Woo-hoo! My cold is finally gone!!

[Lauren B.]

I caught a really bad cold about 2 weeks ago. I didnt' leave the house for 3 days and slept only a few hours a night. It was miserable. The cold finally ran its course, but then I was left with the phlegmy cough, as I always get post-cold. I was coughing so hard that it was actually causing me to throw up several times a day (hey, we've had "vomit posts" here, and my upchucking while sick holds no candles to those confessions).

Although I doubted it would work, I went with the old standby....alcohol. My old roommate (who was rather hick-ish and backwoods, I'm afraid to say) used to use this old wive's tale remedy to cure a cough or sore throat....a shot of Jack Daniels, followed by a suck on a lemon, chased with a tablespoon of honey. While I didn't follow this entire procedure ver batim, I cracked open a bottle of Absolut that I've had for about 10 years (it even still had the plastic seal around the lid). Seeing as how I don't drink, I had to muster up all the courage I could, held my nose and downed the shot. As well as alcohol, I don't drink sodas or juices or anything flavored either....just plain water. The only thing I had to chase the vodka with was a 2 litre of diet root beer that someone had left at my house. It was gross...the entire ordeal....but I did it over the kitchen sink (in preparation of it being too disgusting that I actually had to spit it out or worse yet, throw it up).

Well, I lived through it, and lo and behold, within 30 minutes my cough of 2 weeks had disappeared. I had my first restful night in weeks, and the decongestant effects lasted even until the next day. I was so happy that I repeated the entire thing the next night, only doing half a shot.

So I suppose I should call my old roommate and apologize. I thought she had leaned on this "remedy" in order to simply have an excuse to drink. Little did I know it actually had medicinal effects. However, if the pharmaceutical industry hadn't freaked out and started making cough syrups alcohol-free (they had plenty of alcohol in them when I was a kid...and I didn't die or grow up with physical deformities), I would just take the syrups and not have to turn to a life of alcoholism to rid myself of a cough!

[Lady Hobbs]

I did that once with Ginger Brandy. Cold didn't go away but I got drunk enough that I forgot I had one.

[jeffs99dime]

i had a sinus infection this season. first time i've been sick in about 12 years. i guess that's what happens when you go from 70 degrees f to 7 degrees f

[Lady Hobbs]

Does this mean you'd like to hear about the kidney and bladder infection I am still in the process of clearing up! I didn't know it was possible that people could actually pee 2000 times a day (and night).

[nikipate]

Lauren,

Glad to hear that your "home remedy" worked. My grandmother used to give my mom and her siblings Jack Daniels with honey and lemon when they were little kids to make a cough go away!!

I usually get a cold once a year that leaves behind that awful cough but this year when it hit I tried a different approach. I started running a low fever at work but decided I would try to tough it out without taking anything. I made through 11 hours at work and when I came home my temp was 101. I went straight to bed (about 5 p.m.) without taking anything and slept until 8 p.m. when my husband got home. I finally did take some Alleve because I had a pounding headache that was so bad I could hardly move and slept the rest of the night. I was trying to let the fever run its course (there's another saying) because I know that it is your body trying to kill off whatever is causing the problem. After that I had about 4 days of congestion and cough but then it went away totally without that lingering cough that I usually get. Now I'm not 100% sure that letting the fever go all day shortened the cold but it does seem to have been a factor. Of course, I know that if you have kids and all that you can't just spend all day in bed but sometimes I think that all the stuff we take can sometimes interefere with our bodies trying to take care of themselves. Having said that, I usually do take cold meds so that I can function in public without coughing all over the place but at home I don't take them....

Anyway, glad you are feeling better and Hobbs, hope your bladder gets better.... but hey, think how much exercise you are getting running to the bathroom 2000 times a day.... I'd say that calls for some ice cream!! (Ice cream soothes all ills in my book).....:ezpi_wink1:

[Chrona]

The next time I drink hard liquor, I'm going to justify it by saying I'm preventing a cold. :)

Good to hear you're well again.

[cocoa_pleco]

i just take some salene. Works for sore throat.

Why cant people find a cure for colds already? come on

[Chrona]

i just take some salene. Works for sore throat.

Why cant people find a cure for colds already? come on

Because the influenza virus mutates every season? lolz. And they do have a cure (sort-of), it's called the flu shot :P.

[cocoa_pleco]

the flu shot hurts:14: . make pills instead

[Lauren B.]

I did that once with Ginger Brandy. Cold didn't go away but I got drunk enough that I forgot I had one.

Working as a bartender as many years as you had, I bet you heard all kinds of old wive's tales about how alcohol could cure various ailments.

My mother is a steadfast mercurochrome fanatic. We had orange spots all over us when we were kids. If you ask her, she probably thinks mercurochrome cures cancer and HIV.

[Lauren B.]

Hobbs, hope your bladder gets better.... but hey, think how much exercise you are getting running to the bathroom 2000 times a day.... I'd say that calls for some ice cream!!

Several years ago an older friend of mine had to have his prostate removed. In the week before his surgery, he was going to the bathroom literally every 5 minutes. He told me that one time, in the middle of the night he was so tired that he sat down on the toilet to pee....and he fell asleep on the toilet! He only woke up because he had to pee again a few minutes later!

[cocoa_pleco]

i drank 2 of those super big gulps at 7-eleven once with mixed dr.pepper and pepsi, big bag of salt and vinegar chips, and xbox live.

I was literally going to the can every 5 minuted for 9 hours. It was torture

[cocoa_pleco]

we have a product here that shortens the cold or prevents it. cold fx. It actually works. I have had lots of colds prevented, others just 2-3 days max

[Severus]

I used to take this stuff called Airborne that is supposed to prevent colds. I didnt get sick while i took it so im assuming it works..? I was probably just some placebo to make me think i was always healthy

[nikipate]

I used to take this stuff called Airborne that is supposed to prevent colds. I didnt get sick while i took it so im assuming it works..? I was probably just some placebo to make me think i was always healthy

I take that too and I think it does work. It's all natural and I am convinced that several times it really fought off a cold.

[Lady Hobbs]

Because the influenza virus mutates every season? lolz. And they do have a cure (sort-of), it's called the flu shot :P.

I have to say, I have not had one single cold in the 5 years I've had the flu shots. I also get pneumonia shots and those are good for 5 or 6 years.

I now know what guys go thru with enlarged prostrates. (Lost my brother last year to prostrate cancer.) My back is killing me!

[Severus]

I take that too and I think it does work. It's all natural and I am convinced that several times it really fought off a cold.

Yea the whole time i took it (about 1.5 years) i never got sick.

[Chrona]

Yeah, I heard about Airborne. It was originally designed for long flights, because you are in close proximity with sick people sometimes. It just boosts your immune system.

[Severus]

Yea, everyone that uses/used it seems to like it. Including myself.