Your go-to remedies at the first sign of a cold?

[Hyacinth]

Say you wake up with a scratchy throat or notice some sniffles. You sense a head cold coming on. What are your first steps to minimize and maybe stay ahead of symptoms (if either are actually possible)?

[Junie]

Tylenol -- as often as the bottle says I'm allowed to, around the clock, for several days.

 

I'm not sure why it works for me but it does.  I can tell about 30 minutes before the next dose is due.

[Pink and Green Mom]

Is this for a grownup?  Then I make a Hot Toddy.  Tea as hot as you can stand it, with a shot of brandy, a tbsp. of honey, and the juice of half a lemon.  Drink quickly (as in while tea is really hot) and get right back into bed.  I don't know why, but this works wonders for me.

[jen3kids]

This stuff.

 

My hubby thinks I'm a nut, but it works for me.  I couldn't find it in my local stores for the longest time and it seemed, during that time, that anything I caught lingered for months.  But with this, my scratchy throat, stuffy/sniffly nose, etc, would be gone within days.  I was thrilled when I found it on amazon.

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00185OHAK?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00

 

 

 

 

[MercyA]

Elderberry syrup with added echinacea, like Sambucus Immune.  It works beautifully.

[xixstar]

Large doses of vitamin c, no dairy or sweets, and if I know folks that have been pretty sick and am very motivated, I will start taking raw garlic like crazy. But usually will just go with a garlic and ginger based soup for lunch or dinner. Oh and lots of water too.

[Jamee]

Hot toddy. I use an Asian citrus tea, very yummy. At night, I'll add a shot of whisky.

[AmandaVT]

Elderberry syrup and emergen-c. Also tea made from hot hot water, lemon juice and honey. I know some people that swear by the cold-eeze zinc lozenges, but they make me nauseous, so I can't take them. 

 

Feel better!! 

[MEmama]

Emergen-c and steroid nasal spray. DS likes elderberry tincture.

 

That zinc stuff makes us nauseous too.

 

Hope you can head it off and feel better soon!

[justasque]

A trip to the grocery store to stock up on minimal-prep foods, sore throat drops, chicken noodle soup, and orange juice.
Then, most important, REST.

[Minerva]

A mixture of Apple cider vinegar, raw garlic, honey, a pinch of cayenne pepper. A couple of  teaspoons of this a few times a day will kill anything if it doesn't kill you.

 

Also drinking tons of water with a few drops of grapefruit seed extract. 

[vmsurbat]

I take a package of Emergen-C mixed with water at the first sign of a cold/scratchy throat. (I also take it as a preventive when traveling by bus or plane....) If one dose doesn't do it, I drink one morning and at night.  Hot tea with lemon and honey during the day.  I'm amazed at how much this little routine nips a cold in the bud.....

[Annie G]

I'm another Emergen-C fan.  

[EmilyGF]

A nap.

[RioSamba]

Elderberry syrup, then orange juice with as much minced, raw garlic as I can stand. It's not AS horrifying as it sounds.

[g7s22]

I throw some elderberries in hot tea. If I'm feeling ambitious, or the whole family is sick, I will make some elderberry syrup.

[momto10blessings]

Elderberry syrup

[Guest]

For me, a vinegar shot followed by a hot shower (rubbing all over to stimulate all the lymphatic system) followed by a toddy with rum, honey, lemon and nettle/hyssop/mint tea followed by a big dose of Vitamin K. Followed by sleep if I can get some of that.

[mellifera33]

Zinc lozenges. After a meal, so I don't get nauseated.

[AuNaturel]

Echinacea, 2 cloves worth of raw garlic, and lots of vitamin C. The Echinacea supports the immune system. The garlic is both antibacterial and antiviral so no matter what it is, it will fight it. And we all know the benefits of vitamin C. For my kids, I do the same, except I throw the garlic into chicken soup and cook it covered (so the oils don't escape).

 

If my sinuses are attacked, I eat horseradish on everything! If the stomach is effected, chamomile tea and raw honey is my go-to.

 

My entire family has never been sick over 5 days and neither of my kids have ever had an antibiotic medication. *knock on wood*

 

The only time I was sick longer was when a cold went into my ears in the summer time. Oh, was that miserable.

 

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[Miss Peregrine]

Homemade elderberry syrup or tincture. I make both.

[mamiof5]

Another vote for Emergen-C. Specially if you take it as soon as the symptoms start...it either goes away or if you do get a cold is very minor and short lived. Has worked for us many times.

[gardenmom5]

ibruprophen (anti-inflammatory.  my sinus tissues always swell.)

guifenison - (thins mucous)

Sudafed - (the stuff they keep behind the counter at the pharmacy and for which you have to sign..  decongestant.)

sometimes I'll eat vitamin C.

 

lots of water.  lots.

 

stay away from milk.

 

 

eta: I've also enjoyed eating thai and indian spicy food.  really clears the sinuses.  and wasabi on sushi.

 

 

[Laura Corin]

Stay warm; drink a lot of fluids; do as little as possible.

 

I've been doing that this weekend, because I have a big week at work and can't afford to be ill.  Luckily all my little people are big and can look after themselves, so I'm just letting them get on with it.

[J-rap]

Aspirin and extra sleep.

 

 

[Guest]

Tylenol -- as often as the bottle says I'm allowed to, around the clock, for several days.

 

I'm not sure why it works for me but it does.  I can tell about 30 minutes before the next dose is due.

 

In addition to general pain relief....It lowers the inflammation of your lymph nodes :001_smile:

[HomeAgain]

Listerine.  I don't know exactly why it works, but it does.  Gargling ever 2-3 hours the first day means I'm the only one in the house who doesn't get a sore throat.

[Pippen]

My husband swears by the zinc lozenges, and says for him they reduce symptoms and shorten duration. They do nothing for me.

[Tiberia]

Mucinex, lots of water. Rest.

[creekland]

We're a Cold-eeze family.  It works great at preventing colds if you take it at the first sign (sore throat).  It seems to work best taken right at bedtime.

 

It's very, very rare that we get colds in our family.

 

For those rare times when Cold-eeze doesn't work, then the original Sinufed (generic is ok) works well to keep symptoms at bay.  The active ingredient has to be pseudoephedrine - not the newer junk.  I like the 12 hour version.

 

ps  If you scuba dive, the pseudoephedrine also works well at ear clearing if any members have difficulty with it.  Both my younger son and I love it for that purpose! 

[Corraleno]

Elderberry syrup. That stuff is miraculous! I used to buy Sambucol, but it's expensive and we went through so much of it that now I make my own.

 

Also, for a sore throat, sucking on a spoonful of a high-potency Manuka honey, can stop it before it gets worse.

[mtomom]

I know this is mentioned already, but I do like Elderberry. I also up probiotics, prioritize sleep, and try to avoid sugars. I'm not good at the avoid sugars part!

[AK_Mom4]

Water. Plenty of water.

Extra sleep - early bedtime and all that.

 

But really what seems to help most is getting well hydrated right at the beginning.

[Mommy22alyns]

Airborne.  We swear by it. 

[arnold]

A shot of apple cider vinegar straight up.

[Farrar]

I don't think anything does any good but rest and extra fluids.

 

I do honey for a sore throat. Tylenol or the like if I'm achy. But that's just treating symptoms.

[DragonFaerie]

Zicam works great for me.

[KungFuPanda]

More sleep, more fluids, switch out the chores I'd planned for something sedentary like folding laundry or making appointments. If I think my kids are coming down with something I keep the house quiet and let them sleep as late as they can. We're habitual tea drinkers anyway. If I'm not the one getting sick, I usually make a bone broth to carry us through the illness.

[Seasider]

Long hot shower, emergen-C (TJ's version), drown it with water and hot tea and chicken broth.

 

Eta oh yeah, dump dairy.

[Closeacademy]

Chicken soup and rest.  It goes away quickly then.

[PrairieSong]

Zinc lozenges that you dissolve under your tongue. Also, a clove of raw garlic, minced, swallowed in a spoonful of honey. You can do it without the honey. It kinda burns.

[trulycrabby]

Sleep!

[trulycrabby]

Research supports elderberry's anti-viral properties: http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/elderberry

[Amy in NH]

Elderberry extract, Vitamin C & Zinc to boost immunity.

 

A good nasal decongestant to dry up mucous membranes and keep the virus from taking hold.

[Debbi in Texas]

Extra vitamin C and vicks salve on a q-tip for nose and ears.

 

Honestly, if I keep my allergies under control, I almost never get a cold.

[Kareni]

My husband likes to take American Health Acerola.  It's a chewable vitamin C wafer.  He will take one or two a day if he is around coughing people.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Alicia64]

Coldeeze definitely. There are studies that say they will stop the cold or drastically reduce the duration of the length. The idea is to take Coldeeze the second you sense you're sick -- and then take one an hour for three to five hours.

 

Alley

[Susan in TN]

Cold-Eeze lozenges.

 

If I think it is respiratory flu (fever, body aches) then I put hydrogen peroxide in each ear for 2-3 minutes, every 2 hours.

[TammyinTN]

I detest colds...here is our family protocol. :)

 

1.  Hot bath--30 minutes.

2.  Hot chicken soup w/ grilled cheese and hot tea. 

3.  Elderberry syrup.

4.  Vitamin C.

5.  Sleep.

 

Rinse and repeat. 

[Slache]

I'm in a hurry and can't read others responses, but Unker's Salve (aka Amish Cream) and Verseo Foot Patches. Either will cure a cold overnight. I don't have the science to back it up, but they have both worked time and time again for us.