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A New Love: Jacques Pépin's Fast Food
Talking Him Into It - Feeding The Guy
Another Change, and Two Summer Shortcakes
« Breakfast in No Time | Main | Kitchen Staple: Edamame »
No, I haven't abandoned the blog, I've just been depressingly sick since Monday morning. Obviously I did not follow my own advice about drinking lots of yummy flavored water (and I did not avoid long bus and train rides - I think the guy hacking behind me on the Boston-NYC bus might be where I got this bug). Now that I'm feeling like myself again, I'm angry that I did not take any of the tried-and-true remedies that have kept me from getting sick in the past. So to remind myself not to be so forgetful next time, I've produced a run-down of the homeopathic staples that have proven themselves in the past.
Oscillococcinum
You've probably seen this advertised during flu season the last couple years. When I first saw the adds, I was really upset by them, because it turns out I'd been mispronouncing the stuff for years. But bruised ego notwithstanding, I'm glad they're advertising, because this remedy really works. Take it when you feel the very beginnings of the flu (it doesn't really work on a full-blown attack), and your symptoms will be much shorter lived. Many times I've been able to avert sickness altogether by taking it the minute I started feeling feverish. But Please Note: you have to take it as the package directs you, ie. one packet every six hours until the package is finished (I think there are 3 to package). And don't forget, it's a homeopathic, so don't take it within 20 minutes of eating, and caffine and menthol can hurt its affectiveness.
Vitamin C
My mom has a theory that if she doesn't blow her nose, her cold doesn't really go to full force. I don't buy that. But she has another theory that if you take 1,000 mg of Vitamin C every hour for the first few hours you feel a cold coming on (remember that scratchy warning feeling in the back of your throat?) you can kill the cold dead before it really starts. And this theory is one I live by. It might not work for the worst colds or the times my immune system's really worn down, but it does wonders otherwise. (How do you know when you've taken too much C? It will start going straight through you. Believe me, you'll notice.)
Esberitox
The most recent addition to my medicine cabinet, this supplement's tag-line is "More Powerful Than Echinacea Alone". And it is. It works great. Take it right when you start to feel a cold coming on and your chances for full recovery or avoidance jump (especially if you double-team with the C). Just remember, any form of echinacea stops working after the first two days, so only take it when you really need it. Ladies, this is especially important for you, because too much echinacea can thicken the outer walls of your eggs, leading to an increased chance of infertility.
Airborne
Ok, so I haven't tried this one yet, but my mother has started using it on trips and has come to swear by it. And if she's good enough to cull through the homeopathics and the supplements and find ones that have really helped me in the past, I'm sure this one is a good one too.
Thanks, Mom.
[By the way, my mom's work with teenagers got a great write-up in the local paper; see the article here, half way down, titled "Speaking From the Heart" ]
Posted by georgia to Reviews , Tips on October 21, 2005 12:46 AM | permalink | Email this post
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There's also a product called Zicam that really works on colds. I have used it for about 5 years now, since I'm a teacher and get exposed to a lot of things. You have to start taking it the second you feel a cold coming on, but if you do the cold is much shorter and less intense.
Posted by: Kalyn at October 21, 2005 08:10 AM
