How To Ward Off A Summer Cold

Right now I am drinking an unholy concoction of Yogi immune support/liver detox herbal tea, orange Airborne, local buckwheat honey, virgin coconut oil and 2 packets of True Lemon grapefruit crystals sprinkled with cinnamon and curry powder and all emulsified in the chunky backwash of a grabby toddler*. Why? Because short of drinking the blood of virgins (a topic that weirdly came up a lot at tonight’s cub scout meeting) I will ingest pretty much anything that promises to head off a cold before it starts. Especially the dreaded Summer Cold. It’s bad enough feeling awful in the middle of winter – when you’re supposed to feel awful, duh – but getting all watery eyed and congested in the middle of summer is just totally unfair! (Unless you’re watching a Nicholas Sparks movie and then not only is it fair but it’s a right of passage.)

It all started with the kids, little petri dishes of disease they are, when my eldest started sniffling and complaining of a headache a couple of weeks ago. Since he’s the one who just had Lyme disease of course I went into full-on freak out mode but it turned out it was just a cold. My husband got it next which made my nights snore-ifically sleepless. And then today I woke up with a tickle in the back of my throat. And an unnatural exhaustion after my Tabata sprints. And, the true ringer: a weird painful lump that appears on the top of my mouth right behind my front teeth which I assume is from a swollen lymph node but now I’m wondering if people really have lymph nodes in the tops of their mouths? ANYHOW. I always get that lump when I’m getting sick.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that I don’t feel ill yet and I know from past experience that I can stop some colds from progressing any further. Yes, partly it’s because I’m one of those annoying people who rarely gets really sick ever since jumping on the Healthy Bandwagon. But I swear the drink concoction helps too. Whether it’s just getting extra liquids, the placebo effect of me being a total believer in wacky stuff or that all those vitamins and spices really do help my immune system, drinking it seems to help stop a cold from developing or making it milder if it does hit. (Milder as in compared to how hard my husband gets hit.)

Other things I swear help ward off a cold:

1. Sleep. I basically didn’t sleep the whole time I was in California. I got 4 hours last night. I’m already an hour past my bedtime tonight. And I have an early morning meeting. That’s a problem. Because research has shown that getting enough quality sleep may be the single most important thing you can do for your immune system.

2. T-Tapp. So Teresa Tapp’s program claims to be great at flushing out the lymph system, thereby stimulating your immune response and as you may recall, I discovered that basically any exercise can make the same claim (for the record, rebounding or trampolining had the highest effect). However, doing the T-Tapp “primary back stretch” actually feels really good even if it does look a little silly. And since I’m not going to run out back to jump on the trampoline – I love it but I need Depends – this is an easy way to get my fluids flowing (and not in a Depends way).

3.  Exercise. Mild exercise seems to help me get over colds faster. I also think yoga has a detoxifying effect that is helpful for my immune system (I know, I know… next I’ll be writing about my aura being goji berry pink. Hush)

4. Sunshine. Bright, real daylight has a massive positive effect on my mood (one of the reasons winters feel so awful to me here in the northern hinterlands) and whether it’s the vitamin D boost or the mood boost or something else, it makes me feel better.

5. Dance shows. I just finished watching all 6 episodes of Breaking Pointe, a docu about a ballet company. This really has nothing to do with my immune system but it makes me happy and if getting sick doesn’t warrant a little extra self care, I don’t know what does! (Seriously, I watched Bunheads, Breaking Pointe and So You Think You Can Dance all in the past three days. Help me.)

Do you have an anti-cold potion you drink? What do you do when you feel a cold coming on? Anyone else get that weird bump behind their teeth?!

*It tastes like black licorice in an oil slick of Thai sauce with notes of sour and grass. So basically it tastes like butt.

** I just realized that tips #2 and #3 are pretty much the same thing. So really you’re only getting 4 tips out of me

17 Comments

  1. I was just reading that apple cider vinegar is supposed to help ward off sore throats/sinus issues. I haven’t personally tried it, but it might be worth a shot!

    (You’re supposed to drink 1-2tbs. of raw, all-natural ACV (with the ‘mother’) in 1c. water).

    Good luck! I just got over my own summer cold about 2 weeks ago.

  2. Zinc! Pound like zinc like it’s going out of fashion (not that vitamins are ever fashionable). I swear by it. Dusting off the ol’ neti pot works wonders too.

    Also a hot toddy is an absolute miracle cure when it does hit – a few cloves, hot water, honey, lemon and either rum or whiskey. I realise you don’t drink but it might be just as effective sans alcohol.
    Good luck!

  3. I hope it works! Summer colds are the worst. I had a nasty cold ( although I still think it was flu) 4 weeks ago & I still have a cough.
    I use Zicam when I feel a cold coming on, and it usually works pretty well. Should’ve used Osillicilicoxinum, or however you spell it.

  4. If I feel a cold coming on, or just feel a bit run down, I have a large fizzy vitamin C tablet (1000mg) every day for a few days. I swear they make me feel better, even though I think its been scientifically proven that Vit C can’t stop a cold coming. Bring on that placebo effect!

    I used to take echinacea regularly which I think helped too – but now they’ve stopped selling the daily tablets and you can only buy ones for occasional use.

    Zinc pills and garlic pills are also favourite remedies of mine.

  5. Something that has always worked for me is the Wellness Formula made by Source Naturals. I was skeptical that it could kill a cold, but by golly, they definitely helped! My boyfriend and parents have had good results with the stuff, too.
    You can find it on amazon for a pretty good price.

  6. Oil of oregano (for serious, best $50 I ever spent was on Oreganol; my bottle has lasted me years and traveled the world with me), echinacea, and 5 vitamin c pills taken over the course of 10 hours does the trick when I get that weird taste in the back of my throat that lets me know my lymph nodes are up to something. Hope you feel better soon!

  7. Since beginning T-Tapp 11 years ago, I have rarely had a cold! It is so cool to see you include it in your list!!

  8. I hope you beat it! I hate it when your sick with a cold or sore throat and you get those weird freaky dreams and hot n cold chills. I, along with my daily multivitamin, take an immune tablet if I’ve been crazy busy or feel run down (or someone around me is infected). Sleep is a biggie for me too. I’m terrible with easing up on the exercise though, it’s hard when you love it! hha.

  9. Sleep definitely! Although my kids always sense when I need it most and keep me up! Vitamin C, hot lemon tea, warm bath with tea tree. I hope you keep it at bay.
    Love the thought of you jumping on a trampoline with Depends and a cold! Haha

  10. 1. How am I just now finding your blog?

    2. I think I love you

  11. I was raised in a cloudy place where sunshine was the commodity, but live someplace completely opposite! As a result, it’s the gloomy, rainy days that are so…

    SO..

    SOOO..

    Good for my soul!

    ~Kari
    http://dreamingintherealworld.blogspot.com/2012/07/go-ahead-tell-me-how-often-you-work-out.html

  12. Charlotte,

    I’d add… get rid of the “stress” in your life “as much as possible.” I know we can’t live in a cave, but there are decisions we can make to simply say NO to some of the people and circumstances in our lives that are a cause of stress.

    A helpful site to help you detox the “junk,” is http://detoxdietworks.com

  13. Neti pot, neti pot, neti pot! Plus gargle with warm salt water. Do both twice per day. Take two tbsp Braggs apple cider vinegar (needs to be the kind “with the mother” so I always go for Braggs) with some water and something to sweeten if you want. Feel better soon!

  14. Two days after reading this post I got my own summer cold. I feel like I was cursed by your blog. I can forgive the curse though, as it’s brought Breaking Pointe to my attention, which has proved to be excellent sick-time entertainment! But will there be a second season?

  15. Wow. Its an epidemic, then.

    I did drag my haggard butt to work this morning, lasted about 3 hours and slumped on home and went back to bed. One bowl of soup and one cup of tea later, I realized I let myself get dehydrated so now that I am back up, my circadian rhythms are all jacked up, but I have been drinking a lot of tea and water. And actually ate a little more food, too.

    I have no magic remedy and I am one of those super stubborn rarely gets sick types – I ignore all the signs of impending disaster until it strikes. I just thought I was out of sorts because it was a zillion degrees this past weekend and I didn’t sleep well.

    I hate being sick because on top of all the yuck going on with my body, I get all moody and needy, too. I get sick of me when I am like this!

    And the weird bump – isn’t that a blister from drinking your tea too hot? It usually is on me.