Leaving next Thurs. for Spain. Am starting to feel the effects of a cold coming on..I've started taking extra vitamin C and some echinacea...any more remedies to rid myself of this beast before next Thursday?!?!

Absinthe maybe

I first read about taking Zicam here on these boards. I fluffed it off at first...but then tried it and it actually does work. My dh laughed at me too, but now he is also convinced. Geez, I sound like a bad infomercial! lol!

Lots of green tea with honey and lemon. Drink it hot.

Tea, vitamin C, echinacea, wash your hands a lot, drink buckets of water, and try to rest and sleep (if possible!).

There is only one treatment,paracetomol and gallons of water.Then try to sweat it out.
I know.. I am doing it now.
Tomorrow it should be gone.
oops.... sorry gotta run for a wee again.

Muck

And nobody mentioned Jewish Penicillin?
Chicken with carrots and celery, and drink as much broth as you can. If it won't help it won't hurt

Drink a lot of water. If the cold is in your throat, don't drink cold drinks. Hot soup, hot tea, plain hot water, hot lemonade, hot broth, hot herb tea are all good. You might also drink some Marsala wine (Sicilian penicillin).

Try Tylenol for Colds. In Canada, it comes in a day and a night version or in a mixed day/night pack.

In addition to paracetamol, it contains something like "pseudo-epinephrine" (sp?). The real thing is considered dangerous (although over-the-counter cold remedies in Italy contain it), but the pseudo version works just as well: it dries up your mucous membranes and lets you breathe. The night version contains something like codeine, which knocks you out and lets you sleep quite nicely.

thanks..haven't heard of paracetomol or zicam - are they over the counter or prescription drugs??

Paracetamol is the European name for the active ingredient in Tylenol.

Zicam is over the counter. I think it is actually called a homeopathic. Anyway, it is usually right in the cold remedy section of the pharmacies.

I haven't had a cold in years, yet I felt the sniffles on the plane to Frankfurt last month. Fortunately I had grabbed the box of Zicam just before leaving home and shoved it into my carry-on. (I'd learned of it on this board and bought for my wife and/or son and not for myself.)

Once we were in the rental car and on the autobahn, I reached back and into my bag while driving and got one of those nose swabs and inhaled. It was 2pm and I took another dose at 6 and at 10. I had a comfortable night and in the morning, presto! No cold!

Amazing.

Zicam sounds perfect! Just phoned our pharmacy and they've never heard of it! Guess it hasn't hit Canada yet. Wish I was closer to the border!

Another vote for Zicam!!! It's over-the-counter & costs about $10USD for a small bottle (it is considered a homeopathic but sold in mainstream drug stores; it is a zinc nasal spray). It is the one & only thing I have found that actually lessens symptoms and shortens time of a cold/flu, if not preventing it entirely from coming on. It's fairly new on the market in the past few years.

If not Zicam (name brand) you might try anything that is a 'zinc' product, spray, swabs, even tablets.

Try Emer'gen-C ....I know they have it at whole foods and walmart...not sure where else. It's a little packet you mix with water..has lots of vitamins.

I use a 4 pronged attack - Zicam, Cold-Eze tablets, Echinacea, and vitamin C. This knocks out about 70% of all my colds.
Warning, there is some controversy on Zicam damaging your olifactory nerves, but I believe this is very rare and due to misuse. I've used it when needed for a few years with nothing but success.

Get adequate rest.
Drink plenty of liquids--tea, water, especialy.
Change the pillowcase.
Start using a fresh toothbrush.

Well, maybe those last two aren't remedies but it won't hurt to get rid of the old ones. (Can germs lurk in 'em?)

Feel better!

You sure it's a cold? If you live in the Great Lakes region like I do it could be allergies - ragweed is killer right now and it's killing me! The best remedy in that case is a change of climates, and Spain might be just what you need.