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Unfortunately, no matter how well you take care of yourself, you still inevitably come down with a cold or the flu. Even if you do all the right things such as eating a nutritious diet, exercising on a regular and getting plenty of sleep, illness can still get you.

If you do catch a cold you are always told to make up a pot of chicken soup. Studies have proven that chicken soup is indeed effective at fighting the physical aches and pains of the common cold. Bear in mind, however, you should eat small quantities of chicken soup, but as often as possible, to reap the beneficial results for your health.

It has been shown that chicken soup works to break up the congestion in the nose by thwarting the flow of the secretions from the nose. The white blood cells that come out in droves due to a sore throat and a head cold can be inhibited by chicken soup, which decreases the inflammation in the head as well as the creation of phlegm.

There is an amino acid in chicken, which is known as cysteine, and this is released when the soup is added to broth to make a soup. Once the cysteine is released in the making of the soup it becomes very much like a popular drug called acetylcysteine that is prescribed by physicians to patients who are suffering from bronchititis.

The mucus in the lungs is thinned out and this helps to release much of the congestion and the cough. The vapors from the hot chicken soup are one of the best antidotes for “cleaning house” when it comes to the common cold. Hot, spicy foods are excellent for kick starting the immune system and flushing out impurities so add some items such as onions, garlic, cayenne pepper or even jalapeno peppers to your chicken soup to facilitate faster healing.

Another excellent food remedy for congestion is garlic. At the very first sign of a cold starting consume several cloves of fresh garlic as it can help to encourage your immune system to get into gear and it helps to rid the body of congestion. Garlic is a very powerful food that has within it a special substance that is excellent at killing a virus known as the human rhino virus, which is to blame for many head colds as well as parainfluenza 3, which is a virus that causes a person to become sick with the flu. But the benefits of garlic when a person is sick do not end there. Garlic helps to encourage watery fluids building up in the lungs, throat and mouth to leave the body as soon as possible. The mucus that is characteristic of a cold is thinned out thanks to the presence of garlic and it is gotten rid of as swiftly as possible. Garlic also has the ability to fight inflammation, which makes it an excellent food to have on hand all of the time.

There is no cure for the common cold or flu but doing the right things can help to minimize it’s uncomfortable effects.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more informaton on Food Cures.

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Tags: chicken soup, cold, Food Cures, garlic

Just as almost everyone has their favorite alcoholic drink, many people also have their favorite hangover cure. Here are some easy remedies that you can try to before or after drinking to prevent a hangover.

One idea is to eat a medium bag or two small bags of potato chips before going out drinking. Another option is to make a sandwich out of salami and butter on a baguette or ciabatta bread. The idea is that the fat and carbohydrates will help to absorb some of the alcohol.

Other people swear by not mixing drinks. If you start with beer, finish with beer. Do not mix different liquors. Mixing different alcohols can cause you to feel the effects sooner, increase your likelihood of a hangover, and, if you throw up, even decrease the effectiveness of your oral contraceptives.

The Native Americans ate raw almonds before drinking to reduce hangovers. Other people swear by a few spoonfuls of peanut butter. Again, the fat content may help prevent some of the alcohol from getting absorbed.

Drinking sports drinks can help hydrate you and replenish lost vitamins and minerals. If you drank so much that you are throwing up, this can be especially helpful. There is some thought that the taurine found in energy drinks can also help with hangovers and liver damage.

Going to bed dehydrated is a surefire recipe for a hangover the next day. Drink a couple of glasses of water before going to bed to help hydrate you and dilute the alcohol. This can help lessen the severity of the hangover in the morning.

Be wary of using any painkillers while there is still alcohol in your system. Some can cause kidney or liver problems when mixed with alcohol, and others can irritate your already tormented stomach further.

For the morning after, try pouring the juice of one lemon into a cup of black coffee. Drink straight up, without sugar or cream.

Chicken soup is thought to work on hangovers as well as it does on colds, so a bowl or two may help get you going in the morning.

Some people swear by honey. Take two tablespoons every half hour until you feel better.

Fruit is also popular. An apple a day may keep the hangover away, as well as the doctor. Or, try blending together three bananas with some milk and honey until smooth. It should settle your stomach and help you replenish nutrients.

All in all, the best home remedy for a hangover is don’t drink. But, if you must, drink responsibly, and avoid drinking to excess. Try to time your drinks so that you are not having more than one alcoholic drink per hour. And remember when it is time to call it a night - sometimes, the decisions you make when drunk are harder to live with the next morning than the hangover itself.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more informaton on Hangover Cures.

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Tags: almonds, chicken soup, coffee, dehydration, fruit, Hangover Cures, honey, potato chips, sports drinks