5FF: Fighting Colds

*5 Things. About Fibro. Every Friday*

I am constantly battling on the front lines of germ warfare: I work with young children. Young children who are still learning to blow their own noses, cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze, wash their hands thoroughly and frequently, and just so happen to be very affectionate. Sigh. This means I have to be on my toes to keep my immune system as healthy as possible because one thing I have learned in my first year of living with Fibro is that being sick is so much worse now. Double sigh.

Preparing for mid-year assessments happens right after the holidays, so my stress levels are up and I am particularly vulnerable. It came as no surprise when I woke up the other morning with a sore throat that would not go away after drinking lots of water. It was time to pull out my favorite home cold remedies.

1. Hot honey & lemon: Mix 2 spoonfuls of honey with 1 spoonful of lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger and hot water. Feels divine on the throat, especially when you alternate sips of this hot drink with sips of icy cold water.
2. Zicam: I start taking it as directed as soon as I know my throat is sore (and not just merely dry)
3. Airborne: I don't take it as a daily immune booster, but when I take it in combination with Zicam, the results are almost immediate.
4. A pot of my "Miracle Soup": chicken broth full of garlic, onions, lemon, ginger and a bit of couscous. Never fails to make me feel better!
5. Steam: putting boiling water in a bowl with a few drops of eucalyptus oil, then carefully breathing in the steam. Sometimes, I make a tent by placing a towel over my head.

After 2 days of using these remedies, I am pleased to announce that my cold is a mere irritation now, rather than a full-blown-taken-over-my-life-and-is-making-me-and-everyone-around-me-completely-miserable illness.

What do you do to comfort yourself when you catch a cold?

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