9 EASY WAYS TO TREAT CHEST CONGESTION AT HOME

Home remedies for chest congestion

Chest congestion can be extremely discomforting. If not treated in time, it
can lead to severe infections in the respiratory tract. A person suffering
from congested chest may most commonly experience pain in chest or throat,
build-up of phlegm, making the chest feel really heavy. Extreme cases can
even make swallowing of food difficult.

Since ages, Indian households rely on home remedies to cure such common
ailments. Apart from treating health issues, home remedies have a number of
health benefits. We have listed a few common yet effective remedies that can full length mother of the bride wears look long
help you cure congested chest at home:

DRINK HONEY AND LEMON JUICE: Add honey and lemon juice in a glass of hot
water and drink this concoction for at least 2-3 times a day. Being a
natural decongestant, honey soothes throat and chest and lemon contains
vitamin C which helps in boosting immunity.

WARM MILK: Adding honey, turmeric and black pepper to milk works on chest
and cold infections. Turmeric has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory
properties that helps in killing bacteria and black pepper aids digestion
and relieves cough and cold. Drink this concoction 2 times a day.

DRINK WARM WATER: Not only recommended by many health experts, drinking hot
water relaxes throat and gradually heals chest congestion. Drinking hot
water helps in dissolving mucus in respiratory tract and relieves congested
chest.

GARGLE WITH HOT WATER: This home remedy to treat congested chest and
infected throat is one of the highly trusted ones. Add a half tablespoon of
salt in a glass of hot water and gargle for 1-2 minutes. You can gargle for
at least 3- 4 times a day. Spit the water and avoid swallowing it.

DRINK TEA: Brew a cup of ginger, peppermint, chamomile or rosemary tea to
effectively treat congested chest. Instead of sugar, add honey to get
additional benefit. If you are not a tea lover, then just chew ginger in raw
form.

STEAM: Inhaling steam by adding eucalyptus oil in water is a great way to
get rid of chest congestion. Take deep breaths and inhale steam. You will
immediately get relief from stuffy nose and congested chest. Eucalyptus oil
contains analgesic properties and antibacterial properties that ease up
chest congestion.

BLACK COFFEE: Though drinking black coffee may provide temporary relief but
it helps in dissolving mucus. You should not drink more than 2 cups as
caffeine in excess is not good for your health.

TURMERIC: Add a pinch of turmeric in hot water and gargle. As turmeric is
loaded with an active compound referred to as curcumin, it helps in
dissolving mucus. It also relieves chest congestion and its healing
properties kills bacteria and treats cough and cold.

ONION EXTRACT: You may not like its bitter taste but this remedy is
considered as one of the best remedies to treat congested chest. Onion has
quercetin which eradicates mucus and also prevents further build-up of
mucus. As onion contains antimicrobial properties, it also prevents
infections. Extract onion juice and mix it with lemon juice, honey and
water. Heat this mixture and drink the concoction warm. Drink this mixture
3-4 times a day.

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WHY YOU MUST STOP GIVING ANTIBIOTICS TO YOUR CHILDREN AND TRY THESE NATURAL
REMEDIES

As a parent, it is difficult to see your child under the weather. You try
all possible ways to relieve them from the pain and discomfort. Majority of
parents head straight to the doctor, where kids are prescribed antibiotics.
For the uninitiated, giving antibiotics for cold and flu makes you child
prone to long-term problems and weakens the immune system. Let's discuss in
details why children should not be given antibiotics for cold and flu.

How do antibiotics work?
Kids of every age get their share of cold, sore throat and viruses. As a
parent, we go the doctor, half expecting that our child will be prescribed
an antibiotic - which a lot of us consider mandatory to fight such
infections. But mind you! If you are stuck with a doctor who prescribes
antibiotics for all cold and flu related issues, he is putting your child's
health at risk.

Though antibiotics help to a great extent and are also essential in some
cases but not in regular cases of cold and flu. The two types of germs that
can make you sick are virus and bacteria. Both of these may have similar
symptoms but the way they multiply and spread illness is different.

Bacteria: There are so many bacteria that are already present in our body
and are helpful for us. But some bacteria invade our body and hinder the
normal functioning of the body. Antibiotics kill these bacteria and stop
their reproduction.

Virus: Viruses are not alive and cannot live on their own. They exist in the
body only when they invade other living cells. These are particles
containing genetic material wrapped in a protein coat.

The body's immune system can fight them even before they cause any illness
but some take their own time like for example the cold virus. And
antibiotics do not work on them.

Problems caused by antibiotics
Antibiotics can cause problems like allergic reactions, side effects and
antibiotic resistance. Let's know about each of them in detail.
Allergic reaction: 5 out of 100 children are allergic to antibiotics. They
may develop swollen, itchy and red welts. You should immediately consult
your doctor if the child develops any rashes over the course of taking
antibiotics.
Other side effects: 1 in 10 children may experience side effects like
nausea, vomiting, stomach ache and diarrhoea on consumption of antibiotic.
As along with killing the bad bacteria, antibiotics also kill the good
bacteria which can lead to such problems.
Antibiotic-resistant: If antibiotics are used over the course of years, they
become ineffective in killing some bacteria, making the child antibiotic
resistant. In some such cases, stronger antibiotics are given to treat the
problem. This is one of the main reasons why doctors have become wary of
prescribing antibiotics until really required.

When your child really needs antibiotic?
We are not trying to say that antibiotics are bad and should be avoided at
all costs. They are necessary in some cases and can also save lives. There
are some cases when children need antibiotics - symptoms include, a cough
that lasts for more than 14 days, bacterial pneumonia or a whopping cough,
high fever with greenish yellow nasal discharge, diagnoses with a strep
throat, ear infections, UTI and bladder infection.

Children taking antibiotics must be careful with their diet Antibiotics kill
the bacteria that causes infection but along with that, it also kills the
good microbes that the body needs to absorb key nutrients including Vitamin
K and B Vitamins. Doctors say it is important to get back the lost nutrients
either through multivitamins or nutrient-rich food.
To get the maximum benefit, make sure your child consumes the full dosage of
the prescribed antibiotic.

Home remedies for cold and flu

Mustard oil with garlic cloves: Heat the mustard oil (do not boil), add 2-3
garlic cloves and ajawain. Rub this on your child's feet, back and chest.
Ginger and honey juice: Grate some ginger and take out its juice. Mix the
juice with honey and give it to your child.
Keep the room cosy: Use humidifiers to keep the room's air moist which will
break up nasal and chest congestion.
Give them extra fluids: Make them drink lots of water to prevent
dehydration. It also thins nasal secretion and flushes them out.
Gargle: Make them gargle with salt and lukewarm water.

Tips to lower your child's antibiotic prescriptions
- Give them a wholesome nutrient-rich diet.
- Get them in the habit of washing their hands after they come from school,
play and before eating any meal.
- Give them nutrition supplements (consult a doctor)
- Support their gut health by giving them fermented food and fermented
fibre.

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8 WAYS BEING ON KETOGENIC DIET CAN HARM YOU

Low-carb, high-fat Ketogenic diet has been in news for quite some time now.
Not only are some celebrity trainers endorsing the diet, there are many
pages on social media guiding people the keto way! There are many impressive
weight loss stories of people on Keto but mind you, it's not all hunky dory.
This diet comes with its set of challenges. Here's what you must know.
Is keto worth the effort of playing with our body? According to experts and
industry insiders, no. Here's why:

Since the diet is rich in fats and low in carbohydrates, the body does not
have glucose as the prime energy source. Instead, our body starts to burn
stored fats to create energy in the body. This ultimately leads to muscle
loss in many. Even though the diet contains proteins, once the body enters a
state of ketosis, it starts to lose muscle.

A huge issue with keto diet followers. Since the diet has low or no carbs,
the energy produced from stored fat cells is not enough. This can severely
affect the energy levels of a person. Even though the person does not feel
hungry due to heavy fats and proteins, they often feel low on energy.

Another problem with those high on following a keto diet. As the body enters
the state of ketosis, our mouth starts smelling. This is caused due to the
elevated levels of ketones such as acetone in our body, which are present in
our breath.

Even though you begin with a feeling of being satiated due to high-fat and
protein levels, the body gradually starts asking for glucose to produce
energy. This glucose can only come from carbohydrates. And ultimately, our
body starts asking for carbohydrates and lands into starvation mode.

As Indians, our cuisine is rich in carbohydrates such as roti and rice which
gives us sufficient amounts of energy. However, since in a keto you diss out
carbs completely (almost), the body finds it tough to adjust to the new
diet. Nausea can get worse if we consume processed food items with bad fats
and proteins.

Cramped bowel movements is a major complication of this diet. Our body needs
carbohydrates to produce bulk. If you eat less or no carbs at all, you are
bound to get constipated.

This is a big issue with people who follow this diet on hearsay. The
tendency to eat processed food high in fats and proteins can start showing
effects on our skin and hair. Processed foods often have taste stabilisers
and other hidden ingredients to make the food item tasty so that our tongue
gets addicted to it.

When our body enters ketosis and shows significant signs of starvation,
fatigue and nausea, our brain gets a signal that it is under stress. This
leads to sleep issues in many.