tips to prevent and relieve the common cold (plus embarrassing how-to videos)

Back in November, while trying to recover from my sixth cold of 2011, I vowed to stay healthy and not get sick in 2012. It is a new years resolution I am determined to keep. I have been doing a lot of research in this area, talking to medical professionals, reading articles on the all-mighty Internet, and also polling other friends, especially moms who seem to get hit the hardest.

Here is what I have found out about preventing colds and relieving them once they invariably hit.

***DISCLAIMER:  I am NOT a medical professional, though I’d like to play one on TV, or in the bedroom, but that’s a different story.

Besides the tried and true methods of getting plenty of sleep, cutting stress out of your life, drinking lots of water and washing your hands one hundred times a day, here are a few

Tips to Prevent the Common Cold:

Vitamin B – The research I’ve done shows that Vitamin B has not been a proven, effective method of preventing the common cold or flu, however, many of my friends SWEAR by it, including Madonna, who is not my friend, but will be someday. Apparently what it does give you is energy, which in turn, makes you feel well. Some health food stores like Sprouts give out B-12 shots one day a week.

Vitamin C – In grade school I was traumatized when I learned about pilgrims dying of scurvy, which was enough to sell me on Vitamin C for the rest of my life. No additional research needed on this one for me.

Vitamin D – Along with helping our friend Calcium to improve bone density so us ladies don’t get all rickety and hunched in our old age, Vitamin D has also been proven to boost immune function. So ladies, if you don’t already take Vitamin D supplement, add it on in to your routine with some Calcium. It’s a win-win combo.

Zinc – More and more research is showing that taking Zinc can fight off a cold. If I can get my hands on some Cold-Eeze losenges in those early hours of feeling my throat tighten, I am typically successful at fighting it off. I have a box of the sugar-free variety on hand at all time. I’m sucking on one right now, in fact.

Probiotics – This is one remedy I haven’t tried yet, but many of my readers recommended them, including my girl, Summer of Le Musings of Moi. I hope it makes my hair like hers too. I am ordering some online today.

A few of the other drug-store remedies I use are Zicam (I’ve started using the mouth spray and love it) and the Emergen-C powdered packets of vitamins. When I feel a cold comin’ on, I take two a day. Also, they are great for hangovers.

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So if you’ve taken all of the advice above, but STILL manage to come down with a blasted cold, continue the regimen above because it will help cut the duration of the cold, but I also have a few tips on how to feel less crummy.

Tips To Relieve Common Cold Symptoms:

1)   Clean Out the Gunk With a Neti Pot – This contraption used to scare the crap out of me because I was fearful that the water might somehow go into another cavity of my brain and make my head explode (I’m a hypochondriac, did I mention that?). Once I got over that fear, and felt the glorious feeling of being able to breathe out of my nose again, I was hooked. It helps flush out the gunk in your nasal and sinus cavities. At BlogHer I receieved a complimentary Water Pik which is what I’ve been using most recently. It does the same trick as the Neti Pot, and when I am sick, I do it a couple times a day.

Check out  this video with my live demonstration.

One word of caution when using the Neti Pot or the Water Pik. The other day I saw this headline via Twitter the other day: Neti Pot Deaths Linked to Brain-Eating Amoeba in Tap Water.  HOLY SHIT! I quickly clicked on the link and went onto read that bacteria from either dirty water and/or pots that have not been thoroughly cleaned have been the cause of a few deaths. So, be sure to clean out the contraption well before and after use, AND, boil the water and just let it cool down before you plunge it into your nose.

2)   Gargle with Epsom Salt: I must be honest, Epsom salt is absolutely disguting. BUT? It works! Singers and actors who use their voice a lot use it to help soothe their throats before and after performances. It also helps with sore throats caused by the common cold or the flu.

Here ‘s a quick video with a demonstration on how it’s done.

3)   Lube up with Mentholatum – Though this stuff might make you smell like a 95 year old lady, it works like a charm. My mom used to put this stuff on my nose and chapped lips when I was young and I used to despise it, but now, I can’t live without it. It soothes the chapped area right under my nose, plus the strong smell helps me breathe. Another trick is to put some Mentholatum in a pot of boiling water, put a towel over your head, lean over the pot and breath in the stinky steam. It clears your chest, your sinuses and your even pores.

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Some homeopathic remedies that I’ve been trying are

• Manuka Honey, a $40 raw honey that apparently has magic powers for curbing colds and sinus issues. Put it in your tea with lemon.
• Apple Cider Vinegar another completely disgusting remedy (if taken straight) that apparently works wonders. Both items have a regular place in my kitchen cabinet and will get major usage throughout the next year.

Please remember that I am not a medical professional so seek medical advice before taking any supplements that you are questioning. I just know that these things work for me.

Now let’s have a happy, HEALTHY, 2012, shall we?