New Delhi, October 22 (IANS). With the arrival of winter, complaints of cold and cough become common, but do you know that a major reason for this is not only cold but also the increasing smoke in the atmosphere? Be it smoke from stubble burning, vehicular pollution, kitchen smoke, sparks from firecrackers or cigarette smoke, all confuse our body’s immune system.
When the carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, dust and toxic particles present in the smoke affect the sensitive membranes of our nose and throat, the body starts reacting by considering it as an allergen, due to which even without the virus, symptoms like cold, sneezing, sore throat, blocked nose and irritation in the eyes emerge. We call this condition ‘smoke allergy’.
When our immune system overreacts to smoke as a harmful substance, a condition like allergic rhinitis or smoke-induced cold occurs. Its main symptoms are persistent sneezing, runny or blocked nose, sore throat, burning eyes, headache, and chest tightness.
The microscopic particles present in the smoke damage the cilia (hair-like protective fibers) present inside our nose, due to which viruses and allergens can easily enter the body.
In these situations, some simple home remedies can be very effective, like basil-ginger tea, turmeric milk, lemon-honey mixture and consumption of garlic. Taking steam, especially with eucalyptus or peppermint oil, helps open the nose and kill bacteria.
Ayurveda also has many remedies available for smoke allergy, such as Trikatu Churna, Singhanad Guggulu and Nasya Karma (instilling medicated oil into the nose). Putting 2 drops of Anu oil in the nose every day keeps the nasal passages safe.
It is noteworthy that more than 40 percent of cold and cough cases in India are due to allergies. If this condition persists then it can also take the form of serious diseases like asthma or sinusitis. Therefore, the best protection is to avoid smoke, use natural remedies and strengthen the immune system.
–IANS
PIM/ABM
