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Treat congestion with steam. Apply a vapor rub to your chest when you sleep. Clear your nose with saline drops. Try decongestant medications if saline solution didn't work. Soothe an itchy, scratchy throat by gargling with warm saltwater. Lower a fever or ease pain with over-the-counter pain and fever medications. Talk to your doctor before suppressing a cough. Avoid ineffective remedies. Bring a child with a severe infection to the doctor. Go to the doctor if you are an adult with a severe infection.

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Boil a pot of water and then add essential oils like eucalyptus or rosemary to the water. Put the pot on the table on a thick cork coaster and breathe in the steam. This will smell good, relax you, and help relieve the blockage in your nose. Maximize the amount of steam you inhale by using a towel to form a tent over your head and the pot. Inhale the steam for at least 10 minutes or until you get relief. Children must be supervised so they don't accidentally burn themselves on the hot water or hot pot. Do not ingest the eucalyptus oil or allow a child to do so. It can be poisonous. This will help keep your nose clear as you lie flat. Apply it to the skin on your chest and inhale the vapor. Read and follow the instructions on the packaging when applying it. Do not apply it to your nostrils because this puts you at risk of inhaling small droplets into your lungs. If the drops just contain salt water, they are safe, even for children. They will help dry out the nose and make breathing easier. They are available over-the-counter without a prescription. Some saline sprays and drops contain more than just salt and water. Read the ingredients on the label to determine if they also contain preservatives. These preservatives may harm the cells in the lining of your nose. If you are using a spray with preservatives, do not use it more often than is recommended on the packaging. In addition, consult a doctor before using it if you are pregnant, nursing, or treating a child. These medications can be taken orally or as nasal sprays. They are available over-the-counter. They should only be used for a week at the longest, after which they may cause inflammation of the tissues in your nose, which will make your symptoms worse. In addition, decongestants are not safe for everyone. Consult your doctor before using them if you: Are pregnant or are unsure if you are pregnant Are breastfeeding Are treating a child under 12 Are diabetic Have high blood pressure Have hyperthyroidism Have an enlarged prostate Have liver damage Have kidney or heart problems Have glaucoma Are taking antidepressants that are monoamine oxidase inhibitors Are taking other medications, even over-the-counter medications or herbal supplements, and you are unsure if they could interact The warmth will be soothing if your throat is sore from coughing. The salt may also help fight the infection. Mix at least 1/4th of a teaspoon of table salt into a glass of warm water until it is completely dissolved and you no longer see it. If you don't mind the taste of the salt, you can add more to make it stronger. Tip your head back and gargle. Children should be supervised during this process so that they do not choke. Try to gargle for about one minute. Do not swallow the water when you are done because it has lots of germs from your throat in it. Spit it into the sink instead. This will also be effective against headaches or joint pain. Commonly used medications include ibuprofen or acetaminophen/paracetamol. Consult a doctor before using these medications if you are pregnant, nursing, or treating a child. Follow your doctor's instructions or the directions on the packaging when determining the dosages, especially for children. Check the ingredients in any other cold medicines you may be taking to make sure they do not contain the same ingredients. If so, do not take them together because this increases your risk of overdosing. Aspirin should not be given to children or teenagers because it is associated with Reye's syndrome. Coughing is your body's way of removing pathogens and irritants from your airways. Suppressing the cough may be necessary if you can't sleep, but it may make it harder for your body to clear the virus from your system. Do not give cough syrups to children younger than four. For older children, follow the instructions on the bottle. If there are no instructions specific to your child's age, consult a doctor. Most pediatricians do not recommend giving cough medicines to any children, especially those under the age of eight, as they have not been shown to have much effect. There are several remedies that people use that are either known to be ineffective or do not have sufficient evidence to suggest that they are successful. If you do use alternative treatments, consult your doctor first because they may interact with other medications. These treatments include: Antibiotics. Colds are caused by viruses, not bacteria, so antibiotics will not help. Echinacea. The evidence for the effectiveness of Echinacea is unclear. Some studies suggest it helps when you take it at the start of a cold, others suggest it is ineffective. Vitamin C. The evidence is mixed. Some studies suggest that it may shorten the cold, others suggest it does not help. Zinc. Some studies suggest that zinc may help when taken at the start of the cold. Other studies suggest it is not useful. Do not take zinc in the form of a nasal spray because it can cause you to lose your sense of smell. The doctor will check to make sure the infection is not something more serious than a common cold. Symptoms to watch out for include: A baby under three months old with a fever over 100.4F (38C) A child between three months and two years old with has a fever and cold. Call your doctor and they will let you know if your child needs to be seen. Older children should be checked by a doctor if they have a fever for more than three days or a fever that is over 103F (39.4C). Dehydration. Children that are dehydrated may be tired, urinate infrequently, or pass dark or cloudy urine. Vomiting Abdominal pain Difficulty staying awake Severe headaches A stiff neck Problems breathing Crying for a long time. Especially in children that are too young to say what's wrong. Earaches A cough that doesn't go away Symptoms to watch out for as an adult include: Fever of 103F (39.4C) or higher Sweating, chills, and coughing up colored mucus Severely swollen glands Extreme sinus pain Severe headache Stiff neck Difficulty breathing