As the temperature drops, so does our immune system, opening ourselves up to more contagious illnesses like the common cold. The cold can last for weeks, leaving us feeling exhausted both mentally and physically. Keep yourself healthy this year by doing a few things to prevent catching a cold.

Prevention

1. Apple Cider Vinegar: ACV is one of the best ways to prevent any illness. It’s a natural cleanser for the lymphatic system. The lymph system is the body’s way of removing waste. We have lymph nodes, spleen, tonsils, appendix and other organs that are involved in the lymph system. Mucus is part of the lymph system expelling our waste. We’ve all heard the rhyme, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Taking a quick shot of ACV is another way to keep the doctor away.
2. Wash Your Hands: It’s something simple that we learn at an early age, but it’s something that we can neglect as we get older. Don’t wait to wash your hands after you use the bathroom. Wash your hands frequently throughout the day, even if you don’t think that they are dirty, and especially before eating.
3. Stay Hydrated: Drinking plenty of fluids keeps your body in top working order. The lymph system can’t move the waste out of your body if it’s sluggish from a lack of water. Drinking plenty of water will make your digestion better, your skin brighter, and will help you think clearer.
4. Eat Well-Balanced Meals: Give your body what it needs to fight against outside bacteria and germs. Having enough vitamins and minerals in your body will prevent your body from running low on resources. Give your immune system the solid boost it needs with fresh fruits and veggies every day.

Healing

1. Apple Cider Vinegar: Just like we mentioned above, ACV is one of the best natural remedies for cleaning out the lymph system. Your body is in mucus overdrive with a cold. Help it flush everything out with a tablespoon of ACV a day, followed by a glass of water.
2. Warm Fluids: You not only need to be hydrated, but you need to be drinking plenty of warm fluids. Water is excellent, but you should also have warm chicken broth and herbal teas to help drain the sinuses and keep the body flushing out the illness.
3. Vaporizer: Moisture in the air can also aid your chest and sinuses to push out the bad junk to help you heal quickly. Breathe slowly and deeply to get the moisture deep within your chest to knock out chest congestion. You can add essential oils or medicated vaporizers to the steam to make it more effective.
4. Rest: Even though rest is the most common sense cold cure, it’s the most difficult for us to do. We all have hundreds of things to do a day, and it seems impossible to slow down and rest a little. We need to avoid putting added stress on our bodies and give our immune system a chance to focus all of our energy on feeling well. Once we’ve had a few days of rest, it can also help to get moving a little bit in exercise to knock out the remaining mucus in our system.

If you happen to catch the cold, start treating it right away. The soon you start fighting it, the shorter it will be. Take Vitamin C, Zinc, and stay hydrated to flush out the system. You’ll be back to normal sooner than you’d expect.