Does ANYTHING work on a cold?

[Dixie68]

Man flu season on its way so no doubt I'll be coughing & spluttering with a runny nose and sore throat any day now.
So is there any cough mixture, any potion or any pill that will banish the cold asap once it inevitably infects me? After 45 years I don't think I've ever found something that works.

[Marf]

Yes, you need to remove the affected area

[smiffy180]

I find going to the gym and sweating it off seems to work

[Pints]

I'm stuck at home with a bad bout. After a night of hallucinations, tossing & turning and an annoying lack of sleep and breathing, I've knocked back a few paracetamol this morning and am now feeling almost human again.

[Gazzas86]

my OH used to get Colds all the time, now she takes one echinacea a day and she hasnt had a cold for ages, perhaps you should try this as the old saying goes, prevention is better than cure

[Stu R]

Lots of single malt scotch, a long soak in the tub and a decent night's kip.

[TheEnd]

Nothing fixes a cold, but the products out there reduce the severity of the symptoms.
Vitamin C is an odd one, it drops when you have a cold, but high doses don't have a noticeable effect on recovery time.

[Odie]

Get a tall glass, add 1 shot of scotch, a good amount of honey, some lemon juice and top up with boiling water and stir, drink.

Repeat until either you get well or well drunk.


Works for me.

[Mr E]

Odie said:

Get a tall glass, add 1 shot of scotch, a good amount of honey, some lemon juice and top up with boiling water and stir, drink.

This, but don't bother with the honey, lemon or boiling water.
A dash of room temperature water should be sufficient.

[OllieC]

scotch

[louiebaby]

Paracetamol, Vitamin C, fresh fruit and veg, plenty of hydration, and plenty of rest. Basically, everything your body needs to fight off infection, plus some Paracetamol to help you feel human again.

[a311]

I take vit C with zinc every day, can't remember the last time I had a cold-touch wood.

[Happy82]

A kebab with hot chilli sauce or a spicy curry does the job for me

[jas xjr]

The top of my mouth gets sore before I get a gold . Usually the night before.
When this happens I o/d on vitamin c . I drink lots of orange juice and eat oranges and lemons . I have not had a cold for many many years

[BlackVanDyke]

Rest, good nutritious food, hot toddy or 2. (I prefer doing it with orange juice to lemon). Religiously take paracetamol if you've got a bit of a temperature or the aches. Olbas inhaler for stuffy nose, invest in some posh tissues (balm ones?) so you don't end up with a really really sore nose/upper lip.

Basically, treat the symptoms, take it easy, no heroics. There's no magic cure but if you look after yourself OK it won't be too miserable.

[dram]

Agree with Stuart
A hot toddy - single malt whisky , may I suggest a Glenlivet or Aberlour , with hot water and honey added - defnitely clears the tubes...
Also steaming your head with a bowl of boiling water and Vic Vapour
Regards
B

[Pints]

Some good ideas here, chaps.
I think I'll smear some Vicks Vaporub on my top lip for starters.

Fresh out of single malt though.
Would a bourbon have similar effects?

[DanL]

I've recently come to the conclusion that it's not the cold that I find annoying, but the cough, etc. that seem to come along with one and hang around for ages afterwards. I've put this down to a runny nose causing other problems, and now at the first sign of a cold I take Lemsip and vitamin C like my life depends on it. Colds seem to go away after 2-3 days now, and they used to hang around for a couple of weeks.

[Asterix]

Happy82 said:

A kebab with hot chilli sauce or a spicy curry does the job for me

I agree with this - I'm a big fan of a botty burner to blast cold symptoms out of the water. A lot of the spices have medicinal properties anyway and I think the heat also fires up your immune system to turbo levels.

Actually don't have a clue but I love a good curry so it's not a hardship.

[Riknos]

Eat a minimum of your 5 a day. Get 7 years sleep a night, keeps your immune system up and you wont get them in the first place

When I do get ill due to being forced into a room with a bunch of sneezing, coughing, unhealthy middle aged blokes, I hit the cold relief (paracetamol and decongestant), keep the fluids up, sleep more, eat more healthy food, and lay off the alcohol and it goes pretty quick.