Cold and Flu Relief: Medications and Home Remedies

Cold and Flu Relief: Medications and Home Remedies

The winter season often brings cold and flu bugs with the cooler weather, and keeping yourself healthy and well can be more challenging at this time of the year. It’s a great idea to build up your strength and immunity in advance, making sure you’re able to fight off most of the nasty illnesses around you. However, some of the bugs will, undoubtedly, get through your defences and knock you out, so it’s great to know that there are plenty of medications and home remedies for cold and flu relief that will help you to get over them quickly and recover to full health.

Here at Gray’s Pharmacy, we know how important your health is and we’re always here to help you find the best solutions for you and your family. We’ve got a wide range of products to combat the symptoms of colds and flu and we can also advise on self-care and home remedies to help the healing process along. Read on for our top product recommendations and tips to keep yourself and your family well this winter.

Cold and Flu Medications

Our range of medications for cold and flu includes options to relieve the various symptoms of these frustrating illnesses, as well as vitamin and mineral supplements to boost the immune system and build up your defences.

Cold and flu medications usually include paracetamol or ibuprofen, as well as decongestants that can help clear your sinuses. Paracetamol-based products, such as Benylin Day & Night Tablets, aim to reduce fever and relieve headaches aches and pains in the body, while ibuprofen-based products, like Advil Cold & Flu Coated Tablets, combat inflammation in the body, relieving joint pains, headaches and pain in the sinuses.

It’s vital to stay hydrated when you’re fighting an illness, and a hot drink formulated to combat colds and flu is a great way to do this. Lemsip Max comes in several pleasant flavours and will relieve sore throats and comfort your system, with a 1000mg dose of paracetamol in each sachet to relieve pain and promote healing sleep. Be sure to check the package insert for the correct dosage and to find out how often you can take this medication in a 24-hour period.

If you prefer to take tablets when you feel run down, you might try Zirtek Plus Decongestant Prolonged Release Tablets, formulated to relieve allergy symptoms and encourage sleep while clearing decongestion. If you’re worried about drowsiness, you might prefer Non-Drowsy Sinutab Tablets, containing paracetamol and Pseudoephedrine Hydrochloride, to relieve sinus and nasal congestion as well as the headaches, pain and pressure they bring with them.

Sinus pain can be debilitating and a sinus rinse is a great way to clear your nasal passages and relieve a blocked nose and sinuses. This can be a great way to treat your symptoms and clear your head without resorting to heavy-duty medication, and you can learn to do it easily. The NeilMed Sinus Rinse Kit is ideal for beginners, with premixed sachets and a squeeze bottle that will get your sinuses clear in no time, or you can simply use boiled, cooled tap water or saline solution to irrigate the nasal passages with a neti pot or similar device. Alternatively, you might wish to try a nasal spray to relieve congestion and help clear your sinuses, and this can also be very effective.

If your children are struggling with the symptoms of cold and flu, there are specific medications that can help them to recover more quickly. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist to ensure that you are using the best products for your child’s health and that the dosage is correct for your child’s age and weight. A fever is the body’s defence against illness, so suppressing a fever is not the primary goal of most cold and flu medications, but it is important to find effective ways to relieve the pain and discomfort your child is experiencing. If you are worried about giving medication to a child, try some of the home remedies below and talk to our experienced team for reassurance and advice.

Home Remedies for Colds and Flu Relief

Sometimes the old remedies are the most effective and there are many ways you can nurture your body and promote healing when you’re struggling with a cold or flu. Some of the best home remedies for illness have endured through the years for the simple reason that they work – they’re simple and effective ways to support your health and speed up your recovery. Here’s our top selection:

• Rest. Ensuring that you get good sleep and take the opportunity to rest might be the most important way to support your body in healing. We live in a culture where pushing through illness and rushing back to work is seen as a positive, but this actually weakens mental and physical health and is likely to increase the time you take to fully recover. Taking the time to allow your body to get back to normal, rather than rushing back to work too soon, is very important – and if you feel that you need more sleep than usual while you are ill, this is because it’s your body’s way of fighting the illness and it will be the best thing for you. Sleeping with an extra pillow under your head can help if your sinuses are blocked or you are struggling to breathe at night.

• Vitamin C. Vitamin C is the vitamin that boosts our immune system and helps to fight off – and cure – colds and flu bugs. The best way to increase your vitamin C is to improve your diet and include plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, such as apples, oranges and lemons. These all have a high vitamin C content, and vitamin C supplements can also be helpful to increase your dosage when you’re unwell. These Vitamin C with Rosehips capsules are an easy way to promote your health and boost your immunity.

• Honey and lemon drink. If you’ve never tried a honey and lemon drink when you’re feeling unwell, you’re missing a trick! This is an excellent way to keep your body hydrated and increase your vitamin C levels – lemons contain more vitamin C than oranges. Honey is a super healthy way to sweeten your drinks, and also has natural antiviral and antimicrobial properties, so it’s perfect for boosting your immunity and bringing cold and flu relief. Simply cut a large wedge or slice of lemon, add it to a mug and pour in some recently boiled water. Stir in a generous teaspoon of honey and sip to help relieve your sore throat and blocked-up nose.

• Chicken soup. Chicken soup for healing is an old wive’s tale that really works. Made fresh, using bone broth, chicken soup provides anti-inflammatory benefits to the body and hot liquids are great at hydrating your body and reducing mucus. This is an excellent way to nurture yourself when you’re feeling under the weather, and if you can make chicken soup for a neighbour or family member who is unwell, they’ll be keen to return the favour when you succumb to illness.

• Aromatherapy oils. Inhaling aromatherapy oils can be beneficial for all types of illnesses and conditions and bring cold and flu relief. Oils such as eucalyptus, peppermint and ginger can be really helpful when you’re blocked up and having trouble breathing freely, and you can use a diffuser, or a carrier oil or simply sprinkle some on a tissue and keep it in your pocket to inhale throughout the day.

These tips are very helpful for managing your illness at home and will help to promote a healthy recovery from colds and flu. Many of these tips will also boost your recovery by making you feel nurtured and supported, rather than simply taking a pill and trying to continue as normal, and it’s well worth taking the time to heal fully instead of rushing the process.

Supporting your immune system

Supporting your immune system with vitamin and mineral supplements, good rest, exercise and a healthy diet is a great way to prevent seasonal bugs and help your system to recover quickly when they do strike. We all know how much more productive we can be when we’re feeling our best, and it’s important to allow yourself the time to heal and get back to feeling great rather than pushing through illness, which will usually result in a longer, more stressful time feeling unwell.

Here at Gray’s Pharmacy, we stock a wide range of multivitamins and supplements and we are on hand to help you find the best options for you and your family. We also offer a large selection of health care products, as well as skincare and beauty ranges for all the family. You can discuss any health concerns you may have with our experienced team and explore our full range of health care and beauty products online or in-store.