A few good tricks I use when I get sick.

[tupperware]

So I've had a stuffed head and nose for the past few days and started it off with a bit of a sore throat. Thought I'd share a few home remedy type tricks that work pretty good for me.

As for sore throats, gargling cayenne pepper throughout the day does wonders. Another thing that I do sometimes is boil water and lay a towel over the back of my head and take very deep breathes of the steam through the mouth and then alternate through the nose. This seems to loosen things up and moistens the throat a little bit so it's not dry and scratchy.

Finally, throughout the day you can make oodles n noodles and add the spice pack but in addition throw in a few pinches of cayenne pepper (As much as you can stand is fine) I throw a lot in. After I'm done eating I'm tearing up. You'll notice you start leaking throughout eating so have some stuff on hand for that.

After done you'll be really loosened up so go to the bathroom and blow your nose really good a few times. You can also force yourself to sneeze by twirling a q-tip around in one nostril, just be prepared for a big mess so have plenty of tissues. If you do this throughout each day of your sickness it really helps out a lot.

 

[YosemiteSam]

Snort some salt water. That will fix you right up! :laugh2:

 

[Baileyneverfailey]

If I start to feel any cold symptoms, I start drinking a lot of this Echinacea hot tea with zinc added. Anecdotally, it's helped me seem to not get a full blown cold but rather just have minor symptoms for a day or two.

You also can't overstate how important it is to drink a lot of water every day and just eat a healthy diet and exercise. Once I started eating better and drinking primarily water(I drink at least a gallon a day, sometimes 2) I rarely ever even have symptoms of being sick, whereas I used to get colds year round.

 

[tupperware]

Snort some salt water. That will fix you right up! :laugh2:

 

[Wimbo]

Snort some salt water. That will fix you right up! :laugh2:

True-dat. From WebMD.com:

Cold Remedy #4: Use saline nasal sprays or make your own salt water rinse to irrigate your nose. Salt-water rinsing helps break nasal congestion while also removing virus particles and bacteria from your nose. Here's a popular recipe:
Mix 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda in 8 ounces of warm water. Fill a bulb syringe with this mixture (or use a Neti pot, available at most health foods stores). Lean your head over a basin, and using the bulb syringe, gently squirt the salt water into your nose. Hold one nostril closed by applying light finger pressure while squirting the salt mixture into the other nostril. Let it drain. Repeat two to three times, and then treat the other nostril.

 

[Faerluna]

True-dat. From WebMD.com:

Cold Remedy #4: Use saline nasal sprays or make your own salt water rinse to irrigate your nose. Salt-water rinsing helps break nasal congestion while also removing virus particles and bacteria from your nose. Here's a popular recipe:
Mix 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda in 8 ounces of warm water. Fill a bulb syringe with this mixture (or use a Neti pot, available at most health foods stores). Lean your head over a basin, and using the bulb syringe, gently squirt the salt water into your nose. Hold one nostril closed by applying light finger pressure while squirting the salt mixture into the other nostril. Let it drain. Repeat two to three times, and then treat the other nostril.

That's the wuss version of the neti pot.

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

Yep. The cayenne pepper in tea works great.

 

[Wimbo]

That's the wuss version of the neti pot.

???...

Fill a bulb syringe with this mixture (or use a Neti pot...

 

[Hostile]

True-dat. From WebMD.com:

Cold Remedy #4: Use saline nasal sprays or make your own salt water rinse to irrigate your nose. Salt-water rinsing helps break nasal congestion while also removing virus particles and bacteria from your nose. Here's a popular recipe:
Mix 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda in 8 ounces of warm water. Fill a bulb syringe with this mixture (or use a Neti pot, available at most health foods stores). Lean your head over a basin, and using the bulb syringe, gently squirt the salt water into your nose. Hold one nostril closed by applying light finger pressure while squirting the salt mixture into the other nostril. Let it drain. Repeat two to three times, and then treat the other nostril.

I wish I had a bulb syringe. I'd try this right now.

 

[Hoofbite]

Grab a bottle of the cheapest whiskey you can find and scare that **** right out of your system.

 

[Hoofbite]

I wish I had a bulb syringe. I'd try this right now.

Snag a turkey baster.

 

[Faerluna]

???...

I meant the "using the bulb and squirting it up your nose" part.

 

[Doomsday101]

I grew up using Vicks vapor rub at night when dealing with sinus problems or congestions and it still works as good today as it did back then.

 

[trickblue]

That's the wuss version of the neti pot.

Exactly...

Neti Pots are GREATNESS...

 

[Sarge]

Exactly...

Neti Pots are GREATNESS...

:signmast: use it every day.

 

[Yeagermeister]

:signmast: use it every day.

PBR cans don't count

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

That sucks. I have allergies galore right now. I'm not sure what to do other than just deal with it or get out of Texas.

 

[Wimbo]

That sucks. I have allergies galore right now. I'm not sure what to do other than just deal with it or get out of Texas.

Don't come to Georgia... worst place on earth for allergies.

 

[urface59]

My never failing method is to regularly consume far past the recommended dosage of nyquil throughout the sick period. Then it's like it never happened

 

[Eskimo]

The best thing out there for colds is Cold-FX.

It is an extract of ginseng that was developed by a doctor here in Edmonton. It is quite popular in Canada but was blocked in the US by FDA due to lack of accepted randomized controlled trials.

It can be used for prevention taken daily.

Alternatively, it can be used to treat a cold if used very early - kind of similar to acyclovir for cold sores. At the first sign of a cold, I take Cold-FX and the cold's duration is cut in half and its severity is also cut in half.

After my son was born I was constantly getting sick. However, I can't miss many days from work so I had to find a way to get through the illnesses. My colleague had just started using it and found it to be effective. I tried it but haven't really ever been a big fan of herbals and this is still the only one I use (I tried Echinacea in the past but it never worked for me and many studies have come to an inconclusive answer on the question).

I've had great success with it but it hasn't worked quite as well for my wife so YMMV.

I'm not sure if it is available down there. I think it might be but they have to put different labeling on it regarding its efficacy because they didn't satisfy the standard the FDA has for it.