<p>I knew I wouldn’t make it through the fall as a preschool teacher without getting one of these darn colds and I was right. I can feel the symptoms coming on and am unsure what to do. I’m very lucky that it’s been years since I"ve had a cold. </p>
<p>What is your favorite remedy? It can be over-the-counter, homemade or just advice.</p>
<p>My favorite cold remedy: my mother’s. </p>
<p>Hot bath; shot of vodka; cup of hot water, the juice from one lemon (and then you drop the lemon into the water so that the oil from the peel permeates the water too), one tsp. sugar. Take the hot bath; crawl under the covers with a stack of blankets; drink the hot lemonade/vodka mixture. Sleep well and wake up feeling better. (If you’ve got it, you can just put a shot of limoncello in hot water. Same effect and a lot easier.)</p>
<p>^^^ooo gotta remember that one! 
When we are around people with sniffles or start to feel a cold coming on, we swear by Airborne vitamin supplement tablets. Don’t think they necessarily cure a cold but they seem to boost your system to fight the germies and keep you from getting worse. Feel better!</p>
<p>Hot bubble baths using California Baby Bubble Bath - Colds and Flu. Truly, you don’t need to be a baby to use it. You can find it at Target, on Amazon, or California Baby. Hot tea with honey and a peppermint dropped in it. Lots and lots of liquid.</p>
<p>Hope you feel better soon.</p>
<p>Off topic but I love the California Baby Calming Bubble Bath and the Calming Shampoo and Body Wash too. First read about California Baby in Lucky Magazine and my girls (adult) and I pretty much keep the bubble bath on hand.</p>
<p>For congestion, I find taking a walk really clears out the system. Although it can be difficult to find the motivation to get up out from under those blankets!</p>
<p>have a cold now too. Hot steamy shower in the morning. Lots [ 2000 MG] of Vic C during the day, and a big vodka + lemonade at night before bed. I also use a Breathe Right to help me breathe. If I’m “runny” I’ll also take 1 small benadryl to dry me out so I can sleep. Then its lights out.</p>
<p>These are great…thank you!</p>
<p>This being a true southern household, we have no vodka but three kinds of Jack Daniels!</p>
<p>OH HONEY, y’all go out an get yourself a big bottle of Grey Goose! Jack Daniels just doesnt mix with lemonade!</p>
<p>I’m a teacher too! Here’s my remedy:</p>
<p>1 zinc, 50 mg, at the first sign
1 odorless garlic, 400mg, to build immune system
vitamin C, 500 mg, about 3
lots of water
tea with honey</p>
<p>works great. Colds don’t last long. </p>
<p>If I’m really feeling miserable, I take a bath with epson salt, then advil PM and I’m out.</p>
<p>Chicken soup. Tea with honey and lemon. Lots and lots of water. Benadryl before bed so I can breathe through my nose, and it also knocks me out.</p>
<p>Zicam actually seems to work for me, if I take it as soon as I sense symptoms coming on</p>
<p>My D swears by zicam when she feels a cold coming on. If I feel a cold coming on I stock up on lozanges and start drinking emergen-C. My H, S and D also like Theraflu.Hot tea with honey, chicken soup. My Dr recommended Delsym for a cough.
If I am very congested I like to put a small amount of eucalyptus oil on my top sheet. It helps me breathe.
Ignatius- I absolutely love California Baby. If you like California Baby you might also try Deep Steep brand of bubble bath.</p>
<p>Mucinex D. Nothing else works for me although I like that vodka idea, with or without a cold.</p>
<p>Zinc as soon as you get any hint of a symptom. Mucinex. Neti pot and Vick’s portable steamer. The steamer and Neti should be used all winter long to keep the mucus membranes moist and healthy. </p>
<p>My D is a singer and she has this regimen down to knock out a cold.</p>
<p>Zicam. Just tried the melt away lozenges. The orange citrus tastes great and really eases all the symptoms. Usually seems to shorten the duration as well. I started with a cold on Thursday and using the Zicam, it really hasn’t affected me much.</p>
<p>I have found Airborne and gargling with warm salt water pretty helpful.</p>
<p>I could be wrong but I think studies have been done on Airborne and it has no clinical benefit for treating a cold. I think the perception that it works was found to be a placebo effect. of course, if it makes you feel better, what difference does it make?</p>
<p>Theraflu hot drink, a hot shower and bed for a day is my remedy, but we have had pretty good luck with Echinacea is you take it really, really early when the “feelings” hit as once the actual cold hits it doesn’t seem to make a difference. We also all drink an Emergen-C all winter. I just bought a big box of them this week and shipped a box to my college student.</p>
<p>Sleep. Fluids. Running.</p>
<p>EmergenC and Zicam…but you have to start both of those as soon as you feel the cold coming on. Also recommend just drinking EmergenC every day throughout the cold/flu season.</p>