COLDS –
THE CARE AND TREATMENT
Caution: These are "gathered" ideas as a reminder and/or for your consideration, not medical advice. Before doing anything in this area, you should consult with your medical practitioner. Many of these medicines can cause elevated blood pressure or other imbalances that could be dangerous for some people.
Manage the cold better and it should reduce the severity and the length. Of course, colds can vary from very light ones to pretty severe two week experiences, losing a lot of time, actually and qualitatively. Being pre-occupied with the symptoms, having a headache, or feeling generally “not well” gets in the way of living and is to be minimized, as much as possible in the short term with priority on not prolonging it, so that one is completely well sooner. As sleep is essential for getting well, make sure that you do not allow congestion or a cough to keep you awake!!!
The body needs to fight a virus and will use up some of its resources to do so. So you’ll need to replenish those and provide what you can to provide extra resources.
There seems to be two parts to a cold:
1. Fighting the virus, per se, using your immune system.
2. Clearing the body of the side effects and avoiding further complications.
Those are addressed below, in a quick reference format.
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When you first start to get the symptoms go into full frontal attack mode. Do everything that will help clear it, including massive amounts of water (stopping 4 hours before bed, as you need your sleep). Use this list as a daily checklist, after you've socked in a full supply of cold provisions
DO THESE
Double the vitamin dose.
Double the dose of multi-vitamins.
Take anti-oxidants or vitamin C in massive doses – up to 10,000 mg (10 grams) spread out throughout the day and evening; the excess not used will be discarded by the body.
Body rest is very helpful, as the body is stressing itself in the fight.
Stop symptoms if the need is to be able to still function:
Daytime: Use DayQuil or equivalent, being sure to take the maximum directed on a
timely basis.
Nightime: Use NyQuil or equivalent, taking the full dose recommended
Day and night: Consume Robitussin or similar Cough and Chest mdeicine, taking
enough to keep the throat clearable and no cough.
ZiCam may shorten the cold up to a few days.
For sore throat prevention and quicker response (supposedly) –
Use zinc lozenges
Drink lemonade without real sugar, with a lemon bite (squirt concentrated lemon
juice into water)
2+ apples, banana
Gargle. Relatively effective with fairly hot water with a teaspoon of salt per glass
As an added item (or substituting for the DayQuil, if there is no cough), consider using Actifed, Drixoral, or the equivalent (both an antihistamine and a decongestant in one, that helps clear up post nasal drip to prevent sore throats and infections.) Sudafed is only a decongestant.
Move it through the body:
Drink water like crazy (daily, at least but more if possible than ½ oz of water per pound of weight).
8 oz. = small glass of water. Diluting some orange juice in it is also good.
Good hot shower, spraying a bit of hotter water on the sinuses for a good while.
Soaking in hot water in the tub is helpful also. Do as often as possible. Epsom salts tend to draw out more
toxins.
Move your body, using light isometrics and/or squeezing the muscles in your body,
stimulating the lymph to move better. Walking is highly recommended; immobility
is not.
Use gualfenesin (Mucinex, for instance) to thin the mucus for easy transport and less stickiness
Drink hot liquids
PREVENT THE BODY FROM EXPERIENCING THESE :
Bacterial Infections:
Have saline solutions go through your nose:
1 teaspoon of salt in a hot bathroom sink, dipping face in and allowing it to soak
into nostrils (or suck it into the nose, like breathing). Blow your nose between
dippings.
½ teaspoon of salt in hot (not too hot) water in a glass and gargle.
And/or
At least use a saline solution nose spray.
Keep the throat clear:
Use Robitussin or similar Cough suppressant and Chest/expectorant, taking enough
to keep the throat clearable. Hold it in throat to soak the area as much as possible.
Use expectorant containing gualfenesin.
Sore throat:
Keeping the throat clear of “sitting there” mucus from the start helps prevent the whole
sore throat thing in the first place.
A good nasal spray tends to also allow for some dripping down into the throat, which
breaks up the mucus (disappears it) and helps avoid the harboring of what is making
the throat sore.
Dry cough/scratchy throat:
Use a coughing reflex suppressant containing dextromethorphan. An antihistamine is
also helpful if there is a postnasal drip that helps provoke “tickles.”
Further reduce breeding grounds and loosen
Steam facial devices! - Helps move it along andreduces level of symptoms
Hold very, very hot towel over sinuses (forehead and down, wherever you feel
pressure) - easy and effective ) heated sinus packs should not be placed on your eyelids!)
NeilMed’s Sinus Rinse (www.sinusrinse.com) – 2x day
Hot baths (hot showers less effect)
Re-infection: Wash your hands and face frequently!
Disinfect or change toothbrushes, water glasses as soon as possible (soak
in Efferdent).
Alternate pillows daily so that accumulated viruses have a chance to die.
Followup items:
See the shopping list, immediately following.
See the daily care checklist for use to be sure you are following the protocol, see reference box upper left.
Disclosure: This is solely a general treatment list and is not meant to replace or preempt medical treatment/advice. See your doctor before using any of these and establish a protocol that will work for you.
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SHOPPING LIST FOR THE COLD/FLU SEASON
THE ARSENAL:
CONTAINING PAIN, DECONGESTANT, AND COUGHING SUPPRESSANTS:
__ Day-Quil or equivalent.
__ Ny-Quil or equivalent.
__ Similar to above but also containing an antihistamine
COUGHING SUPPRESSANT/EXPECTORANT
__ Robitussin-DM or equivalent
__ Gualfenesin (Mucinex, etc.)
ANTIHISTAMINE/DECONGESTANT COMBINATION (more highly recommended)
__ Actifed, Drixoral or equivalent
DECONGESTANT
__ Nasal spray (discontinue after 3 days, as it has reverse effect after that)
__ Sudafed or equivalent
__ Robitussin Severe Congestion
__ Something spicy, like a hot pepper
GET WELL QUICKER
__ Vitamin C
__ Cold-Eze
__ ZiCam
__ (Echinacea is in doubt)
__ Steamer (hold face over)
__ NeilMed’s Sinus Rinse (www.sinusrinse.com)
__ Efferdent
Keep the supply in one designated location, along with a copy of this list.
Equipment to have on hand
__ Facial steamer
__ NetiPot or, preferred, Shower Pik's nasal irrigator (battery driven)
