1. Mix ½ teaspoon honey with ½ teaspoon lemon juice. Take this every 12 hours. Honey relieves the itchiness by moisturizing the throat passage. It also has curative properties as per Ayurveda practitioners.

2. Take 0.5 pounds (250 gms) of sweet apples daily for a week.

3. Soak almonds overnight and remove their skin. Make a paste of the soaked almonds with little butter and sugar. This is very useful for dry cough.

4. Mix 8 - 10 tablespoons of coconut milk with 1 tablespoon poppy seeds and 1 tablespoon of pure honey. Take this every night before going to bed.

5. Below are 4 popular cough remedies. 

a. Mix a teaspoonful of honey with a few drops of brandy.

b. Mix equal parts of lime juice and honey. 

c. Combine a cup of grape juice and a teaspoon of honey. Mix well. 

d. Mix 1 teaspoonful raw onion juice with 1 teaspoonful of honey. Keep it aside for 3 to 4 hours before drinking.

6. Take precautions to avoid the spread of the germs. Personal hygiene is very important.

• Always hold a tissue in front of nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, to avoid spreading the germs into the air.
• Use disposable tissues only and flush away or take to garbage outside of the living quarters, to prevent spreading the virus.
• Wash hands frequently and use separate dishes and utensils.
• Regular toothbrushing and mouth rinsing, dry shoes and plenty of fresh air will help to prevent infection.
• Wash body with lukewarm water.
• Air the sick room frequently-a cool room is better than a heated one, provided the patient is covered and kept warm in bed. 

7. Build a strong immune system in summer, before the cold, wet season starts. Daily swimming in cold water or short cold showers following a hot shower are excellent to build up resistance to bacteria and viruses.

8. Mild walking every day in fresh air for twenty minutes can help shorten the duration of the cold by strengthening the body's resistance. 

9. It is important to completely recuperate from a cold or flu. If the cure is not complete, there can be serious after-effects to the kidneys, pancreas and abdominal organs. It can cause pneumonia or the acute deterioration of a chronic liver condition.

10. Gargle with liquid whey concentrate.

11. A five-minute hot mustard pack on the chest is recommended. This brings down fever, eliminates toxins and speeds healing. Apply once. If needed, repeat every other day for a week. 

12. Deep breathe in front of an open window, and employ dry brush massage. This has multiple benefits. Exhaling vigorously rids the body of waste gases and deep inhalation saturates the lungs with oxygen.

13. Promote sweating by taking hot baths, hot foot-baths and other heat therapies. Keep the feet warm at all times during sickness and as a preventive measure. Low body temperature decreases resistance to viruses and bacteria, while heat burns up and destroys the virus.

14. Take Garlic-and-onion chicken soup.

Hot, spicy chicken soup is good for colds and flu. Use lots of garlic and onions. Also, throw in lot of vegetables, and some ginger and hot red pepper. And some okra for good musilage. It is tasty and good medicine. 

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