Dear Diary

What’s Your Cold Remedy?

by Gemma
January 14, 2014
12 Comments
2 minutes read
85 Views
11 years ago

Well, so much for all those plans for 2014. Any serious attempts at health and fitness have been shelved while I fight off a cold that I’ve now been suffering from since before New Year.

Thankfully Ultra Chloraseptic sent me a care package before Christmas that has been immensely helpful, it contained a mug, lemon and honey which I’ve been mixing with lemsips as well as this gorgeous fluffy pom pom scarf which is strangely reassuring to have wrapped around my poor sore throat at the moment! Sadly they were unable to send me any actual chloraseptic, but they did offer to refund me if I bought any, but I haven’t been anywhere that sells it, shame as it would have been handy to kill the pain in my throat!

Having had this cold for over 2 weeks now I’m feeling a little frustrated with not being able to get on with my life. It’s like being on hold. I can’t go running, I’ve been to Roller Derby training, but it was hard and made me feel worse, I can’t even concentrate properly on putting together a menu and plan so I have something healthy and nutritious to eat. Trying to soldier on with life as normal just ends up extending how long you are ill for, and I suspect I’ve not done myself any favours so far as January has already included two transatlantic flights!

So, I’ve given myself permission to take a week to recover. No worrying about exercise, plenty of rest and fluids and eating (mostly) nutritious comfort food without worrying about calories, carbs, or fat. I often find that all I need is to give myself a little time for self indulgence and “I feel poorly” wallowing and I recover much quicker.

Today I’ve been given advice to try to shorten the length of a cold ranging from nasal irrigation to zinc and hot toddies.

My tips are more basic:

Sleep sitting up or propped up so your head doesn’t fill with snot while you sleep.
Steam your head with eucalyptus oil or Vicks to clear your sinuses.
Keep wrapped up warm (thanks fluffy pom pom scarf!)
Drink lots of fluids

Medication wise I swear by lockets, cheap bronchial balsam cough syrup, vicks for steaming and rubbing on your chest, and lemsips for reassurance and aches and pains.

So, I have to ask, purely in the interests of scientific study, what’s your best way of getting over a cold?

Gemma

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Personal Trainer, blogger, red lipstick wearer and Cocktail drinker. Learning to enjoy the journey.

12 Comments

Fi Phillips January 14, 2014

Rest. Plenty of fluids. Lemsip. That’s it really. With kids, I get colds a lot so just have to get on with things.
- Fi Phillips January 14, 2014
  
  I should clarify that I catch the colds from my kids (not get them because my kids are exhausting, although…). Primary schools are breeding grounds for germs and bugs.
Laura January 14, 2014

It is sooo annoying being sick. Im also trying to get over a cold, but it seems to have moved into my body permanently!
My good advice though is taking a hot and steamy shower, drinking lots of fresh water, eating lots of ginger, lemon and garlic and try to get as much sleep as possible. I have also been to some hot yoga which actually helped.

Hope you will get better soon 🙂
Kim January 14, 2014

Definitely giving myself that recovery period like you said. Regular Lemsips. I find nothing gets rid of a sore throat like gargling with salt water, not as nice as honey and lemon but effective! I like some Karvol on a hankie, clears your nose and I find it comforting. Good old Vicks at night or one those plug in things. Snuggling under my blankie on the sofa watching rubbish telly!
jools3303 January 15, 2014

Just a thought, I use chloroseptic now and then and you have to ask for it at the pharmacy counter, it isn’t on the general shelving stock as it is pharmacy issued only (prescription not required).
First Defence nasal spray is my choice as it really seems to work if you start it early. Hope you feel better soon! x Hot honey and lemon and someone to make a fuss of you always helps!
miss magpie January 16, 2014

Beechams and ibruprofen and lots of fluids. Also have a tub of vaseline and every time you blow your nose rub a tiny dab in stops it getting all sore and red. I was recommended gargling with aspirin by my doctor years ago and it does work for a sore throat, eating porridge oats is also meant to be good for sore throats.
Zoe (www.starpsyche.blogspot.co.uk) January 16, 2014

I had 2 colds back-to-back over Christmas (which sucked), the second of which went straight to my chest.
I lived off paracetamol and a separate decongestant with plenty of (manuka) honey, ginger and lemon to drink. I hot-steamed my sinuses and chest morning and before bed, using Olbas Oil and/or eucalyptus & lavendar oils.
Rather randomly, I also wore a fleece ‘buff’ to bed because I found breathing in the slightly warmer, humid air helped my throat not to feel so sore, and also helped stopped me coughing.
There’s also a LOT to be said for ‘proper’, homemade chicken soup 🙂

Hope you feel better soon! x
leahatherton13 January 20, 2014

Bit late but: Ricola sweets – they work absolute wonders for clearing colds and soothing tickly and chesty coughs. Also, if you can get hold of it they do an instant tea. You can’t get it in this country but if you have any lovely relatives in France, Germany or Switzerland get them to send a tin of the green “5 plants” tea – just add a couple teaspoons to hot water, add honey if you need to, and dose yourself liberally with it. My family swears by it ever since my mum had to use that instead of antibiotics when she got bronchitis while pregnant with me.
Oh, and of course, good ol’ chicken soup, aka Jewish penicillin! 😀
Hope you’re feeling better!
- Lady Lipstick January 21, 2014
  
  It’s not too late! I’m still ill! Not as bad as I was, but I have a sore throat still, woe is me!
  - leahatherton13 January 23, 2014
    
    Oh no! That’s got to be hell on the running 🙁 Get well soon!!
Mitchell Okotie February 4, 2014

Dont worry. We all experience set backs at times, but i am sure you will soon make a speedy comeback : )
CJ February 18, 2014

I would recommend taking half a teaspoon of black cumin oil (nigella sativa oil) which you can buy online from amazon or ebay, and half a teaspoon of manuka honey. Do this once in the morning and once before you go to bed.
The oil is very bitter, but it’s not so bad with the honey.
I got diagnosed with Lupus a few years ago and was always ill with various colds and fatigue. Apart from the medication I take for that, I take the above. After a couple of months of taking it, I started to become immune to everything! Everyone around me got colds, coughs, the flu, and I didn’t!!!
I started developing a cold within the few months I first started taking it, but it disappeared within 2 days!!!! Which for me is a miracle! (My colds used to last weeks!)
Obviously I would talk to a doctor or pharmacist before you take this as you never know how you might react to it. But in my opinion, taking this made me feel normal again. No make aches and pains, no more phoning my friends and cancelling things because I can’t get out of bed….
You can also use it for other things and although it’s quite expensive, (compared to other chemist remedies) I think it is totally worth it, and as you are only taking a small amount each day, it lasts quite a long time.
Hope this helps.