In Search Of: Natural Remedy for a Bad, Bad Cold

Yes, you have the right blog. No, you haven’t accidentally stumbled upon Veggie Chic or the Daily Tomorrow (although I recommend you do if you aren’t familiar with them).

Here’s the situation: I have been talking/writing/posting so much about environmental factors and toxins and how they relate to fertility, I am loathe to head out to the CVS to purchase any unnatural remedies or quick fixes for this hellacious cold I seem to have acquired. In previous experiments with fertility drugs, I know I had to call my doctor before ingesting any over the counter pills to make sure they didn’t interfere with the stuff they were putting in me. While I am totally not on any fert. meds now, why not just get into the habit of trying to make myself better without investing more dollars into big pharmaceutical companies. Lordessa knows, they already have us over a barrel with the infertility thing.

Symptoms: very stuffed nose. Sometimes totally congested. Other times, running like a faucet. Beginnings of a sore throat – probably due to the amount of time my mouth has been open trying to swallow air. Pressure and pain in all sinus cavities. So, a big, fat headache. Tasty, I know!

Here’s what I’ve tried today so far:

• lots and lots of herbal tea
• homemade lentil soup – the process of chopping 3 onions and 4 cloves of garlic in itself felt pretty mucous-freeing
• snorting hot water
• applying acupressure to these four points
• hot shower
• hot washcloths placed on face
• homemade hot water bottle created by putting near-boiling water in my platypus backpack and sticking it on my head
• a CVS-brand breathe right strip on my nose (so, it’s neither menthol-ly good or adhesive like the real ones. That’ll show me to save a buck)
• Last straw: menthol ointment on my chest and under my nose. My husband says I am now glowing.

So, as you can see, I am willing to experiment. With the exception of the fake breathe right strip, all of these have offered temporary relief. But I’m looking for a long term fix.

I need healed y’all and I need your help. Think back to what your momma and your momma’s momma did for you. And please, if you are feeling generous and kind, please share it with me.