cold remedies, anyone?

[Skittles]

I am sick of colds just slamming me and lingering for two weeks. I take all sorts of OTC medicines but nothing really seems to shorten colds for me - tell me what works for you please. :(

[JanMichael]

1. Massive, and I mean massive doses

of whining.

Tell EVERYONE how bad you feel....call your mother if no one else will listen to you.

Send emails detailing every symptom.

It works for me; the cold goes away in about a week.

[Skittles]

2. I whine quite a bit

but I've never done the emailing part......

[JanMichael]

3. I always try to take things to a new level

Make sure to say things like, "I wonder if I should go to the ER."

"Is a Fever of 98.9 DANGEROUS?"

[nashbridges]

18. HA HA HA HA HA!

I've got a cold, too. I made the co-worker who first came in sick buy me lunch yesterday to make up for it.

Whining does work sometimes...

[BigMcLargehuge]

16. BWAHAHAHAH!!!

:yourock:

[OneGrassRoot]

4. Well.........

if you take the smell (or if others around you can), garlic soup knocks out most things for me, especially respiratory ailments. Nothing fancy, just put several cloves of minced garlic in broth, with hot sauce.....you'll cry and your nose will run and it'll kill anything going on....lol.

Also, I've heard that new Airborne stuff is good.

Feel better....:)

[NewJeffCT]

5. An old Chinese recipe...

Well, it can't be too old, since it mixes Coca Cola and ginger... but, you mix those two together and make it into a hot soup and drink it.

It's a bit spicy.

[peacefreak]

6. Have you tried Airborne?

You've got to take it right when you start feeling a cold come on. I had something important coming up that I couldn't miss, so I tried it. Knocked that sucker right out of me. Good luck & feel better. Whining does help).

[Skittles]

9. I drank buckets of it

didn't do a damn thing

[Mutley]

7. Whenever I feel a cold coming on..

I drink a lot of orange juice. It seems to work, for me at least.

[Spacemom]

8. I Know our modern fast paced society hates to hear it

but simply resting really does help. Your body has finite resources to deal with everything you throw at it. A day or two of staying in bed with minimal activity gives your body a chance to do it's job and get well.

Hope you're feeling better soon. :hug:

[Skittles]

10. I worked the last 9 out of 10 days

13 hour shifts

[Lethe]

11. tried a Hot Toddy? they always work for me

warm up a glass of tea or water, squeeze in a lemon, a shot of whiskey, and some honey.

stir it up and enjoy.

[Omphaloskepsis]

12. How I get over these things...

Take with a grain of salt..

http://vicks.com/products/dayquil_liquicaps.shtml => http://www.knudsenjuices.com/products/nutritiousprod.asp?prodid=256&groupid=11&catid=57 => http://www.newstarget.com/spirulina.html

And it is time to stop writing normal things in Ruby..
class NormalTest < Test::Unit::TestCase

Ohhhhh... Shoot me.

[livetohike]

13. Granny and the Beverly Hillbillies advice

Take her tonic and it will take about 10 days for the cold to go away. Don't take her tonic and it will take about 10 days for the cold to go away :-).

Seriously, just drink lots of fluids and try to get some rest.

[Canadian Socialist]

24. Hey, my mum says something similar...

If you take medication (e.g. Neocitran) for a cold, it will be gone in a week; if you don't it will be gone in 7 days.

Anyway, it's funny that this thread was started today. I woke up with a cold. I have no idea how I got it as I'm a bit of a shut-in. Haven't had any human contact since last Friday. So, now I'm going to whine and whine to everyone here. Feel my pain.

[AirmensMom]

14. Black Elderberry Extract

It's sold under the brand name Sambucol and you can get it at health food stores. It takes the little nubs (I don't know what they're REALLY called) off the virus cells that attach to your cells and make more virus cells. Then the virus cells can't multiply and make you sick ... that's the unscientific explanation. If you take it when you're first starting to feel a cold coming on, you might not get as sick. I always keep it on hand. It tastes good, too! :)

Hope you feel better soon. :hug:

[Beausoir]

15. Chinese Hot and Sour Soup

Extra hot. Restorative.

[Lethe]

17. ditto

works wonders for a sore throat and congestion

[Skittles]

22. I will try that

thanks

[malta blue]

19. Warm orange juice

Yes, I know it sounds gross. You heat it up just a tad in the microwave and then slam it. Also, gallons of limeade.

I think it is a Vitamin C overdose, but I swear by it. Oh, and complain ALOT!

Feel better!

[Skittles]

21. problem I have with OJ

it's one of the few things that gives me instant, severe heartburn. :(

[malta blue]

29. Hmmm

Maybe try the gallons of limeade warm. The warmth sort of loosens up whatever ails you.

Feel better Skittles!

[Mizmoon]

20. cold eze didn't help?

I've found it very helpful.

Sorry you're not feeling well. I know how much that sucks.

[Skittles]

23. is that the swab things?

the swab things did not help

[Mizmoon]

28. No, there is a product called cold eze

It's clinically proven to make colds shorter and less severe.

And I swear I don't work for them :)

http://www.coldeeze.com/

[koneko]

46. I am all about the coldeeze

I (knock on wood) haven't had a cold last more than 3 days since I found it. I pop a couple of the lozenges even if I don't feel sick but have just come into contact with someone with a bad cold.

Another co-worker swears by Airborne, too.

And when the cold does hit, I take a shot of whiskey every now & then to loosen things up a bit. . .

Feel better!

[matcom]

25. scotch

oh wait. that is my remedy for EVERYTHING :D

[SillyGoose]

26. Try a hot toddy...it will make you feel better.

Here's the recipe given to me by a Scottish relative:

Heat 1 cup water, add 1 tablespoon Irish whiskey and about 1 teaspoon of honey.

I just got over a nasty cold and this was the only thing that made me feel better.

[coolhandlulu]

27. A few things to try...

Blackberry brandy...many old folks swear by it. I love this remedy! Makes me forget I even have a cold!


At the first sign of symptoms, take 2000mg vit C with 2 garlic pills twice a day with plenty of orange juice throughout the day. Do this for 2 days, then decrease dosage to 1000mg vit C with 1 garlic pill twice a day for the duration of the cold. Maintenance winter dose is at least 1000mg vit C with 1 garlic pill once a day with good hydration.


OTC cold medicine...Regular Robitussin to loosen up any chest congestion with plenty of fluids and COMTREX extra strength. I swear by COMTREX if for some reason my cold gets out of my control.

[anarch]

30. drink an 8 ounce glass of Wild Turkey,

repeat as necessary until you no longer care that you have a cold.

[grace0418]

31. Emergen-C and Airborne. You can get them at most groceries

these days. Definitely at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and the like. You can also get them online. The minute I feel a cold coming on, or even if I'm just feeling run down like a cold *could* hit me if I'm not careful, I take a packet of Emergen-C and a tablet of Airborne and plop them into a glass of water. I do this once or twice a day until I feel back to my old self. It works EVERY time. The only cold I've had since I started using these products came because I was out of both and really busy at work so I kept forgetting to buy more. Also I wasn't drinking enough water. Dehyration and lack of my two cold remedies is the kiss of death for me.

I also always used to get sick either on vacation or the day after getting home from somewhere. I think because I'm always really stressed out right before leaving, trying to tie up loose ends. Then I'm on crowded airplanes and in unfamiliar environments, so my body is just susceptible to whatever germs are floating around. But now I make sure to take Airborne with me and take it every day, and I don't get sick on vacation anymore.

[Patiod]

32. I miss the Alka-Seltzer Cold that used to work

before they took whatever made it work out.

That stuff was The Bomb - stewardesses always told me they took it too (when I would go back to ask for a cup of water)

[henslee]

33. Squeeze a whole lemon in cup of chicken soup. Sleep. Hydrate.

[bikebloke]

34. Hydrate and wait a week

The virus has a one week cycle(longer if you're continually stressed and sleep deprived). Drinks lots of water. Perhaps dress a bit warmer. Try not to honk your nose near draw bridges to avoid holding up traffic.

[AngryAmish]

35. I try to sweat them out

I have a cold right now and it seemed to help last night.

Anyway, I put on pajamas, sock and a sweatshirt. I sleep under extra blankets. Plus I try to get 10 hours of sleep. (Easier said than done for some folks. I could only sleep 8.5 but stayed in bed the whole time0.

Anyway, my theory is this - fever is nothing but raising your body temp to kill off the virus. Getting really hot should help kick-start the process.

It seems to work for me but it is also purely anecdotal. But getting lots of sleep can't be a bad idea and I don't think getting hot causes much harm either.

[musette_sf]

36. I don't take OTC cold meds

unless it's really, really, really bad.

Here's my list of remedies/soothers & comforters:

* Hot & Sour Soup
* Airborne fizzies
* Airborne gummies (hard to find, stock up at drugstore.com)
* Ricola lozenges (original flavor)
* Emergen-C
* Hot tea, any kind
* Matzoh Ball Soup (except not the evil kind from SF Soup Co)
* Any good chicken soup
* Extra soft tissues but not the greasy ones with lotion
* Cold-Eez zinc, the sugar-free kind

And at night:
* Hot tea with a bit of bourbon, honey and lemon
* Breathe Right strip
* Kiehl's Lip Balm on lips and around red sore nose (watch out for Breathe Right strip area!)

And be sure to take your daily vitamins.

I have tried echinacea, astragalus, golden seal, etc., and see no discernable benefit once the cold has settled in.

[tjdee]

44. Doesn't Airborne *have* echinacea in it?

I think it's got echinacea/goldenseal/some other stuff.... might just have the right combo.

:shrug:

[musette_sf]

48. actually you're right, it does

but it's got a lot of other good things in it too. I just have never experienced a benefit from taking echinacea capsules after the cold has set in.

[nini]

37. My sisters swears on Oil of Oregano

I can't stand to take it but it does seem to help her.

feel better :hug:

[liontamer]

38. 2 shots of vodka eom

[haydukelives]

39. Proper Nutrition

and less stress

[SOteric]

40. Garlic soup

and hot lemony drinks, plenty of rest and cat nuzzling.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

41. This is the best stuff on earth...

http://www.gotchagotchagingerlovers.com/products/drink.html

You can probably make it yourself; but it's the last thing you feel like doing when you have a cold.

[elshiva]

42. Lots of fluids. Especially tea, soup, soda, orange juice.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

43. fresh ginger...grated and made into A TEA

[wovenpaint]

45. cold wet socks

Sounds weird- but worked for me....:shrug:

http://www.bastyrcenter.org/content/view/197

[samplegirl]

47. Best thing i have found

Zinc and Vit. C

[gardenista]

49. Your immune system might be compromised.

This might sound like it's out of left field, but get your thyroid checked.

Also, when you feel the slightest hint of a cold coming, get Zinc/Echinacea tablets and use them for a few days. It's helped me fend off a few colds this year.

Best of luck.

[Merrick]

50. Zinc and weed

Especially if you take it early, when you first feel it coming on. I'm not really into marijuana anymore, but I've nipped several colds in the bud (no pun intended) by smoking a bit when I first get that distinctinve scratchy throat sensation. And zinc is a co-factor for a lot of biological enzymatic reactions - including those involved with the immune system.