Please help me with getting rid of this cold?

[Anonymous]

I have a really bad cold. Yesterday after I got home from work, all the sudden my throat started feeling sooooooo dry that it made me feel like gagging and throwing up. And I did gag a little. And I started sneezing kinda a lot and I tried drinking water for my throat but it wouldn't make any difference. So today (well now it's midnight so technically yesterday) I was more congested than ever it seems, and I've been constantly wiping and blowing my nose. It's AWFUL! My throat has been really dry unlike ever before so that's been making me feel the need to cough. As far as what I've done, I took the day off work, I also slept in and took a nap after breakfast. I didn't call in (oops!) And I had 2 cups of hot tea and honey, I've had 3 cups of orange juice tonight. I ended up losing my taste which I shouldn't be surprised but then I was able to taste the tea and 3rd cup of orange juice. And I'm gonna see my family and baby nephew on Saturday and I don't want it to be too bad. And Sunday I might go with my guy friend and his family. Can I get better ASAP? Please tell me how? Thanks

[Anonymous]

If you haven't learnt about colds. you can't magically heal the cold symptoms. There is no medicine to fight the cold. Your body has been infected by a virus and it is working hard to get rid of it. It takes about a week for a cold to fully heal. You start with a sore throat, runny nose, a congested nose, and cough. medicine you take prevents the side effects from showing up whenever you take them but you still actually have the cold. The most important thing to do while your body heals itself is REST. sleep a lot so you can forget about the nasty symptoms as you sleep. This also helps prevent infammation of your cold symptoms which can relay healing process and worsen condition.

some tips are drink lots of water and try to avoid talking or clearing your throat or you will irritate it. Stop trying to blow the life out of your nose during a runny nose. Your body will keep producing bodily fluids in attempt to wash out the virus, wipe off any snots as it drips. If you keep trying to blow as hard as you can knowing nothing is coming out, your nasal will begin to get irritated and inflammed and swell. This makes it hard to breath and casues that blocked congested feeling. Just let your symptoms go by. In the coughing period, you want to avoid coughing hard or your throat will begin to swell and block off your vocal cord making you lose your voice for obvious reasons.

I know it feels very frustrating but you want to just leave you cold to be, so it will take minimal time heal. take meds if you have to but your body will heal on its own.

[NearlyNapping]

It's probably too late, but LOTS of orange juice and vitamin C (more orange juice than you've had). Lots of other liquids also. You really want to do that immediately when you first get the slightest sign. Once you get full blown symptoms it's probably too late. You'll just have to wait it out.

[Asker]

Aw danget

[NearlyNapping]

I don't wanna be the bearer of bad news :(

Keep doing what you're doing though. Keep drinking the OJ and drink lots of other liquids. It can't hurt and might help. But next time, do it as soon as you get any symptoms. Very often the dry sore throat is an early sign. Start the OJ immediately. Also 1000-2000 a day of vitamin C.

Yea I know, it might not be endorsed by medical doctors, but I swear its worked for me consistently - and it sure won't hurt anything.

[Asker]

Ok. Thank you. And the orange juice says 120% so how much is that in other words?

[NearlyNapping]

I assume you mean 120% of the vitamin C requirement. Depending on who you ask, I think the current recommendation is around 75-100 mg per day. So it would be 120% of that.

Around 2000 per day is considered by some as the maximum per day on a regular basis. However you can temporarily go quite a bit higher if you are sick. By quite a bit higher, I mean like 10X that much, but only short term. I wouldn't take that much myself though.

[Asker]

Yeah. More than 120% (1 cup of orange juice) a day?

[burlen]

Yes. You will begin to get better assuming it isn't a flu. You could replace the tea with ginger-lemon tea and honey. My favourite cold relief homemade remedy is warm ginger tea, fresh lemon and honey three to six times a day.

[Asker]

Thank you