How to Cure a Cold

They say there's no cure.  And "they" may be right, but there are a lot of things that we can do.

Heard from doctors fairly recently (but note: I am not a doctor):

• Gargle with warm salt water to sooth and treat the throat.
• Use a neti pot (nasal irrigation) to clear sinuses.
• Take Claritin (loratadine) and Claritin-D (loratadine with pseudoephedrine) to reduce symptoms.

Other common-sense and folk treatments:

• Keep extra warm, particularly the chest.  Especially avoid getting chilled.
• Get lots of sleep - morning and afternoon naps if possible.  In my opinion this is the best thing we can do.
• Chicken soup with lots of salt and pepper.  Maybe other hot, salty, peppery soups with onion, sage, and thyme.
• Zinc lozenges.
• Vitamin C.  We mix Vitamin C powder in some organic pomegranate juice.  Yum.
• Aromatic (menthol, camphor, ...) rub on the chest for extra heat and a nice smell.  I clip a towel around my neck too.
• Hydrate plenty.  Alas, alcohol probably doesn't count.
• "Feed a cold (and starve a fever)."  To keep the immune system strong, but junk food won't help.
• A key point:  Don't let up until the symptoms are all gone.  A chest cold will take advantage of a chill to start all over in the sinuses, or vice-versa.

The old joke - Do all of these things and the cold might be gone in as little as a week.  Otherwise it might take as long as seven days.

I have a cold and I'm only on day 5.  As we say in Minnesota, Uff-Da. 

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