So Totally Sick (and what to do about it)
Posted on Friday, February 13th, 2009
Maybe it’s the three hours of sleep a night I’ve been getting recently or the daily suctioning of yellow, stringy snot out of the baby’s nose, but last night, I skipped a so totally rad and sick concert because I got so totally sick myself. The runny nose, the red throat, the watery eyes. Got ‘em and it’s gross. I sound like a NyQuil commercial.
I hear I’m not alone in this mountain town, though, that another friend brought a thermos of tea to the same concert and yet another skipped poker night. And, when I checked the New York Times this morning, I realized I’m really not alone, as the #1, #5 and #8 most popular health articles are about colds.
In fact, just yesterday the Times published an article reporting that there may be a cure for the cold. But, it’s not here yet. The article talks about the cost of the almost-not-quite-here drug, the difficulties in making a drug for a sickness with many strains and the opinions of a slew of experts.
It’s not until the bottom, that our still-drugless cold situation is acknowledged:
“There are at present no effective treatments for the common cold. Frequent hand-washing is the best preventive, Dr. Miller said. Once a cold has started, she recommended washing out the nasal passages, warm drinks and rest.”
For those of you in my boat, try Emergen-C’s Immune Defense, Tea with lemon and honey, a humidifier in your room and a Netflix subscription. I’ve heard chewing garlic helps, too. Ick, but effective? If you’re near an ocean, go swimming. And if you’re not, gargle with salt water or do a little salt water nasal spray. Apparently, salt water is another miracle cure. You’ll also need soft tissues or – my personal nose blowing preference – soft yoga pants.
(Unless, you believe the hype about not blowing your nose, and then, just sit there and let it run.)
Hope you feel better soon. Happy V-day. Cheers
so sorry to hear that you’re not doing so hot… speedy recovery!!