How to kick the crud in the butt
November 18, 2007 | 04:16PM | maudie dot b - gmail d c | |
I survived the ague. In fact I bounced back quicker than I'd anticipated and managed to avoid the second stage of hacking, phlegmy, miserable bronchitis. How'd I do it? Ok. I'll share.
I have sort of a recipe for easing disease. It comes from a socialite acquaintance and is kind of whacky, but I swear it works for me. It's a surefire way of bouncing back fast from a cold - at the very least, it's a whole lotta comfort. For bronchitis, I added another crucial step.
- Cold-Eze lozenges. They contain zinc which boosts your immune system. They helped to ease my sore throat, too. I have also used a compound of zinc and vitamin C which is made by a local pharmacy here.
- Get a good cough syrup. I've used Robitussin - sugarless. This last time I used Tylenol cough and sore throat. It helped me sleep.
- Here's the whacky part - get yourself several pounds of baking soda and salt. For a couple to three nights in a row add three pounds of baking soda and one pound of salt to a very hot bath. Get in and soak for as long as you can. WARNING: If you have a fever, keep it luke warm - it will help to reduce your fever.
- This was the crucial one for me - put yourself to bed, or on the couch, and stay still. DVDs and cable TV are your friends. Books are your friends. Full Tilt is your friend. The point is, I avoided the bronchitis by not doing anything that would trigger a hack attack.
- Drink lots of liquids. Water, tea, soup - helps to keep the throat lubricated.
If you've been waylaid by a virus, it will take about a week for your body to produce enough antibodies to defeat it. Of course, consult your Doctor. I'm not one and have never played one on TV. The above remedy works for me nine times out of ten when I take the time to apply it. This time, I was out of commission for about five days as opposed to seven to ten without the remedy.
If I had to be sick, I'm glad it's over and done with. It would've been a disaster had this hit in a couple of weeks. Now I'm good for the Vegas visit and am so looking forward to it. I'm trying to come up with a bounty for the tournament. I don't think I can top Otis' bounty - but I hope to come up with something creative. Any suggestions? What would you want from a fitty-something Okie gal?
