Cold remedies

[Paul_B]

In our house the cure seems to be a few sleeps worth of snoring badly and keeping the other half awake! That works for me any my partner, in fact she is worse than me!!

Other than that I basically make my own lemsip type of thing. I take two paracetemol tablets (the powder leaves a lot in cup after you drink it so avoid) with a cup of warm water, a load of lemon juice from a bottle (the same make that used to sell in a plastic lemon container), local honey and if the sun is over the yard arm and I am WFH or off work I might have a tot of rum or whiskey (single malt as that is all I have). I find that a load of coffee too for the caffeine helps too.

This is jkind of what is in lemsip with a little extra. The purpose is not to make you get better quicker, it is to make you feel happier. Which is why the alcohol and warmth is important. There is nothing better than a quick tot of something and the cupped hands around a warm mug of hot drink while it cools enought to drink and the sniffing of tghe hot fumes from it really raises morale and makes you feel better in yourself even if it does not make you feel better.

IMHO colds take their own time to go through you, or more accurately for your body to get the better of it. I think the best thing is to keep to yourself, use tissues and throw away into the bin. Wash your hands to reduce risk of pasing on. Keep warm. take it easy. Then get a little tiddley on the alcohol, water, lemon and honey drink too. Then sleep a bit more. Two aims, not to pass it on and second is to take it easy. I do think that comment about taking a week with treatment or 7 days without is so right. Treatments are just money to the big food or drug business selling the hooeey powder or liquid tincture.

Having said that as a kid my wise old Scottish, alleged alcoholic GP was full of old wifes treatments for things. Little tricks that actually make sense and could work. He said Buttercup Syrup was the best for a cold but did not do anything for the cold it just made the cold more bearable i guess. Time is the greatest healer.

 

[Paul_B]

BTW my first indicator of a cold is my temp sense goes funny. I feel cold when I should be hot or hot when I should be cold. That is my first symptom about 3 days before any traditional cold symptoms. Others in our house get a sore throat first.

 

[MrEd]

Yep, exactly. In particular, good levels of Vit C are essential. I can't eat a lot of fruits so for the last 15 years or so I've taken 1000mg/day of Vit C in winter and 500mg/day in Summer; I've not had any cold or flu since (touches a big oak beam quickly). I used to get serious bouts of cold leading to swollen glands at least twice a year before that. There are other benefits as well.

Likewise, I have done this for a number of years though, definitely makes a difference, I also take extra bit D in the winter aswell.

Honey and lemon drink to soothe, and plenty of sleep and hydration otherwise.

 

[Paul_B]

Does anyone else like the taste of pure lemon juice? Which commonly bought fruit has the most vit C in it when juiced? I used to think lemon had most but read that there was a certain other citrus fruit (like an orange type) that was higher in vit c.

If you consume too much vit c is there a limit to what your body can cope with? I readd once that when you eat too much of other vits your body pees out most of it.

 

[Broch]

Does anyone else like the taste of pure lemon juice? Which commonly bought fruit has the most vit C in it when juiced? I used to think lemon had most but read that there was a certain other citrus fruit (like an orange type) that was higher in vit c.

If you consume too much vit c is there a limit to what your body can cope with? I readd once that when you eat too much of other vits your body pees out most of it.

I am told that if you take much more than 2g (2000mg obviously) a day your body will throw the excess out. For high doses (think 5g+) for certain treatments it is administered intravenously and your body is able to absorb it.

All this is second hand knowledge but I trust the source.

 

[Pattree]

Most of us are taking in enough vitamin C to be constantly excreting it.

If you want to boost it then try fish and chips.

 

[TeeDee]

Most of us are taking in enough vitamin C to be constantly excreting it.

If you want to boost it then try fish and chips.

Can you expand on that answer.

 

[Broch]

The key word being 'most'. As I said, I can't eat fruit - and anyway, I am happy with the very definite results

I am told, again by the same professional source, that 'most' people would benefit from increased Vit C & D intake.

I think taking one small cheap tablet a day is better for me than fish & chips

 

[Toddy]

You don't absorb iron properly if you're too low on VitC too.

Scottish Govt advises pretty much all of us to take a daily Vit D.

Lots of links, but the food standards folks one seems the easiest read.

Vitamin D | Food Standards Scotland

Advice from Food Standards Scotland about taking Vitamin D supplements during periods of isolation when you have to stay inside.

www.foodstandards.gov.scot

 

[Pattree]

Can you expand on that answer.

Others have already done it. You can’t store vitamins C. Most of us have enough of it from our normal diet. The extra just goes down the toilet. (I’m quoting various TV sources from over the years.)

Fish and chips is a good source of vitamins C and I could definitely expand on THAT!


ETA:
I understand that taking extra B complex is useful if you are on antibiotics.

 

[GreyCat]

You don't absorb iron properly if you're too low on VitC too.

Scottish Govt advises pretty much all of us to take a daily Vit D.

Lots of links, but the food standards folks one seems the easiest read.

Vitamin D | Food Standards Scotland

Advice from Food Standards Scotland about taking Vitamin D supplements during periods of isolation when you have to stay inside.

www.foodstandards.gov.scot

If you're taking vit D (the D3 form is better absorbed than D2), make sure you also get enough Vit K2 (it is different from Vit K1, they really don't do the same things, they are in different food items and it's rather difficult to get enough K2 from food unless you eat certain food items like natto... the mk-7 variety has the best half-life so is more effective). Also make sure you're not not A deficient.

Vit D needs K2 and A to be absorbed properly, otherwise it tends to pull calcium out of the bones apparently, not idea if you're a female of a certain age.

GC

 

[Tengu]

Theres lots of stuff on the market but I find Ibruprofen plus plenty of warm liquids, say, soup or lemon tea, sweetened with honey if you like.

A tot of whisky in the tea might help.

 

[xairbourne]

Vitamin C first thing in the morning and a whisky every night (or 2) purely medicinal

 

[Broch]

Interestingly, just dropped into my in-box - vit D needs:

https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/vitamin-d-how-to-get?utm_campaign=Monday%203%20February%202025&utm_content=Vitamin%20D:%20How%20much%20your%20body%20actually%20needs%20(and%20how%20to%20get%20it)&utm_term=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Adestra

 

[Great egret]

good old "Navy Grog"

 

[TeeDee]

Aye, Having top ups of Vit D and C this time of year is maybe a good thing.

I'm no unfamiliar with good vit & mineral combination taking - my night time routine intake sounds like I'm ingesting for some sort of exotic smelting furnace ( Iron, Magnesium , Selenium, Zinc , Copper - VitC to ensure the Iron is moved into the gut blood barrier. ) - the morning shift exhaust fumes would support that fundamental idea.
I have a Sunbed on one the sheds as one of my blood checks many years ago came back with Low Vit -D levels so maybe I need to reinstate the practice of getting naked except for the funny little sunglasses.

Honey- I do enjoy honey in any hot lemony type drink although I can't think for rationale reason it may have anything positive ( beyond sugars which I dont think we need really at that time ) to aid a cough.

The Onion thing is interesting and I suspect as Onions are often quoted they reduce inflammation of Lung Alveoli somehow. Have a bowl of 'real' french onion soup or onion heavy curry, and ( at least for me ) it seems someone has given my respiratory system a pull through with a mop.


I may make up some of that Hot sweet/spicy Honey Garlic I see quoted as a go to cupboard aid - Garlic being related to Onions - may get the same effect.

 

[Paul_B]

Sun beds are iffy unless you know it is not producing the more harmless UV type. A lot are producing the moree harmful UV so perhaps look for another way to get enough vit d. especially if you are older with a history of being out in the sun a lot. Skin cancer killed my grandad so its something i think isn't worth messing around with!!

 

[Toddy]

I am a fair skinned, green eyed, dark haired, freckled Scot.....classic Brit really.

I now have a very neat two inch scar running down my left cheek.....I worked and played outdoors, and even in our lower level British sunshine, I managed to get a 'pre-cancerous lentigo', that it was deemed better removed asap....as was another on my forearm, one just below my knee and three others on my scalp.

Not a lot of fun. Over fifty stitches in total and six pieces of me off to biopsy....and a repeating timetable of visitations to the Dermatology nurse to be checked over every six months.

Wear your sunblock !!
We're living longer, try to make it healthy.

M

 

[Paul_B]

And don't use sun beds!

 

[Chris]

You can buy Vitamin D3 + K2 all-in-one supplements for super cheap. I had low vit D on a blood test about a year and a half ago and these resolved that.