Cold Remedies

In My Humble Opinion
1

My head is heavier than a bowling ball. My eye lids just want to rest a bit. When I sneeze, it sounds like I am attempting spontanious human explosion. I have a cold.

My remedy of choice is hot water with a TON of honey in it, and a lemon wedge. Honey is a natural demulcent, and the lemon is good for my sore throat. I know about echinatia, but I’ve heard that it’s only good for preventing a cold, once the sucker gets its roots in, you’re done for.

Any secret cold remedies, Dopers? Help a poor mucus filled Swiddle!

2
  1. Fill your bathtub to the rim with ice cold water.
  2. Go to the kitchen and core two apples.
  3. Now you need to get all the pillow cases in the house together. That’s right, take them off of the pillows, we just need the cases here.
  4. Ok, so now you’re going to put the apple cores in the bathtub.
  5. Put your head in one of the pillow cases.
  6. Discard the rest, you’re not going to need them.
  7. Do you have any roller blades?
  8. Next step, run through the house wildly. Don’t take off the pillow case.

Hmmm, that should do the trick.

No need to thank me, I’m a trained specialist.

3

ROTFLMAO! You are one sick puppy…

4

Robotussin cold and flu gel caps and Alka-seltzer plus cold medicine.

5

I’ve found the best way to deal with a cold…assuming that you don’t have to push on with your normal responsibilities…is to just keep dosing yourself with Ny-quil or some similar medicine and just sleep through the illness.

6

Seriously though, Sixstring had a good point. A 16 hour nyquil nap does a body good.

7

Well, here’s what Dr. Weil has to say about it:

http://www.pathfinder.com/drweil/qa_answer/0,3189,148,00.html

I don’t know if it’s a cure, but that ginger tea stuff ought to make you forget about the cold for a few minutes.

8

So sorry to hear about your misery, SwimmingRiddles! Just getting over one myself (thank God the baby didn’t get it too).

Echinecea is (allegedly) an immune-system booster which helps you fight stuff off. I take it daily with my vitamins, and it SEEMS to help me stay away from most colds. I did lapse for a while, but when I got this one, I started up again anyway, and it hasn’t been too bad. Coincidence? Maybe, perhaps even probably. But it’s like those zinc lozenges- if you think they’re helping, they are.

Nyquil is good if you can sleep a lot, but then again, a little heavy drinking is exactly the same thing.

My personal favorites are teas from a company called Traditional Medicinals. The best for your situation wuold probably Gypsy Cold Care (can’t remember ingredients, but it rocks) and Throat Coat if you have a sore throat (contains licorice & slippery elm bark- might taste nasty at first, but it grows on you).

Really hope you feel better!

9

I second the idea of Throat Coat. It’s great stuff.

Brandy works, too. Shots of it. My grandmother used to give me warm brand with honey & lemon in it. Now that I think of it, Throat Coat with Brandy, honey, and lemon will probably cure just about anything.

10

I’d like to second two suggestions.

If you can get shed of your responsibilities, do the nyquil nap. If you have to function, Gypsy Cold Care laced with honey will be the friend you need.

Also, don’t forget the simple stuff: if your head is stuffed up, take sudafed. Take the 12-hour stuff so you don’t have to do it again in 4 hours. Tylenol for a fever. Sleep as much as you can. And if you’re too sick to go to school or work, you’re too sick to go out and play in the evening.

Hope you feel better!

11

Yeah, enough booze will knock you out, but save those remedies for when you’re a retired stage actress, and “a little gin to help me on my way” is almost obligatory.

For now, it’s all about NyQuil. You buzz for a few seconds, say something like, “No, silly, mommy doesn’t ice cream the supercollider,” and wham! you’re deep in the Odinsleep for like three days. Fabulous stuff.

12

Time