Being sick is icky. The last week or so I have been feeling icky sick. Sick and icky. I have a cold. A nasty cold. To say I am "fighting a cold" would be a misnomer as this cold and I have gone nine rounds together and I'm sad to say, it has beat me hands down.
For the first few days The Cold couldn't decide if it wanted to stay or go and just when I thought it was going to depart, it settled in, bags and all and even brought energy bars to keep up its reserves. Having decided to stay, The Cold then had to decide in exactly what location it wanted to set up shop: sinuses, chest, joints and muscle, throat...This took a while, but it finally picked a combination. Fickle Cold. No sense just settling in one area! Not when there's that much Cold Power to spread around!
I don't mean to sound all whiney because many people get colds and have colds a long time. But in my own defense, when I get a cold, it is usually a doozy. No messing around with a slight irritating tickle, or the odd sneeze. No, my colds are full blown and usually long overdue and therefore lengthy affairs, just to make up for lost time. This one seems to be no different. Did I mention how much I hate having a cold?
Because I hate colds so much, and get them so infrequently, I usually don't have much of a pharmaceutical arsenal to fight them with, or if there is some drop of cold medicine in the cupboard, the expiry date is around 2006, the lozenges half melted in their blister pack. And because I live far far away from any drugstore and driving to purchase cold medications is out of the question given that there probably isn't enough oxygen getting to my brain to make driving a safe event, I rely on old-fashioned remedies for relief. So here are a few of them that I use:
- Mustard Plaster: To help break up chest congestion. Mix one tablespoon of dry hot mustard powder mixed with one tablespoon of water (or milk, if you want it hotter) to form a paste. Spread on multiple layers of folded paper towel and wrap in a tea towel and place on chest. DO NOT put the mustard mixture directly on your skin as you will end up with a sunburn like burn, or worse!
- Onion Power: The onion has germ killing properties. Cut up a large onion, skin and all into wedges, exposing as many edges as possible. Put onion in a bowl and place wherever you and The Cold are hanging out to heal or sleep. Replace when onion becomes shrivelled and loses its onion odour.
- Onion Power Plus: Put a few pieces of cut up onion (skin and all) in your socks and pull socks over your feet before bed. Again, the onion has a "drawing" property to rid your body of the cold germs.
To beat The Cold, of course you know to drink plenty of liquids, wash your hands frequently, limit contact with people to stop the spread of germs and get plenty of rest.
There is another home remedy brought to mind that has nothing to do with colds but is something my mother swore by: Black Salve. Hopefully as I go through my collection of archive material that is pending posting I will come across that recipe and share it with you here on this blog.
Hope you are feeling strong and healthy, or at least on your way to that state again!
In Love and Health,
The Recovering Reluctant Archivist
No comments:
Post a Comment