FitSugar

Soothe Your Cold Symptoms With This Yummy Beverage

FitSugar — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:00:00 -0800

There may not be a cure for the common cold, but we've learned the basic steps to overcoming a cold: Plenty of rest and fluids. There's now scientific research that says warm drinks are capable of treating cold and flu symptoms, and this beverage concoction from Slashfood seems perfect for cheering you up when you're down with a miserable cold.

The simple recipe is a fun alternative to try when you've already guzzled eight cups of tea and are craving something different. Give it a go next time you're under the weather; all you need is honey, ginger, and lemon. Follow Slashfood's instructions, and you should be on your way to taming your cold symptoms.

Grate a half-inch chunk of ginger into a large mug.
Squeeze the juice of half a lemon in on top (you can also add the zest if you're feeling daring).
Add a heaping teaspoonful of honey (feel free to adjust the sweetness level to your personal taste).
Fill the cup with boiling water and stir to combine. Drink while still warm and repeat as necessary.

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Coming Down With a Cold? Drink Up

FitSugar — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 09:00:09 -0800

Contracting a cold isn't the worst thing in the world, but it sure isn't pleasant. The sniffling, sneezing, and sore throat make life temporarily uncomfortable, and new research says that easing those symptoms could be as simple as hydrating with hot beverages.

It's hard to believe that it's brand new research, considering generations of caretakers have stood by this advice, but Cardiff University's Common Cold Centre claims it's the first scientific study of its kind. Thirty volunteers were given apple and blackcurrant drinks served at room temperature or hot, and the group experienced immediate relief from coughing, sore throat, chilliness, and tiredness. After 15 minutes, they noticed relief from a running nose and sneezing.

The study noted, "In conclusion, the results support the folklore that a hot tasty drink is a beneficial treatment for relief of most symptoms of common cold and flu." Make your beverages hot the next time you're sniffling your way through a cold - maybe you'll go through fewer tissues!

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The Skinny On: Echinacea

FitSugar — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 09:00:00 -0800

When I was in college, come cold and flu season, all the hippies I knew started taking their echinacea herbal remedies to boost their immune system. It was like clock work. When I tried it my reaction was just icky-nacea since the taste was so bad.

Well, my tune has changed, at least slightly. Several controlled studies have found that the herb can reduce symptoms of the common cold as well as shorten a cold's duration. That was good news for my runny nose. It is important that the echinacea is prepared as an alcohol extract or a pressed juice.

A bummer for my dear hippie friends, no evidence has been found that echinacea prevents colds or bolsters the immune system. So there is no need to take it on a regular basis to enhance your immunity. I will use anything I can to make my colds shorter. How about you?

Carded for Claritin?

FitSugar — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 03:00:00 -0800

The other day I was having a really bad allergic reaction to my friend's Springer Spaniel. Nothing a little over-the-counter Claritin wouldn't fix.

But when I went to pick it up at the drugstore, there was a little card on the shelf that stood in place of the box. It said something like, "You must pick up this medicine at the register."

When I got up to the counter, and gave them my card, they asked to see my license. I asked, "Are you carding me?" And the woman said that they're required to write down my name and other info, to make sure that I'm not buying an obscene amount. She said that kids are buying mass quantities of allergy and cold medicine to make it into meth.

Apparently many companies are joining the fight on methamphetamine. Chains such as Target and Wal-Mart are restricting access to drugs containing pseudoephedrine.

Fit's Tip: There may be a restriction where you get your medicine, or a rule about how many boxes you can buy. This can be really annoying if you have a family and need to buy different kinds (like day-time, night-time, kids, non-drowsy, drowsy). Bring someone along if you need to purchase different kinds of cold, cough, or allergy meds.

Home Remedies: Cold and Flu

FitSugar — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0800

The colors of Autumn might be lovely, but a few things about the season actually bring me down. I am talking about cold and flu season. If you're unlucky enough to have come down with some bug, you might be able to soothe some of your ailments with ingredients you have in your pantry. Prevention has listed some home remedies for common cold symptoms, and here are the highlights.

Soothe that sore throat: Mix six pressed garlic cloves with hot water, and gargle with this garlic tea twice a day, for three days. The warm liquid soothes inflamed tissues, while the garlic has antimicrobial properties that fight pain-causing bacteria.

Bring down a fever: Try drinking linden flower tea. It controls your body temperature by stimulating the hypothalamus, and also dilates your blood vessels and induces sweating. Pick up the dried herb at a health food store or herb shop. Steep one tablespoon of dried linden flower in a cup of hot water for 15 minutes. Stash makes a linden flower tea, too. Drink this tea three to four times a day. If your fever is over 102° F, take a tepid bath to cool off the body.

To see how you can dull your hacking cough with a few sweet things, just read more.

Suppress a cough: Eating a bit of dark chocolate can help your cough. Theobromine, a compound found in chocolate, has been found to be even more effective than codeine for suppressing coughs, and it won't make you drowsy or constipated. You can also tame your cough with honey. Before bed take two teaspoons of honey and take 500 mg of Ester C 30 minutes prior to lying down to quiet your cough and give your immune system a little lift.

If you have any home remedies for cold symptoms, please share them in the comment section below.

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Echinacea: Herbal Cold Remedy Vindicated

FitSugar — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 01:50:00 -0700

Cold and flu season has been officially over for weeks, if not months. However, if you have ever suffered through a summer cold, the new findings on the herb echinacea will certainly be of interest to you.

A new reveiw of 14 clinical studies published in the British Journal "Lancet Infectious Diseases" indicates that echinacea cuts the chance of catching a cold by 58% and can reduce the duration of colds by about a day and a half.

These findings directly contradict last year's study by the National Institute of Health which found echinacea to be ineffective in protecting against the common cold and reducing cold symptoms. The American Botanical Council feels the dosage of the herb used in the NIH tests were too low and this new analysis of past studies obviously indicates that further studies are needed. Especially since the active ingredient of echinacea, derived from the Purple Cone Flower, is still unknown. Also unknown is that proper dosage of echinacea and the most effective form of the herb to take.

So the controversy continues and hopefully we will see more research on this immunostimulating drug soon. Hopefully we will have some answers before the next cold and flu season is upon us.

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Do You Use Herbal Remedies?

FitSugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:00:56 -0800

I ran into a friend this week who was on his way to an herbal medicine shop to bulk up on tinctures and teas because his wife is sick.

I've dabbled a little bit with herbal remedies - ginger for an upset stomach and echinacea for a cold - but not to the extent that he and his wife do. He said that for minor illnesses they only use herbal remedies, and that they're more effective than drugstore meds.

I'm still dubious about herbal remedies because the research is a bit spotty, but I think there may be some benefits to their use. What do you think of them? If you've had any experiences with using herbal remedies, share your thoughts in the comments section.

Zicam Cold Medicine Pulled From Shelves

FitSugar — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:45:00 -0700

Earlier today, the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning for consumers to stop using Zicam Cold Remedy nasal gel, as well as adult and kid-size Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Swabs.

The over-the-counter, homeopathic cold medicine contains zinc and can cause long-lasting or permanent loss of smell. Since 1999, the FDA has received 130 reports of loss of smell associated with these Zicam products. In a few cases the loss of smell occurred after the first usage.

To see why the FDA never formally approved Zicam, read more.

The FDA never formally approved Zicam, marketed as a cold remedy to reduce symptoms like sore throat and stuffy nose, since homeopathic remedies are not required to go under federal review before launching. Because of this, the FDA is not initiating a formal recall, but has sent Matrixx, the makers of Zicam, a formal warning letter. Zicam products represented 40 percent of the company's sales for last year. Although Matrixx has settled hundreds of Zicam lawsuits over the years, the company said it will consider withdrawing the products, and has halted shipments of Zicam products. Matrixx claims that Zicam is “supported by the cumulative science and has been confirmed by a multidisciplinary panel of scientists.” The FDA responded that they were unaware of any data to support the health claims made about product.

Have you ever used Zicam? If so, how is your sense of smell?

Home Remedy: Soothe Sore Throats

FitSugar — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 10:15:00 -0800

Sore throats are a common side effect of colds and flu, but also of dry, over-heated homes. Postnasal drip from colds and open-mouth breathing due to nasal congestion can both create sore throats. Although sore throats like these are generally worse in the morning and calm down as the day progresses, it is still nice to soothe the pain. At least you can swallow without pain and eat. Here are some home remedies for soothing a sore throat:

Gargle several times a day with warm salt water using 1/2 tsp. of salt in 1 cup warm water.
Some people find relief by gargling warm water mixed with cayenne, but do not exceed 1/8 tsp. of the hot stuff. The pepper acts like an anesthetic and numbs the pain.
Tea or simply warm water sweetened with honey, which can help relieve coughing, too.
Combine many of the above treatments together and add some vinegar! This spicy, old home remedy is made by adding one tsp. of apple-cider vinegar, a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper, juice from 1/4 lemon, and one tsp. honey to a cup of hot water. Drink four cups per day.

To see a few more soothing techniques, just read more

Cold liquids or popsicles help some sore throats and this is a winning technique with children, young and old.
Sucking on hard candies or throat lozenges (I like Ricola cough drops) can be very soothing, because it increases saliva production and helps keep the throat moist.
Use a cool-mist vaporizer or humidifier to moisten and sooth a dry and painful throat.
You can always try over-the-counter pain medications, such as acetaminophen to help dull the pain.

Not all sore throats can be treated or cured with home remedies. Please review this post When a Sore Throat Needs Medical Attention for symptoms that should send you to a doctor.

Do you have a home remedy for sore throats. Tell me about it in the comments section below.

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Coughing Kid? Try a Spoonful of Honey

FitSugar — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 02:00:00 -0800

Since the FDA released a public health advisory warning parents not to give their children cold medicine, kids sick with colds and associated coughs suffered many sleepless nights. So did their parents. Luckily a new study found that honey is close to nature's own cough syrup. Yep, a spoonful of honey eases nighttime coughing in children better than the cough syrup ingredient dextromethorphan. This is great news for parents and kids alike!

It is believed that honey helps ease coughs for a variety of reasons. It not only soothes sore throats, but honey is also high in antioxidants and has antimicrobial effects. I guess if you are using honey as cough syrup, you really won't need a "spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down!"

If you are interested in the recommended dosage, just read more

Children ages two to five = 1/2 teaspoon
Children ages six to eleven = 1 teaspoon
Children twelve and older = 2 teaspoons

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