Thread: I has a cold :( Your favorite remedies?

I had a super stressful couple of days combined with too many Christmas parties and now I am sick sick sick. It's just a standard cold plus fever but dang I don't want to deal with this right now. ..cr.:,m::

I've been drinking lots of water, eating oranges (can't drink oj, the acid hurts my belly) , drinking apple juice (it makes me feel better), resting, taking hot baths, curling up with a hot water bottle, taking echinecea, belladonna, and goldenseal, and have busted out the advil for body pain.

Anything I should be trying? What are your favorite get better tricks?

TamraHennaTX cured my cold when she told me to make a batch of chicken noodle soup with jalapenos! Tastes delicious and clears your sinuses ..g.:

And oddly, it was pretty effective.

Sweat in a sauna. Also coconut oil. As well eat a balanced meal every 3 hour to fuel your immune system and rest.

what do i do with said coconut oil?

satin, that sounds like it totally would work but alas i'm a veggie and have a hard time with spice/heat :(

Originally Posted by anyadance

what do i do with said coconut oil?

satin, that sounds like it totally would work but alas i'm a veggie and have a hard time with spice/heat :(

Hahahahaha then I'm absolutely no help

Have you tried zinc lozenges? Those seem to be pretty effective in shortening the duration of my colds.

This has been working on my partner:

Tonic of mug of warm water, 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp sweetener of your choice (honey, agave nectar, etc.)

alternate with

Inhalation of 1 drop each of tea tree (Australian), thyme, clove, and lavender.

Several times a day each.

Does. The. Trick.

i like peppermint tea. it might not cure you fully, but it should make you feel better in the mean time. (it's very helpful for headaces and nausea, and i don't know if it's the peppermint or just warm tea, but it seems to ease aces some)
::sterile hug::

Ginger tea...peel and slice ginger, toss it in some water, boil/simmer for 20 minutes or so...sweeten to your liking and drink, drink, drink.

Originally Posted by 1shadylady

Ginger tea...peel and slice ginger, toss it in some water, boil/simmer for 20 minutes or so...sweeten to your liking and drink, drink, drink.

Sounds like sambal tea! How about that arroz caldo*?!

*Filipino version of chicken soup: porridge of rice, chicken, ginger and garlic.

Oh, and love and hugs. Feel better soon, Anya!

i've been on the zinc train since being in highschool! i've also zinc overdosed on an empty stomach and found myself throwing up at a bus stop. OH MAN.

anyway...thanks everyone! i'll definitely try these out and just keep on keeping on and waiting it out.

has anyone ever done a mustard plaster?

My favorite new found cold trick is Garlic Tea. You take a peeled clove of garlic and chop it up coarsely. Then put it in a large mug and pour boiling water over it. When it has cooled a little drink it down. It actually has a very mild taste. The kick is to eat the bits of garlic left at the bottom which is pretty spicy! If you are worried about your breath follow it with ginger tea. I cant say its a remedy because I believe only time really remedies a cold...but it definitely makes my body aches less and im a lot more functional =) Good luck!

Originally Posted by Azhia

Sounds like sambal tea! How about that arroz caldo*?!

*Filipino version of chicken soup: porridge of rice, chicken, ginger and garlic.

Yeah...Arroz Caldo is another of my "I feel yucky and need comfort food" dishes.

I'm going with my grandma's and mom's remedies....chicken noodle soup followed by a small bowl of cold canned peaches.

Or you can try my dad's remedy....bowl of chocolate ice cream smothered in chocolate syrup chased down with beer .w.:

Originally Posted by anyadance

what do i do with said coconut oil?

satin, that sounds like it totally would work but alas i'm a veggie and have a hard time with spice/heat :(

You eat it. Make sure it is cold pressed virgin coconut oil.

According to this site, if you already have the flu you should take a 6 tablespoon megadose daily.

How to Make, Find and Use a Swine Flu Natural Remedy | eHow.com

Originally Posted by anyadance

has anyone ever done a mustard plaster?

Yes, it's not really intended for a cold unless it has moved into your chest. If it has get someone to hep you and don't leave it on for long; made correctly the plaster can raise blisters. Oh, don't put it right on your skin either. Instead put a bit of plastic wrap on your chest and put the plaster on that.

Personally with a cold I keep it simple; lots of Vit C to keep things flowing, stay hydrated, rest, and eat things made with hot peppers, garlic, and ginger (ginger or garlic soup and chicken burritos w/alot of hot sauce specifically). A little trick I picked up from our pediatrician is to get Gatorade and cut it half and half with water. It stays down better then straight water, provides nutrients, and watering it down lowers the sweetness.

I concur with taking baths. Let yourself soak a nice long time, because the humid air is wonderful for your breathing passages. Helps with coughs and stuffy noses.

Your breathing passages will thank you even more if you add eucalyptus oil to the bath water. Especially nice if you have a cough.

Use a humidifier to keep the air humid in the room that you sleep in. Especially if you have a cough.

Get lots of rest. Sleep as much as you can.

Eat as much fresh fruit and vegetables as you can. Although vitamin C is beneficial, don't limit yourself to citrus. All fresh fruits and vegetables are good for the immune system.

Use a neti pot to cleanse your nose and sinuses at least once a day, or more.

If you have a cough, avoid sleeping on your back. If you normally sleep on your back, either sleep in a reclining chair that doesn't go back all the way, or use pillows to prop your upper body up to be a bit higher than your hips. You'll breathe a little easier in this position.

Vitamin D, especially if you can drag yourself outdoors during the day and get some sunlight on your face.

Bikram yoga! The heat and humidity are great for sniffles.

Zicam. Works like a charm if you follow the directions.

A quick run if you can manage it (2-5 minutes) (you should feel more tired than usual at the end, but don't make yourself dead-dog-exhausted), then hot bath, then bed.

i usually go for anything to do with heat or liquids. wearing 3 sweaters/pants, running (it's unpleasant, but will help), hot baths/shower, inhalations (the stuff where you breath steam with of herbal stuff, can't remember the proper name), lots of soup. spicy food unblocks your nose like a wonder. for the throat, i usually alternate between hot lemon juice (press a lemon, add some hot water, then after you drink/gargle this have a spoonful of honey), or warm milk with honey stirred into it (that second one is really soothing).
good luck getting over it sweetie! {{Hugs!}}

Originally Posted by *Shira*

I concur with taking baths. Let yourself soak a nice long time, because the humid air is wonderful for your breathing passages. Helps with coughs and stuffy noses.

make sure your bathroom is warm tho. going from the warm water to being wet in a cold room won't be very helpful. in fact in Japan where baths are a daily thing (instead of just showering) they say not to take a bath when you're sick so that you can avoid the shock of warm to cold. so just turn on a space heater and close up the room first ^_^

My dad is a respiratory therapist and he always said that if it is a cold with phlegm, then avoid all dairy. It will increase the production of it. Hot tea with honey, hot baths with apple cider vinegar too, lots of sleep, pamper yourself a lot!

In the end though, I swear by the hot toddy right before bed. But that might not be for everybody ;)

Originally Posted by jengal55

My dad is a respiratory therapist and he always said that if it is a cold with phlegm, then avoid all dairy. It will increase the production of it. Hot tea with honey, hot baths with apple cider vinegar too, lots of sleep, pamper yourself a lot!

In the end though, I swear by the hot toddy right before bed. But that might not be for everybody ;)

yes! no dairy for me when i'm sick, i can notice right away...the phlegm production goes into overdrive.

i ate about 10 cloves of garlic last night and boy oh boy did that work some magic. i'd like the give a shout out to my Ukrainian genes for that one.

i woke up this morning and it's in my chest so i might give the mustard plaster a try depending on how bad it gets tomorrow.

I concur with taking the hot baths and spending plenty of time in the hot, humid environment. Add a few drops of peppermint or eucalyptus oil to the bath so that you'll be able to inhale it in the steam. Also, hot tea with plenty of lemon and honey.

Im a vegetarian too and have just made a big pot of vege chicken(quorn) noodle soup from a receipe that was posted on bhuz about a year ago by I think Andalee. Im stuck at home with some kind of chest infection and have been willing to try anything to try and shift it before xmas. Its very easy to make just vege stock, carrots, onions, quorn pieces, garlic, noodles, Ive also added loads of chillies and pepper to help sweat out the bugs but you its just as good without. Its also extremely filling! My non stopeating machine of a teenage son just ate a huge bowl and says he's stuffed!

Originally Posted by daisy_witch

Im a vegetarian too and have just made a big pot of vege chicken(quorn) noodle soup from a receipe that was posted on bhuz about a year ago by I think Andalee. Im stuck at home with some kind of chest infection and have been willing to try anything to try and shift it before xmas. Its very easy to make just vege stock, carrots, onions, quorn pieces, garlic, noodles, Ive also added loads of chillies and pepper to help sweat out the bugs but you its just as good without. Its also extremely filling! My non stopeating machine of a teenage son just ate a huge bowl and says he's stuffed!

sounds delicious! i think today i feel well enough to actually leave my house and grab some stuff to whip up some yummers.

i think i maybe slept 4 hours last night...i ended up on the couch because the non stop coughing and nose blowing was driving the honey insane!

Originally Posted by anyadance

sounds delicious! i think today i feel well enough to actually leave my house and grab some stuff to whip up some yummers.

i think i maybe slept 4 hours last night...i ended up on the couch because the non stop coughing and nose blowing was driving the honey insane!

Oh, that is the worst! Hope you are feeling better today!!!

"Medicine Tea": Hot black tea with honey (the solid white kind, let it melt into the tea), add juice from a fresh lemon and a healthy dose of Korbel brandy. Drink with "respect" (it's medicine, lol) and you'll feel much better!

I'm currently trying to stave off a sinus cold right now. Mostly I'm gargling with a saturation-point salt solution, and this morning I used neti pot for the first time. I'm surprised how much the neti pot helped to relieve the sinus pressure. It wasn't the most pleasent thing on earth, especially when I rinsed out the side that is the most plugged, but I think it helped. I used a salt-baking soda solution, and I think I'll try adding a drop or two of tea tree essential oil when I do it again tonight.

My mom has been down with a brutal sinus infection for a few weeks now (doc has decided it's bacterial and put her on antibiotics a couple days ago), so I'm *really* hoping that mine is just viral or that I can blast it out of my system with the neti pot and salt gargles before it has a chance to get any worse. I'm also going to get on the zinc supplement wagon.

As far as utterly non-natural symptom suppressants go, I like NyQuil and DayQuil. They work very well for keeping down stuffy head and runny nose symptoms. I have to stay away from coffee when I use 'em, though. NyQuil and coffee makes me as high as a kite - hyperactive scampering and giggling galore, followed by a huge energy crash!