...of Taking Care of Yourself 

CTC Readers' Poll:
Staving off a Cold 

 In the April 1, 2006 issue of the newsletter, we asked this question:

"When you feel a cold or other illness coming on, what do you do to fight it off and keep it from becoming full-blown?"

"Take Zicam and lots of Vitamin C ." ~ Cheryl

 
"When I feel a cold coming on I take zinc every 4 hours or so. Now I use Zycam which is a zinc nasal spray (get the spray, it comes in other forms). I pick it up at Costco. It really does work wonders if you use it for the duration of the cold. Sometimes it seems like it is almost gone. The symptoms of the cold are not as severe and the cold lasts way shorter than usual. When my husband and I have had colds in the past and I have taken it and he has not. It is amazing how much worse and longer his lasts." ~ D.S.
 


"I use any combination of the below:
-homemade chicken broth (canned and powdered stuff just won't work)
-zinc throat lozenges at first sign of cold
-green tea with fresh lemon juice and honey (preferably raw honey)
-some people take Airborne, which is just a high dosage of multivitamins. Since I already take a daily multi, I don't take Airborne, but have heard good results.
-more horizontal time" ~ Sandra in CA

"Whenever I feel an illness coming on, I get a chiropractic adjustment. Since I am a chiropractor, I know the benefits of boosting my immune system through correcting spinal misalignments.  It is very effective. I have 5 children and between all of them, there may have been 4 cases of ear infections in the past 10 years. They rarely get sick and when they do, they know Mom is going to take care of them." ~ Carol in Michigan


"I start taking Zicam Rapid Melts at the first sign of a cold.  I have not had a cold since I discovered this product.  Some of my friends complain of the chalky taste, but I find this more desirable than a cold!" ~ Anne
 


"When my girls have the first sign of a cold I give them extra orange juice, zinc lozenges and black or green tea.  It seems to shorten the duration of the cold.  Two years ago I replaced my morning coffee with black tea and I have not been sick since.  Black tea is supposed to boost your immune system.  It sure has worked for me!" ~ Becky
 
 
"I take something called Immune Support by Andy Lessman who is a chemist.  I purchase it on Home Shopping Network.  It is all natural and is wonderful.  I even have a compromised immune system due to medications that I have to take which weaken my immune system.  Taking Immune Support a few times a week, every week, prevents me from getting colds, etc.  I also take the flu shot each year.  In other words, I take preventive steps all year round." ~ June

"I put a tablespoon of honey over an onion which has been cut up.  The honey gets all runny, and I drink it. I don’t know how, but it stops colds from progressing.  I leave the onion in the fridge with the honey on it and it keeps creating runny stuff which I drink. " ~ Julianne from New Zealand


"I take a really warm bath, a couple of Tylenols, and get in bed for the night.  It really helps--usually does the trick.  Also, if you feel a cold or the flu coming one, begin to use a cold lozenge with zinc and echnicea.  My mom told me to do this and I thought she was off base. After a day of using these, I was over all symptoms. The echnicea is the trick." ~ Sabrina


"One tip that works is to place a few drops of Hydrogen Peroxide in both ears if visiting where some one is sick or as soon as there is a slight throat and ear irritation.

Colloidal silver is part of our family's all time remedy too.

Garlic lemonade:
In a blender place a good size clove, half a lemon and about a quart of water.  Some honey too if you prefer.  Whiz and let the family drink some regularly for health.

Once a cold has taken over, we rely on Boneset and Coltsfoot teas for achiness, cough, and fever. A tea of sage, eucalyptus leaves, echinacea, ginger, licorice, eyebright, or some other herbs with similar properties help the body heal faster." ~ Christina


"When you're not feeling well, the thing you need the most is rest. I work full time, BUT I live alone now, so it's much easier for me. For those people with active families, however, it's not easy to just crawl into bed at 7:00 pm. What I recommend is: let the dusting, vacuuming and all non-emergency housecleaning wait.  Now is the time to pull out any meals that you have frozen for future use. Find those pizza coupons and use them, even if it's a little stretch for the budget.  If a couple of days of kicking back is too difficult for your family, think about how difficult it would be if you got so sick that you had to be hospitalized. What would they do then?  If your child was ill, you would put aside all but the most essential things to be done.  Don't you deserve the same respect, love, and care? " ~ Kathleen

"At first signs of the 'impending doom' of sickness, I go to the grocery store and get juice - orange, grape, apple, tomato - whatever sounds good to me. I cut out my usual morning coffee and go for herbal tea instead. I cut out all unnecessary activities - unless it absolutely has to be done, I say 'No,' or at least, 'No until later.' I go to bed really early if possible, as soon as I've eaten supper, and sleep all night. The next day I eliminate heavy physical things from my schedule and focus more on paperwork, research, writing projects, etc., things that are low-key and can be interrupted for more juice, a good nap, or a nice soak in a warm bath." ~ Annie



"The first sign of me getting a cold is a sore throat.  I start to drink lemon juice (not straight), either as a hot drink or I make up a jug of cold lemonade.  Very rarely will the cold get any worse." ~ Kathryn


"When a cold is coming on, I attempt to be more disciplined. I ask the Lord to help with this as well as keep us all healthy.  Then, I make every effort to go to bed on time or a little early if possible, drink an extra glass of orange juice each day, take some vitamin C, eat lots of fruits, veggies, and whole grains, and avoid sugar as it suppresses the immune system." ~ Sue

"I really do not do anything special to avoid illness. I will eat raw garlic two the three times a day and increase the amounts of vitamin C that I am taking. I grate and spread the 2-3 large cloves on buttered toast and eat them with eggs in the morning. Other times I might eat the garlic with rice or pasta. Yes, it can be rather 'hot' sometimes. There is an aftereffect, however. Most people aren't offended, but I do have a 'reputation.' I also find it helpful to reduce the amount of daily stress in my life. I try to reduce my obligations and try to get a good nights' sleep of no less than eight hours. I was able to avoid some nasty viruses that my children and grandchildren incubated this winter. The garlic method isn't for everyone. Vitamin C is an easy thing to take." ~ Gigi


"I learned this from my brother many years ago and it works! I just say, 'I haven't got time to be sick.' It works beautifully every time. About every 2 years I have to allow myself time though otherwise I would be worn out. Illness is often just a way to tell you you are doing too much, I believe." ~ Pat. M-J, Cornwall UK


"My husband and I take Olive Leaf. It builds up the immune system.  We take one pill per day each morning and if we feel a cold or ache all over, we take another one at night before bedtime.  Neither one of us has been sick for over 5 years." ~ Robin

"I have found that the best way to keep a cold from getting a hold over me is to go to bed very early at night and try to get about 9-10 hours of solid sleep.  I will do this for about 2-3 days and it seems to do the trick!" ~ Janice


"I take extra vitamin supplements such as Vitamin C, garlic, zinc. I also get extra rest if I can." ~ Joyce

"When I feel a cold coming on I simply start taking garlic capsules.  It is readily available and very inexpensive. Garlic is a natural antibiotic. Sometimes I start taking vitamin C in addition to the garlic. I have a home remedy which I make that is loaded with vitamin C (it's out of rose hips, organic lemon & honey). Don't know if you want that information or if you want to keep things simple.

As a young child my grandmother used to make us 'Russian tea.'  I revised and improved it.  It is delicious. It  is great to sip during cold season. It goes as follows if you want the info:

1 can orange juice
1 pkg Kool-aid lemon aid mix
A few sticks of cinnamon
1/4 cup decaf instant tea
1 - 2 tsp whole cloves
7-9 cans of water
honey or raw sugar to sweeten (start with 1/2 cup)
Combine in pan on very low heat. Leave on stove--it takes time for the cinnamon & cloves to work." ~ Sheila in Cambridge


"I recently read that there is truth to the old saying that you'll get sick if your feet get cold and stay that way.  This year I invested in house shoes for all the children including myself.  I was very diligent about making sure everyone wore them during the day.  Besides the fact that we heat with wood and our house does not stay at a constant temperature in every room, it did make us feel warmer if our feet were warm. After having a three-month bout of sickness last winter, I am happy to say that so far we have had no sickness this year.  Of course this could be a coincidence but it was a small investment and at least made us more comfortable." ~ Kathy, mom to eight



"I start drinking orange juice -- 5 or 6 glasses at least in the first day. I have no idea if it helps, but for some reason I just crave orange juice... ice cold.  Rest and OJ." ~ Jeannie


"As you feel those very early signs of a cold coming on, take one aspirin (not Tylenol or Motrin, but plain ole aspirin) every 4 hours for 24 hours.  It works every time in stopping that cold!!  An old Hungarian gentleman told me that 25 years ago, and it always works for me." ~ Cindy

"I take the herb Echinechea.  Works great when I start feeling sick." ~ Kathy

Editor's Note: Thanks to all our readers who took time to write.

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