The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: surfastarian on November 25, 2013, 06:53:54 AM
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Just ran out of my over the counter stuff. I could go and pick up some more, but maybe there's a less-expensive homemade version.
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- Saline solution + neti pot - gross but effective to temporarily unstuff your sinuses. Since you're Mustachian, you will want to make your own saline solution: https://www.mylifestages.org/health/allergies/neti_pot_solution.page%3Cbr%3E
And you can make a delivery system out of a (clean of course) freezer bag (vs buying a neti pot).
- Chicken soup (it really does help)
More: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cold-remedies/ID00036
P.S. My favorite joke about head colds: A head cold lasts two weeks if you don't take OTC medication. If you do take OTC's, it will last 14 days.
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Neti pots squick me out, but I'll definitely give the chicken soup approach a whirl.
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Make sure you drink plenty of water. Dehydration can make your congestion worse. Also up the humidity in your house if you can.
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+1 on jpcrowe's wise hydration and higher humidification advice. You can also try a hot bath or running a sink of very hot water and tenting with a towel.
One last note on neti: I, too, thought it was exceedingly gross ... until I had a horrible head cold a couple of years ago. I broke down and rinsed using homemade saline and a snipped freezer bag. It was cheap and very effective for temporary relief. It's gross, but it's popular for a reason.
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Garlic - RAW! At the first sign of sickness mash a raw garlic clove and chew it. Your first immune response is the tongue. I usually mash it in olive oil and chew it that way. Yes, it's awful but it's better than being sick.
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Better get the humidifier going again.
Incidentally, I just made myself a bowl of soup and dumped some fresh-pressed garlic into it. My mom swears by that stuff.
Maybe I'll try to get over my grossness and give the neti pot trick a whirl.
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Camomile tea with honey and lemon for sore throat/cough. And might not be super healthy, but a stiff whiskey to knock you out and let you sleep is nice sometimes too.
I also like a super steamy shower as it can loosen the gunk and humidifies the air while you're in there. But agree on drinking LOTS of liquids as that can really help.
So sorry you're sick!
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Cut up a 3 inch piece of ginger. Simmer it in 4cups of water for 20 minutes. Have a mug of it with just a bit of sugar or honey twice a day. (Store extra in the fridge.)
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Elderberry tea, or anything with elderberries in it. I keep muffins in the freezer, but if you don't keep elderberries around, it'll have to be a "next time" solution. The primary benefit is that if you're wrong and what you have is the flu in early stages, it'll help, plus it'll help if you get exposed to flu while your system's compromised.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/11399518/
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Anyone use cold-eze/zinc lozenges?
If you even get a hint that you're exposed to someone with a cold, use these 3 or 4 times during the day--I don't think they are effective if you already have a full blown cold.
What I notice is that I'll still get the cold but it will be so mild as to be almost unnoticeable.
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Also, I'm wary of neti pot since this:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/03/rare-infection-prompts-neti-pot-warning/?_r=0
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When I feel a cold coming on, I cut out white flour and sugar and most other grain products. I take a spoonful of minced raw garlic and honey. One of my favorite remedies is going to sleep wearing socks with mince garlic on my feet. Elderberry syrup is great too.
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Neti pot for sure. If you are truly worried about Naegleria then buy a gallon of distilled water. Make sure you use salt - the jar of crystals is cheaper than the individual packets.
Anti-viral remedy:
Take a bunch of thyme (fresh, from your garden or the amount in one of those plastic clam shells like at TJ's) and about 2 cups of water, bring to boil on stove, simmer about 20 minutes. Cool a little. Strain out thyme. Transfer to glass jar and add about 1/2 cup honey. Mix well. Take 1 tbs frequently at first (every couple of hours) and slowly decrease as you improve (taking a few times per day).
Works like magic. Have used countless times. Works best if you start early in course of symptoms.
Elderberry syrup great too. Expensive. Easy to make your own for cheap though, but not quite as easy as thyme syrup.
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P.S. My favorite joke about head colds: A head cold lasts two weeks if you don't take OTC medication. If you do take OTC's, it will last 14 days.
Sure, but the point is not how long it lasts, but how bad you feel while you have it.
I second ginger for relieving symptoms. What I like is ginger in chicken soup. For simple, start with a package of chicken-flavor ramen, add some chicken meat, chopped green onions, celery, and other veggies (carrots, peas, bell pepper, or whatever is handy), and a tablespoon or so of chopped fresh ginger.
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Garlic - RAW! At the first sign of sickness mash a raw garlic clove and chew it. Your first immune response is the tongue. I usually mash it in olive oil and chew it that way. Yes, it's awful but it's better than being sick.
I use a garlic remedy, too!
Garlic tea:
Steep 2-3 lightly crushed garlic cloves in a cup of hot water for about 10 mintues. Stir in a couple of teaspoons of honey and a teaspoon of cinnamon. Drink it hot, and all at once. It tastes like satan's spit, but it works when you are getting the first tickle of a cold.
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I use the Airborne stuff...works great. Lots of water, chicken soup/broth, and sleep.
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I swear by apple cider vinegar to make me feel better! I mix hot water with 2 tablespoons each of apple cider vinegar, honey, and lemon juice. Tastes nasty at first, but oddly, after a while I have learned to love it. Feel better! :)
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Time.
It's never failed to cure a cold before.
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I recommend hearty bicycle riding in cold weather. Clears out sinuses/nose like nothing else!
Also very spicy food.
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Ginger tea, healthy food with lots of vegetables, lots of sleep and rest.
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I use chilli tea - chop as much chilli pepper as you can stand (I use about half a teaspoon, would also obviously depend on the type) and pour boiling water over it. Drink as hot as you can stand it. Clears out the sinuses amazingly.
Also eat lots of onion soup if off food, or curries heavy on garlic if you are up to eating. I am not sure how much any of this helps 'cure' the cold, but it certainly helps relieve the symptoms.
Of course, no one is going to want to kiss you on the above diet, but hey, you're probably too sick for that anyway. ;-)
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Garlic is a very good idea.
I once had a very serious cold that would not go away, I was ill for at least 6 months, despite heavy medication. Ate healthy, lots if vergetables and fruits, no alcohol, but it wasn't getting better.
Then, some day the girl I was dating (now my wife) clapped her eyeslids and said with her cute russian accent: "when I'm ill, I eat garlic and drink glass of vodka." Then she clapped her eyes again and said: "You are man! You drink two."
Well, what's to say, it worked. :-)
I do not have any medical training (except army 1st aid courses...), but I suppose it works this way: vodka kills everything the throat, and garlic is known to boost your immune system.
Mint tea with honey also seems helpful.
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Water, plus your favorite placebo.
Plenty of options named here.
;)
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Cut up a 3 inch piece of ginger. Simmer it in 4cups of water for 20 minutes. Have a mug of it with just a bit of sugar or honey twice a day. (Store extra in the fridge.)
i do this but i use a lot more ginger, the juice of a whole lemon, and a shit ton of honey. way more than you think you need. get it as hot, sweet, and lemony as you can, and put some whiskey in if you want, then drink it down. really does help with the symptoms, and i usually feel better the next day after drinking one of these.