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Cold Remedies

Started by HockeyGod, September 26, 2010, 06:43:13 PM

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HockeyGod

I just recently went into the beginning stages of a cold. I was exactly sure where this should reside within E, but I was wondering if anyone had any remedies they felt were a sure thing. I know that the cold remedy industry is a multi-billion dollar industry...but there has to be some science somewhere.

I've done zinc and all that jazz. For now I'm sticking with:

Chicken noodle soup
Juice
Zinc
Plenty of fluids

Trieste

I make use of zicam, but I think that's just high doses of zinc, so if zinc doesn't work for you then zicam won't either.

Jude

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cold-remedies/ID00036

Seems to imply zinc might not work for anyone, but it does give some good ideas that are supposed to work.  Mayo clinic is fairly reputable, too.

DarklingAlice

As with most viruses lacking specific antiviral drugs the best thing you can do for a cold is to treat the symptoms, rest, and hope that it is a rhinovirus and not an adenovirus.

To hasten convalescence:
-sleep
-proper nutrition

To treat the symptoms:
-soup + painkiller for throat pain
-cough medicine if there is a cough
-decongestants

Zinc ions are important to the catalytic site of a number of enzymes and do play a role in the immune system. Thus it is important to make sure you are not zinc deficient (nor deficient in any other mineral related to immunity). However, taking more than the basal amount of zinc isn't really helpful (the excess will just be excreted). Having it on hand will not cause your body to generate more immune proteins, and truly excessive amounts can actually be detrimental.

Basically this is something that your body will have to heal itself. So step one: if you normally do not get enough of any vital mineral in your diet make sure you do. Eat a balanced diet and don't be afraid to eat a little more than you normally might, you need the minerals, metabolites, and resultant calories. Step two: rest. Get enough sleep and don't exert yourself if you can avoid it. You need to let your immune system work.

Feel better alx!
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Trieste

Quote from: DarklingAlice on September 26, 2010, 08:35:10 PM
To hasten convalescence:
-sleep
-proper nutrition

Well. Yes.

The first thing I do when I feel myself getting ill is try to take a day where I can do little but sleep. Sleep helps you put most of your resources toward healing, and since most people seem to get too little sleep all the time, that's usually one of the causes of catching a virus anyhow.

But if the sleep doesn't work? Zicam. :P

Serephino

I've had good luck with Zicam too.  You can also put a little cinnamon and thyme in that chicken soup.  It actually tastes pretty good, and almost always works for me.  I haven't tried it, but I've been told a little elderberry extract helps. 

http://www.health-care-tips.org/herbal-medicines/elderberry.htm

And of course, above all, rest and fluids. 

Wolfy

Well there is an Old Fold Remedy in Japan of shoving a spring onion up your bum. o3o

Buuuut...Chicken Noodle Soup and Bed Rest.

HockeyGod

Thanks everyone...I'll stick with the cold-eeze (basically zicam), sleep, liquids, and some pampering from jsh and my mommy. Oh and Nyquil at night. Oooo-weee that stuff knocks me out!

I'm not sure I want to stick an onion up my bum!  ::)

Tomorrow I'm not getting out of bed.

Thanks again  ;D

HairyHeretic

I had someone tell me to try frying an onion in honey, and eating that. I never got around to trying it though, so can't tell you how effective it'd be.
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Host of Seraphim

What everyone else said. And if you have a sore throat, try lemon tea with honey. It works wonders for me. :D
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Serephino

You can always try shoving an orange peel up your nose......   Supposedly the white part on the inside is where the orange oil comes from, and it's supposed to contain a high amount of vitamin c.  Someone told me that squeezing the rind and putting it up your nose is similar to people snorting drugs.  The oil goes directly into your blood stream through the thin blood vessels.

I don't know if it really does anything.  It makes me feel really silly, but combined with rest and fluids I get better faster then if I don't do it. 

HockeyGod

Oddly enough I've hears about the orange peel theory. I actually remember seeing a picture of it or something. It didn't look all that wonderful, LOL.

Lilias

Something my mum used to do for me when I was a kid was wet a flannel with rubbing alcohol and use it as a compress on my chest. Left overnight, it worked wonders for congestion. (DON'T use methylated spirits for this - nothing that would be harmful to inhale, in fact. What we had was 95% pure alcohol. I guess that white spirits could work, and have an extra sedative effect, but it's perhaps a waste of good booze :P)

I also find that echinacea works well for me. It won't do anything for a current cold, but if you start taking it soon, it could boost your system enough to avoid more colds during the winter. Take it for six weeks, stop for a month, and repeat.
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Neroon

I find that I can function better with a hangover than a cold.  I also find that hangover symptoms mask those of a cold.  So when I have a cold, I drink plenty of beer.
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Oniya

One thing that always made me feel better, especially if there's a lot of post nasal cruft and sore throat, is hot lemonade with honey.  The acid in the lemonade seems to cut the gunk, the honey soothes afterwards (and keeps your face from puckering up like a cartoon character dosed with alum), and the heat helps open nasal passages.  I'm sure the vit. C helps, and honey has also been shown to have antibiotic properties.  Not sure about anti-viral, though.
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Wolfy

I'm telling ya....get someone to shove a Spring onion up your bum....

It actually is a cure for many illnesses besides colds, too. O-o

King_Furby

alca seltzer does it for me, something about it just works

HockeyGod

So, I'm nearly done with my cold. A fairly short one - only 6 days. Here's what I did which I think really helped:

Liquids...my piss was nearly clear from the liquids I drank. I also ate soup for every meal.

Cold-Eeze...it's a more palatable form of zinc than Zicam IMO. I did this every 3-4 hours.

Nyquil + Vitamin C...2 per night.

Dayquil liquid caps...every 4-6 hours during the day.

Halls Vitamin C drops...nice to create spit.

Vicks Kleenex...lotiony and mentholy.

I'm now at the stage that is wonderful to be at...everything is coming out nicely. Very disgusting...but very productive :)