Wednesday, November 02, 2016

How to Cure a Cold

They say there's no cure.  And "they" may be right, but there are a lot of things that we can do.

Heard from doctors fairly recently (but note: I am not a doctor):

  • Gargle with warm salt water to sooth the throat.
  • Use a neti pot (nasal irrigation) to clear sinuses.
  • Claritin (Loratadine) and Claritin-D (Loratadine with pseudoephedrine) to reduce symptoms.
Other common-sense & folk treatments:
  • Keep extra warm, particularly the chest.  Especially avoid chills.
  • Lots of sleep - morning and afternoon naps if possible.  In my opinion this is the best possible thing to do.
  • Chicken soup with lots of salt and pepper.  Maybe other hot, salty, peppery soups with onion, sage, and thyme.
  • Zinc lozenges.
  • Vitamin C.  We mix Vitamin C powder in some organic pomegranate juice.  Yum.
  • Aromatic (menthol, camphor, ...) rub on the chest for extra heat and a nice smell.  I clip a towel around my neck too.
  • Hydrate plenty.  Alas, alcohol probably doesn't count.
  • "Feed a cold (and starve a fever)."  To keep the immune system strong, but junk food won't help.
  • A key point:  Don't let up until the symptoms are all gone.  A chest cold will take advantage of a chill to start all over in the sinuses, or vice-versa.
Bottom line:  The old joke - Do all of these things and the cold might be gone in as little as a week.  Otherwise it might take as long as seven days.

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