A Clockwork Cold

[Arimara]

I always dreaded this time of year because I always get sick between now and January. Now I have one of those colds that always spread to my chest and always require me to use at least Tussen (What happened to Buckley's or even that 666 medicine?). I guess I'd like to know if any of you ladies and gents use home remedies before pulling out the big guns (I really hate Tussen). I know I'm fairly early in the cold so I can at least try ginger teas.

 

[earlene]

Large doses of vitamin C almost always knock it out for me if I start at the first sign of a cold. Not always, as sometimes a cold virus is really strong and hits like a ton of bricks. But most of the time I have enough early warning that it works. I also increase the zinc for the duration.

 

[Susie]

Those Cold-eeze lozenges can help reduce the duration of a cold if you catch it while it is in that "scratchy throat" stage. Use them exactly as the directions say.

 

[maya]

ELDERBERRY! Proven to shorten the flu (by the gov.). tons of stuff you can do. You can also have my family recipe but it comes with a warning about the taste. One whole grapefruit (organic is at all possible), one head of garlic (yes, the whole thing, yes organic if possible), a pot of water, a sauce pot, one of those medium sized ones. chop grapefruit and garlic. add to pot of water, bring to a boil, then simmer until everything is mushy (that is the official term, mushy.) drink liquid. YOU WILL WANT TO ADD HONEY to the drink.

I have more suggestions if you want them.

 

[artemis]

We do tea, too- peppermint, ginger, cloves, cinnamon. I don't think it shortens the cold, but makes us feel a little better.

 

[Obsidian]

I feel for you, hubby and I just went through 2 bottles of dayquil and one bottle of nightquil. He gets it in the chest, I get in in the head and cold season is just starting.
I don't do much with natural remedies when I get this sick but I do use vitamin C drops to help boost my immune system. Raw honey works good for sore throats and coughs.
If you can get a hold of some fresh raspberry leaves and rose hips, simmer them in just enough water to cover until you have a nice strong tea, add honey to this until you have get a syrupy consistency. Its a great cough remedy that is packed with vit C and its yummy, I used to give this to my daughter when she was little.

 

[mx5inpenn]

Disgusting to most, but chew a whole garlic clove very well before swallowing it at least once a day. If you don't like anything spicy, it may not be for you because they tend to burn almost hot pepper-like.

Aside from that, lots of vitamin C, honey and lemon tea (honey is a natural antibacterial and lemon is very high in vit c), or maybe try the Airborn stuff. My mother swears it works for her.

 

[Scooter]

For me, everything usually starts in the sinuses (sorry to be gross) before it getting to my chest...so I am a big believer in the neti pot. But I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on the radio, and cannot give advice on what others should do.

Scooter

 

[lenarenee]

Tussin contains guaifenesin which is the ingredient in Mucinex (or its generic form). I take a double dose of Mucinex (I worked as a licensed Pharmacy tech, and the pharmacist recommended double dose for adults, people with fibromyalgia are given quadruple doses of guaifenesin safely). Guaifenesin thins mucus....especially chest mucus.

Relax in steamy bathrooms as much as you can, drink plenty of fluids.

Greatly reduce your sugar and carbohydrate intake. Glucose molecules are so closely matched to vitamin C molecules that your body will uptake the glucose instead of the vit C. This weakens the immune system, and also contributes to inflammation.

I take a really good probiotic - the kind you find in the refrigerated section. I use Udo's, or Metagenics (very pricey...but heavily researched and excellent testing and quality) This info came from pharmacists too.

 

[Arimara]

Thanks all. In truth, I didn't fee like going the onion-sugar approach. I will get some more garlic tomorrow since I like making my broths with it. I might try making a tea with the cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger along with orange and grapefruit rinds. I can easily get those things. I'll schedule an appt with my dr in the meantime. I can't delay the inevitable.

Edit- scratch making that appt. I have to go to urgent care tomorrow. I'm not waiting the weekend to see the doctor.

 

[Susie]

The government proved last year (I think it was last year, but time slips up on me.) that Vit. C has no effect on colds. Also, guaifenesin is ineffective in fibromyalgia, which is a crying shame as I can't take Lyrica. I just can't live with the dizziness.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

A Hot Toddy: whisky (use a cheap blend rather than a single malt!) with lemon juice and honey in a cup of hot water. Drink it just before bed, wrap yourself up toasty and wake up feeling bonny again. Of course, you'll sweat yourself silly overnight, but it'll do wonders against the cold.

 

[IrishLass]

Everyone's body is different in regards to what works or doesn't work for them, but for what it's worth, when the creeping crud comes a 'calling, this is the regimen that works for me in preventing it from gaining entrance:

At the very first sign of something coming on, I immediately implement a 4-pronged approach:

1) I use a product called XLEAR nasal spray to attack the problem from the nose/sinuses;
2) I take one Zicam about 3 or 4 times a day
3) I take one teaspoon of Gaia brand Black Elderberry Syrup 3 times a day (it's the absolute best elderberry syrup I've ever used).
4) I refrain from eating any sugary treats

As long as I keep vigilance/stay on top of things by not getting lax with any of the above over the course of about 1 week, the creeping crud that came a 'calling finally stops knocking at my door and goes off to find a more easy target.


IrishLass

 

[shunt2011]

I second Cold-Eze. I work in a hospital with EM docs and a couple of them highly recommended it when I was getting sick several years ago. They also said to use airborne if flying during crud season. I too use musinex (generic), unfortunately, If I don't catch it soon enough I end up with pneumonia so I'm pretty diligent trying to not get sick.

 

[BattleGnome]

The last time I had a sinus infection I microwaved a cup of water and added some tea tree oil to use as a diffuser (if you do this double and triple wash the bowl to get rid of the tea tree). I don't know if it was the supposed benefits of the tea tree (Pinterest keeps telling me it's anti-bacterial/viral/fungal!) or if it was just the heat but it did help make for easy breathing.

 

[osso]

I've started taking high doses of vitamin c when I feel the scratchy throat beginnings of a cold. Not tablets or Emergen-c, but ascorbic acid powder dissolved in water. Crystal light makes it more tolerable if you don't like the taste. Haven't had a cold actually take hold since. High doses is usually 16g or upwards.

 

[navigator9]

I have asthma that rarely bothers me, but if I get a cold that settles in my chest, I can run into trouble. The very first thing I do when I get a cold is to start drinking lots and lots of water. Then I take Mucinex DM, the store brand is cheaper and works just fine. This keeps all of the secretions (mucous) in your lungs fluid, so that you can cough them up. It's when they get thick and sit around in your lungs that's not good. As long as I can keep things "flowing", my cold will not turn into bronchitis, and I'll be better in several days. Hot ginger tea with honey is good, too. I also make a chicken soup with TONS of garlic, ginger and cilantro. I don't know if it actually helps, but it's comforting, and the smell is amazing.

 

[Arimara]

A Hot Toddy: whisky (use a cheap blend rather than a single malt!) with lemon juice and honey in a cup of hot water. Drink it just before bed, wrap yourself up toasty and wake up feeling bonny again. Of course, you'll sweat yourself silly overnight, but it'll do wonders against the cold.

My sister and mother both drink these. I'm not to fond of hot or warm alcohol and genetics kicks me in the shins when it comes to whisky

I have asthma that rarely bothers me, but if I get a cold that settles in my chest, I can run into trouble. The very first thing I do when I get a cold is to start drinking lots and lots of water. Then I take Mucinex DM, the store brand is cheaper and works just fine. This keeps all of the secretions (mucous) in your lungs fluid, so that you can cough them up. It's when they get thick and sit around in your lungs that's not good. As long as I can keep things "flowing", my cold will not turn into bronchitis, and I'll be better in several days. Hot ginger tea with honey is good, too. I also make a chicken soup with TONS of garlic, ginger and cilantro. I don't know if it actually helps, but it's comforting, and the smell is amazing.

I did NOT need an excuse to use cilantro.:mrgreen: I have some sofrito I made with cilantro, recao, garlic, scotch bonnet, and onion (I didn't have aji dulce peppers) that I could use in my broth. I'll just up the garlic and steal some ginger from my grandmother.:mrgreen:

 

[dibbles]

A Hot Toddy: whisky (use a cheap blend rather than a single malt!) with lemon juice and honey in a cup of hot water. Drink it just before bed, wrap yourself up toasty and wake up feeling bonny again. Of course, you'll sweat yourself silly overnight, but it'll do wonders against the cold.

LOL - my sweet little Irish grandmother used to have a Hot Toddy every night. Purely medicinal purposes :wink: She lived to be 99, so there may be something to it.

 

[lenarenee]

The government proved last year (I think it was last year, but time slips up on me.) that Vit. C has no effect on colds. Also, guaifenesin is ineffective in fibromyalgia, which is a crying shame as I can't take Lyrica. I just can't live with the dizziness.

Yes, guaifenesin is not currently recommended for fibromyalgia. But it was about a decade+ ago, and in huge amounts. I was just trying to demonstrate its accepted safetiness (I can't spell safe-ti-ness, help!)

So you have nothing productive that can help fibromyalgia? I'm sorry. I'd be like you - I cannot stand any level of dizziness.

The vitamin C for colds thing....yeah, I have given up on following that because they waffle back and forth so much. I have (seemingly) much better luck with probiotics, but I take them year round. But glucose does confuse the uptake of vitamin C to the cells (one of them has an extra electron but I'm already forgetting last semesters Bio class!), and it does affect the immune system.

I almost hate to admit this, but I swear by Halo spray. I use it religiously when the kids are sick and in 2 years only caught one of their viruses. Anyone else try it...and what did you think?