Home remedies

[Cheyenne]

Seems like quite a few of us on the board are sick (literally). Or maybe it's just me and Naked Hunny, I don't know. But my nose is clogged and this cough is terrible. I slept 11 hours last night (I usually sleep 6 if I'm lucky) and I'm still tired. No appetite, thirsty as hell, too.

Anyone have any home remedies you swear by?

 

[Silverlily]

Any herbal tea with lemon and peppermint extract, sweetened to taste. Although, if your nose is stuffy, you might want to avoid chamomile.

I also like chicken soup with tobasco sauce stirred in for relieving sinus pressure.

 

[Weird Harold]

Anyone have any home remedies you swear by?

I'm glad you asked.

NH mentioned drinking a lot of iced tea when she mentioned she was sick. That's not a good idea, because tea (of the Pekoe/OrangePekoe type like Lipton) causes more water loss than it replaces.

For a sore throat and congestion, Hot Lemon Koolaid is very soothing, and provides the fluids and vitamin C that you need.

For a really sore throat, hot clove and honey tea, (Preferably a decaffienated variety of tea,) is a natural pain killer.

An old GI remedy for colds and flu is a fifth of whiskey and a hot shower. It doesn't do much for the cold, but you get clean, and when the whiskey is gone, you don't care if you're sick.

 

[Silverlily]

An old GI remedy for colds and flu is a fifth of whiskey and a hot shower. It doesn't do much for the cold, but you get clean, and when the whiskey is gone, you don't care if you're sick.

That's funny, 100 proof peppermint schnapps chilled in the freezer is pretty good for a sore throat too.

 

[Guest]

I slept 11 hours last night (I usually sleep 6 if I'm lucky) and I'm still tired.

A person can feel tired when they get too much sleep. ~sigh~ But, on another note I just (finally) got over a very bad sinus infection/cold. It lasted over two weeks. ~sigh~ Well, good luck and feel better.

~Tiggs~
http://smilecwm.tripod.com/sd3/lise.gif

 

[Bobtoad777]

1 large onion and 3 large cloves, not bulbs, of garlics, tables spoon of basil and the juice of a large orange and large lemon purred till you can drink it all with a straw.

taste horible but you will be well within 36 hours

 

[OUTSIDER]

ALERT ALERT.!!!!!!!

EXTREME thirst is a classic sign of diabetes and you should be seen by a doctor at once, BTW tiredness is also a classic sign of diabetes too.

I know this because I was the one who had to call the ambulance when my 30 year old nephew went into a coma after collapsing in my flat and he thought all he had was the flu too.

 

[Guest]

That's funny, 100 proof peppermint schnapps chilled in the freezer is pretty good for a sore throat too.

Whenever I've had a sore throat or the flu, I've noticed that good ole' fashioned Coke-a-cola works for me. It's a very acidic soda! The acid helps neutralize the acid in your stomach (and it kinda "eats away" at the infection for a throat).

~Dr Tiggs~
http://smilecwm.tripod.com/scorchio/saevilw.gif

 

[Nicole]

Cheyenne No remedies here, but I do hope that you are well soon.

I think I might be getting something too, so I'm trying to catch it before it hits.

By the way, in Australia when you have a cold or the flu, the first thing the Doctor will say is "drink lots of Fluids" anything up to 5 litres in a day, so the being thirsty is normal. After 11 hours sleep, probably with your mouth open, I'm not surprised that your thirsty.

Get well soon sweetie, and check your mail

 

[coolchick]

Cheyenne... hope you feel better soon! Not sure what area you live in, but Fall is typically an active allergy season, which triggers sinus/sore throat type problems. Those zinc lozenges work wonders. The best one is made by Hall's. If you can ingest about six the first day you feel bad, it seems to head it off at the pass. They are so popular in my area that they are difficult to find!

 

[CreamyLady]

Starting in October, we take echinacea and goldenseal tablets regularly. They really do help prevent a cold from digging in.

When I have one, lots of fluids, rest, and light food. I avoid dairy products, too.

Before bed, if it is really bad, I have a cup of hot tea with a little whisky, honey and lemon. It usually relaxes me enough to sleep, and sooths my throat.

 

[BeautyBabe]

Green tea is good, lots of anti-oxidants, but it tastes foul! Try mixing it with lemon or orange herbal teas.

I don't know if a hot toddy has any medicinal value, but any excuse for a drink of whisky! Add hot water, lemon juice, sugar to taste, and stir with a cinnamon stick. If you use enough whisky, you stop worrying about how you feel!

 

[Earthmuffin]

Hot sour soup or Miso soup with extra ginger and soy sauce. Green tea, decaf tea, gatorade, water, water, water, water.

Do be careful how many "natural" remedies you imbibe in one day as they can interact as much as prescription or over the counter meds can. Be patient, I know it's horrible, but without medical treatment your cold recovery time is about two weeks. With medical treatment recovery time is usually 14 days. *hug*

 

[Bobtoad777]

Earth Muffin,

My remedy if taken three times a day for one day will have a full recovery in 36 hours thats 12 1/2 les that medicne or other methods It hasnt had one failure yet in anybody who has actually used it. the only failures was 3 ppl who did not take all three doses of it cause it was too 'gross' for them.

 

[Naked Hunny]

Well ifit makes you feel any better my fever went away after 48 hrs but i still have the cough and nasal congestion so keep trying!!

 

[SpecialK]

Not really a natural remedy....

Have any of you heard of Buckley's cough medicine?

I think it's a Canadian thing but it is sold in some places in the United States. I'm not sure exactly what this stuff is made of but I know it has camphor oil and pine needle oil and menthol.... something like that anyway.

To me the stuff tastes like Vicks VapuRub and earwax (not that I've ever ingested earwax, but just what I assume ear wax would taste like). It looks like sperm.

An actual ad slogan for this stuff is "Tastes awful, but it works."

And damn does it work like a charm... that is if you can swallow the stuff.

I recall taking it once when I couldn't sleep (coughing was keeping me up)... went back to bed and I was still coughing for a bit. I was grumbling about how even the Buckley's wasn't working... and next thing I knew... it was morning!

I've sent some to several friends on the Internet who couldn't buy it where they were. They agree on the vile taste of the stuff but agree that it does get the job done.

With Buckleys I think it's partially a psychosomatic kinda deal. You don't WANT to get sick enough to take the Buckleys.

K

 

[Bobtoad777]

SpecialK,

Buckles is my inspration when I created my cure for colds and flu. And If you check out the recipy you can see that it tastes awful, heck I dont even like the stuff like it is in that form, but be danged if i aint ucred in 36 hours every time. I just dreed the nest time I fet sick and have to take that stuff again. ick.

 

[Never]

Okay.. the Never family secret to getting well.
Now this is closely guarded and, let me tell you, all those other cures are worthless compared to this...

Are you ready?

I can't stand the anticipation, can you?

Is there quivering? Yes, I see I'm quivering with excitement!

It's a three part mix..
Rest. Lots of it.
Water or Juice. Lots of them.
Cleaning yourself and your bed sheets/bedroom. Often.

Sorry, there's no magic potion for health. Take a couple days off work and let your body fight the infection brewing in it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All work and no play makes Never a sick puppy.

 

[Aranian]

Uh oh. Never's talking in third person now.

Unless you're really sick, sometimes it works better to get off your butt and go do your routine. Bed time rarely cures my infrequent ailments.

 

[GuyJD]

NATURAL REMEDIES

YOU NAME IT.........Vitamins, Enzymes, Amino Acids, Herbs, Minerals...........I either have used or presently use them all since 1985.

If you feel a cold coming, load your body with Oranges or Orange Juice. Vitamin C strengthens the immune system and your immune system will eliminate the virus. This has always worked for me.

Suffer with fatigue? Consume any tea or supplement that contains the herb, Mu Huang. It is not recommended for anyone with heart, lung, or thyroid problems, high blood pressure, pregnant or nursing women. But believe me, it will have you so energetic, you'll be ready to run a marathon. One more warning......Mu Huang may elevate your heart rate so this is not something that you will want to overload with. In addition to fighting fatigue, it also fights fat. It is a great weight loss supplement.

 

[RonG]

A few home remedies:

Sore Throat: Corn chips and lots of them. Make sure you get the saltiest ones possible because the salt acts as a plasmalyzer on bacteria cells. I find corn chips better than potato chips for swallowing. Gargling and swallowing Ol' Rebel Yell sourmash whiskey don't hurt.

Stuffed head/Sinusitis: Hot spicy food. Think Horseradish (cocktail sauce on good shrimp cocktail) or the stuff on the Chinese Menu that have the little flames next to them is perfect.

And most things feel better with a good laugh. Find a Marx Brothers or somesuch movie and proceed to heal. Norman Cousins was on the right path.

 

[wolfy]

This might sound wierd but for colds i've found that
exercising can really help me get rid of them faster.
Congestion is really the worst part of a cold for me
and excersizing really helps with with that. I try
and excersize more just as i'm starting to get a cold
before I really start feeling bad. I have gotten a
really bad cold once tho that just wouldn't go away.
It was while i was on vacation "figures" so I couldn't
really excersize alot and I was really feeling horrible.
I tried comtrex I think the name is tho and it helped
a ton. I know it's not a home remedy but if your really
feeling bad it made a major diff for me. I hope you feel
better soon! *hugs*
(eep can you catch a cold from virtual hugging?) *grin*

 

[Cheyenne]

Thanks, everyone!

I didn't expect anyone to really have a cure, but thought it would be interesting to see what all of you do to fight being sick. I am NOT a good patient, I get cranky as can be if I'm really feeling bad. And Friday and Saturday I was really feeling bad. I think I'm a little better today following the rest and fluids approach. Also chicken soup (although I haven't tried it with tobasco sauce yet) - I keep a supply of home made chicken soup in the freezer for times like this.

Yes, I also suffer from allergies and I've been sick on and off since mid-August. Already have been through one round of antibiotics for a sinus infection a few weeks ago and I was trying to avoid having to go back to the doc again, but may have to break down and go anyway. I never ever take time off from work, but I think tomorrow may have to be a sick day for me, too, so I can rest more.

Outsider- I know I'm not diabetic but thanks for the warning.

Bobtoad- Was I mean to you? I think you must want to kill me with that home remedy. But thanks for the suggestion.
That Buckley's stuff sounds horrid, too. I don't think we have it here anyway.

Whiskey sounds like a possibility, although I've been drinking gallons of lemonade so maybe vodka would be better to add to it. I'll have to see what I have on the shelf- I'm not a big drinker in RL.

I've also tried those zinc lozenges in the past and I couldn't even finish one of them. Yuck! The metal taste was terrible.

See, told you I'm a terrible patient.

Thanks again, everyone. I promise not to breathe on you.