What really helps against a runny nose?

You can never be truly safe from Cold – in the cold winter months and even when the sun is shining outside in summer, a nasty cold can really give us a hard time. There is no vaccination and no therapy against cold viruses. In pharmacies and drugstores there are all sorts of things to buy for a cold – but these preparations usually only help to a limited extent. Yet everyone of us knows how exhausting it is when you can no longer get air through your nose. Not to mention the annoying discomfort that a cold brings with it.

What really helps, and how you can best proceed against a cold, we will explain concretely in the following.

How does a cold develop?

A cold is usually caused by an infection, which is extremely active due to rhinoviruses, especially in the cold and damp season. If you come into contact with this virus, it settles on the nasal mucous membranes and multiplies rapidly there. The result is usually an inflammation of the mucous membranes, which is accompanied by the discharge of secretions, which means that a cold has set in. In most cases, the cold begins with a slight tingling in the nose followed by sneezing attacks. This is because the cleaning function of the nasal cilia is no longer present, as they are covered by the secretion. The increased sneezing is ultimately a defense reaction of the body, as it tries to fight the viruses. But the sneezing attacks the nose even more, the nose "runs" and, to make matters worse, the nasal mucous membranes and nasal conchae swell up, so that breathing through the nose is no longer possible. Within a few hours or days, the nose is so "blocked" that cleaning the nose is difficult. What is one well advised to do now?

What can you do for a cold?

Rinsing the nose

Dry air in heated rooms, as is often the case in the winter months due to heating, irritates the nose even more, which gives the viruses in the nose an "inner rodeo". Through nasal rinses with physiological saline solution (NaCl 0.9%) you ensure irritation relief, moisturizing and cleaning, which improves general well-being. If you don't have a physiological saline solution from the pharmacy at home, you can also make a mild saline solution yourself:

• Add a teaspoon of table salt to about a liter of lukewarm water and stir until dissolved. Such a saline solution burns less strongly because its salt content is better adapted to the salt content of the body fluids.

For children, you should drip in the physiological saline solution.

With a Nasal douche, which can be obtained cheaply in pharmacies, you can facilitate nasal breathing and flush out viruses at the same time. Regular ventilation of the living rooms is also very important so that the dry heating air does not cancel out this treatment again. However, if there are sub-zero temperatures, ventilation causes a drop in humidity in the living rooms, and you should then ensure a more pleasant room climate with a humidifier.

Likewise, extended walks in the fresh, not too cold air are a real insider tip.

Inhaling

Furthermore, inhaling is a great alternative to nasal douches. A steam bath with plenty of hot water and essential oils relaxes the nasal mucous membranes, loosens the stubborn mucus and helps the secretion to drain more easily.

But the nasty method from grandma's days, where the entire head had to be covered with a thick wool blanket over a huge salad bowl with boiling hot water, is fortunately a thing of the past nowadays. Handy inhalers are now available in pharmacies, which are limited to the nose and mouth area. Thus, you can continue to look at your surroundings and at the same time tackle the virus. For this, hot water and a little essential oil are also used – the effect is the same. The essential oil, usually in the form of eucalyptus oil or peppermint oil, is highly recommended and can also be easily applied under the nose – so you breathe more easily again. The miracle cure apple cider vinegar can also be soothing here, here is a guide for an apple cider vinegar steam bath:

For this, heat equal parts of water and apple cider vinegar in a small pot, I always transfer it to a bowl, but you can also use the pot directly. Then lean over the pot and put a towel over your head so that the steam cannot escape. Now try to inhale the steam with your nose for as long as it feels pleasant, but no longer than 5 minutes. Afterwards, definitely rest a little and do not go outside. You can repeat the inhalation after a while.

Extra tip: This steam bath also helps with tension headaches, because it invigorates and stimulates blood flow!

Plenty of Fluids

Drinking a lot is also very important: drinking does not keep the mucus liquid, but it ensures a regulated fluid balance in the organism, since it is undoubtedly a fact that the body loses water during an infection – especially in connection with a cold.Blowing your nose correctly must be learned

Blowing your nose

The must be learned. Many people blow their nose with a loud "honk" and thus almost resemble an elephant. However, this is not the best method: this transports the nasal secretion even deeper into the paranasal sinuses, which can lead to paranasal sinus pain in the long run. Once this has occurred, the sick person feels even more miserable and exhausted. Correct nose blowing: occasional and gentle blowing prevents the spread of the virus. Tissues should also be used at most once and end up in the trash can immediately. Why? If we use a tissue several times, the danger of re-infecting ourselves with the pathogen is quite high. Not a nice affair – after all, we want to chase the cold away.Correct hygiene behavior

Use sleeves for coughing and sneezing

• Wash hands several times a day with water and soap
• Disinfect hands several times a day
• Ventilate rooms more often
• Avoid physical contact
• Are nasal sprays good for a cold?

Keep your hands off nasal drops or nasal sprays. These can be used every now and then, but should not be a permanent part of fighting a cold. Certainly, these little helpers relieve the mucous membranes within a very short time, we can breathe freely again and feel better. But: it is also proven that nasal sprays in particular can become a bacteria trap if used improperly and can also make the user addicted. The nasal mucous membranes get used to the nasal spray quite quickly and swell down quite quickly due to the active ingredient in the nasal spray, but also swell up again after a few hours. If this "ping-pong game" is continued forever, the use of nasal spray and co. can quickly have serious consequences. The medication dries out the mucous membranes very strongly over time, the body tries to regulate this and promotes blood circulation, which in turn leads to a swelling of the nasal mucous membranes. If you must use nasal spray, then the good one with the sea salt content.

Of course, there are many other tips for fighting a cold – various home recipes and home remedies are very popular, but whether these achieve the same effect remains controversial. For some they help well, for other people they don't work at all. This can therefore be decided by a personal evaluation.

Posted on: 18.03.2009

Read also: Tips for when your child is sick

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