Killing the Common Cold

On Wednesday afternoon, I felt the first stirrings of a nasty cold. I know it has been circulating like mad; my household has a 4:1 ratio of it. Seeing both of my sisters completely down and out with this cold with multiple days off work, I knew I needed to approach this cold with stealth.

Thursday morning, I felt like I was run over by a truck in the middle of the night, but I had a day full of tutoring and fitness classes and a shift at work. I knew I also needed to work a 16 hr work day on Friday, starting at 4 am,  so I made a pact with myself: Survive till the weekend, and then I could crash.

This morning I woke up and the apocalypse could literally have taken place and I wouldn’t have known…it was 11:15 am. I have not slept this late for years. But I weathered the cold and avoided going completely down and out. I taught all my classes, wrote all my press releases and finished all my work days.

How?

Let me introduce you to my secret weapons:

1. Garlic.

The first moment I felt it coming on, I went down into the kitchen and made some garlicky eggs. I used 2 large cloves (letting them sit 15 minutes for the enzymes to work) , scrambled my eggs and took it down like a champ. I have been including garlic in all meals possible since.
Why? Garlic is antibacterial, antiviral and anti fungal which helps alleviate cold symptoms. You can make it into a tea and some (crazy) people even eat a raw clove for health benefits. Um…no.

2. Ginger. 

Specifically these peanut butter ginger chews. They taste  like a candy and it is not hard to eat a lot of them!
Why? Ginger helps strengthen the immune system and helps to relieve congestion.

3. Oregano Drops

These are kind of expensive and they hurt a lot. You put a couple drops of pure oreganol oil under your tongue and hold it as long as you can. I had my sister try it and she started hacking wildly while clutching at her throat and simultaneously giving me the evil eye, but when her production was through, she looked at me and said in a quiet voice. “Oh. That worked.”
Why? Oreganol has anti-fungal, anti viral and anti parasitic properties as well as providing antioxidants. Working as an antibiotic, I find it also clears your sinuses and head.

4. Citrus Fruits. 

I have been eating an orange or grapefruit every day which is saying a LOT because I don’t really enjoy citrus fruits.
Why? It is a commonly known fact that citrus fruits contain high quantities of Vitamin C, which helps to boost the immune system.

5. Hydration. 

I have been trying to keep my water intake high over the past couple of days, switching it out for ginger and lemon teas and just a plain old glass from the water cooler. The best part about drinking a lot of water at work is you get to take a lot of breaks! 😛

Why? It helps to break up congestion and keep you hydrated.

When I am sick with a virus or flu, I try to look at my lifestyle and food before I take anything. Am I sleeping enough? Is my stress to high? What foods am I eating too much or too little of? If I correct these things, I often do not need to take anything else.
It is painfully obvious that I am not a doctor, but this is just my little two cents on what I use to help haul me into health when I am down and out.

What super duper cold remedies am I missing? (And don’t say Nyquil 😛 ).