I hate colds.
When I taught, I got colds all the time, as small children tend to be covered in germs and sticky stuff. (Which is normally quite endearing, until they become disease vectors.) Since I’ve worked from home, the number of colds I get is much less, but the severity of the colds I get is much worse. Or I’m older, and less willing to tolerate simple annoyances.
So my question for you is this: Do you have any home remedies you rely on when you have a cold? I’ve taken ALL the cold medicine, and I’ve been drinking a shitton of hot tea with honey and lemon. All while wrapped in my sock monkey blanket.
5 replies on “Lunchtime Poll for 1/25/13: Cold Remedies”
Any kind of sinus-y stuff, I go for steam… lots and lots of steam. Just let everything drain out of the holes in my face (and it’s usually all the holes).
For all manner of things, here in New England there is a home remedy called Fire Cider. There are recipes all over teh interwebz for it- although it takes 4-6 weeks to brew. sooo not really helpful this second. I live by it, though.
Keep hydrated for sure. The more hydrated you are, the easier it is for your body to get rid of the germs that are making you sick. (Mucus gets thinner and is easier to expel.) Take a ton of Vitamin C. I’ve heard that making your body alkaline helps? (I haven’t tested that though.) Also try to make yourself a chicken soup (I can’t remember if you’re veggie or not, sorry!) and use lots of garlic and ginger. I like spicy things when I’ve got a cold, but both garlic and ginger are good for your health. Get lots of rest! I hope you feel better soon!
No dairy means less mucus. Then hot tea (lemon & ginger, jasmine, whatever), as much paracetamol and/or ibuprofen as the package insert allows, rest and time. Nothing magic, I know…
I bought a humidifier this illness- along with so, so, so many other things; this was the most expensive cold I have ever had because I seriously tried ALL THE THINGS, plus the ER visit copay when the cough cracked the rib, ugh- and it really, really helped. It was an infant (though why it was differentiated as such I have no idea) that pumped out warm steam all night long. I got it at Walgreen’s for under $20, and it was awesome. Loosens up a tight chest and also stops the early morning sore throat from mouth breathing all night. You have to sit it as close to your face as possible, like on the nightstand next to your bed, to get the best results.
Also, hot water, honey, and soy milk, if you get sick of tea.
Personally, I like being asleep. Or, my second favorite, a bed party with blankies and Netflix and blankies. And hot tea. All the hot tea. And hot showers/baths. And extra pillows and yet more blankies.
And a good, post-plague laundry and living-space scrubbing to kill off anything that wants to try to linger.