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Best Cold Medicines
I just came down with a bad cold in the last 24 hours… I knew it was coming because I get sick around this time every year, but that still doesn’t make it any easier to deal with. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_tongue.gif However, I’m going to a concert tomorrow night, and I’m singing at my church’s Christmas program in a couple weeks, so I would love to feel better and/or get over this as soon as possible. I know there isn’t such thing as an overnight cure, but here’s to wishful thinking…
I know everyone is different and that everyone has different things that work for them, but what are the best cold remedies and medicines that work for you???
I had a sore throat yesterday afternoon and by the time I went to bed, I was congested so badly I was completely stopped up. I barely slept, and today I’m just as congested (if not more) and getting sinus headaches and pains in my forehead and face. Now I’m starting to feel queasy, slightly dizzy, weak (I’m shaking a bit) and my body temps are starting to go crazy. And yes, all of this is normal for me.
I drink hot tea with honey just about every day, anyway, and I’ve been taking Sudafed nasal decongestant (probably contributing to the dizziness). I also have a neti pot, but it irritates my throat if I don’t keep my head tilted just right and most of the time nothing gets through (although the hot water helps relieve some pressure). But all this is just enough to take the edge off, nothing more. I usually try sweating it out after a week or so but it doesn’t always work.
Any ideas??? https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_sad.gif
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11 Replies
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i drink echinacea tea by the gallon as soon as i feel something coming on. i also pop a ton of vitamin C and zinc. i used to get sick a few times a year and stay sick for a week at a time, and be miserable…. now i am only sick for 3 or 4 days and i’m completely functional without needing to take any sudafed or dayquil anymore.
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I have a "Crane" humidifier which helps ease the symptoms. I think you can pick up a small humidifier at Bed Bath & Beyond.
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Are you taking the sudafed tablet or spray? I take sudafed tablet and i find they help a lot, however they do cause my heart to race and i generally dont feel great on them, but it gives me a few hours to get things done when im sick! Check that they have pseudoephedrine in them, which works well, not phenylephrine, which I find has no effect. They’re changing the cold meds from pseudoephedrine as its possible to make crystal meth from them. Apparently! Ayway, hope you feel better soon. Oh yes and take echinacea too, it can help to shorten the course of the cold, especially if yuo want to stay away from the nasty cold meds https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif
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Emergen-c!!!!!!!!!!! It’s a life saver for me! Take one or two packets before you go to bed tonight and keep taking one every day until your cold goes away on top of whatever OTC stuff you’re taking. Now that it’s winter though I would take an emergen-c every day anyway because it seems to help me not get sick at all if I take one every morning and keep it in my system. The off brand seems to work just as well as the name brand, I usually get the cranberry or raspberry flavor and drink it with OJ, the pink lemonade flavor is good too though. I’ve also had good luck with Zicam which works on the same principle as Emergen-c although I heard somewhere that Zicam can cause hearing damage or loss or something but who knows how true that is or not.
Also my mom (haha I am such a baby) puts eucalyptis oil on the shower floor and then runs the steam and has me sit in the bathroom in my undies with a book for about 30 minutes or so, it really helps drain everything out. Also get a pot of really hot water that has steam coming off of it and melt some Vicks inside the water, put your face above the pot of water with a towel over your head to keep the steam inside and inhale the vapors. If you can get past the suffocating sensation it works very well and it’s good for your skin too! My mom also has this crazy mexican old lady concoction that consists of honey, canyenne pepper and ginger but I have never been brave enough to drink it, I pour it down the drain when she walks away, blehhhhhhh!!!!! I’m sure it would work quite well though!
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Aw glitter that post just made me love your mom, lol! How cute is she, looking after you aw https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif The eucalyptus oil on the shower floor sounds like a good idea!
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Haha yeah my mom is totally nuts about taking care of us and I am 24 years old! But my 70 year old grandma still takes care of my mom when she is sick too, so I don’t feel quite so bad https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif
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Zicam products and mucinex always seem to help deminish my symptoms and make me feel better faster.
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Thanks for your responses, everyone! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif I’m taking the Sudafed tablets, and I’ll have to check the label for the ingredients… And I think we have some Emergen-C in the cupboards, actually, so I’ll take some of that before I go to bed. I’ll look into that echinacea tea, I’ve never heard of it before. And we have a humidifier but I have no clue where it is… https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_confused.gif Maybe I’d better go find it, hehe.
Thanks again, everyone! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif
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I am a strong believer in neti pots, but if you are stuffed up they will not work.
As for sore throats/losing your voice, google horseradish and honey. I know it sounds disgusting but does not taste much different than sweet and sour sauce and really works.
I remember reading somewhere that you should not take anything that dries out your sinuses as that is your body’s natural response to getting rid of nasties in your system. Of course I cannot find that article when I need it. I also will take high doses of vitamin C (like 500-1000 every hour that I am awake). There is a website called The Vitamin C Foundation that has a lot of really good info on high dose C. On the cold and flu page there are links to studies and papers that have been performed on what they recommend.
Cold/Flu Cure #1: 8 g every 20 minutes
At first sign of cold or flu, begin taking at least 8 g (8000 mg) of vitamin C as ascorbic acid every twenty minutes for 3 to 4 hours until bowel tolerance, and then smaller dosages of 2-4 g every 4-6 hours for ten days to prevent recurrence.
The ‘trick’ is achieving almost I.V. blood serum levels by mouth as described in the Hickey/Roberts book ASCORBATE: The Science of Vitamin C. Begin protocol at the first sign of a runny nose, tickle in the throat, etc. If not caught at the beginning, the infection can’t be stopped, but you may lessen its severity and duration.
Note: Any other form of the vitamin, e.g. mineral ascorbates, will be half as effective for this purpose.
Note: Avoid sugars/simple carbs, which compete with the vitamin for cellular uptake during therapy.
Note: 8 grams equals sixteen – 500 mg pills, or eight – 1000 mg pills.
This recommended surefire dosage is 4 times Irwin Stones recommendation of 2 g every 20-30 minutes for the first two to three hours. If you have trouble with 8 g, you might try lowering to Stone’s dosage for the common cold.
If you place your faith in "medical science" (or those who cloak themselves in that term when they insist that vitamin C has no benefit against the common cold) you may be surpised just how easy it is to halt a viral infection at the onset.
Cold/Flu Cure #2: 3.1 g as nasal drops or spray
If you have a low bowel tolerance or stomach distress from oral vitamin C, you may experience great benefit from the nasal spray approach. (Let us know!)
At the onset of a cold, mix 3.1 grams (3100 mg or about 1 teaspoon sodium ascorbate or ascorbic acid crystals) in 100 milliliters (ml) water or saline ( just enough to dissolve all the vitamin.)
dropper: Use dropper and place 20 drops in each nostril, or
nasal spray: place solution in clean, sterile nasal spray device and apply several fine sprays of the ascorbate solution in each nostril.
ascorbate soaked cotton balls: See this post in our forum for this alternate nasal approach for chronic sinusitis.
Repeat often, perhaps every 15 to 30 minutes for several hours, and then once per hour for 24 hours after all symptoms are gone (to prevent recurrences.) Take Irwin Stone’s 2 g dose orally.
The idea behind this technique comes from page 19 of Linus Pauling’s book HOW TO LIVE LONGER AND FEEL BETTER (1986 paperback).
"Braenden (1973) reports that administering vitamin C directly into the nasal passage increases the ascorbate concentration in the sinuses to 1000 times that which can be achieved orally. From this we surmise that, 3.1 g (3100 mg) times 1000 might mean that the spray or drops nasally is equivalent to 3 Million milligrams or "units" of Vitamin C orally!
UPDATE 09-22-2002 Feedback on Ascorbate Nasal Spray Interesting idea! Add MSM. UPDATE 06-07-2002
A Foundation member found the ascorbic acid spray a little irritating to the nostril, and made his own colloidal silver nasal spray – with excellent results!
As for the sudafed, if you are not buying it at the pharmacy itself and having to sign for it then it no longer contains pseudo-ephedrine.
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Thanks, Chem! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif That’s a lot of good info. I’ve been drinking that Emergen-C which has Vit. C in it and I also bought those Halls Defense drops (that have Vit. C and I think zinc, too?) along with a bag of regular cough drops and have been alternating them. I might have to run to the drugstore again today so I’ll see if I can stock up on more Vit. C stuff (my daughter’s sick now, too, so I need to find something for her… she was up crying several times last night because she’s so congested… https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_sad.gif). And that Sudafed I got was from the pharmacy – most of the cold meds were; the store shelves were bare because most of it had to come from the pharmacy!
I’m feeling much better today but still not 100%. I’ll keep doing what you ladies suggested and kick this thing’s butt. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_rambo.gif https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif Thanks again!
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You might also want to try Elderberry (black elderberry) syrup. Take 2 tablespoons twice a day til you feel better – it’s antiviral – better than even Tamiflu!! Works wonders for me.
I agree on the Emergen-C too! Also, lemon tea (with added lemon juice if you need so you can taste it) Plus lemon and a shot of whiskey (or your choice of alcohol). Yes, Alcohol IS medicinal in the correct quantities!! The citric acid in the lemon juice breaks up the phlem/mucus in your throat, honey soothes, and the alcohol helps open your sinuses and also helps you sleep. It’s important to breathe in the vapors from this Hot Toddy mixture, too!
I"m recovering from an AWFUL cold myself that’s had me down for 4 days now, and counting. Much better today than day one – may actually be able to go to work tomorrow. We’ll see. I didn’t start on the Elderberry myself until today, because I forgot about it, didn’t have any in the house, and was too sick to go get some.
Hope you feel better soon!
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