I feel a cold coming on.
It started Sunday afternoon when I took my daughter out for the afternoon. We were headed to the 2:15 show of “Avatar” and I couldn’t stop yawning. I actually thought I might fall asleep in the theater. Luckily, this didn’t happen, as I would have been more than cranky about wasting all that good money on a nap that wasn’t even in my own bed.
What’s a person to do when the throat gets scratchy, your ears have that achy feeling and you’re more than a little tired? I don’t know about you, but this is what I do.
Kick-Ass Immune Activator, Green Tea, Neti Pot
1. Sleep. I’m a huge fan of sleeping when I’m not feeling my best. I sleep 10-12 hours a night when I feel a cold coming on. No kidding.
2. Neti Pot. This is done with the cute little ceramic Neti Pot and saline solution. It’s not uncomfortable, I promise. The weirdest part is getting the right tilt to your head to the saline runs from one nostril to the other, without running down your throat. Believe me, you’ll know when you’re doing it right. Be sure to have a box of tissues ready when you come up for air, as you’ll want to gently blow out the remaining water so it doesn’t drip down your throat. My 10 year old squeamish daughter can do this.
3. Kick-Ass Immune Activator, made by WishGarden. I take two dropperfuls of this every 1-3 hours, depending on how I’m feeling.
4. Hydrogen Peroxide in the ears. Let me explain. Lay down so that you can drop a few drops in one ear, letting it settle for 2-3 minutes. Put a tissue up to your ear so you can sit up and let the liquid drain. Repeat on the other side. I don’t know why this works, but it does. A friend told me about this a few years ago. I’ve done it multiple times, with 100% success. Go figure.
5. Hydrate. I’m the queen of hydration when I’m sick. I’m so water-logged I might even float away. I drink endless cups of tea (my favorite brand is The Republic of Tea) and when my throat is really sore, I add a little lemon juice to my water.
My son had a cold last week, and my daughter and I are in the beginning throes of it. With any luck, it’ll be short-lived and we can go on with our lives within a few days. In the meantime, we’ll be in bed by 7:00 and asleep by 7:30. I believe in only being conscious for the good parts, which means that I would very much like to be UN-conscious for any and all illnesses, including my own.
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Partly Cloudy
I’m a huge believer in hydration to ward off impending sickness — as a kid, my dad would give me a nickel for every glass of water I’d drink when I had a cold, and the lesson stuck with me! I also amp up my vitamin C intake, but with red peppers, broccoli and strawberries rather than OJ and Airborne. Hope your strategies keep you cold-free!
Thanks Amy. It’s been a few days since I wrote this and I think I’m out of the woods. There’s just a little snot here and there, but other than that, even my energy is back up. Yay! And, I love your dad’s method of getting you to drink. Might try that with my daughter who is home sick today.
Thanks for the great (and unexpected) tips. I definitely feel a cold coming on, so I’ll try your tips. Hydrogen peroxide in the ears?? That’s just weird enough to work…
Stay well!
Let me know how it works for you! If you catch it soon enough, it sometimes works, though other times the virus is so particularly nasty that I’m just out for the count, no questions asked. Hope you don’t get sick, finger’s crossed for you!
I’m glad you wrote this, you gave me some good tips when I was coming down with my last cold/bronchitis/sinusitis junk! And I love your philosophy about being unconscious for the illness! I’m terrible about allowing myself the time to rest, which is especially bad when sick!
Yup, the more unconscious I can be when ill, the better. When I’m getting sick, my energy is the absolute first thing to go, and the last thing to return. Maybe that’s a good thing, right? Then I’m FORCED to rest?!?!
I do the peroxide thing too!!! And I swear by green tea!