When you're sick...

What are your go-to home remedies for cold/flu symptoms? (I'm currently quite under the weather with a horrible respiratory infection and sore throat. I haven't felt this terrible in a while.)

Out of everyone I've asked so far, about 98% of people have suggested whiskey. And I thought, "Is this just because people want to sound comical and/or cool in response to this question? Or does a shot of whiskey or a hot toddy really prove to be the most beneficial home remedy?"

I didn't try the whiskey remedy. I don't have any in the house, and quite frankly, I rarely drink anymore so a shot of whiskey would knock me on my ass pretty good. I wouldn't normally mind being knocked out when I'm this sick, but adding any sense of nausea to this miserable shit would not be good.

I have been drinking gallons of water, upping my Vitamin C intake, and sipping broth and also hot tea with lemon/honey. And trying to rest. It's been difficult for me to sleep.

Oh, and the neti pot. I can't forget about that. That has actually helped more than I thought it would.

This is a belated and unhelpful response, but I will post it anyway because that's just how I roll, homie.

Yeah, whiskey...I don't get it. Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it actually causes you to get more dehydrated and is counter-intuitive to the "drink lots of fluids" plan. I think the best fluids to drink are green tea with fresh lemon and grapefruit juice. Also, blueberries are great for the immune system, eating those should probably help. Add them to an Oiko's Greek yogurt if you're feeling adventurous.

Awh shit, it's been a week!

How are you tugging along?


wtf is a neti pot? Is that some kind of hybrid between the Internet and Marijuana?

Whiskey will clear the crap out of your respiratory system/throat, but you need to "apologise" to your body with replacement fluids and nutrients - so I wouldn't try it. I didn't find the trade off worth it at all.
And yes: They're saying it to sound funny, smart, and old-fashioned... and they could give loads of other advice that doesn't involve you hurting yourself.


GABA, Niacin, lots of fluids of course (as Davy mentioned), keep one window open... and now for the crazy part...

Visualisation

I got rid of a sore throat this morning with visualisation and rest. Quietness is important for this. And you make up your own imaginative thing here. But to start you off, tickle your amigdala, be aware of it's being a part of your brain.
Now imagine a ball of PURPLE energy/light infusing the area you wish to bring new life to, or your whole body. Spin that ball, give it rich detail in your mind.

Number 6 wrote:Awh shit, it's been a week!

How are you tugging along?


wtf is a neti pot? Is that some kind of hybrid between the Internet and Marijuana?

Whiskey will clear the crap out of your respiratory system/throat, but you need to "apologise" to your body with replacement fluids and nutrients - so I wouldn't try it. I didn't find the trade off worth it at all.
And yes: They're saying it to sound funny, smart, and old-fashioned... and they could give loads of other advice that doesn't involve you hurting yourself.


GABA, Niacin, lots of fluids of course (as Davy mentioned), keep one window open... and now for the crazy part...

Visualisation

I got rid of a sore throat this morning with visualisation and rest. Quietness is important for this. And you make up your own imaginative thing here. But to start you off, tickle your amigdala, be aware of it's being a part of your brain.
Now imagine a ball of PURPLE energy/light infusing the area you wish to bring new life to, or your whole body. Spin that ball, give it rich detail in your mind.

A little joke about a neti pot. Amusing. Assuming you weren't being sarcastic and hadn't known what a neti pot was, you've surely googled it by now? It's a simple but amazing tool.

Visualization is something no one has ever suggested. Perhaps I need to focus on this more. The virus is still plaguing me.

Ooooooh... that's what it is.

Some atmospheric music may help visualisation, but beyond that it's what best lubricates your imagination.

Also: Ginger, lemon, & honey tea does wonders for freeing up passages and the ginger will do your blood good. Honey itself also calms the stomach if it's gotten into there, too.

I have been drinking a lot of water and quite a bit of hot tea with honey and lemon. It's been about 2 weeks, and although I feel generally better, I still have this incessant dry cough and ticklish throat, some nasal congestion, and fatigue. I've been going through some stressful changes in my life, so I'm sure that doesn't help the good ol' immune system.

Wait a second here: You're American so I don't know what you mean by "tea"? You mean that stuff that came from India and we put in bags?
If so - stop that right now. Any caffeine right now will counteract all that water you're drinking and may contribute to your dry throat/cough, as tea is a diuretic too. Just have the honey in the hot water if you don't have anything else. It'll also be wise to avoid diary products. These two things tend to make the remaining symptoms linger on. It also isn't helping the fatigue.

Ancient wisdom tells that a progressive attitude to a situation changes it dramatically. You could see this as an invitation from your body to do some dietary/lifestyle "spring cleaning". That's the attitude I try my best to adopt when I get ill.
You're under a lot of stress right now, like I am, and we're both ill from it. So I reckon this is an opportunity for us to learn that the world doesn't treat us well, and that people give us more grief than compassion for the most-part, so the duty lies with us to love ourselves. Sorry to get all philosophical, but I feel this attitude to be quite profound.

P.S. I don't know this for certain, but I was advised to make sure my water was alkelized, that this is important for the body to keep it "conducive". I've done it before, and at the very least it didn't hurt. You can do this by adding lemon to your water.

Yeah, apple cider vinegar also works. The acid actually makes your body less acidic, in moderation.

What's up with these kooks on EV Radio talking about making yourself sweat to cure a bug? Listening now. Does not compute.

Tezcatlipoca wrote:Yeah, apple cider vinegar also works. The acid actually makes your body less acidic, in moderation.

What's up with these kooks on EV Radio talking about making yourself sweat to cure a bug? Listening now. Does not compute.

That would be Tommy Boyd from back in the 80's, with the "Historical Mystery Guest" Captain Cook. He's a part of the EVR 365 programming every morning 6AM +1 GMT (Dublin).
And he was speaking from experience, as Tommy always does. I have that experience as well. You sweat out a whole lot more when you're ill, and I always feel heaps better when I have a nice big sweat.

You ever try it?

No, I mean...I've heard sweating detoxifies the body but once I heard Scientologists were using it as a sort of purification protocol, I decided to stop taking it seriously.

It took me 5 days to answer that simple question. Glory be.

You can't really let simple aversion get in the way of the truth. People misuse things in extreme ways all the time.
Try to be watchful of what other peoples' beliefs do to your own - that's just as bad as if you believed in Dianetics yourself.