UPPER RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20982, 19 September 1931, Page 7 (Supplement)

UPPER RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS.

One of the commonest groups of acute illnesses is due to infection of the throat, tonsils, nasal passages and upper portions of the windpipe. Often enough they are quite mild and pass off in a day or so, and are generally labelled 'flu. Usually, however, they are not really influenza. Now there are certain ways of cutting short these tiresome bouts, especially if we catch them right at their commencement. They may be ushered in with feelings of chilliness, loss of appetite; there may be mild headache, stuffiness of the nose; there may be a " sand-paper " sensation in the throat or lumpiness on swallowing; there may be soreness in the centre of the front of the chest, with a dry and painful cough. The thing to do is to act quickly. First take a purgative; and the most satisfactory is a good dose of castor oil, followed next morning by salts. Go to bed early that first night, and take a long, hot orange or lemon drink with sugar and a little whisky. In addition take one or two tablets of aspirin. Put plenty of clothes on the bed and have a hotwater bottle. The aspirin, the drink and the warmth will enable you to sleep, and will make you perspire. Next morning you will probably feel much better. If necessary, repeat, the treatment a second night; and all the day drink plenty of orange or lemonade with sugar.