Alternative Cold and Upper Respiratory Infection Treatment
Sinusitis and colds also respond to alternative medical treatments.
- To relieve cold symptoms suck on 2-24 mg zinc lozenges at the very first symptoms of a cold and do this every 2 hours while awake. These are very inexpensive and it makes sense to keep them at home in case you need them.
- For a cold you should start on ibuprofen (Advil) or naproxen (Aleve) as soon as possible. Unless you have a past history of an ulcer for the first 4-5 days take double the amount that is suggested on the bottle. This has been shown to lessen the length of the illness by 1 or 2 days.
- High dose Vitamin C has been found to shorten the course of the illness. Take 2500-6000 mg per day.
- N-acetylcysteine is a great anti-inflammatory and can shorten the illness by 2-3 days. We recommend 600mg of NAC 2-3 times per day.
- Increase your water intake to 10-12 glasses a day.
- For sinusitis one of the best treatments is a Neti Pot to rinse your sinuses. Read the directions.
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