Advice/Home remedies for colds/flu

[Deactivated member 42515]

So in lieu of cold season I thought I would start a thread about prevention and ways to get over a cold.

I just finally got over that hump where it's really bad and it's starting to simmer down to just a cough, some sniffling and sorry, light mucus.

So does anybody have anything they do every time that get a cold or flu? Any secret family remedies that you wanna share? I promise I won't tell a soul

I will go first. My mom used to chop up pieces of ginger and boil them down and make a tea. Then she would mix it with honey and while it was piping hot, I had to drink the whole thing. Then, when I get to the bottom, I had to eat every single one of the ginger slices. After that, I would have to immediately get under the covers and she would pile every single blanket in the house on top of me and I would lay there and sweat out the sickness. It wasn't a cure but the next day I would feel soooooo much better.

Edited for dumb words that didn't make sense

 

[HopeDream]

It will take to weeks to get better.

When first starting to get sick, eat a big energy dense food - like a big cheeseburger, and your body may be able to fight it off before it gets worse.

Nasal rinsing with warm water and salt with a netti pot makes a huge difference to the duration of my colds. This kind lets you mix your own salt to the correct proportion http://www.nasespuelen.de/.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

My Mom also has a ginger drink, but it includes fresh lemon, cayanne pepper and garlic. I so rarely have a cold and never flu but if I make that drink for my DH--I omit the and garlic and only use a SMALL dash of pepper. Lots of honey is the key!

cheers--Sharon

 

[madelise]

My grandmother also makes a ginger "soup". She'll boil slices of ginger for hours, and melt in rock sugar (I'm attaching a photo because I had no idea what rock sugar was!! I've only found them in Chinese supermarkets) to make the soup a bit sweeter than just spicy.

I won't bother explaining all the other different herbs and Chinese medicine/teas she gives me, because I really don't even know what goes in there.. but I have once seen some dried, dead, crazy large scorpions!! EW.

I just do a hot water with some lemon juice, and honey to soothe my throat when I get sick. I can't stand being sick, but I hate the sore throat part the most!

 

[yssie]

Emergen-C! Physiology, psychology, whatever - I always feel better right after
http://www.amazon.com/Emergen-C-Vitamin-Orange-Packets-packets/dp/B0009RF8LA

 

[Autumnovember]

A few my mom does anytime I would be sick:

-Gargle very warm salt water
-Chop up garlic and sniff away
-Drink LOTS of tea thats VERY warm with LOTS of honey and LOTS of lemon in it
-SOMETIMES she would put butter in the tea (not a lot but its still gross) and we'd drink it. I'm assuming because the butter would act as a coating on the throat and help suppress coughing but who knows?
-Lots of soup!
-We wouldn't eat anything acidic for a while till the cold would be gone
-Tiger balm is huge in Russia so we would use that often and put it on our noses to help clear our sinuses


annnnnddd...

Last but not least, she would pretty much cater to us completely if we were sick with a bad cold which meant LOTS of time to sleep for us and lots of time for rest and relaxation.

I love my mom

 

[ponderer]

I have started giving my kids a teaspoon of honey for their coughs. Studies have shown that it is just as effective as OTC cough suppressants, and much safer. I was a total skeptic at first, but it really does help. My mother in law thought I was crazy at first, but was amazed at how well it really did work. SAFETY DISCLAIMER: Children under the age of 1 should not be given honey.

 

[movie zombie]

thank you for the reminder! should have started taking astralaguns in july/august!
me? i'm into herbal prevention, rarely get sick but do suffer from allergies all year but also control that with herbs.

 

[monarch64]

Many of these sound like wonderful remedies for cold SYMPTOMS, but the absolute best remedies to actually CURE a cold, in my experience are:

1. Hydration
2. Rest

That's it. Good old water/decaf drinks/juice (watered down)/soup made with mostly clear broth. And SLEEP.

I woke up with a sore throat last Sunday. My boss and co-workers had all been coming down with colds the previous week and were in the midst of their colds when I developed my first telltale symptom. I made a point of drinking at least 32 oz. of plain water for the next few days that week, and the 4th day of having a scratchy, sore throat, I came home and told my husband that I really, REALLY, needed him to take over chores and taking care of our 4.5 month old baby so I could sleep. I slept after coming home from work two nights, uninterrupted for 12 hours each night. By this past Saturday I had absolutely no cold symptoms. Cured. Done. Back to 100% feeling well.

 

[Deactivated member 42515]

It will take to weeks to get better.

When first starting to get sick, eat a big energy dense food - like a big cheeseburger, and your body may be able to fight it off before it gets worse.

Nasal rinsing with warm water and salt with a netti pot makes a huge difference to the duration of my colds. This kind lets you mix your own salt to the correct proportion http://www.nasespuelen.de/.

My brother uses the netti pot but I'm afraid to try them! He says it does wonders for his sinuses tho!

HI:

My Mom also has a ginger drink, but it includes fresh lemon, cayanne pepper and garlic. I so rarely have a cold and never flu but if I make that drink for my DH--I omit the and garlic and only use a SMALL dash of pepper. Lots of honey is the key!

cheers--Sharon

You're making me hungry with the cayenne pepper and garlic talk! And then a splash of them and we got ourselves a nice meal! I love your cold remedy!

My grandmother also makes a ginger "soup". She'll boil slices of ginger for hours, and melt in rock sugar (I'm attaching a photo because I had no idea what rock sugar was!! I've only found them in Chinese supermarkets) to make the soup a bit sweeter than just spicy.

I won't bother explaining all the other different herbs and Chinese medicine/teas she gives me, because I really don't even know what goes in there.. but I have once seen some dried, dead, crazy large scorpions!! EW.

I just do a hot water with some lemon juice, and honey to soothe my throat when I get sick. I can't stand being sick, but I hate the sore throat part the most!

SCORPIONS! ACK!! Did you have to eat them! I know about the chinese herbs! You can tell they are coming from a mile away cuz they have such a distinct smell! I remember visiting my dad's friend's acupuncture practice and his whole office would smell like herbs! Your grandma sounds awesome tho!

 

[Deactivated member 42515]

Emergen-C! Physiology, psychology, whatever - I always feel better right after
http://www.amazon.com/Emergen-C-Vitamin-Orange-Packets-packets/dp/B0009RF8LA

I've thought about trying these! But I only seem to drink them when I'm not sick and forget about them when I am!

A few my mom does anytime I would be sick:

-Gargle very warm salt water
-Chop up garlic and sniff away
-Drink LOTS of tea thats VERY warm with LOTS of honey and LOTS of lemon in it
-SOMETIMES she would put butter in the tea (not a lot but its still gross) and we'd drink it. I'm assuming because the butter would act as a coating on the throat and help suppress coughing but who knows?
-Lots of soup!
-We wouldn't eat anything acidic for a while till the cold would be gone
-Tiger balm is huge in Russia so we would use that often and put it on our noses to help clear our sinuses


annnnnddd...

Last but not least, she would pretty much cater to us completely if we were sick with a bad cold which meant LOTS of time to sleep for us and lots of time for rest and relaxation.

I love my mom

Your mom sounds so loving and nice! Must be awesome to have a mom like that! aww....!
I also do the warm salt water, but I hate it so much! I know it works but I always try to avoid it!

I have started giving my kids a teaspoon of honey for their coughs. Studies have shown that it is just as effective as OTC cough suppressants, and much safer. I was a total skeptic at first, but it really does help. My mother in law thought I was crazy at first, but was amazed at how well it really did work. SAFETY DISCLAIMER: Children under the age of 1 should not be given honey.

I've been hearing a lot of good things about honey lately. Like instead of drinking coffee every morning, people say to take a spoonful of honey and it'll get you up and going in no time. And how local honey is good for people with bad allergies and a bunch of other great stuff I can't seem to remember right now

thank you for the reminder! should have started taking astralaguns in july/august!
me? i'm into herbal prevention, rarely get sick but do suffer from allergies all year but also control that with herbs.

Herbs? What kind of herbs?

Many of these sound like wonderful remedies for cold SYMPTOMS, but the absolute best remedies to actually CURE a cold, in my experience are:

1. Hydration
2. Rest

That's it. Good old water/decaf drinks/juice (watered down)/soup made with mostly clear broth. And SLEEP.

I woke up with a sore throat last Sunday. My boss and co-workers had all been coming down with colds the previous week and were in the midst of their colds when I developed my first telltale symptom. I made a point of drinking at least 32 oz. of plain water for the next few days that week, and the 4th day of having a scratchy, sore throat, I came home and told my husband that I really, REALLY, needed him to take over chores and taking care of our 4.5 month old baby so I could sleep. I slept after coming home from work two nights, uninterrupted for 12 hours each night. By this past Saturday I had absolutely no cold symptoms. Cured. Done. Back to 100% feeling well.

Thats so awesome that you got to do that! I try so hard to take it easy the moment I get that taste in my mouth telling me I gotz a cold. Life gets in the way, you know! But I sure am glad that your cold didn't blossom into what I had to go through this year!

 

[zoebartlett]

I hope you feel better soon, YayTacori! I have a sinus infection and many of the symptoms are the same. Other than medicine, I'd recommend:

Getting a neti pot and saline packets. These are usually (always?) sold together in a box. One brand is Sinu Cleanse.

Getting a saline spray. It's similar to the neti pot. There's a brand called Ocean which has an orange top and spray tip. Both the neti pot and the saline spray are kind of unpleasant to use, but they do work somewhat.

Drink a ton of water. I drink tea also, but mostly water. I've heard it's the number one thing you can do to help. Tea can dehydrate you, and water doesn't, obviously.

I've heard it's good to stay away from milk and yogurt because they're mucous-producing. My doctor doesn't actually buy into this but I do it anyway. Can't hurt.

Take a few really hot showers and let he hot water and steam do their thing.

Eat spicy food. Helps clear out the sinuses!

Sleep and rest.

 

[JewelFreak]

From sinus infections I don't know. But for colds & flu, I swear by Nighttime Theraflu. (I add a small spoonful of Splenda or sugar.) Always works for me & DH. You have to do it right: -- while it's very hot, get into bed & pull the covers up. Drink it all down at once, no sipping. Pretty soon you're asleep & Voila! all better in the morning!

--- Laurie

 

[Tuckins1]

Sinus rinse and hot water with honey and lemon.

 

[chrono]

Lots of rest and lots of fluids works every time. For those that want more pampering, hot ginger tea with fresh sliced ginger (rock sugar is optional ), some swear by raw garlic, and gargling with warm salted water twice a day.

 

[Sha]

Whenever I feel the cold coming on (which happens a lot since my daughter is in daycare), I take either a vitamin C supplement (500-1000 g) or 2 capsules of Echinacea for a few days, and the cold feeling goes away. It works everytime!!

 

[JaneSmith]

The best prevention is getting a flu shot, and good hand washing. I also try very hard to not touch my face if I am out and about.

The best thing for a cold is a nice warm couch, a bowl of yummy soup, and someone to take care of everything else for you. Now where is my magic wand?

 

[princesss]

I just got hit with a cold. Luckily I am home on short term disability so I can jut rest, however, I can't drive so I can't go get my theraflu and NyQuil. I freaking love NyQuil when I have a cold.

 

[princesss]

Oh, I forgot, my mon always made me steam when I was a kid - bowl full of boiling water and a towel over my head to trap the steam in. Feels super gross while the mucous is dripping out, but clears up congestion of a few hours! Actually, I need to steam before my PT appointment in an hour.