Common cold

[Nova]

I have been struck with the common cold since yesterday. I know, I haven't been eating properly the last couple of weeks, exercise is non-existant and sleep was limited. If I was living healthier, my resistance would have been good enough to withstand the lowly attacks of the common cold.

That doesn't really help me right now. I would like to hear your favorite tactics to get rid of it quickly.

What I have done so far:
* take a long hot shower
* take an aspirin to get rid of headache
* told my common cold virus that it is no match for my massive immune system, and that it can expect total annihilation.
* drink a sirop based on thyme and blueberries to get rid of the sore throat
* cut an onion in half, and place it next to your bed to get rid of stuffy nose
* 10 hours of sleep a night.
* drink tea

It did help a lot. My throat isn't sore anymore, my nose is almost cleared. No more headache but still a bit "fuzzy". Bit of coughing.
I expect it to be over within two days. Still, I'd love to hear what you do when you have the common cold.

[michael.shearer]

Whenever I am potentially feeling a bug coming on I use activated charcoal...absorbs toxins in the bowels at 1000x it's weight.

Additionally, I drink tea, try to sweat, take liquid whole foods (sea vegetation and aloe vera-I do that every day, it's called Body Balance)...not sure what else, I use more preventive practices and rarely get sick.

Glad you're feeling better!

Mike

[madgeylou]

get yourself a nice big knob of ginger.

peel it, grate it, and simmer it in some water.

when it smells really spicy and fragrant (after 10-15 minutes), pour into a mug.

add the juice of a whole lemon and an assload of honey -- way more than you think you should. the point is to make the drink equal parts hot/spicy, lemony, and sweet.

drink it down. get as much of this into as you can.

you will feel better the next day, i guarantee it or your money back.

[Dharma]

Zicam - the nasal gel version. If I use it when symptoms come on and be nice to myself, I won't come down with a cold. Also helps when you already have a cold too.

[Simpleclicks]

Has anybody tried 'propolis' as a prevention of common cold? I have one capsule every morning and I very seldom catch cold.

[Daniel Terhorst]

What do I do when I get sick?

Unless I feel like I'm dying, I keep going to work/school, and I don't take any medicine. I don't even remember the last time I felt that bad, though!

Seriously, I don't think we really have a good idea of what we're doing to our bodies when we keep popping those over-the-counter pills. I think they're a crutch. Sometimes you actually do need it, but if you keep relying on it when you don't, you're only crippling yourself. Stand on your own two feet.

Anyway, here are some of the more interesting preventative measures I favor, but can't guarantee actually do anything :

1) No medicine unless really, truly necessary.

2) Don't go out of your way to avoid sick people.

3) Avoid washing your hands with anti-bacterial soap...

4) If someone coughs or sneezes on you or something, or you're feeling a bit down, you can try breathing this special way: Breathe in through your nose, and then out through your mouth in the same way. Do it in sets of 3-5-7-5-3. That is, breathe in three times through the nose, then three times out of the mouth, and so on. *sniff, sniff, sniff* *hfuu, hfuu, hfuu*

5) Do Hanshi's warm-up every morning. If you're interested, I might be able to dig up a description sooner or later.

6) Have just a bit of fat on ya'. Seriously. Skinny people have poor circulation, get cold really easily, and have minimal energy reserves. It's probably healthier to be a little bit plump than most people think.

7) Erm. Just decide not to get sick anymore.


Anyway, you probably thought that was all very silly. I'm only half kidding, though.

-- Daniel Terhorst

[arithhuh]

The Importance of diet during illnesses is seldom taken into consideration. Yet, its what you eat, that can hasten or slow down your recovery process.

With regard to the Common cold, Eat only food that increases heat in your body. A Few pointers which i found useful were:

1) Avoid yogurt, or any cold things, like ice cream, and soft drinks which are refrigerated.

2) Drink at least two glasses of a mixture which is as follows : 1 glass of the mixture contains half a glass of water and half a glass of milk. This combination is esp useful when one has infections and not just allergies. This makes it light on ur digestive system and kind of gives u some much needed heat in the body. Also, add some pepper and a pinch of tumeric in the mixture if you can.

3) Eat some pulses if you can. Dont eat potatoes as potatoes take away heat from the body.

4) Avoid Watermelon, any citrus fruits. Fruits either worsen one's cold, or kind of have a neutral effect, So its better you dont go near citrus fruits at all.

Apart from Diet, one more thing is to cover your ears effectively while sleeping. Sleep sideways, so that one ear is pressed to the other pillow, and you can cover the other ear by pulling your rug/blanket over it. This makes it easy to breathe too.

Well, All these measures are esp useful when one has infection, rather than just allergy.

Hope it helps.

[WanderingOak]

I've always had good luck with an infusion of fresh chopped ginger, cinnamon, cardamom in boiling water, then let to cool to luke-warm. If you drink (alchololic beverages) then a shot of cinnamon schnapps works wonders for a sore throat.

[Erki]

I really don't know if this is actually any good but for me, fresh air has sometimes felt very...refreshing! Usually I guess I should be in warm if I have caught cold but sometimes warm is too...warm so I go, open the window, watch out of it for a minute or so and feel much better.

[TheColonel]

Here's one that always works for me when I feel symptoms coming on.

1. Take zinc. Don't overdo it. Too much zinc can have bad side effects like acne.

2. Drink hot liquid. As hot as you can stand. As much as you can. This kills the germs in your throat.

3. In between sips of hot liquid, occasionally drink cold water (distilled if possible.) This washes the dying bacteria down into the stomach where they can't survive.

4. Rest.

If you do this when the symptoms start, you'll have great success. But it's also helpful at any point in the cold if you don't head it off at the beginning.

[thadroe]

I generally just stop eating much at all. I drink a lot of water or tea and only eat small amounts of some raw vegetables and fruits.

Your body has an amazing ability to heal itself quickly in the absence of food. All the energy is diverted to getting the crap out of your body instead of digesting food.

Most animals fast when they get sick. It works.

Thad

[sjpeer]

When I start comming down with a cold, I actively use a natural nose spray called Xlear (pronounced "clear"). It contains xylitol, a natural sweetener, that has proven effective at helping your membranes resist bacteria. It's all natural and safe for even infants. In fact, studies have shown that children that use xlear regularly have a decrease in ear infections. It doesn't have any immediate afrin-like effect but I use it many times a day and find it reduces my symptoms overall more quickly.

I also use a neti pot which allows you to rinse out your sinuses with a salt water mixture. It is particularly effective for allergies or for cleaning out your sinuses after working in a dusty area. If the neti pot is a little awkward for you, there's another version (I can't remember the name right now) that allows you to squeeze the solution into your nasal cavity rather than pouring it in. I'll post the name later when I find it.

Here are links to these products.
You can find a variety of neti pots at health food stores. This version is sold at Walgreens
SinuCleanse - the first word in Sinus Relief - Home
XlearINC: Quality Xylitol Products

[len811]

A friend was having much nasal drip but few other cold symptoms. After some checking I learned that the combination of fevergreek and thyme is frequently recommended. There are commercial products on the market. It seems to work well for her is addressing the symptoms.
Just can't well until I get a cold so I can try it!

[micth]

Originally Posted by Nova

* told my common cold virus that it is no match for my massive immune system, and that it can expect total annihilation.

I lol'ed...
obviously you're going to overcome your cold through the law of attraction. keep puttin out those intentions

[ahimel]

Water, water, water!

Your body needs to do more than kill germs; it needs to get rid of little germ corpses, and germ waste products, and little baby germs (metaphorically speaking).

Your body has a fantastic system for getting rid of things it doesn't want, but its effectiveness is directly related to the amount of water it gets to use. When I feel something coming on (or when I'm not feeling sick but everyone else in my house is, like now) I aim for 8oz of water per hour.

First signs of the flu showed up in the house on Monday; so far, so good.