By Sisters in Law Blog Staff

It is that time of year, either you are dying from painful allergies or you are one of the first to succumb to the cold and flu season. One of us (Puja) is really terrified about antibiotic resistance, so we thought we would put together some of our favorite weapons to fight the icks (short of antibiotics).  Not all home remedies are created equal, and often they don’t provide any real healing, but provide comfort and peace of mind. Please go to the doctor if you need to, do not rely on our remedies to cure you, they are just what comforts us and helps us feel better. If you try one of these, and don’t get better, that ain’t on us, you need to consult with a trained medical professional about any treatment plan.

This week’s question was

Q: Outside of breaking down and going to the doctor to get meds or the flu shot, how do you combat the sniffles?

Puja

When I get sick, I am a miserable person to be around; I tend to avoid it at all costs. I shove so much echinacea, zinc, and vitamin C down my throat, it is ridiculous. I stay hydrated more than usual, get lots of sleep, and drink lots of hot tea. I also do this weird thing if I am getting a sore throat, where I will manually swab my throat (epiglottis, uvula, and tonsils) with cotton-swab coated in Listerine…to kill any germs incubating there. If my throat hurts from coughing, I will drink honey mixed with warm lime juice.

Sneha

My allergies are insane, and I look like effing Rudolph [the red-nosed reindeer]. I use lots of Vicks, like everywhere. Afrin is AMAZING, also warm salt-water gargles, and I pop vitamin C like tic-tacs. Oh and this is the best: warm up ghee, mix in salt, tumeric powder and water…warm it up and then add honey. Tastes yuck but works! I’m getting some now.

Laura

I play the martyr and suffer in silence while grossing people out with the sound of blowing my nose. After 2-3 days, I admit to myself (only) there is a problem and live on DayQuil or NyQuil, the good Kleenex, real soda (NOT diet) and chocolate.

Rashee

For prevention:

1. Juice an entire lemon
2. One tablespoon of honey
3. 10-ish ounces of hot water

Drink it EVERY morning.

And when I am Legit sick:

1. Go to bed at 9pm
2. Chicken soup for lunch and dinner (I love soup though, this is joyful for me)
3. Drink at least 64 ounces of water daily to include multiple cups of Yogi ginger tea and Rishi tumeric tea.

Mey:

I keep on trucking…and intake more liquids (water, soup, and hot tea). And try to get more sleep. I used to try to go to the gym and sweat it out, but Hubs told me that’s poor gym etiquette.

 

Nancy:

I self-medicate and hydrate typically. If worse comes to worse, provide all my symptoms to my personal PA and have her recommend and prescribe accordingly.

 

Like with all group posts, we hope you share your home remedies in the comments or our facebook page.

National Influenza Vaccination Week isn’t until December 4-10, 2016, until then stay well!