All-natural cold & flu remedies

It may seem a little early to start thinking about cold and flu but why not nip it in the bud before the season even starts?

To keep yourself from wheezing and sneezing all winter long, try using nature as a resource to prevent colds or the flu before they hit. Most natural remedies take a holistic approach — rather than waiting until you’re running a fever and miserable, you can boost your immune system through preventive methods. At the first onset of symptoms — whether it’s a tickle in your throat or a runny nose — try an all-natural solution and avert a full-blown, raging cold.

At PCC, we have many items free of chemicals and artificially derived substances that help soothe and strengthen. Our knowledgeable staff can guide you through our health and body care department and answer questions so you can bolster your medicine cabinet before cold season settles in. While we have a variety of tinctures, homeopathic capsules and many other products, the following three items are popular for their effectiveness:

Umcka Cold Care — Made from a species of geranium unique to South Africa, Umcka shortens the duration of your cold and reduces the severity of throat, sinus and bronchial irritations.

Boiron Oscillo — Oscillococcinum (Oscillo) can reduce the duration and severity of flu symptoms when taken at the onset of symptoms. Unlike other flu medicines, Oscillo does not cause side effects, such as drowsiness, and has no known or reported drug interactions.

Boiron Coldcalm — Coldcalm relieves cold symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion and minor sore throat.

Tips for beating colds and the flu

When cold and flu season comes around again, the old adage always rings true: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It’s time to step up your healthy habits to stave off this year’s round of sniffles.

Good old-fashioned handwashing is still the best preventative measure for colds.

Other self-care practices, such as eating well, exercising, staying well-hydrated and getting plenty of rest, can help.

However, if you do start to feel a little rundown, add a dose of echinacea for additional immunity support or improve your nutritional intake with a daily regimen of multivitamins.