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What are your go-to remedies for a cold?


Hyacinth
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We've had a small amount of success with elderbrerry syrup, although the key seems to be to start it the moment you notice (or at least feel reasonably certain) a cold/the flu is coming on.

 

Our method of dealing with symptoms involves ibuprofen for sore throats and aches and Afrin nasal spray (or generic equivalent) for stuffiness.

 

I hope you feel better soon. Colds are miserable.

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We've had a small amount of success with elderbrerry syrup, although the key seems to be to start it the moment you notice (or at least feel reasonably certain) a cold/the flu is coming on.

This. I like the brand that has elderberry plus echinacea, extra zinc & vitamin C. But it really only works if you take it at the first sign. Once it hits you, it's too late for it to do much.

Edited by Matryoshka
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Elderberry syrup- the brand I buy says you can take 2 tsp every few hours as the cold is coming on. 

 

On the in betweens, I drink a TON. I run my water as hot as it gets, stir in lemon juice and honey and drink it all day long. I feel like I am constantly in the bathroom because of all the liquid, but it really helps and I'll take a constantly full bladder over a cold. :-) 

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at the very first sign - echinachea and vitamin C. every three hours.

I did that this last time . . . . 2ds was kind enough to bring the virus home.  before I left for my dds -everyone had had  it but me.  dudeling wouldn't even give me hugs because he didn't want me to get sick.   I'm usually one of the first, and it lasts the longest. 

I started to develop a sore throat at my dds, so ran to the store for the echinachea and Vit C and started taking it every three hours.  it never got any worse.  I did end up with a lot of  drainage coming in clumps down the back of my throat the first few days - but that was IT.

2ds was sick enough he had to stay home from work.  dh was sick enough he was also laid up.  - he's still coughing and I've been home for two weeks.

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:chillpill: Better living through pharmaceuticals  LOL

 

Zyrtec or allegra (antihistamine to help stop the dripping nose, watery eyes etc)

Pseudoephedrine to dry up the post nasal drip and decongest the nose.

Naproxen/advil/tylenol for achiness/sore throat.

Mucinex to thin secretions and to keep my sinuses from feeling too dry from pseudoephedrine.

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Once the cold is really there, I now take Mucinex to thin mucus. I've done this since my bronchitis turned to pneumonia Jan 2015--hopefully thinning mucus encourages it to just move along and get out of my body! So not really to prevent or heal a cold but to keep it from becoming something worse.

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Mytwomonkeys,

 

How do you make a mustard plaster? I know that it's used for chest congestion, right?

Yes. It's really effective. You need flour, cheese cloth or dish towel or hand towel, 1/4 cup warm water, and dry mustard (I use Coleman's from the grocery store).

 

Mix dry ingredients. Slowly add water while mixing to create a paste. The consistency should be like thick pancake batter.

 

Spread the mixture into the middle of the towel with a spatula or spoon. Fold the cloth into a rectangle ((bottom up, top down and both sides folded in).

 

Put the side on your chest that doesn't have the folds. You can wrap it around your chest with saran wrap or just lay down with it on your chest & put a blanket over you. Remove after 20 minutes & throw towel in the wash. You will probably have red marks but they'll go away.

 

You can also order mustard plasters off amazon, but it's the same thing - just disposable

 

ETA - 1 tablespoon mustard and 4 tablespoons flour 😊 Forgot to add how much!

Edited by mytwomonkeys
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Seriously, no one has mentioned Bourbon yet?

 

Start by buying a bottle of Beam (you may as well get the cheap variety since you're too sick to taste it) and inducing a fever in case you have a mild case of the flu instead of a bad cold- take the hottest bath or shower you can stand without burning yourself, jump straight into the warmest pajamas you have, and go to bed with multiple heavy blankets.  If you already have a sore throat, have a hot toddy on the way (tea, lemon, honey, bourbon).

 

When you wake up if you're not at least 80% better, devote a day (with someone else watching kids) to gargling bourbon if you can stand it, drinking hot toddies if you cannot, eating potato chips so the salt can cut the phlegm in your throat, and spending time in the sun.  You won't feel drunk, but you will be, so don't drive anywhere.

 

If it's already too cold to stay in the sun for a day where you are, three days in bed working your way through some bourbon will get you 80% better.

 

This advice is somewhat scientific - fevers really do kill viruses, and alcohol, sunlight, and vitamin D also help kill viruses.  That's why alcoholics get less infections.

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at the very first sign - echinachea and vitamin C. every three hours.

I did that this last time . . . . 2ds was kind enough to bring the virus home.  before I left for my dds -everyone had had  it but me.  dudeling wouldn't even give me hugs because he didn't want me to get sick.   I'm usually one of the first, and it lasts the longest. 

I started to develop a sore throat at my dds, so ran to the store for the echinachea and Vit C and started taking it every three hours.  it never got any worse.  I did end up with a lot of  drainage coming in clumps down the back of my throat the first few days - but that was IT.

2ds was sick enough he had to stay home from work.  dh was sick enough he was also laid up.  - he's still coughing and I've been home for two weeks.

Which brand of echinacea did you get? I remember a year or two ago, I read an article that said many brands didn't contain much, if any, actual echinacea, so I'd like to buy one that is the real thing. :)

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We always start taking Emergen-C at first sign of a cold. But I see a ton of recommendations for elderberry syrup here- is there a specific brand you guys recommend? And where can I get it?

I used to use Sambucol brand, but now I use a more concentrated one, can't access the name right now. Sambucol is good though. Health food store, Whole Foods, etc should have it.

 

Found it, Herb Pharm. Family calls it our "magic juice". :)

Edited by goldberry
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Which brand of echinacea did you get? I remember a year or two ago, I read an article that said many brands didn't contain much, if any, actual echinacea, so I'd like to buy one that is the real thing. :)

 

 

well - I went to vitaminworld - because that was what was available.  (I was out of town and didn't want to drive 40 + minutes each way.  I have no idea about the actual quality.

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Could someone share how to make your own elderberry syrup? I'm interested. We usually spend a lot of our winter sick, seems like once one of us gets it, it just gets passed around-and around the family. I'm always hit the worst, due to an already compromised immune system.

 

I'm so glad I read this post today! Now I'm inspired to take some precautions! I think I'll make the elderberry syrup, order some vitamins, and stock up now on items like tissues, vick's, sprite, etc. so that if we get sick anyway we're not running out to the store for those things. In fact, if I do have them at home, I'll definitely be more likely to not need them, knowing my luck. Lol

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