What Do You Take for a Cold? (Spoiler Alert!) More Alternative Medicine Horseshit!

[leftofcool]

When I had cancer, I wanted a bona-fide oncologist and I wanted it gone! No way was I going to drink garlic mixed with my own urine as an alternative cure (Yes, thank you, in six more months I will have been cancer free for 10 years) But, I have learned something in my 60 something years of being on this planet and that is, some old folklore stuff really does work. For instance, it is rare for me to get a cold but when I do, honey, whiskey and lemon work just fine. A four ounce glass of that mixture and not only can I breathe better, I will sleep like a baby. (A good sip of moonshine works too but even here in good ole Kentucky that is hard to find unless you know somebody). Burn yourself a bit getting cookies out of the oven? A bit of ice water on the burn will do the trick or just some good old fashioned yellow mustard on it works too. Might want to follow up the burn with some neosporin though. Modern medicine is a godsend but I don't want to throw out all of grandmas idea just yet. She might have been on to something for a few simple medical things.

What say ye?

[A-Schwarzenegger]

1. I don't drink

so I use zinc.

[melm00se]

40. My father was a board certified

pulmonologist and internist and he swore by zinc as well.

[GP6971]

2. For a cold

Hot tea, bourbon, honey and lemon works fine for us. That is if we're not going into work.

Hadn't heard of yellow mustard on burns.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

3. I think you're conflating treating symptoms and treating diseases.

You're not actually treating a disease with 'honey, whiskey, and lemon'. You're helping to mask the symptoms so you can rest more easily. Ditto ice water on (very minor) burns. It's a way to alleviate symptoms, and just let your body continue to work on the underlying problems. I wouldn't call that 'alternative medicine'.

[Atman]

11. Not necessarily true > ice water on burns.

If you do it immediately, the cold water stops the literal burning. Think of it like leaving a piece of meat to stand after cooking it...it keeps cooking just from the heat it already has stored up. Same principle with a burn, so you put ice water on it immediately to stop continued skin damage.

I never heard of mustard on a burn, either. But after a couple of shots of whiskey who gives a damn how sick they are?

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

12. Well, true,

maybe I worded that comment less clearly than I should have - you're certainly right about heat exchange. My point is that I wouldn't consider those sorts of things 'alternative medicine'.

[RiverLover]

4. I don't get colds or the flu anymore

But I take a ton of vits & supplements ev day. Who knows what is helping with that.

[HappyMe]

5. I have to have a pretty bad

cold to take something for it. I usually will do either DayQuil or NyQuil.

I don't do much for burns. If it's bad I may put a dab of Neosporin on it and cover with a bandaid for a day.

[madokie]

6. Ice works on burns well

I burnt my hand badly once and being out on a job site all by myself in the middle of no where the only thing I had was the Ice water I had to drink. I couldn't get that lid off fast enough and as soon as I plunged my hand into that ice water the hurt went away. I kept my hand in Ice water for a couple days and nights, kind of a pain in the backside trying to sleep with one hand in a bucket of ice water but it can be done. About a month later I was working on something and caught the skin in the palm of my hand and it ripped it an under neath it was the prettiest pink skin I had ever seen. I peeled the what would have been a blister off and other than being tender from not having any callus build up yet my hand was fine. I used the same trick when our grand daughter burnt a finger one day and to this day when she hurts herself she wants me cause she knows that I know how to make it stop hurting.

I'm happy that you've conquered the cancer. I have two nephews right now taking treatments for cancer. Stem cell transplant has one in remission and the other nephew is preparing to have the same stem cell transplant treatment. I think he goes in in a couple weeks for that. They both were given chemo and that is almost as bad as the cancer but one is in remission and the other is hoping for the same.
.

[leftofcool]

7. Tell your nephews to hang in there.

Cancer is not the death sentence it once was.

[kaiden]

26. True, and if your nephews have blood cancers,

Stem cell transplants work very well to eradicate those cancers.

[brewens]

8. I had that Zicam zinc stuff work really well one time, or at least it seemed to.

The next time, no effect.

[safeinOhio]

9. for a sore throat I take

about a quarter tea spoon of cheyenne pepper mixed in about an inch of water, stir real good and swallow. Works every time.

[COLGATE4]

10. I discovered, quite by accident that

aerosol shaving cream works wonders for a burn, particularly if applied immediately. No idea why.

[leftofcool]

13. Aloe in the shaving cream maybe?

[COLGATE4]

14. Could well be. But what's curious is how it

takes away the hurt almost immediately. Aloe is a remarkable natural product.

[NuclearDem]

15. That's what I would think. The aloe's already in there to alleviate razor burn.

[jeff47]

29. Depends if you're talking about while the burn is happening or after the burn.

The propellants in the shaving cream causes a cooling effect - they're expanding and evaporating. As a result, they can cool a burn that literally just happened - as in you take your hand off the stove and spray it with shaving cream.

If you're talking about a little while after the burn, then the effect is likely caused by the soothing agents that make razor burn not hurt.

[COLGATE4]

30. In this case it would be the second explanation as I applied

the shaving cream by hand, not propelled from the can. Thanks.

[TheBlackAdder]

16. Elecampane: For Bronchitis and to combat Respiratory Congestion due to colds

.


I used to take have to take Zithromax Z-Pak 10's, or other high-powered antibiotic, 3-4 times a year for Bronchitis.


My ex sister-in-law, who is an Army wife, turned me onto elecampane. She said that it is used in certain countries to fight anthrax and does well for people with respiratory issues. She recommended 12 drops in 8 oz. of water every 8 hours.


I haven't had to take any medication to fight bronchitis for almost 5 years now!

Just expectorant and Vicks KAZ steamer (like what I would take with the Z-Pak) and the elecampane.


Additional Comment: The suggested dosage, is 3 times what I need. I have not had a need to come anywhere near the suggested dosage. This means that a bottle, with a family of 5, lasts a couple of years... and that bottle costs only $14 to address any cold and congestion issues we have.

There is a time and a place for homeopathy, natural remedies, and pharmacology. The strict anti-natural people and those who are anti-pharm are just as mentally polarized as many in politics. That's not a good thing. Secondly, many of the anti-natural studies that are performed, are done so in research labs well funded my Big PhRMA, which is no different than getting a climate change study performed by a lab that takes millions from Big Oil.

[NuclearDem]

17. I don't get colds often, but when I do, I get legendarily sick.

Sometimes all that really works is some NyQuil and a good night's rest.

[WillowTree]

20. Personally, I think NyQuil is one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century

[Oktober]

18. Scotch...

[kelliekat44]

19. Bed rest and Alka-Seltzer to alalcalize. plenty of water to hydrate. nt

[WillowTree]

21. For a cold, Zicam every 4 hours starting as soon as I experience symptoms.

For burns, or really any insult to the skin, I learned long ago that if I start applying Vitamin E oil several times a day once the wound is dry, it really helps healing and either lessens scarring or avoids it altogether. I've had two nasty burns on relatively tender skin areas and have virtually no scar at all left from either. Learned that from my kid sister, and was also recommended by the doctor that treated me for the first of those burns.

[CanSocDem]

22. The active ingredient...

...in most over-the-counter cold medicine is already alcohol, so a "hot toddy" isn't far off. How do you think Modern Medicine makes their medicine? They patent what already works.

Dr Sidney Wolfe wrote about this in the 60's and 70's.



.

[bobGandolf]

23. There is a little ol' leaf that grows on a tree...

that has been helping many people. The DEA and the pharmacology mills would just love to make it illegal. It is Kratom, Mitragyna speciosa. It is in the coffee family. It is used to relieve pain, and a stimulant.

At the same time, researchers are studying kratom’s ability to help wean addicts from much stronger drugs, such as heroin and cocaine. Studies show that a compound found in the plant could even serve as the basis for an alternative to methadone in treating addictions to opioids.

[betterdemsonly]

24. I pour two tbs of salt in a small pan with an inch of water

Last edited Wed Mar 11, 2015, 12:02 PM - Edit history (3)

I boil it, then I remove it from the heat, then I breath the steam with my face close enough to get uncomfortably warm, but not burn. In through the nose, out through the mouth, preferably. I repeat this twice in a row, once a day. I repeat this by reheating the pot after 7 minutes. It seems to eliminate the symptoms.

[Nay]

38. Interesting. When I was a kid growing up in Florida and got a cold,

my dad would take us to the beach (summer only, of course) and have us swim around for an hour, making sure we sucked up and blew out lots of salt water. It cleared our heads and made the cold shorter. Nowadays, I guess you could use saline in a netipot.

[betterdemsonly]

39. I think the heated steam augments the salt. n/t

Last edited Wed Mar 11, 2015, 02:26 PM - Edit history (1)

[pipi_k]

25. Definitely

raw garlic, smooshed up and taken in a cup of warm water.

I used to use raw garlic each winter from Oct - March as a preventative, but its anti clotting properties clash with another supplement I take so now I only use garlic if I've already gotten a cold, which hasn't happened in over six years. It lessens the severity, and shortens the cold by at least two days.

Something else I use is nasal rinsing, both to deal with year long rhinitis/allergies and to help prevent dry nasal passages which can lead to a cold. Again, the one time I got a cold, the nasal rinse was extremely helpful in rinsing out nasty nose mucus and very soothing.


I'm also pretty anal about washing my hands, and not handling money and keeping my hands away from my nose and eyes. I would say the most significant thing in preventing colds is not handling money. IMO, anyway.

[Bettie]

27. For a cold?

Lots of sleep (or as much as I can get as a mom with three boys).

Hot tea with lemon to soothe a sore throat.

Tissues with lotion to keep the nose from getting too sore.

Plenty of water.

I'm fortunate that I don't get sick often, because my family fears me when I'm not feeling well, I get a little cranky.

[eShirl]

28. homemade elderberry tincture or tea

I usually make my own tincture by filling a mason jar 1/3 with dried elderberries, then fill it up to 1- 1 1/2 " below the top with cheap vodka, letting it steep for at least a month and shaking well every few days when I think of it. Then strain out the solids with several layers of cheesecloth. Anyway, normally I take a shot of that every few hours when I first start to feel cold or flu symptoms. If I don't want alcohol I'll put a teaspoon of dried elderberries in a teaball and steep it in a mug of boiling water until cooled to room temperature, and drink that.

[Ratty]

31. I swear by chicken soup

I always keep 5 days of chicken soup in the freezer for the inevitable flu I always catch in the winter (though this year I seem to have dodged the bullet). When I don't have the soup my flu lasts days and recovery is long. When I gorge myself on soup the flu lasts a day or two at most and I'm back on my feet almost immediately. That stuff's magic I tells ya.

[Erose999]

32. Rumpleminze (100 proof mint schnapps) is good for cold. Helps with the cough and clears the sinuses

A spoonfull of hot sauce or a bit of horseradish or wasabi is also good for clearing the sinuses.

Gargling saltwater helps with sore throat.

[former9thward]

33. All modern medicine was once alternative medicine.

Through experimentation and results it became conventional medicine including whatever you used to attack your cancer. 100 years from now doctors will be shaking their heads at much of what we call modern medicine.

[GliderGuider]

34. My Ukrainian grandmother's cure for the cold: two aspirins and a bottle of vodka.

1. Put the two aspirins on the bedside table.
2. Drink the vodka until you can see 4 aspirins.
3. Take all 4 aspirins.
4. Go to sleep.
5. Repeat until cured.

it hasn't failed me yet. After about a week of this treatment, I'm cured.

[LiberalEsto]

35. Chew garlic

It really helps for colds

Take a clove, peel it, have a cup of water handy. Chew with the back teeth so you don't have to taste too much of it. Wash down with water immediately.

Also: zinc tablets, neti pot to rinse out sinuses, and lemon-ginger tea are good, especially when you feel a cold starting.

Last week I used all of the above, and my cold came and went in three days. My daughter, who passed it to me, was sick for more than a week, and didn't start feeling better until I urged her to try the garlic and zinc.

[littlewolf]

36. we use Aloe for minor burns. wife keeps a plant going all the time.

and gives cuttings to neighbors.

[hunter]

37. Pseudophedrine and codeine.

Too bad you're not going to find a physician in the U.S.A. who will prescribe that for the common cold.

Both can be made from ordinary plants (ephedra and opium) and even my great grandmas and their grandmothers would have been familiar with those sorts of cold medicines.

[jwirr]

41. My daughter was in the hospital for a couple of weeks. The room was dry and she started

having trouble breathing. I knew what to do as it had happened before. I asked the doctor to ask them to put Vicks on her chest - no way. After he walked out of the room the nurse sympathized with me. She had young children. I asked her if she would get me a bottle of Vicks if I gave her the money. She did. The next day the "cold" went away. I assume the doctor could smell the Vicks but he did not say anything.

Today we don't use the Vicks anymore - the nose strips work.

There are many home remedies that do work.

[Blue_In_AK]

42. I can't remember the last real cold I had

but my grown kids always hit me up for home remedies that I used on them when they were little. Ginger tea for upset stomachs, garlic for earaches, etc. We're all real healthy. Big pharma would go bankrupt if they had to depend on this family for their income.