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Post by Arch Stanton on Jan 5, 2019 10:42:40 GMT
The common cold.
Rubbish aren't they.
Headache, aching limbs, sore throat, blocked sinuses, runny nose, loss of appetite, general lethargy... etc etc.
At this time of year colds are everywhere. As unclean carriers (particularly children) fill the streets coughing and sneezing on innocent passers-by, like me or you. They do this to such an extent that even yours truly came down with a cold over Christmas, and normally I'm a human tower of natural strength and vitality.
They say that there are over 200 strains of common cold, each one you can only get once and that the average adult gets 2-3 colds a year - whereas children get colds 6-8 times a year.
So Death Match No.132 asks:
What's your preferred method of dealing with a cold?
In the poll I have listed a range of different cures and remedies, some of which I cannot vouch for but know to exist. Pick up to 4
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Post by ltd on Jan 5, 2019 18:07:18 GMT
In the past I've found that sure fire cold incubators are air travel and going to rock festivals (the latter inevitably leading to a case of "grebo flu"). However, I've discovered that if I take soluble vitamin C tablets (available from a Jerry supermarket near you) for about two weeks before either aforesaid event it has the effect of staving off the usual lurgey.
I've also adopted the practice of taking one a day in winter given that the office where I work sounds like a TB ward in the period December to February.
The down side is that the tablets make you p*** like a horse.
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Post by jno on Jan 5, 2019 19:11:08 GMT
Sudafed Nose spray ... it's addictive but I swear by the stuff. Breaaathe. Olbas Oil in a steaming sink of hot water knocks me for six but love it too. Those cherry Jakemans lozenges are also good for me.
Also, no wonder half the UK has colds, they don't put enough clothes on. I was in Wales last week and Taunton yesterday, we have minus temperatures and there are blokes walking about with shorts and flip flops on and women with skimpy tops on. For such stupidity in conditions, people deserve to catch the lurgy.
Wooly hat with shorts and flip flops ... welcome to Wales. Stupid idiots.
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Post by daz on Jan 5, 2019 20:40:28 GMT
A cold is best dealt with, for me anyway, by trying to keep things pretty much as normal, no point going to bed or staying off work to stop other people getting it as the office or workplace will probably be rife with it anyway, but after work I do head to bed with a hot water bottle and my chest covered in vaporub and try to sweat it out.
I also swear by a nice big bowl of tomato pasta wih lots of garlic in it and swear by vitamin C tablets.
working in the bakery for 12 years didn't do much good for my sinuses and my nose and eyes really suffer when I get a cold.
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Post by billymedhurst on Jan 6, 2019 0:11:05 GMT
Lemsip Max Strength, washed down with Pure Malt Scotch !
It never fails !
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Post by Arch Stanton on Jan 6, 2019 9:53:14 GMT
I used to take those Hall’s menthol extra strong lozenges, the ones that come in a black packet.. But after years of doing this I noticed that whatever’s in them turns the snot in your blocked nose into this thick white paste, that takes ages to clear out. I do not recommend these.  |
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Post by Arch Stanton on Jan 6, 2019 9:57:03 GMT
Lemsip Max Strength, washed down with Pure Malt Scotch ! It never fails ! +1 for Lemsip and Single Malt. Makes for a great night out in Camborne*  *See also DMT. |
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Post by Arch Stanton on Jan 6, 2019 10:02:07 GMT
Has anyone tried the zinc related remedies?
Zinc tablets, going fishing or eating oysters?
Oysters have more zinc in them than any other food stuff.
I think?
That’s why some people eat them if they have a cold.
I’ve never tried zinc related remedies.
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Post by artyboy1973 on Jan 6, 2019 10:30:16 GMT
I hate getting the cold. However, I have started buying Echinacea tablets from my local Holland and Barrett whenever I feel the cold coming on and believe me it has helped me avoid getting the cold. Taking 2 tablets 3 times daily does the trick. Freshly squeezed lemon juice with warm water also does the trick.
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Post by thewoodster on Jan 6, 2019 23:58:36 GMT
I have a cold as I write this.so annoying but couple of lemsip,and a couple of whiskies (well maybe more than a couple)...lol
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Post by KarinB on Jan 7, 2019 12:45:02 GMT
I could have picked about 8 things not four. If I get sick I just try everything to fix myself. I will stay home from work at least one day because I hate it when other people at work are coughing and sneezing everywhere. Don't spread it around !  |
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Post by Arch Stanton on Jan 7, 2019 15:53:58 GMT
I could have picked about 8 things not four. If I get sick I just try everything to fix myself. I will stay home from work at least one day because I hate it when other people at work are coughing and sneezing everywhere. Don't spread it around ! Indeed. Totally agree. I get people at work coming in full of a cold. Sneezing and (even worse!) constant sniffing and I get right arsey with em - ‘Go home for heavens sake, you can get away from me, I don’t want your bl**dy cold.’ Completely unsympathetic. However when I get a cold (or other illness) I’m the world’s biggest hypocrite. I never take time off work. Probably infecting all and sundry with my germs. I mope about, telling everyone how ill I am. Making sure the ladies at work get to mother me and get to give me advice (they seem to like this), while I (usually) ignore said advice and soldier on best I can. I find it’s a most natural and suitable arrangement. |
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Post by Portland Road on Jan 7, 2019 22:15:30 GMT
If the cold hasn't gone after a few days, sniff a handful of pepper. You will walk around the house (or wherever) sneezing about 15 times - this will get the cold streaming  After an hour or two (or certainly by the next day) you may notice the cold is past its potency  |
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Post by thewoodster on Jan 7, 2019 23:20:54 GMT
If the cold hasn't gone after a few days, sniff a handful of pepper. You will walk around the house (or wherever) sneezing about 15 times - this will get the cold streaming After an hour or two (or certainly by the next day) you may notice the cold is past its potency I will give it a go Portland road..cheers |
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Post by Arch Stanton on Jan 8, 2019 8:53:28 GMT
I hate hiccoughs. You can be sat there all innocent like getting drunk, then all of a sudden.... WHAM! ‘Great, I can't even enjoy smoking or drinking now’ Have you ever had hiccoughs that lasted more than a day Lee? It’s bad when that happens. |
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Post by daz on Jan 8, 2019 12:06:10 GMT
If the cold hasn't gone after a few days, sniff a handful of pepper. You will walk around the house (or wherever) sneezing about 15 times - this will get the cold streaming After an hour or two (or certainly by the next day) you may notice the cold is past its potency Do you mean a proper handful of pepper PR, or just a pinch of the stuff? My hands can hold a lot of pepper and I think a cold would be the least of my worries is I took it all up my nose. |
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Post by Arch Stanton on Jan 8, 2019 13:26:46 GMT
If the cold hasn't gone after a few days, sniff a handful of pepper. You will walk around the house (or wherever) sneezing about 15 times - this will get the cold streaming After an hour or two (or certainly by the next day) you may notice the cold is past its potency Do you mean a proper handful of pepper PR, or just a pinch of the stuff? My hands can hold a lot of pepper and I think a cold would be the least of my worries is I took it all up my nose. Use less than an entire handful then I bet PR’s system doesn’t work to exact measurements. It depends on the severity of the cold and the strength of the pepper. You can’t get an exact formula for that. It’s loosely (as far as any remedy that relies on snorting pepper goes) based on common sense and trial and error I reckon. |
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Post by daz on Jan 9, 2019 7:10:16 GMT
Do you mean a proper handful of pepper PR, or just a pinch of the stuff? My hands can hold a lot of pepper and I think a cold would be the least of my worries is I took it all up my nose. Use less than an entire handful then I bet PR’s system doesn’t work to exact measurements. It depends on the severity of the cold and the strength of the pepper. You can’t get an exact formula for that. It’s loosely (as far as any remedy that relies on snorting pepper goes) based on common sense and trial and error I reckon. If we are using this thread to hand out medical tips I am just glad we have a Doctor on board to keep us correct.  |
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Post by Portland Road on Jan 9, 2019 7:49:22 GMT
Put two or three shakes of the pepper pot into the palm of your hand, then sniff up. Think of it as a kind of snorting culinary, as opposed to cocaine.... Get a good whiff up both nostrils, and you will soon be sneezing to your heart's content. If you have had the cold for say 6-7 days, and it isn't really going anywhere, I have found that it can shift it  |
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Post by Arch Stanton on Jan 9, 2019 10:59:37 GMT
Use less than an entire handful then I bet PR’s system doesn’t work to exact measurements. It depends on the severity of the cold and the strength of the pepper. You can’t get an exact formula for that. It’s loosely (as far as any remedy that relies on snorting pepper goes) based on common sense and trial and error I reckon. If we are using this thread to hand out medical tips I am just glad we have a Doctor on board to keep us correct. Absolutely. It’s a good job I’m here as usual... If you lot were left to your own devices, even with innocent household items like a pepper pot it would appear, Gawd only knows what would happen and how many lawsuits may be aimed at the forum. ‘I’ve got big hands, how many handfuls of pepper should I use?’....  Good grief. |
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Post by artyboy1973 on Jan 13, 2019 9:48:01 GMT
I take back what I said about echinacea tablets stopping a cold from happening. I took them when I felt a cold coming on a few weeks ago and right enough it stopped the cold from happening. However, even though I’m still taking the echinacea tablets guess what happened...Yep, I’ve come down with the damn cold and I have a sore throat, spitting up phlegm and a stuffy nose and feel like cr*p. I think the only cure for colds is time though I still believe in the lemon water which is good for avoiding colds and flu. |
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Post by Arch Stanton on Jan 13, 2019 10:14:16 GMT
I think the only cure for colds is time though. Try the 'chopped onions in your socks' Arty. It might work. You should try it and bring your cutting edge investigative results to us here on the forum. There is science theory behind it, it's not just some crackpot thing I made up. It's the same as the garlic in milk cure. You see garlic (and onion to some extent) is full of allicin. Which the plant produces to fight pests and harmful bacteria, and if you get enough of this stuff into your system, it stops you from getting colds (and having friends, possibly - dependent on their views on the smell of garlic). This has been scientifically proven, though you would need a daily intake of 20xthat of a garlic clove. Allicin also works against things that go bump in the night as well. It is the allicin in garlic that vampires don't like, but it doesn't just work for vampires, it's really handy against all sorts of manifesting entities and undead revenents.. Allicin is a very important tool to have when conducting exorcisms. |
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Post by daz on Jan 13, 2019 12:04:40 GMT
Does anyone get these annual flu jabs?
Depends on your immune system. If you have a strong immune system then you should be able to fight off most strains of flu, but if you have any underlying health problems, or have a weakened immune system in anyway then flu can be a real killer and not really a waste of time to get the jab in most cases.
Never mix up flu with the common cold, flu kills lots of people every year.
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Post by Arch Stanton on Jan 13, 2019 16:27:46 GMT
Indeed. I’ve only had flu once. I was well ill. It was almost 20years ago now but it was bad. The basic rule of flu jabs is that if you are old and weak or you live south of the midlands, then you’re probably best to get one, just in case. Anyone coming from the north of say, Manchester, really don’t need them. |
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Post by Portland Road on Jan 15, 2019 6:47:52 GMT
....all of this onions, pepper and garlic - time for a hot stir-fry That may cure any sneezes.... |
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Post by mybodyguard on May 16, 2019 11:53:18 GMT
Fighting one at the moment. I use throat drops, but only sparingly when I get that tickle that chokes me up. Otherwise, I'm in the conspiracy theory camp that thinks throat drops are made with ingredients that actually keep your throat hoarse so you'll keep buying more. I stay away from any with menthol, as sucking on too many of those have burned canker sores in the back of my mouth! I stick to ones with pectin.
I firmly believe water is the key. I find that drinking extra water, especially at the early stages, helps keep the nasal congestion looser and easier to deal with. When the cold doesn't completely clog up my head for days on end, the duration ends up being shorter.
I'm surprised no votes for Zinc, as it seems to be a common option here in the US. I've tried it a few times, but it's impossible to tell if it shortens the duration of your cold or not. I mean since each cold is different, how do you know that any option you try would have made any difference over if you hadn't done that?
I stay away from Vitamin C as it's too acidic and can irritate my stomach and urinary system. I think it's one of those gimmick vitamins that they push on you claiming all its lovely but probably fictitious benefits. The doctors kept pushing Vitamin D supplements on me for years, and I'd shrug it off every time. Sure enough, recent reports came out showing Vitamin D supplements don't do squat.
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