<p>So far Tylenol day/night cold medicine is okay but I’m wondering if there’s anything better. (Nyquil/dayquil are out because they contain aspirin–allergic.)</p>
<p>What works for you?</p>
<p>Chicken soup, soft Kleenex, and time.</p>
<p>Honestly, we are fans of Cold-Eze lozenges. Taken at the first sign of a cold, they seemed to have done as advertised. Lessened the length and severity of the cold. But Booklady’s suggestion is a good one. :)</p>
<p>two words:</p>
<p>neti pot</p>
<p>Neti pot or saline irrigation (spray bottle); otherwise, Booklady’s approach. (I actually like the Cold-Eze lozenges, but nobody else in my family can stand them.)</p>
<p>My mom went to med school so very long ago that she used to claim their textbook advocated the “hat cure”: Hang a hat on the bedpost. Go to bed. Drink until you see two hats. By the time you feel like getting up, your cold will be gone.</p>
<p>Mucinex…</p>
<p>I second neti pot. The minute I feel a cold coming on, I use my neti pot. Missed a few colds this season.</p>
<p>In the past, I’ve had very good luck with Sudafed Severe Cold during the day, and Sudafed Nighttime.</p>
<p>10 hours of sleep per night for a week.</p>
<p>I am seconding Mucinex. When you have a head cold that threatens to become a chest cold- Mucinex is great. It’s really just long acting cough suppressant/expectorant, but it really helps because it lasts all night.</p>
<p>Ginger.</p>
<p>Peel and chop a large piece of fresh ginger. Boil it in water for a while. Drink the liquid. This is also good for an upset stomach, and it tastes great.</p>
<p>Afrin or the generic equivalent.</p>
<p>Canadian Nyquil to sleep (it still has pseudephedrine), lots and lots of sleep, hot water and the juice of a fresh organic lemon (drop the halves into the mug to get the lemon oil) at bedtime, more sleep, and please don’t go to work and infect the rest of us.</p>
<p>To prevent a cold: wash your hands early and often. Don’t touch mucus tissue (inside of your mouth, nose, etc.) with your hands no matter what, unless your hands are VERY clean.</p>
<p>I take Koldcare as soon as I feel something. It’s a supplement. It prevents cold and shortens it.</p>
<p>Neti Pot (using the squirt bottle), Zycan and Mucinex. My daughter and her friends, who are in various performing arts programs where the daily use of their voices is paramount, swear by this “trio” as the most effective way to limit the onset, duration and effects of colds.</p>
<p>A spoonful of local honey not less than 3x a day (also good for staving off allergies to local plants), green tea, and lots of Vitamin C in whatever form you like…tablets, lozenges, or good ol’ oj!</p>
<p>I use ColdEze at the first sign of a cold and go to bed very early to get extra sleep.</p>
<p>If that doesn’t work and I still get the cold, I use Afrin and Sudafed to manage the symptoms. </p>
<p>If I overuse Afrin, I find my cold last a relatively long time – maybe 7 to 10 days. If I use it sparingly, I’m usually fine in 3 days.</p>
<p>And by the way, since I’ve become obsessive about washing my hands, I have many many many fewer colds. It really works!</p>
<p>I go to the pharmacy and get the Sudafed that is behind the counter. You can only buy it in limited quantities (because of the crystal meth situation) but it works much much better than the Sudafed and other decongestants that are on the shelf.</p>
<p>Add that to all of the above.
I have also heard of 1/2 t ground cloves in tea for a sore throat.</p>
<p>I like the neti pot and the steamer. I’m not convinced anything really shortens the duration - I think some colds just last longer than others. We have tried Zicam, Airborne and many of the other things that claim to shorten them, but with no consistent results.</p>
<p>A German woman I used to work with used to make a syrup by boiling down lemon juice and garlic. She said her husband complained about the smell, but she swore by it, and was never out sick.
If I feel something coming on I do take garlic capsules. It might be a placebo effect, but I think it helps.</p>
<p>Neti pot helps and so does lots of rest, chicken soup and time…all stated above. Yes, soft kleenex! I am just getting over one.</p>