What are your strategies when dealing with the common cold?

[mrbizzard]

How do you take care of yourself when you have a cold?

[Liquidfire_43]

Rest.... I don't really go crazy with all the remedies if I have a  cold..... High salt (chicken soup or ramen) stuff and vitamin c.... Destroys most viruses I think

[catchow]

Drink lots of OJ, get lots of sleep, if I am stuffed up, then a decongestant

Liquidfire Id never heard of the high salt part before, interesting

[dodgers16]

    when dealing with the common cold, my strategies are too start taking cold pills, drink a lot of cup's of hot tea and also eat a nice big bowl of chicken noodle soup

[alaskakaren]

soup and rest...

[bremer51]

I take mega-doses of Vitamin C.  To keep the symptoms under control, I use Zicam or Airborne.  Then I stay home.

[Oryon20]

It's nice to see several of you say "rest" and "stay home" as part of your strategy.  I wish more people implemented this as part of their means of getting better.  It's one of my biggest pet peeves when people who have no business being out in public do so when sick.  It's one of the big reasons why things spread as quickly as they do.  No one likes being sick.  Just because you have already gotten it, doesn't mean you shouldn't care about others.  I always see or hear people say "I can't miss work, I need the money."  In some cases, this is actually true.  But, I have seen so many others where people blow their sick days when the weather is nice because they want a long weekend or to be lazy.  There's a reason they're called sick days.  Use them when you are sick so you can stay home and not spread what you have to everyone at your job, or on the bus, subway, etc.  If you can't bank them and you're getting close to them expiring because you stayed healthy the whole year, use them then to take a long weekend.

My strategies for prevention are simply making sure to get 8 hours of sleep a night, eat well balanced meals, drink a lot of water, use a saline nasal wash to keep the nasal passages clean and moist, avoid people who I know are sick the best I can, take a good quality multi-vitamin, elderberry, and astragalus.  When the season really starts to pick up/get more severe (December-March) I'll double my typical vitamin D3 intake and add North American Ginseng.

If I do come down with something, I stay home and rest, keep eating well, increase the elderberry and water, take Umckaloabo extract at the first sign of symptoms, inhale steam infused with oregano oil, gargle with salt water and goldenseal if I have a sore throat.

[vp44]

I try to get plenty of rest and carry around a bunch of tissue. When my dad was alive he used to make me a hot totty. Now I just drink the soup liquid.

[mawhite63]

Like everyone said, lots of rest, fluids, zinc and chicken soup.

[kewl4reals]

How do you take care of yourself when you have a cold?

I just take some dayquil and tough it out

[cwillard1]

Vitamin C and rest.

[Timberlan127]

Drink lots of citrus fruit juices. Rest and keep warm. We usually take one of those hot drink cold & flue things before bed time.

[linderlizzie]

Not to be redundant since most people are saying the same things. But, here goes. You MUST drink plenty of fluids to keep your mucous membranes moist. The bacteria or virus will not proliferate if they do not have a comfy home. Chicken soup is nourishing, is extra fluid and won't hurt your tummy.

I've heard steam advocates and I agree with them. It can open up your sinus passages and is comforting. I didn't hear anyone mention a neti pot. They're a little tricky to learn but very beneficial.

Rest, rest, rest. Eat. If you can't eat, then drink more. Take vitamin C, hot tea with lemon and honey. Add ginger to the tea if your throat hurts. Don't go to work and spread your germs. Those sick days were given to you for a reason.

If you have to go to work because of no sick days, then try to keep your germs to yourself as much as possible. Bear in mind that you're wearing yourself out and will probably take longer to heal if you're working instead of resting. Your body needs time to do its thing without that extra burden.

Stay away from decongestants. They have a rebound effect that keeps you coming back for more. Think good thoughts. That always speeds healing. Pray if you're led to. HE is always watching over you.

[6265AT99]

VITAMIN "C" all the way!!!!!  Get some extra bed rest and soup!!!!! 

[ljrjess69]

all the rest I can get and alka seltzer cold at bed time!