Some Researched Cold and Flu Treatments

As you can imagine, this week I've been trying everything I can to relieve some of the symptoms while this thing works its' way out of my system. Along my travels I've encountered some very interesting treatments. Some of them are helpful, some of them kind of scare me, and some are downright nonsensical.

First, the helpful.

1. Drink hot fluids. While fluids of all kinds are absolutely necessary both when you are and aren't sick, hot fluids in particular help to loosen congestion and soothe your throat. The thing I like best about hot drinks is they can dissolve honey, which goes really nicely with sliced lemon, fresh ginger, and hot water. No chemicals, but plenty of relief. For more information on why it's important to stay hydrated, check out this fact sheet.
2. Rest. Getting enough sleep when you're healthy may help to ward off a cold, but when you're sick already it's going to take a lot of sleep to help you get well. All the work your body is doing to fight that infection needs downtime to recover. Heading off to work or social engagements doesn't only adversely effect your ability to get well, it also shares the joy of your infection with others. Do you really want your colleagues, grandmother, niece, or neighbor to feel as awful as you do? 
3. Avoid Alcohol (and Sugar). While there is a large amount of anecdotal evidence that suggests a "hot toddy" can help soothe your throat or help you sleep or whatever, there is also considerable evidence that shows that booze inhibits the ability of your white blood cells to effectively fight infection. If your body is already working as hard as it can, and you kill off a bunch of your germ-fighting cells, it's probably going to take a lot longer to actually recover. It's also important to realize that many OTC drugs or prescription drugs may react adversely to alcohol.
4. Eat, or Don't. While "feed a cold, starve a fever" is something I've heard my whole life, I also don't believe it makes a lick of sense. If you're hungry, eat something nutritient-dense, like fruit, or chicken soup (preferably homemade!)- the more nutrition you can pump into your body, the better. But if you're not hungry, don't force it. Listen to your appetite cues. As long as you're drinking fluids, it's ok if you don't eat all your usual meals and snacks. I know I haven't had much of an appetite all week, and I'm still slowly recovering.
5. Extra Vitamin C. This one is hard, because there's a lot of anecdotal evidence to suggest that this can help you feel better. However, not a lot of scientific proof. It seems to depend on the person. I've been eating fruit and veges and drinking juice but I'm not going out of my way to buy some vitamin c supplements. We usually eat a very well-balanced diet, and I don't believe supplements are necessary for good health overall. Although I do confess to recently starting on vitamin d drops. I know I don't get outside enough in the winter to take it in naturally.
6. Heating Pad for Earache. I think I've developed a secondary infection. My ears have been blocked and throbbing for days, and the pressure is intense. I've got a "wheat bag" type of pad someone made me many years ago, and it provides instant relief.
7. Advil and Buckleys at Bedtime. Carrying around a low-grade fever on and off for the last several days since my higher fever broke, plus a whopping headache, the ear pain, and of course the deep chesty cough which on occasion is dry, and on occasion is not, Buckley's original has helped me to sleep each night really well for a several hours. Granted, I have been coughing for close to an hour some nights while trying to fall asleep, but once I'm in dreamland, I'm not waking up coughing, and that is bliss.
8. Vicks on the Feet at Bedtime. While Snopes says this is unproven, I can personally say it works. I've been doing it on my kids for years when their coughing keeps them up at night, and last night I tried it on myself. While I discovered that I can actually tickle myself (lol), the vicks really did seem to help me not start coughing as soon as I lay down. The night before I was actually coughing for an hour, so this was a huge improvement for me.
9. Skipping Exercise. I got sick February 6, but we had a ton of snow the night before, and there was a lot of shovelling to do. I got significantly worse right after those 2 hours of shovelling. Would not shovelling have helped me forestall the flu? I doubt it. I think I'd picked up the virus by then. But then last night we got another good dump of snow. I went out to shovel for a while today but I didn't finish it, because I felt pretty crummy while I was doing it. I guess we'll see if I feel worse tomorrow. Given the choice, I think I would definitely skip it. 

Next, the scary.

1. Mustard Plaster. I'll admit I checked this one out a few years ago when I had bronchitis, but I didn't end up trying it. When I read the section about blisters developing, I chickened out. I did try the sensitive skin version today. Within 10 minutes my skin was pinking and I was feeling the heat, so I took it off. Did it help? I don't know. It probably didn't hurt. I think I would have had better results if I'd tried the regular adult version.
2. Eating Fresh Garlic. This is more scary for my family than for me, since I don't actually have much of a sense of taste or smell right now. My plan is to steam some broccoli for dinner tonight, mince a fresh clove of garlic into it, and drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil. (Happy Valentines Day, husband! I'm sure he'll appreciate my fragrant self) I actually knew a guy during one of my college summer jobs who ate a fresh clove of garlic every day on his lunch break. He told me he hadn't been sick in 5 years. Something to consider.

And finally, the nonsensical.

1. A Raw Onion Absorbs the Virus. The only way this will help prevent people from catching the flu from you is because they won't come to visit you in such a stinky house. The best thing to do with an onion is to cook with it, because they are really good for you. And if you have half a leftover raw onion, wrap it up in tinfoil and pop it in your fridge. You won't get the odour absorbing into everything else that way.

Sick person image courtesy of http://www.family-essential-oils.com/natural-cold-and-flu-remedies.html