Cold Medicine...?

Question

I have a really nasty cold, for about a week now, what's the best Non-perscription cold medicine??

Answer 1

There are many cold remedies available at the chemists which only supress the symptoms and give you a good feeling. But this supression can cause severe problems in the sense that you may have cough, congestion, bronchitis, or even asthma if you neglect it. There are many other alternative remedies for eradicating colds, coughs and other pulmonary disorders. I am now going to enumerate a few of them. One of them is definitely going to help you.

HOME REMEDIES FOR COMMON COLD
* Vitamins are most helpful in fighting against the cold as well as other diseases. Vitamin C, also known as Ascorbic Acid, is helpful in preventing the colds and it can be found in many foods such as citrus fruits, some vegetables.
* Zinc is also helpful for cold that can cut colds short. When you first feel that you may be getting a cold, start taking zinc
* Garlic, as well as onion, is sometimes taken for the relief of congestion and minor infections.
* Horseradish is another herb that has an excellent property to treat sore throat and upper respiratory tract infections, reduces fever, and expels concentrations of mucus.
* Another effective remedy for sore throat is to gargle with a strong solution of table salt and warm water. Gargle several times a day.
* Echinacea is an herb that acts as nature's antibiotic. It helps to increase the body's immunity and thus helps in fighting against the infection and illness.
* Goldenseal is another herb that acts as a natural antibiotic, and can be taken to help fight against the cold.
* Add 1/4 teaspoon of table salt to about 5 ml lukewarm water. Use this solution as a nasal drop. Use 1 to 2 drops in each nostril about 3 to 4 times daily.
* A ginger tea can be prepared by boiling ginger in normal tea. It gives relief to congested nose.
* Drink a teaspoonful of ginger juice mixed with equal quantity of honey.
* Take hot water in a bowl and put some Thyme leaves. Inhale vapors by covering head with a towel.
* Add 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 shot of lemon juice, 1 shot of whiskey to a coffee cup. Fill the remainder of the coffee cup with steaming hot water, stir, and sip until cold is relieved.
* Make hot chicken soup with lots of garlic. Have when hot. It will help unclog nasal passage.
* Warm ¼ katori mustard; add 4-5 cloves of chopped garlic. Apply this on nose, chest and back. Cover up and sleep.
* Boil half a bowl of water, add few drops of eucalyptus oil and inhale the steam.
* Sage is used to cure sore throat, stuffed nose, gingivitis and coughs, is a powerful antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal. Use as a gargle.
* Warm up coconut oil. Gently massage the coconut oil over the child’s chest for about 5 minutes. Repeat the same on the upper portion of the back. The massage should be given just before child goes to sleep.
* Avoid sugar (even natural sources) as it can impair immune function. Orange juice contains a much higher level of sugar than vitamin C. Therefore consuming lots of orange juice during a cold may do more harm than good.
* Chilies, especially Jalapeno, are the best, most available and most effective antiviral.
* Elderberry has been used for centuries to treat colds and flu. Recent research indicates that elderberry fruit extract may de-activate cold and flu viruses by preventing them from replicating.
* A diet rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, salads, low saturated fats and whole cereals will provide protection against infective organism. Raw fruits and vegetables are better than the cooked one.
* Take 1 tbsp of fresh gooseberry juice with 1/2 tsp ginger. It is a very effective remedy. This can be taken regularly to prevent recurrence of cold.
* A tablespoon of ajwain crushed in the palms and tied up in a thin kerchief can be used for inhalation to relieve nasal block.
* Boil 1 tbsp of pepper powder in a cup of milk along with a pinch of turmeric. Add some sugar for taste. Drink this once a day for three days.

Answer 2

I've heard that Alka-Seltzer GOLD is very good stuff!!! My brother swears by it.

There is NOTHING WRONG with taking OTC, non-prescription medicines for allergy, cold, and flu, which only treat the symptoms and make you feel better. Because if you feel better, you can better weather the cold. If your body and mind feel better with just the symptoms gone, then it is much easier for the body to fight the infection itself. It's not hampered down with the effects of watery eyes, blowing the nose, etc.

I lived for years, not taking any allergy pills, and was miserable, until I learned that a single 12 hr pill made my life incredibly and miraculously easier by not having me sneeze all damn day long. Yeah, sure it's not "natural", but I'd rather have that chemical inside me, stopping my nasal drip, my coughing, my wheezing, and all those wet toxic kleenex going into the landfills (joke).

If you're worried about having a "chemical" inside you, then take extra vitamins to counteract any negative effect taking an allergy pill may have. Also the extra vitamins would help the body's fighting the cold.

If you want to be the complete naturalist, there are now combinations of natural herbs and things, packaged exactly like an allergy or cold capsule or pill. I assume they work fairly well, since they're being sold. Available at good health food stores.

But don't worry about going to walmart or walgreens, and getting some of those capsules to stop your torment. Life's way too short.

Answer 3

All of the major OTC Cold remedies are very good.
and will treat your specific symtoms. I would buy a
bottle of vitamin C, as a partner to any of them. And
hot tea with the addition of Lemon and honey. These
three things constitute a reallly good arsonal againt
a raging cold. (p.s. if it is hot where you live, then
substitute orange juice for the hot tea.) Anyway stay
hydrated.

Answer 4

You're not really supposed to give cold meds to any child under the age of 5. Doctors claim they don't work at all. Tylenol and Motrin are all I would give my son. And a cold mist humidifier

Answer 5

Cold meds.. will only help with the symptoms of your cold and they are not cures.. It's best to let the sickness pass instead of taking OTC remedies.. However, if you must Nyquil has a daytime/nightime formula that's pretty good....

Answer 6

My fav is fresh carrot juice with a whole garlic clove in it. For my kids we use a liquid herb combo of goldenseal/echinicea. You can find it in your local health food store.

Answer 7

Vimunity by Visalus check out my web site lmahoney.myvisalus.com than e-mail me

Answer 8

If we offered you a miracle remedy that cures and prevents "Acute Cold/Cough" would you buy it? Certainly you would. You won’t find it in a Pharmacy but at the Grocery Store.

Try the Natural Cures for Cold/Cough.

The common cold, also known as "acute coryza," is an inflammation of the upper respiratory tract and is caused by infection with virus. It occurs more often than all other diseases. A person suffers from this disease three times in a year on an average. A cold usually lasts from 3 to 10 days. The patient feels miserable for the first three days or so.

Symptoms: The first signs of a cold are a feeling of soreness of the throat and congestion of the nasal passage. Although the disease normally begins in the nose and throat, it affects all parts of the body. Its usual symptoms are a running nose, sneezing, a rise in temperature, headache, sore throat, chill, aches and pains in the body and loss of appetite. The skin around the nostrils may become sore.

Causes: The common cold results from exposure to a virus. Its intensity, however, depends upon the state of health of the person and by environmental factors. Lowered vitality, allergic disorders of the nose and throat, chilling of the body, lack of sleep, depression, fatigue and factors such as sudden changes in temperature, dust, and other irritating inhalations are important contributory causes for the development of a cold.

The real cause of a cold, however, is the toxic condition of the body brought about by wrong feeding habits such as an excessive intake of starch, carbohydrates, proteins, and other acid-forming foods. A cold is, therefore, nature’s simplest way of expelling toxic waste from the human system. The duration of the cold will depend on the amount of poisons accumulated in the body and the rapidity with which they are expelled.

Treatment: To treat a cold by means of customary suppressive drugs like aspirin and coldarin only paves the way for future trouble of a more serious nature. For such a treatment puts a sudden stop to the eliminative process then taking place and forces the toxic matter back into the tissues again. Moreover, drugs have no effect on the duration of the cold. It has been aptly said that a cold can be cured in a week by taking medicines, otherwise it will subside in seven days.

The only real treatment for colds is a proper diet. The best way to begin the treatment is to put the patient on a fast for two days. Nothing should be taken during this period except warm water mixed with lemon juice and honey or fruit juice and hot water. A liquid diet of fruit juice in large amounts is necessary to neutralise the acid condition of the blood and hot drinks are needed to help clear the kidneys. Pineapple juice in particular is highly beneficial. A warm water enema should be used daily to cleanse the bowels during this period.

The short juice fast may be followed by an exclusive fresh fruit diet for three days. In this regimen, the patient should have three meals a day of fresh juicy fruits such as apples, pears, grapes, grapefruit, oranges, pineapple, peaches, melon or any other juicy fruit in season. Bananas, dried or stewed or tinned fruits, should not be taken. No other foodstuff should be added to the diet as otherwise the whole value of the treatment is lost.

After the exclusive fruit diet, the patient should gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet of three basic food groups, namely (i) seeds, nuts and grains (ii) vegetables and (iii) fruits. It is advisable to avoid meat, fish, eggs, cheese, and starchy foods for a few days.

The patient should strengthen the system as a whole by taking a diet which supplies all the vitamins and minerals the body needs. Vitamin C, however, heads the list of these nutrients. It protects one against infection and acts as a harmless antibiotics. It is found in citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables, sprouted Bengal and green grams.

According to Dr. Linus Pauling, a noble prize-winning scientist, the regular use of this vitamin in the optimum daily amount will prevent the common cold and if a cold has already appeared, large doses of this vitamin will relieve the symptoms and shorten its duration. He estimates that 1-2 grams or 100 mg to 200 mg per day is approximately the optimum amount of this vitamin. His advice is to swallow one or two 500 mg. tablets of vitamin C at the appearance of first sign of the cold and continue the treatment by taking an additional tablet every hour. Lime is the most important among the many home remedies for common cold. It is highly beneficial in all types of cold and fevers. It should be taken well diluted. Vitamin C-rich limejuice increases resistance, decreases toxicity and reduces the duration of the illness. Limejuice should be diluted in a glass of warm water, and a teaspoonful of honey should be added to it. It forms an ideal remedy for a cold and dry cough.

Garlic soup is an ancient remedy to reduce the severity of cold. Garlic contains antiseptic and antispasmodic properties besides several other medicinal virtues. The volatile oil in garlic flushes out the system of all toxins and thus helps bring down fever. Garlic oil combined with onion juice, diluted with water and drunk several times a day, has also been found in several studies to be extremely effective in the treatment of the common cold.

Ginger is also an excellent food remedy for colds and coughs. Ginger should be cut into small pieces and boiled in a cup of water; it should then be strained and half a teaspoon of sugar added to it. It should be drunk while it is still hot, in case of colds. Ginger tea, prepared by adding a few pieces of ginger into boiled water before adding tea leaves, is also an effective remedy for colds and for fevers resulting from cold.

Turmeric, with its antiseptic properties, is an effective remedy for cold and throat irritations. Half a teaspoonful of fresh turmeric powder mixed in 30 g of warm milk is a useful prescription for these conditions. Turmeric powder should be put into a hot ladle. Milk should then be poured in it and boiled over a slow fire. In case of a running cold, smoke from the burning turmeric should be inhaled. It will increase the discharge from the nose and will bring quicker relief.

Water Treatment: A hot water bath, if it can be taken without undue exposure, is recommended as it helps relieve much of the congestion in the chest and nasal membranes. Hot packs or fomentations are excellent for treating chest and head colds. Steam bath, hot footbath and hot hipbath are also beneficial as they stimulate perspiration. Steam inhalation will help relieve the congestion of the nasal tissues. Gargling with hot water mixed with salt is beneficial for a sore throat. Cold chest packs should be applied two or three times a day as they will relieve congestion of lungs and help in eliminating the accumulated mucus.

Other useful measures in the treatment of common cold are mild sunbath, fresh air, and deep breathing, brisk walks, sound sleep, adjustment of one’s clothes and habits to the requirements of the season, so as to nullify the effect of weather fluctuations.

Yogasanas like bhujangasana, shalabhasana, dhanurasana, and yogamudra in vajrasana, yogic kriyas such as jalneti and vamandhouti and pranayamas such as kapalbhati, anuloma-viloma, and suryabhedana are beneficial in the treatment of the common cold.

Hope this helps, Good Luck.