6 Mostly Scientific Ways to Fight a Cold Naturally (Plus: What Do You Do?)
Happy cold and flu season!
Here’s something I think about every day: When it comes to my health, I’m really pretty lucky. I almost never get sick. I’ve never broken a bone. For years I was convinced that as a little girl, I’d dislocated my shoulder playing Ring Around the Rosie, but that one didn’t make it through fact checking (my mom). Turns out I just did the fall-down part too early and my shoulder got yanked. It hurt, and we went to the hospital, but I was fine.* Fine.
I know how rare this is. I work at a major health magazine, Prevention, where we think about the diseases that affect our readers—and Americans in general—every single day. (Come to our website! I’m biased but it’s awesome.) We run this healthy-living and beauty site in our spare time. And I’ve seen so much illness in my own family that I don’t know where to begin, nor do I want to. Point is, I’m blessed and I’m grateful.
That’s why it’s sort of lame that I become a big fat whiny baby every time I feel a slight burn behind my eyes or a tickle in my throat. No one especially likes getting sick the same way no one especially likes raw eggplant, or condoms, or conference calls. But I know plenty of people who tolerate the common cold better than I do. Me, I panic, then I pull out all the stops. I’d invent my own snake oil and buy it from myself at a premium if I thought it would work.
I don’t have to, though, because I’ve come to rely on a few strategies that I’m convinced make a huge difference. Being proactive about health and focusing on prevention whenever possible is my MO. But am I actually onto something or is this just another episode of Siobhan Plays Placebo and Hopes For the Best?
I decided to, like my mom, do a little fact checking. Here, the 6 tricks I use to fight off colds—plus, a little research to confirm how on (or off) the mark these natural tricks are. Here’s what I found.
1. Ginger everything Health nuts love to put the stuff in their tea and smoothies when they’re getting sick so I was shocked to find that science doesn’t appear to support it. There’s some decent data that says it’s helpful for nausea, morning sickness, upset stomach etc. There’s also great new research about its possible ability to blast cancerous cells. But it’s not, from what I can tell, the everyday “immune booster” we like to think it is. That being said, I go crazy on the stuff whenever I feel a little something coming on. The other night, I made carrot-ginger soup and ate it at every meal for three days. Today, I asked the juice lady to put extra ginger in my smoothie. Before bed tonight, I’ll probably grate some into a mug of piping-hot water. I don’t know if it works, but I think it does. Tasty, too.
2. Hope Gillerman’s Travel Remedy We have told you before how much we love Hope’s essential oil blends. I keep a few handy, and as soon as the season started changing here in New York, I was super drawn to her Travel Remedy. I’d heard it could help with seasonal shifts, but I thought that was mostly in promoting wakefulness when it’s dark out and deeper sleep at night. I’ve used it for jet lag in the past (it works), but a few weeks ago, I started massaging some of this oil to my chest and shoulders before I shower in the morning. It smells unreal, and it’s a lovely way to start the day, but I wanted to know if I was onto something or just flying by the seat of my pants for no reason. Here’s what Hope said:
“You are not just placebo-ing. You are using a perfect oil to support the immune system and ward off cold and flu this time of year!”
Oh reeeeeally. Here’s what else she said: “Litsea, the lemony oil you smell, is an important oil when you get sick during seasonal change or when weather becomes damp and cold. Plus this blend is antibacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral for super immune support.” Well I’ll be damned. I’m 1 for 2.
3. Sleep Right. So when I feel like I’m getting sick, I tend to cancel plans a lot, drink less wine, and sleep more. I believe this works, and science supports me on that. You know this already, and I do too.
4. Massage, yoga, sex I lump these together because they have proven immune-boosting benefits, can help balance your hormones, and feel really, really good. As long as you have enough energy to make it to class or the spa, or have a buddy around who isn’t a germophobe, I say it’s worth a shot. No hard science on cold-prevention, though.
5. Honey You already know that honey is antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral. So at the very first sign of any throat discomfort, I recommend sucking on a spoonful of raw honey (with the propolis and enzymes, naturally). The science here is equivocal, but it’s been a folk remedy for millennia, and I think history might beat peer-reviewed double blinds in this case. And if you’re already sick, a cool new study showed it to be an effective cough suppressant, too.
6. Turning your head when other people cough or sneeze. I dug up an interesting bit of research that supports my very strong urge to move to another car on the train when some guy sneezes not into his shirt sleeve. We’re coded to react this way in order to protect ourselves from catching whatever contagious sick people have. Another bit I heard recently—from an expert, though I don’t have the supporting research—is that turning away your face when someone coughs or sneezes can mean the difference between feeling fine and wasting a weekend in cold-and-flu hell. That’s because your eyes, nose and mouth are how most bad airborne germs make their way into your body. Shield these three entry points and you have a better chance of staying healthy.
So I’m 4 for 6. Your turn! What do you swear by to fight off colds—or cure them once they’ve started? Everyone does something. DIY? OTC? Herbs? Magical spells? We want to know what YOU do.
* Yes, I knocked wood like 10 times while writing this paragraph.
Crop of one of my favorite Richard Prince paintings, Nurse In Love, via his site
To prevent colds, I take vitamin D on a regular basis and try to get enough sleep and of course eat healthy. If I get a cold, I swear by the Nett pot and miso vegetable soup. My favorite is from South River Miso.
Even though ginger doesn’t immune-boost, it’s about the spiciest thing I can handle and it seems to have a little bit of that nice sinus-clearing effect (also helps the nausea from post-nasal drip. Ugh.)
I load up on honey, steam, any vitamin I can get my hands on (gummy D’s!), maybe a little apple cider vinegar. If I’m feeling bad enough to justify a few oregano-flavored burps I’ll take some Oil of Oregano capsules (which have been proven to kill bacteria as well as, or better than, antibiotics…and supposedly is anti-viral and anti-fungal too. I don’t know how much that’s really true when you’re taking it orally, but if it’s a placebo I’d rather not be disillusioned because it seems to help.) And then I pretty much just sleep and whine a lot. Also, hot baths- raising your body temperature is supposed to act a bit like a fever and help kill some germs off, and also it just feels nice.
I’m the HUGEST baby about getting sick… and hence a total germaphobe. I wash my hands constantly when I’m out of the house and I’ve trained myself pretty well not to eat or touch my face without washing them first. I use hand sanitizer if I need to eat and can’t wash ‘em after handling money or credit card swipers or door knobs. I work at home so I’m not really around people’s germs that often, which is probably not great for my immune system, but does seem to keep me from getting sick too super often. I’m also really good at giving dirty looks to the people who go out in public while they’re sick ;-P
1. I amp up my intake of Barleygrass powder, I usually add it to a blend of pear, ginger and frozen blueberries and add a bit of agave nectar for sweetness.
2. Drink endless chamomile tea and manuka honey with lemon and ginger.
3. Eat homemade organic chicken soup with barley or brown rice miso.
4. Take Aconite homeopathic remedy as soon as I feel it coming on, ditto with the echinacea.
5. Take more Biokult – it’s a really amazing probiotic that actually repopulates your gut with good bacteria and as the gastrointestinal tract plays a massive part in your health and immune system it’s probably more important than anything!
6. Do steam inhales with lavender, eucalyptus or camphor.
7. Try to avoid other people so I don’t pass it on!
8. Take some really strong painkillers if I feel terrible, no point in suffering.
On the whole I get a proper cold once every couple of years, this year I’ve been sicker than ever before due to a nightmare spiral of acne, infections, antibiotics, diet changes and stress. Really made me realise how lucky I’ve been and that health is truly the first wealth.
Uuuugh! Colds! I have been fighting a nasty one for a week now – ever since coming back from Paris to a sick kid. I know, it’s a tough life. But seriously, jet lag is terrible for the immune system, plus, having early mornings with the kid, full-time work, not-too-early nights and a weekend full of playdates definitely interferes with the whole “rest, sleep and relaxaion” element of getting over a cold that is just so very important.
I am generally obsessive about herbs and supplements (some of you have heard my proselytizing on the subject of using herbs and supplements to treat migraines), so I’m actually a bit annoyed that I even got sick in the first place. When I am sick, I continue using the same immuno-boosting supplements I usually take (currenyly, they are New Chapter Immunity, which contains reishi and a bunch of other mushrooms; astragalus; and Gaia Herbs Adrenal Support, which has rhodiola, ashwagantha, shizandra and few other good things) and supplement with eldeberry syrup, honey (raw/local and/or manuka) and essential oils (Baraka Sinus Support, Annie de Mamiel Altitude Oil and good ole’ Olbaz). Oh, and I have been using the Hope Gillerman Travel Remedy because, well, I was traveling, but it didn’t prevent me from getting sick. Boooo! That said, I think it was just my time to get sick and the H. Gillerman stuff smells gorgeous, so I continue using it for the pure indulgence factor.
It’s a shame about ginger not being any good for colds, but I do find that ginger tea is fabulous for warming me up when I get the icky cold chills (or freeze in my horribly cold office). Plus, I find that the Organic Avenue Dragon Breath shot, which contains ginger juice, lemon juice and cayenne is amazing for clearing blocked sinuses and helping a sore throat. Oh AND! NETI POT!!! Ahem. Sorry for shouting, but my neti pot is an absolute lifesaver! I use mine with the Baraka essential oil infused salt and it makes a tremendous difference. Gah! You’d think with all of this arsenal at my disposal I’d be able to kick a cold in less than a week?! Here’s hoping the weekend will sort me out!
I am currently sick. SICK! Last night I had the chills accompanied by a fever, muscle aches and a terrible headache that left me weak, listless and about as much fun as Tom Hanks stranded alone on an island giving himself a dental extraction. What did I do? Nothing. I cried and complained and begged for sympathy from my partner who is away on business and was nervous of the fallout therefore had little to advise except, “Drink some tea.”
This morning, I chopped up an organic lemon and infused it in raw honey (the propolis and royal jelly on top is a good sign) with a few sprigs of thyme and several cloves of garlic. My Grandmother used to do “weird” things like this when I was little and because I thought she was the equivalent to Marie Curie (the Spanish version) I took her natural cold remedies without complaint. I’m hoping that the next time I’m sick this infusion will comfort my throat and fight bacteria buildup. For now, I will make myself crazy tea and throw in all of the above as well as ginger, turmeric, and licorice root and sip that throughout the day. I may cry a little more and order some chicken soup and peanut butter/chocolate ice cream. Hope this works!
BTW, being sick is boring and who has the time! Bleh!
This couldn’t have come at a better time!
On top of every method listed above, I’m also super-strict with my oil pulling regime (coconut oil, right before bed, 20 minutes, non-negotiable during cold and flu season!). I also increase my Vit. D, take oil of oregano twice a day, and make very good use of the elderberry syrup in my fridge.
Wishing you all good health!
I’m a total wuss when it comes to getting sick too. My go-to’s when I feel something coming on are Yogi Cold Season tea with raw organic honey and a lemon wedge in it – I drink a few cups throughout the day and I swear it kicks my oncoming cold most of time. I increase my green smoothie and lemon water intake, hoping tons of vitamins will magically cure me. I also take this stuff called Kick-Ass Immunity… not sure if it’s available everywhere, it’s made locally where I live, but I think it’s a blend of liquid herbs and it helps kick things before they start too. When all else fails I go to this apothecary nearby, tell the girls at the counter my symptoms, and they make these magical blends of herbs that I steep in a tea. After my last trip to the doctor resulted in a huge bill and no cure, I got some tea from them and I felt better in 2 days. Now I trust herbs over any doctor!
I always question if it’s a placebo effect too, but this seems to work for me :)
constant obsessive hand washing! no soap, just warm water and scrubbing. I believe that’s why I was the only person in my office who didn’t get the flu 2 weeks ago (personal triumph)!
I second the handwashing! That and staying hydrated.
If anyone remembers Dr. Leo Buscaglia, (aka The Hug Doctor or the Love Doctor, I don’t recall which), he swore by garlic. His mother would make him (and his siblings) wear garlic around their necks during cold and flu season and they would eat it like crazy. He said they probably smelled so bad that no one wanted to get near them, but it worked. I can’t vouch for this method, and I’m not Italian, but I thought I would share it anyway.
I’m really big on prevention.
1) I wash my hands very often (especially when I come home, or after public transit)
2) Avoid touching your face/bitting your nails (bonus is fewer pimples)
3) Lots of sleep. I decided to trade an hour of procrastination/internet surfing for an hour of sleep this fall.
4) A multivitamin daily
5) Clearing my nose with netti/spray. It seems to always start in my nose.
When the common cold hits, I drink lots of fluids and sleep it off.
I use a homemade recipe for gløgg, a Norwegian non-alcoholic Christmas drink loaded with spices. The same recipe can also be used for making fantastic homemade chai! Boil 1 cinnamon stick, 1/2 tsp cardamom seeds, 2 slices of ginger, and 1/2 tsp whole cloves in a pot of water. It can be used right away, or let it sit for an hour for more flavour. To make the “gløgg” you mix it with a couple tbsp of blackcurrant syrup (contains some vitamin C), or to make chai steep a bag of black tea in the mixture. You can also just add foamed milk to make chai latte, my favourite!! I’ve read that cinnamon, ginger and cloves are all antibacterial, and it seems to work well when you feel you are getting sick.
I’m lucky, I rarely get sick and it’s pretty mild when I do. I try to get into the habit of prevention-y stuff but I always forget to do it.
For me, prevention means taking care of myself all the time. Keep stress to a reasonable minimum, sleep as much as possible, eat a diet full of all kinds of fruits and veggies and other good whole foods. Exercise regularly, unless I’m feeling under the whether in which case I skip exercise for extra sleep. Drink warm water and teas when it’s cold out, dress appropriately for the whether. I do take Vitamin D as soon as fall hits because there’s barely any sun in my state between October and May.
That’s all so commonplace and boring but it works for me. Nothing super fancy here. I feel like sleep, managing stress, and vegetables are all pretty key to me and as long as I have those, I’m good. *knock on wood*
I haven’t been sick in about two and a half years, which is amazing for me. I used to get sick every other month! But that was a way unhealthier time for me. Now I swear by Flora’s Olbas Oil. Taking a few moments just to breathe it in through my nose, and dropping a few drops on my shirts neckline reverses that beginning of a cold feeling that I feel in the back of my throat. Really, it works amazingly for me. There have been a few times in the past month where I felt my throat start to hurt which always always signals that I’m getting a full cold. But using this oil totally reverses it.
I also add extra hot honey and lemon water to my day, but I drink that daily anyway.
I was constantly sick as a kid. Poor diet, exposure to second hand smoke, general ickiness. Eating well, getting enough sleep, and compulsively washing my hands several times a day keep me very healthy now, and if I do get sick, it seems to pass quickly. Ginger and honey (not necessarily together) are key as well. I always use gentle soap to wash my hands. Never anything antibacterial, etc., never hand sanitizers. Soap and water, scrub, scrub, scrub. In addition to staying mostly healthy, if I do get sick, I don’t usually spread illness to other people, even the people who live and work with me.
I am a big believer in ginger juice. It may not actually boost the immune system according to research, but what it does do is kick the crap out of anything that’s starting up in my throat. Sometimes I gargle, mostly I swallow, and it’s good for nausea/upset tummy too. The thing is, you have to make it very strong. When I give people some of my juice, I say, you’ll think I’m trying to kill you for the first 30 seconds, then you’ll say ahhhhhhhhhh. I chop up a cup or two of fresh ginger, put it in the Vitamix, cover with filtered water about an inch or two above the ginger, then squeeze through a nut milk bag. I try to make a weekly batch and take sips morning and/or evening, more often if I actually feel something coming. More often than not this works, or at a minimum soothes any irritation while I recover. I used to have sore throats on a regular basis, but no more since the ginger juice.
Every time I get sick, which tends to happen more often than I’d like in the winter time, I immediately go for the oregano oil. Has to be 100% pure, and I go for the liquid stuff. A few drops under the tongue washed away with some juice (to kill the taste!) is my ritual, and I swear by it! It has tons of anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. I also down tons of echinacea tea and raw honey, plus lots of sleep!
Since going vegan 6 years ago my immunity to the colds that spread like wildfire around my coworkers really boosted. Then, about 3 years ago when I further shifted to a whole-foods-plant-based diet (no processed vegan junk, pretty much all homemade food from scratch, high on nutrients and low on refined ingredients), I noticed I just about never get sick anymore. I’m knocking wood because I’m currently pregnant and, so they say, therefore somewhat immune compromised, but so far I’ve only dealt with one mild cold during my six months of pregnancy. I’ve never had the flu as an adult, despite never having a flu shot and working among healthcare workers who are highly exposed to just about everything that goes around. (But, being pregnant, I’m about to go get my first flu shot ever, just in case!)
Anyway, all that to say prevention in the form of as many fruits, veggies, legumes, starches, and whole grains as possible has been my sure-fire way to go! I don’t really have too many tips on fighting a bug that’s coming on, though, as I almost never find myself in that situation!
Nothing groundbreaking, but they all really help:
Neti pot (Many, many times a day.)
Lemon tea with honey
Ginger tea with honey
Apple cider
Doubling up my cold liver oil capsules (vitamins A & D) & vitamin C pills.
And, our recent addition: chicken soup! Laugh it up. I didn’t like chicken noodle soup (noodles always get mooshy), but we made it with chicken broth, store-bought chicken wontons (not a vegetarian, obviously), and piles of garlic, oregano & green onions. It really, really helps. I have great ideas about slicing up loaves of bread, too!
My go to’s are lemon ginger tea, Zinc + Vit C, echinacea tea, and anything that makes me feel good. Usually a lot of fruit and healing broths from Nourishing Traditions cookbook. The Zinc + Vit C combo really does shorten the length of a cold/flu. The broths are sometimes vegetarian, for me I do think some animal fat/protein helps with my healing. I also try to sleep as much as possible. I’ll use a neti pot then do a steam inhale with ecualyptus and peppermint EOs to open up my clogged nose if I’m really bad. Also, Nacetyl cysteine (NAC) is amazing for supporting mucus membranes and decongestion. I’ll take 1800mg when i’m really feeling clogged sinuses. When I was a kiddo, my dad, a chiropractor, used to massage our lymph nodes at the base of the skull on the back of the neck when we’d start getting sick. Turns out if they are really sore, they are clogged. I like to do a little hunt for all the sore lymph nodes, Giving them a massage helps the lymph get flowing!
@LC, I had a similar experience with going vegan. Huge difference in my resistance and resiliency.
I second veganism/whole foods diet for immunity. I rarely get sick, and when I do it’s usually around a time that I’ve slacked in my diet/had excess stress/etc.
I second Zinc! 50mg per day until the cold has subsided, but be sure to take it with food or it will lay you out flat on your back with horrible nausea. (Zinc is also great for acne-prone skin).
I also try and load up on vitamin C by eating lots of greens and citrus. Echinacea-lemon tea, or any kind of tea helps mask symptoms and keeps them from worsening. I also love using a neti pot to clear the sinuses at least twice per day with boiled then cooled saline solution. This is great to do awhile before bed because I always have trouble falling asleep when I’m congested.
I sleep as much as I can, see my chiropractor for an adjustment, boil ginger root for ginger tea, stay warm, eat loads of fruits and vegetables and cancel any non-necessary appointments. And generally try to be kind to my body until I feel better :) Although I rarely get sick these days (also knocking on wood).
I think when you get a cold/the flu it’s as much about comfort remedies as hard science – you have to have things that make you feel good! For me it’s:
1. Echinacea (for prevention as well as cure) on top of my usual multivitamins and acidophilous
2. A spoonful of honey and cinnamon if I’m getting a sore throat
3. Pear juice mixed with hot water (recommended by my acupuncturist)
4. ‘Potion’ – a recipe given to me by a Ghanaian friend. You boil up stem ginger, lemon slices and a couple of cloves for about an hour, strain it and drink it with honey. SO good!
5. Stay in lots and get plenty of rest.
Liking the Richard Prince nurse by the way!
I never get the flu (thank you, vaccines), but colds are the bane of my existence.
To prevent them, I dress warmly. I know that not everyone agrees that this helps, but I truly believe it does. At any rate, it can’t hurt. I also try to stay away from sick children (they are the worst when it comes to spreading bug!!!), and wash my hands with soap (the cold virus is airborne though, so washing hands only gets me so far).
Once I actually do have a cold, the fun part starts. ;) I usually stay home for at least a day, and drink only juice (so much more soothing to the throat than water or milk!). The moment my nose starts running, I use an antihistamine (Claritin, it makes it stop running for 24 hours), and a nasal decongestant in spray form (store brand, don’t remember the active ingredient, but it is effective within 1 minute and the effect lasts for 12 hours). Bone and joint pain gets taken care of by Advil, and a bad cough might warrant DM syrup. Oh yeah, and I forgot: gargling with warm salt water can really help a lingering sore throat!
At the end of the day, though, it’s all about letting it run its course, because it’s a virus and there’s no cure for it… :S
Being sick isn’t that bad. Sickness is good training for the body to heal itself naturally. The media makes everyone so scared of colds and flus. I think it’s a marketing ploy for people to get flu shots, buy hand sanitizer, buy anti-bacterial everything, etc.
I haven’t got sick in more than a year. I switched to eating mostly fresh fruits and vegetables (not cooked) for breakfast and lunch. Another thing I’ve done is got rid of my microwave.
I also stopped using hand soap, and never use hand sanitizer. I only use it once in the morning after my subway commute to work. I just wash my hands with plain old water, and it seems to be fine!
At the first icky cold nasty feeling.. I call in sick. Drink plenty of hot tea with honey or sugar if I am out.. and crawl in to bed. I pile on the quilts and comforters and sweat. 100 % of the time I and fine the next morning.
The only thing I eat if I crawl out of bed is toast.
However, don’t forget that onions and garlic are natural antibiotics and great for helping to dissolve blood clots.. — BUT caution is advised if taking any blood thinning medicine as it could result in a medical emergency.
in Holland we have also a few remedies, lemon juice a pint of white rum a pinch of ginger and a chilie 9start with a red one).hot water on a half pint of rum with one lemon (the juice) eat the red chilly and empty the pint in one time an go to bed with a few extra blankets. The next morning you are like new. And only by flew!