What is the fastest way to get rid of a upper respiratory infection?

There are several home remedies that have stood the test of time including chicken soup and clear, hot broths. Soups of all kinds are a great way to pack a lot of healthy ingredients into a nourishing meal while also helping with hydration. Ingredients to consider adding besides your favorite vegetable or preferred meats include garlic, cayenne, ginger, and other warming spices. Root vegetables and other plant fibers–including fermented vegetables–also help support your gut flora, which impacts your immune system signaling in numerous ways.

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Epiglottitis

In general, when fighting a cold it’s a good idea to avoid “cold foods,” which are foods that are harder for your body to digest, like dairy, and increase your intake of warming foods, like soups or teas. Spicy foods, in particular, are great at improving blood flow, which can help increase the movement of mucus as well. All in all, it’s important to distinguish that there is no way to “cure” a cold, either with natural remedies or prescribed medicines since colds are caused by viruses that constantly mutate. Rather, natural home remedies can help reduce the time of infection, keep our bodies strong, and better manage symptoms.

Echinacea and medicinal mushrooms are helpful immune system modulators that can work to prevent infections. Specifically, some medicinal mushroom supplements work by creating an inflammatory response that keeps the immune system healthy and strong. They also have a chemical structure that allows the various components of the immune system to better communicate with each other. As a result, increasing your mushroom intake in general or simply when you’re sick will go a long way in regards to boosting your immune system.

Ginger is another great food to ingest when you’re unwell. Drinking ginger tea or adding a bit of ginger to your soups is warming and drying and may help with a cough. Ginger has potent antiviral properties as well, which are best harnessed when drunk as a juice. For a sore throat, drinking hot tea with honey will help, as the honey will provide a little bit of coating on the irritated tissue. Lozenges, for their part, can also be useful because they help keep your throat moist, as can demulcent herbs like slippery elm, which a common ingredient in teas and lozenges.

Additionally, there are several supplements that I use frequently and recommend to my patients. One I always have around is elderberry (Sambucus nigra), which has antiviral properties. Typically taken as a syrup, elderberry not only boosts antiviral activity against many of the common cold viruses, but it also has been shown to be efficacious against the influenza virus. So, if you’re in the early stages of infection and it's not clear yet whether or not you have a cold or the flu, elderberry syrup may be an effective remedy to help you fight either infection.

Zinc and Vitamin D also both deserve mention here. Studies on zinc showed mixed evidence, and it looks like the preparation of zinc (and with which ingredients it is mixed) matters almost as much as dose. Because there isn’t an obvious standard, zinc is one to consider if you feel it has worked for you in the past. Vitamin D isn’t often thought of for colds, but it does in fact impact the immune system significantly, and we all are more at risk of vitamin D deficiency in the winter, so cold season is a good time of year to be increasing your vitamin D in supplemental form.

For nasal congestion, the best home remedy is a saltwater rinse, done either with a neti pot or a sinus rinse kit. A steam tent can also be helpful and is an easy thing to do at home. Simply boil some water in a pot and put a towel over your head as you inhale the hot steam. You can do this with plain boiling water or boiling water with some drops of essential oil, like eucalyptus.

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Anyone who has ever had a cold knows about acute respiratory infections (URIs). An acute URI is a contagious infection of your upper respiratory tract. Your upper respiratory tract includes the nose, throat, pharynx, larynx, and bronchi.

Without a doubt, the common cold is the most well-known URI. Other types of URIs include sinusitis, pharyngitis, epiglottitis, and tracheobronchitis. Influenza, on the other hand, isn’t an URI because it’s a systemic illness.

Both viruses and bacteria can cause acute URIs:

Viruses

Bacteria

group A beta-hemolytic streptococci
group C beta-hemolytic streptococci
Corynebacterium diphtheriae (diphtheria)
Neisseria gonorrhoeae (gonorrhea)
Chlamydia pneumoniae (chlamydia)

The types of URIs refer to the parts of the upper respiratory tract most involved in the infection. In addition to the common cold, there are other types of URIs:

Sinusitis

Sinusitis is inflammation of the sinuses.

Epiglottitis

Epiglottitis is inflammation of the epiglottis, the upper part of your trachea. It protects the airway from foreign particles that could get into the lungs. Swelling of the epiglottis is dangerous because it can block the flow of air into the trachea.

Laryngitis

Laryngitis is inflammation of the larynx or voice box.

Bronchitis

Inflammation of the bronchial tubes is bronchitis. The right and left bronchial tubes branch off from the trachea and go to the right and left lungs.

The common cold is the most common cause of doctor visits in the United States. URIs spread from one person to another through aerosol droplets and direct hand-to-hand contact. Risk goes up in these situations:

When someone who’s sick sneezes or coughs without covering their nose and mouth droplets containing the viruses are sprayed into the air.
When people are in a closed-in area or crowded conditions. People who are in hospitals, institutions, schools, and day care centers have increased risk because of close contact.
When you touch your nose or eyes. Infection occurs when the infected secretions come in contact with your nose or eyes. Viruses can live on objects, such as doorknobs.
During the fall and winter (September to March), when people are more likely to be inside.
When humidity is low. Indoor heating favors survival of many viruses that cause URIs.
If you have a weakened immune system.

A runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, cough, and mucus production are the hallmark symptoms of URIs. Symptoms are caused by inflammation of the mucous membranes in the upper respiratory tract. Other symptoms include:

fever
fatigue
headache
pain during swallowing
wheezing

Most people with URIs know what they have. They may visit their doctor for relief from symptoms. Most URIs are diagnosed by looking at a person’s medical history and doing a physical exam. Tests that may be used to diagnose URIs are:

Throat swab: Rapid antigen detection can be used to diagnose group A beta-hemolytic strep quickly.
Lateral neck X-rays: This test may be ordered to rule out epiglottitis if you have difficulty breathing.
Chest X-ray: Your doctor may order this test if they suspect pneumonia.
CT scans: This test may be used to diagnose sinusitis.

URIs are mostly treated for relief of symptoms. Some people benefit from the use of cough suppressants, expectorants, vitamin C, and zinc to reduce symptoms or shorten the duration. Other treatments include the following:

Nasal decongestants can improve breathing. But the treatment may be less effective with repeated use and can cause rebound nasal congestion.
Steam inhalation and gargling with salt water are a safe way to get relief from URI symptoms.
Analgesics like acetaminophen and NSAIDs can help reduce fever, aches, and pains.

Shop for cough suppressants, expectorants, vitamin C, zinc, and steam inhalers online.

The best protection against URIs is frequent handwashing with soap and water. Washing your hands reduces exposure to secretions that can spread infection. Here are a few other strategies:

Avoid being in close contact with people who are sick.
Wipe down objects such as remote controls, phones, and doorknobs that may be touched by people in the house who have a URI.
Cover your mouth and nose if you’re the one who’s sick.
Stay home if you’re sick.