Denise: First, I'm sorry you're feeling crappy. Boo.

Second, here's some too late advice. Even if I'm busting with health, a picture of fitness and vitality, I bomb the Airborne and Zinc w/C before I get on ANY flight. I start about a week before with the immune system booster items. It's served me quite well.

Lastly: Vast quantities of ginger tea. So much you can't really get enough sleep coz you keep having to get up to pee. That and, yes, chicken soup or some variety there of. I'm partial to spicy Tom Kha Gha or hot and sour soup. And ibuprofen. That's all. The rest have too many damn side effects. Caveats being, of course, extended fever, symptoms of infection blah blah blah mean a trip to the doc.

Feel better soon.

Nerd's Eye View

I'm sorry you're feeling crummy, Denise. :(

Like Pam, I load up on supplements when I fly, because airplanes are just big petri dishes. (I just received some Nozin to try, and will report back after we try it next week.)

Once you're sick? I second the hot soups and ginger tea, as well as as much vitamin C as you can stomach, preferably in juice form (because the liquids are good for you as well). If you can stand it (I can't), saline nasal irrigation is supposed to be great for killing off those little germs, too.

Now go rest! ;)

--
Mir from WCS
(BlogHer Mommy & Family contributing editor)

Personal: Woulda Coulda Shoulda

Having it all with less: Want Not

Well, I am not a doctor and I do not even play one on TV, so any medical advice from me is to be checked out with a real doctor before you even think about listening to me (enough caveats there? IF not, add more.)

But here is what I do. I run a cold air vaporizer, take tylenol, swallow zinc tablets, drink chicken soup and slather myself liberally with Vick's Vapo-Rub as I bundle under the covers with a surly attitude and try to sweat it out. I will occasionally extend a gnarly hand out from under the covers to reach either kleenex or a thermometer or more Vicks. If my throat hurts I will take a teaspoon full of honey. Plain.

Then there is that old calling-the-doctor-thing.

~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs relentlessly at Time's Fool

I'm just getting over a cold myself. I've been taking decongestants and cough suppressants every day, which have helped a lot. Also, drink a lot of water and use Purell to keep your hands constantly clean. I am obsessed with that stuff!

Have you used any homeopathic cold remedies? A few coworkers of mine swear by Cold-fX, which has ginseng extract in it. It's very popular in Canada, but not as much here in the States, as it is new.

With 3 kids and me being an "immuno-comprimised person", I was feeling smug that our supplements, homeschooling, diet, etc had managed to keep us healthy.

Not so much. All 3 kids have fevers, plus me. My husband is ready to Lysol everything we touch. gah.

I make lots of soups when we're sick, plus lots of Zinc and vitamin C and herbal tea with honey. My husband's answer is lots of hot sauce on everything to clear your sinuses. Not for me, thanks.

Rachel - a Gaggle of girls and sites
blog, recipes, and book reviews

I am an experienced sicky.. normally down with a cold/virus from November until almost February. Well, atleast it feels that way. I can't take decongestants so I need alternatives.

As soon as I feel a cold coming on (that throat tickle).. I start taking Zicam. Can't take zinc any other way without burning my mouth and getting an upset stomach. While it doesn't eliminate the symptoms, it does lessen things so I can live without whining.

At this point, I also live on vitamin C and chicken soup. (yep, my fave is Tom Ka Gai, too).

When the cold slips down into my chest, I change to Mucinex. It used to be that every cold became bronchitis and/or pneumonia. If I take the Mucinex a couple times a day for up to a month, these can held off.

Debra
A Stitch In Time
Deb's Daily Distractions

I put most of my efforts into avoiding full-blown sickness, since I think there is little you can do at that point besides assisting your body in riding it out. I have my favorite immune enhancing supplements (by New Chapter) some that I start taking when the flu season hits and some that I take when I've either had a major exposure to germs or if I feel like I might be coming down with something (Airborne is one of those). If I do get full-blown sick, I think that liquids and rest are key. Depending on my symptoms I might have cough drops or decongestant. If I have chest congestion, I get expectorant. My current favorite comfort food when I'm sick is a miso noodle bowl.

Pamela
Well Soul

How can you people eat soup? I really, really dislike soup. Soup of any kind, actually. YUK!

Yea, yea, vitamins. Right. I know. But I don't do it.

Now tea, tea I can do. TW makes a "feel better tea" that I will inhale non-stop when I am sick. But, because I'm an airhead, I didn't buy any of the ingredients for it when I went to the grocery on Tuesday morning. But this weekend, we will have feel better tea and I will begin to feel better.

I enjoyed all of the responses. Now I'm going to take some Mucinex, because that does occasionally help and it doesn't make me weird (or wired).

~Denise
Fast Times @ Homeschool High and Flamingo House Happenings

First of all, thanks Denise for mentioning my blog the other day. I can't figure out how to get my posts to show up on blogher. Maybe I haven't had enough schooling ;--0.

Ok, so when you feel a cold coming on, here's what to do everyone:
1. drink water and tea: make tea by boiling ginger and garlic. Add honey and lemon. Sip. Repeat until you're peeing garlic. Can't have too much garlic, btw.

2. Soak your feet in very warm water. While your feet are soaking, have a pair of white cotton socks soaking in COLD water.

When your feet have that slightly-cooked, pink appearance, step out of the water, dry off your feet, wring out the cold socks WELL and put them on. IMMEDIATELY cover them with DRY wool socks. Yes, they need to be wool, not some synthetic pseudo-wool.

Go to bed with wet socks, wake up with dry ones. Do this for 3 days in a row. It works for headaches, migraines, sinusitis, sore throat, insomnia, and a few other things....

It's safe for kids, safe in pregnancy, use caution in diabetics with poor circulation. I don't usually advise megadoses of vitamin C or a ton of supplements, b/c your body is trying to discharge. Getting a fever going is good, and using warming socks helps keep down the congestion and inflammation.

Good luck!
Dr. Hannah

We must be willing to give up the life we've planned in order to live the life we are given.