetomol I know hubby will take, I'm going to make my own version of Lemsip - quite simply, honey and freshly squeezed lemon juice in hot water. To increase the beneficial effects, mix honey and lemon together and consume as is. The thick gloopy honey will soothe your throat, making it easier to swallow and apparently can also trap bacteria so they can't move around. Lemon, aside from the vitamin C contribution, helps make swallowing less painful by stimulating the production of saliva.

Other natual remedies worth trying are:

• ginger (antiviral, pain relieving, antiseptic and antioxidant) - make a tea with it, cook with it, add it to a fruit smoothie
• peppermint helps with headaches and (inhaled) can help clear sinuses

A final tip I picked up - avoid heavy, processed foods and fill up on water, juices and soups. The extra liquids will keep you hydrated and your body will be able to devote itself to fighting off the cold, not digesting dinner.

One last thing - if you think you have flu, swine or otherwise, you should seek medical advice. Have a happy and snot free day!