When you feel the symptoms of a cold start, hurry and drink some fluids.This will help thin out any mucus and relieve a sore throat.
 If you have a scratchy throat, gargling salt water will relieve it. Mix a teaspoonful of table salt in a glass of warm water. Take a sip of the water mixture and gargle. Spit it out. Repeat several times a day.
 If your nose is stuffy, try a saline spray to help relieve some of the pressure.Saline sprays or nasal drops are readily available at drug stores.


Follow the package’s instructions when using saline spray.
 Acetaminophen or ibuprofen can be taken to treat minor aches and pains associated with the common cold.


You can also take other over-the-counter medications, such as DayQuil or NyQuil to treat your cold symptoms.
 When you feel cold symptoms coming on, go to bed early. Try to get extra rest to help your body fight off the cold.
 Use tissues to trap coughs and sneezes. This will help stop the spread of germs. Sneezing into your elbow is the best way to prevent spreading if you have no tissue available., If you feel a cold come on, do not run to the doctor and ask for a Z-pack, which are antibiotics.When you take antibiotics unnecessarily, bacteria might survive the antibiotic treatment. Then this drug-resistant bacteria will multiply and increase the possibility of other bacteria surviving future antibiotic treatments.You may also get diarrhea or vomiting from antibiotics, which could result in dehydration.
If you develop a fever, it may be more than a cold. Talk with your doctor if you are concerned.
Drink lots of fluids right away.
Gargle salt water.
Use a saline spray to help nasal congestion.
Take over-the-counter medications for aches and pains.
Get lots of rest.
Use tissues and sneeze into your elbow.
Stay away from antibiotics.
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