Cold and flu are the commonly occurring illness across the world and millions of people experience it every year. This disease affects the mental health of a person in various ways and can disrupt the daily activities.
Symptoms
Allergens such as dust, viruses and other pollutants trigger colds and flu. Some of the symptoms shown by people suffering from called are sneezing, blocked or runny nose, headache and coughs, whereas symptoms of flu are body and muscle pain, severe chills and rapidly rising fever.
How and why are they caused?
The people normally get inflicted with cold and flu when their immune system becomes a weak. Prolonged illness, too much stress and poor diet are a few major factors which affect a person’s immune system. What makes colds and flu even more dangerous is the fact that they are contagious diseases, i.e. they can be passed from one person to another and in turn, it affects the person’s mental health.
The called and flu viruses are transmitted through the tiny droplets from coughs or sneezes, which are inhaled directly by another person while they are still suspended in air. It is also passed through hand contacts as they are introduced into the body through nose when the person touches it.
How to keep them away?
If you don’t want colds and flu to affect your mental health, you must keep your immune system healthy. The best way to do so is to keep away from the people who have cold and flu. You must wash your hands thoroughly at regular intervals with anti-bacterial soap and keep yourself clean.
There is no fool-proof way to avoid colds and flu on the whole sense they can be caused by as many as 200 different types of viruses. There is practically no means to keep them at bay. However, if you do catch colds and flu, you’ll need to have strong immune system to fight them off.
A strong immune system can be built up by following the right diet and consuming appropriate amount of nutrients and minerals. For example, you must consume loads of green leafy vegetables, sweet potatoes, sunflower seeds and broccoli, in order to strengthen your immune system.
Vitamin C accelerates the immune system’s ability to combat harmful microorganisms. If you happen to suffer from colds and flu, approximately 500mg of vitamin C a day reduces the duration and severity of the cold and flu.
Thymus gland is the one which produces healthy cells which fight off viruses of called and flu. Zinc is an important mineral required for proper functioning of this gland and it can prevent cold and flu. Physical health always attributes to great mental health and the understanding of the requirement for the immune system can help you to fight the cold and flu.
Drinking hot water and other citrus based fluids is one of the oldest known methods of fighting colds and flu. Drinking hot water helps in the decongestion of phlegm and reduces mucus formations which are common characteristics of cold. Apart from a quick recovery from colds and flu, this method enhances the mental health of a person by a great deal.
Another technique of getting relief from colds and flu is to inhale the steam of boiling water containing a few drops of thyme oil and eucalyptus oil in it. You must not inhale the steam in an open area. You will instead need to cover your head and the container with a big cloth and inhale so that maximum amount of steam goes into your nasal passage.
Your body feels normally pathetic when you are faced with cold and flu and the functioning of your brains also becomes weak and thereby ruining your mental health.
Ginger and chilies do well in keeping the cold and flu at bay as they are considered as the good stimulant spices. These, along with garlic are an excellent combination because garlic has natural anti-bacterial properties. Food rich in saturated fats and other dairy products and the low-nutrient diet can be very helpful. Alcohol and smoking should be avoided at such times since they worsen the cold and flu.
There is not denying the fact that people affected by the cold and flu should drink lots of water and take plenty of rest. However, in order to fight the cold and flu, you must consult a physician and take proper treatment which would involve antibiotics and other prescription drugs. By doing this you will be able to restore your mental health very quickly.