Shoo Flu, Don't Bother Me: Fighting Off A Cold

The cold weather is here on the East Coast and it seems that everyone is sick or fighting off a cold.

I've also been fighting a cold, but luckily, I've been putting up a good fight and have yet to be sick.

I used to be sick CONSTANTLY when I was a teacher: I never seemed to get the "teacher immunity" even though I was a germ-o-phobe who constantly washed my hands and taught for 4-5 years.

In the 3 years since I haven't been a Pre-School teacher, I rarely get sick (Maybe 1-3 times a year).

Here are my tips and tricks to prevent and fight a cold:

1.  Nasal Spray:  When I'm in a really dirty/dusty area, I'll always use a Nasal Spray to clean out my sinuses.  I also use the Nasal Spray at the first signs of a cold.  I usually use the Nasal Spray for a few days or until I don't feel sick anymore.

2.  Salt Water: 
I always gargle with salt water when I start feeling sick and when my throat gets scratchy. 
Sometimes when I'm right on the verge of getting sick and I gargle with salt water, I'll actually spit out phlegm (It's Gross, but it gets the bad stuff out!)
I usually just mix a lot of Kosher salt with warm water. Probably about 3-4 Tbsp/ Cup of water.
Make sure there's enough salt in the cup  so the water is really salty. Gargle 2-3 times a day

3. Drink Tea, Lemon, Honey:

I always drink Green/White Tea mixed with a slice of lemon and honey. I add even more lemon and honey when I'm getting sick. It warms you up, gives you a dose of Vitamin C, and the Honey is really soothing to a scratchy throat. And it tastes delicious!

4.  Emergen-C:   

I only started taking Emergen-C this summer, but it's become an important part of my cold-fighting arsenal.  I usually hate fizzy,powdered drinks (I cannot drink "Airborne").  I had a super value pack of 80 packets of Tangerine and Raspberry.  The first time I drank it, it was really hard to drink the whole cup.
- Instead of taking the packet and mixing with a cup of water, I decided to mix it with about a 1/4 of a glass so there's less to drink.  Problem solved!
Now, I just empty a packet into a small water bottle with about 1-2 shot glass fulls of water and drink. So much quicker and easier to drink!

5.  Cold Medicine:
I don't like taking medicine so I'll only really take day-time cold medicine if I'm actually sick, have some bad symptoms (coughing, stuffy nose), and need it to get through the day. 
Most of the time, I'll just take a night-time formula at night when I start feeling sick or get sick. 
- I usually use the generic Target  "Up & Up" brand in the day/night pack.  It usually helps me to get a good night's sleep, but make sure you don't take it too late at night because it can make me a little groggy in the morning. I like the caplets and softgels.
- Comtrex is also pretty hard core cold/flu-fighting medicine.

6.  Halls Defense Vitamin C:

I always carry these around. They're sweet, come in 3 flavors (Lemon, Orange, and my favorite Sweet Grapefruit), and gives you 100% of the daily dose of Vitamin C.  I always buy the economy packs.

7.  Cough Drops:

I always carry around Ricola The Original Natural Herb Cough Drops (the ones that are square-shaped).  They do a good job of soothing a scratchy throat, coughing, and hoarseness.  They are good for people who don't like fruity flavors.

- For really bad coughs/sore throats, I use Cepacol.  This is pretty hard core stuff.

- I also love Ludens (but that's more like candy and I just like it because it reminds me of when I was young)

So... that is my cold-fighting aresenal.  I think it's a pretty good one.  Hope it works for you, too!

Stay warm, Stay happy, Stay healthy!

*~ Have a Beautiful Day! ~*