blog #242 >> Cold Cures

See this sauna here along with the history of the sauna.

I wish I were in a sauna... in Finland... with juniper, lavender, eucalyptus, mint, chamomile, and Vicks VapoRub. Ah... breathe in... breathe out... relax... SPLASH! Well, that's what I get for sleeping in the tub. I think I've spent more time in the bathroom this past week than I have in the past month. It's a really good thing the hot water is included in the rent here. The shower is the only place that I feel like I can really breathe. And over the past week, I have taken no less than 15 shower/baths. In fact, I even invented the shower/bath. It's when you take a bath and let the tub fill up by the shower head instead of the faucet. I don't think I've ever been so clean in my life.

I have also had the pleasure, or displeasure more likely, of trying a great many cold remedies this week. And since I have nothing else to blog about. Or actually I don't have anything else to do... at all! (I'm also suffering from ennui.) I thought I'd take this spare moment and write a short cold cure product review.


Airborne: Airborne is a delightful mix of vitamins, nutrients, and herbal extracts all blended together to help support your immune system and fight off colds before or just after they start. I've found that this stuff really works too. The drawback is the taste. Try as they may, they just can't cover that nasty taste. I've tried, lime flavor, grape flavor, lemon flavor, and their new caramel apple chews, all equally gross. Well no, I thought the grape was the worst. The initial taste of the caramel apple chews aren't that bad, but then the caramel sticks to your teeth, and then the after taste is just awful and lingers. So far I've liked the original orange flavor best.

Zicam: Zicam is my new favorite tool against colds. These things are amazing. How do they work? It's all homeopathic and after my holistic health class I can tell you that it's like fighting fire with fire. Make sense? No? Dictionary please: ho•me•o•path•ic |ˌhōmēəˈpaθik| adjective | the treatment of disease by minute doses of natural substances that in a healthy person would produce symptoms of disease. Well, there you have it. Does it work? Remarkably. I didn't start using it soon enough this time, but I have fought off a great many colds with the help of Zicam in the past. Best of all, no gross tasting things. You can either get cherry rapid melts, nasal swabs, nasal spray, chewable squares or more. And if you visit their website you can get a coupon.

Breathe Right Nasal Strips: Ah, Breathe Right Strips, I think I want one right now... I like these things. They open your nasal cavities right up. The only drawback is they make you look like a dork, well.. not any more of a dork than you already are. Also, I highly recommend following the instructions about not wearing one for more than 12 hours a day. This week I thought, "No one will see me, I think I'll just wear one all the time." Well, after a couple of days they left a pretty neat read line over my nose and my nose didn't drop right back to it's usual position on my face. Basically it's like when you were a kid and your parents would say, "If you keep on making faces on that glass your face is going to stick that way permanently." I mean, I knew they were just joking, but there was always that little voice is the back of my mind... are they? Well, after a very little while my nose was back to normal so all is well, but remember, only 12 hours a day. And best of all with a Breathe Right Strip on my nose I can almost smell the...

Vicks VapoRub: Good old Vicks. What would we do without you? It's a miraculous balm that not only opens your nose and throat, but can even soothe sore muscles.

Mucinex: (You know the one with the dancing Mucus on T.V.) I'm giving up on Sudafed entirely. It just doesn't seem to work anymore. It doesn't decongest my nose at all. I've tried taking it a couple of times this week, and each time, my nose is just as congested as before. And whatever they put in there to make it "non-drowsy" just makes me feel funny. It's like having way too much caffeine. It still makes me tired, I just can't sleep. So, instead of Sudafed, I'm trying Mucinex, an expectorant. I can't actually say it makes me feel better, I think it might actually make me feel a little bit worse. But it does do a good job at getting all that mucus out of my nose, throat and chest. And that's what I really need. So thumbs up for Mucinex. Also, don't buy the off-brand. Usually, I'd say they're exactly the same, but not in this case. Real Musinex is about three times the price as the off-brand, but it lasts for 12 hours and the off-brand only lasts for 4 hours. It will make up the price difference pretty quick, especially at 4:00 in the morning.

Ricola: These natural Swiss herb cough drops are just the thing to break up my laryngitis long enough to call in sick for work, or talk to the pharmacist about my prescription. Also, I like them much better than Halls which are too strong for me and actually give me a sore throat rather than sooth one. (Interesting side note: Ricola is sold as a candy at Fubonns.)


Luden's: These throat drops are so mild, it's more like eating candy than a cough drop. Also because they're delicious and mild, I can eat almost a half a box in one day and not feel bad about it. I remember my grandpa always had some of these in his pocket, only he almost always had the licorice ones, not the cherry, and he'd sneak one to us regardless of whether we had a sore throat or not. (I'm sure this is a very bad practice and you should only use as directed.)

Puffs with Lotion: When I have a cold, there is no substitute for Puffs with Lotion. My nose always gets so chapped and red. And there's nothing worse than rough Kleenex. Puffs with lotion, really helps sooth a sore nose. And it makes my hands nice and soft too.

Aspirin: Whoever first thought of chewing on willow bark to treat a bad headache, was probably a little bit crazy. But I'm really glad they tried it. Here we are 100 years later still using it. I don't think anything can surpass Aspirin for that annoying nasal headache I can't seem to beat, or those random muscle aches, or the occasional fever. Thank goodness for Aspirin.

Sometimes, I'm amazed that we haven't come up with a cure for the common cold yet. And I'll wonder, is it a conspiracy to keep on selling us all these random cold fighting products? Maybe, or maybe there are simply too many different strains to efficiently create a medication for it. Anyhow, at least until they come up with the cure for everything, I've got my Puffs with Lotion to keep my company.

T


p.s. This post is dedicated to everyone I know who is sick right now.
Get well soon everyone!
t