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How a bit of suffering will strengthen you.

1/27/2015

8 Comments

 
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Researchers have found that we should skip cold and headache remedies.

Canadian researchers say we spread more viral particles when taking painkillers for flu, and may suffer for longer, than if we battle on unmedicated.

One probability is that drugs lower fever and viruses find it harder to replicate at a body temperature over 37c. In other words, fever kills off the virus, so it's doing us good.

A professor from the University of Southampton, said,
'Ibuprofen suppresses inflammation, and it's possible it also suppresses an important part of the body's response to infection.'

Read more tips to show how a bit of discomfort in other areas will help your body stay fit in the long run. 


I learned from a co-worker in the hospitality business about the curative powers of garlic. At the first sign of a cold or flu, cut up two cloves into sizes that are easy to swallow. Do not chew or you'll have garlic breath. The lumps will dissolve in the stomach and the natural biotic will attack the cold/flu virus. Swallow one sectioned clove a day for the next two days. It works.

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We're also advised to grin and bear a headache. Apparently, taking painkillers regularly can make the brain more sensitive to pain signals and actually trigger a condition called medication overuse headache.

More than 10 million people in the UK get headaches, making them one of the most common health complaints. And they haven't counted me because I never report the few headaches I suffer from.

Sourced from the NHS

Most headaches aren't serious and can be treated with pharmacy remedies and lifestyle changes, such as getting more rest and drinking enough fluids.

Headaches have many different causes but can generally be split into two types:

primary headaches – those not due to another underlying health problem

secondary headaches – which have a separate cause, such as illness

Tension headaches are the most common, and what we think of as normal everyday headaches.

They feel like a dull ache with constant pressure around the front, top and sides of the head as if a rubber band has been stretched around it.

Stress is one cause, but there are lots of others, including drinking too much alcohol, not getting enough sleep, depression, skipping meals and becoming dehydrated.

If a headache is recurrent and disabling to the point of stopping you from carrying on with daily life, it may be a migraine.

Secondary headaches that come on after drinking too much alcohol or after a head injury or concussion.

You may also get a headache when you've had: a cold,  flu, an allergic reaction, sinusitis.

But Some headaches are a side effect of taking a particular medication and frequent headaches can also be caused by taking too many painkillers.


Pain in the head is rare for me. However, when the dull ache becomes too difficult to take, I am inclined to resort to natural remedies first. My German co-writer and friend, Edith Parzefall sent me a packet of crystallized ginger to make up the weight in a box of books she'd signed. I really have to be at my wit's end to chew a few cubes. The ginger stings the mouth with so much pain that the headache dulls in significance.

How do you handle headache or colds?


8 Comments
Lianne Soller link
1/26/2015 09:07:41 pm

I hardly ever get headaches or colds (thankfully)! When I do get a headache, I'm a sucker for taking advil. I think I have very narrow sinuses so it's usually an intense pain in one specific area of my forehead. It can be very painful. I haven't had a headache or cold for awhile...knock on wood!

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Amar Naik link
1/27/2015 02:58:18 am

nicely put. i take the vapors of hot water. if this does not work and my pain continues then i only i take medicines.

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Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy link
1/27/2015 03:12:13 am

I never take medicine, unless prescribed to me by a doctor and if I really need it. I like to treat things naturally.

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Nick #thisyearinmusic link
1/27/2015 04:41:32 am

Whenever I feel run down I generally drink more water eat more fruit than usual. 9/10 it does the trick!

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SnarkyMommaWithLove link
1/27/2015 05:33:35 am

I rarely get headaches anymore but for years I suffered horribly. Once I got my stress and blood pressure under control the migraines lessened to almost nothing. While they main fit the term secondary headaches, I would have argued that at the time! This was an educational post for me though. Thanks for sharing.

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Alana link
1/27/2015 07:11:42 am

I used to have regular headaches, back in the day when I rarely saw doctors. I discovered, to my shock (I was in my early 40's) that I had high blood pressure. Once it was controlled, my headaches stopped. I rarely have them anymore. For colds, I do take decongestants, but also depend on echinacea at the first sign of the cold.

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Mary Burris link
1/27/2015 05:38:53 pm

I usually increase my fluids (water, natural fruit juices, etc) and try to get more rest. That seems to be my cure-all.

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Bonnie Gean link
1/29/2015 05:48:42 am

Believe it or not, most headaches stem from the body being dehydrated, so the first thing I do is drink down water. If that doesn't help, I will eat a banana. The potassium helps.

Bar none - if those two remedies don't offer me help, I will reach for the Aleve. :)

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    Francene Stanley
    From England, I use news items in my novels which you can see below, all linked to an Amazon near you.

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