Cold or Flu? Natural ways to beat it

8 Apr 2010

I've come down with a cold and chest infection, but hate taking antibiotics, they make me feel like a mini nuclear bomb has gone off in my lungs.

So here are some natural alternatives coffee

http://www.organicnutrition.co.uk/articles/colds.htm I recommend the ginger option if you can handle the taste / strength of raw ginger root.

8 Apr 2010

As far as beating it once you've got it, I have nothing for you, but I take two ecchinacea tablets three times a week and I haven't had a cold for 19 years.

"A black cat crossing your path signifies that the animal is going somewhere." - Groucho Marx

8 Apr 2010

Grapefruit seed extract works really well. You can find it at any health food store. I've used it with success in the past.

It makes the blood alkaline, and bacteria, virus and fungi can't survive in an alkaline environment.

And I just found this on the web:

During 1989-90, an international research team (reported in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, Volume 5, No. 3, USA, 1990) examined the effects of Grapefruit seed extract and compared this with 30 effective antibiotics and 18 proven fungicides. Grapefruit seed extract was found to perform as well as any and all of the tested agents. Without the harsh side effects. It is a natural alternative to strong antibiotics! Grapefruit seed extract is very economical to use at 3-5 drops per average dose.

Hope you feel better soon Nicola!

8 Apr 2010

I have heard that making a fresh batch of home made chicken soup drys up the mucus.

Drinking lots of bottle water as tap water makes you cough more.

Stay away from dairy stuff so milk yogurts and cheese are a no no.

Fresh ginger can make you cough as its to spicy for your throat.

Sometimes a hot spicy curry feels bloody great, it seems to sweat the cold out of you.

Also, my ex used to swear by hot sex then he'd made sure I was wrapped up nice and warm and sleep loads. I have to say it usually worked ha ha.

You'll feel better once you have got rid of the cattarh Nic. Get plenty of rest and just stay nice and warm.

Take care Nic Hope you feel better soon. xxx

8 Apr 2010

Thanks for the advice, I didn't know about a couple of those.

Excuse me while I make a quick phone call laughing6

9 Apr 2010

Quote by nicola
Thanks for the advice, I didn't know about a couple of those.

Excuse me while I make a quick phone call

9 Apr 2010

Marcos had a cold remedy in one of the cartoons he posted recently Nic. Here's a link

Hope you get to feeling better soon.

9 Apr 2010

Lots of hot tea with lemon and honey works for me put some sweats on maybe a coupe pairs get under a bunch of blankets and sweat it out I don't take anything for it except maybe some vicks vapor rub when I can't breath I hate taking any kind of drugs even when I have a headache.

9 Apr 2010

Drink lots of tea with lemon and honey. And get plenty of rest! Hope you feel better soon!

"Haters make me FAMOUS!!!"

Sassy

9 Apr 2010

Repeat as necessary

The same GQP demanding we move on from January 6th, 2021 is still doing audits of the November 3rd, 2020 election.

10 Apr 2010

Yep Bourbon......and lots of it

Rubber Ducky your the one, you make my life so much fun

11 Apr 2010

Old fashioned remedy: orange juice, should help give your immune system a boost icon_smile

Actually I recommend staying warm because your temperature may drop, leaving your body feeling chilly. Make sure you take something for any pain/aches/temperature that might affect you.

11 Apr 2010

when i have colds, i can't really swallow down water or any food. So what i do is i buy myself a box of milk and medicines and it helps me to recover. Maybe 3days after im all up and back to normal icon_smile

11 Apr 2010

Shot of booze in a cuppa tea. Mom swore by it. Either heal you or after a few you don't really care that you're sick. Whistle

11 Apr 2010

If you've got a nice big pot... boil water and cover urself with it using a towel... make sure no steam gets out... I'm pretty sure the congestion in the cold gets out of u

12 Apr 2010

Anti-biotics usually are actually "natural". They are organic compounds derived from naturally occuring substances in the same way that echinacea or grapefruit extract is. The reason they are considered "medicine" is because they are proven to work.

That being said, colds are caused by viruses and not by bacteria. Therefor, antibiotics would be useless anyways. Your own immune system goes into action to rid the body of viruses. There are a million different things you can do to manage the symptoms, but your body will have to do the work itself in actually killing off the virus.

If it is a bacterial infection and your body's immune system is unable to deal with it, then I'm afraid antibiotics will be necessary. If one type causes you problems, then you can always try another. Remember that antibiotics are all completley different compounds with completely different molecular structures. The fact that they can be used for the same purpose, doesn't make them the same.

If you do have a bacterial infection in the chest (which is unlikely) you can usually tell by the sputum production. When you cough, the expectorate produced will be greenish tinged and foul smelling. (yeah, gross, I know).

I know that these days people tend to view "drugs" in a negative light, but these fears are generally unfounded. Most "natural" remedies are considered such simply because they have not been shown to be effective in clinical trials. When a compound is shown to be effective, it is isolated and sold in pill form as regulated by the FDA. It is then, no longer considered "natural".

I'm happy to see that nobody recommended vitamin C as a cure though. hello1