I rarely get sick, but came down with a head cold the day after Thanksgiving. I forgot what a nuisance having a cold is.
December is such a busy time of the year. It is not the ideal time to get one ... nor to rest. Work picks up, there are gifts to buy, a few Christmas gatherings to attend, and I need my full energy to get everything done. But, I am trying to spend some evenings at home in order to get rid of the unwecome virus as soon as possible.
And, I am getting better. After a week, I'm breathing out of my nose again and haven't coughed once. No chest congestion, thank goodness, so I don't need an expectorant (a component in Robitussin) to break it up.
I don't know if anything has proven to shorten colds. I think the only ingredient scientists can agree upon is time. Regardless of what you do, it takes 14 days to get over a cold. Still, I am treating mine by doing the following:
1. Drinking fruit juice, including my delicious green smoothie.
2. Taking a multi-vitamin.
3. Consuming extra vitamin C and zinc.
4. Using a neti pot rinse (warm water, sea salt (without iodine) and a couple drops of tea tree oil). For the record, I hate putting ANYTHING up my nose, but the warm rinse seems to ease my unhappy nasal passages. They have been very angry the last few days!
5. Enjoying a nightly rum hot toddy (consisting of 5 oz hot water, 1/2 lemon, honey to taste and about 3 caps of rum). The hot toddy seems to work like cough medicine. It soothes my throat and repertory system. Yes, that's my "for medicinal purposes only" story, and I'm sticking to it. Delish!!
So watch out holiday world ... I am on the mend.
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Nothing worse than a cold, especially around Christmas. Last year a friend returned from freezing Europe in December and passed on to me a shocker of a virus she had picked up there. It was the worst Christmas for me, in our extreme heat with an almighty cold! I do hope you feel better soon, and I am loving the recipe involving rum! Take care..
ReplyDeleteHi Patricia,
DeleteA summer cold feels more severe to me. So far, I'm lucky not to have congestion. I think I'll be over it long before Christmas as long as I don't burn the candle at both ends. Thanks for the good thoughts. :)
Glad you are feeling better. Resting up is critical- I've found that cognac in a snifter glass is a nice way to clear out sinuses.
ReplyDelete