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| Flower remedy photo by Catherine Rodgers Giussani UPDATE: Day 21.After re-visiting the doctor and five days of nebulizing with pharmaceuticals and a few glasses of very good red wine I am on the road to recovery. The truth is in the wine. |
It is now day twelve of a sensory-depriving cold in North Carolina. No, not the Polar Vortex II, the common cold. When I called my doctor she gave her standard response: " Oh, yes, that is going around, it is a virus and there is nothing I can do for you."
I cannot take that as an answer! Of course, at this point I'll find a doctor who can give some better answers should this cold go beyond the standard fourteen day maximum.
So what is the best home remedy for the common cold? The list with many thanks to my readers:
1. I tried Zinc 50 mg, Vitamin C 500 mg and Lysine 500 mg.
Caution: NEVER use Zinc nasal sprays as this may cause permanent damage to your olfactory nerves! Fortunately, I found this out just when I lost my sense of smell and avoided all nasal sprays just in case.
Note: If you do lose your "nose" for all those things you love animal, vegetable and mineral, give it time. Your nerves can recover. There are no medicines or remedies for this except retraining the brain. Read about one woman's experience and keep smelling the roses!
2. I took a a tip from a good friend and fellow blogger, verify before you buy.
3. I took a non-drowsy decongestant and an anti-inflammatory medicine.
4. I talked to three pharmacists and a nurse practioner who all recommended seeing a doctor (!) So if the cold lasts more than 14 days I'll be looking for another doctor.
5. I took a flu shot. The Fluzone Intradermal @ flu shot delivers the trivalent dose in the skin instead of the muscle with a thinner needle. It does leave an itchy bump and causes no muscle pain. It takes two weeks for a flu shot to take effect. Check with the Centers for Disease Control for details.
6. I tried a pint of beer from a North Carolina brewey. Kackalacky Ginger Beer is a thristquencher especially when shared with long lost relatives, an excellent source for Vitamin B, however not so long as a cold remedy.
7. I tried a glass of red wine which surprisingly helped. I could breathe and relax. I recommend these: Hexram vom Dasenstein German Burgundy and Prunotto Italian Dolcetto.
8. I tried gallons of steam with Olbus Oil from Switzerland an oil of clove, eucalyptus and peppermint combination which burned at first and did open up breathing passages for a few hours.
9. I drank gallons of steaming Pacific Organic Chicken Broth and decaffeinated Bigelow teas as well as organic Numi and Soho black tea. All are good for gently prolonging the morning jolt without interfering with necessary naps and sleeping through the night.
10. For the long haul flight I chewed Peppermint Trident sugarless white gum at take off and landing of my long haul fight back to Italy and it actually worked. No ear problems, I could breathe again. Add to this white teeth and the fact that I am sure my fellow passengers really appreciated it, too, as without any sense of smell I couldn't tell just how offensive I might be after the four cloves of garlic I at the night before.
Lastly, the best morale booster was a gift of flowers. Even if I couldn't smell them. They show what can be done!
