I’m just getting over a very bad case of Strep Throat. Very contagious and painful. I needed antibiotics to start to get over it. Please keep in mind that untreated strep can become rheumatic fever which can be life threatening.

When you feel a sore throat coming on, (that little tingling at the back of your throat) take a shot of whiskey. (Any hard spirit will do) Gargle a little and then swallow so that the liquid hits the sore spot. If you did it right you should feel it burn a bit.

This has always worked for me.

As the Finns say…”If the sauna, tar, or vodka won’t cure you, death is sure to follow.”

Fever can be helped with acetomeniphine (Tylenol) and application of something cold to feverish areas. My legs always feel like they’re burning, so I sometimes dip them into some cool running water or use a cool cloth to rub them down periodically. It usually cools me down enough to sleep. In fact, sleep as much as possible and REST! I have a way of catching anything, so when people come to classes sick, I tend to get sick. Stay home and sleep if at all possible; if not to feel better, then to help prevent others from getting sick.

However, if you have signs of a bacterial infection and they persist, see your doctor. My Mom ignored a real sinus infection for too long and developed pneumonia as a result. She was on stronger (and more expensive) antibiotics for over a month and had to miss a week and a half of work.

Snorting salt into the nasal passages.

Products are marketed for this (google, “neti pot”), but really, all you need is sea salt or a saline solution. Sinus infection is one of the most common ailments people get, and a chief cause of expensive doctor’s appointments. Furthermore, mucous from the sinuses can drip down into the throat and lungs, causing sore throat and even bronchitis or other lung infections.

What you do is mix a salt-heavy glass of lukewarm water, and then snort it up one nostril at a time. When it contacts the sinus in the upper nose, it will trigger your sinuses to expel mucous and bacteria. This promotes overall healthy sinuses and can stave off a sinus infection before it gets too bad.

I know people who do this nightly for overall sinus health and swear by it, and have used it personally with great success.

btw, woke up this morning with my eyes all crusted over. Finally got me to the doctor, he said it’s mucus in my nasal cavity moving to my eyes. How gross is that?! This thing going around is extra nasty.

I make some chicken noodle soup, and put cayenne pepper in it – as much as I can stand (alot). Eat the chicken and noodles and drink the broth. It burns going down, but feels really good at the same time.

Now, that’s not to say that I advocate taking antibacterials left and right because that’s gotten us into a whole world of trouble with drug resistant strains….

Also, most colds are caused by viruses, and antibiotics simply don’t work on those. However, lots of doctors will prescribe them to you without checking just in case it’s bacterial and to trigger a placebo effect. This practice is more expensive for you and contributes to antibiotic resistance, which is expensive for society.

Sleep does wonders for your immune system, by the way.

Works like a charm – the coke and sugar mask the lemon taste, while the acidic content makes it impossible for bateria to surivive, while the active anti-bacterial flavinoids in the lemon rind and essential oils are extracted by the boiling. It’s so effective that even my chinese physician friends prescribe it in favour to herbs.

I tried all these rememedies and then some trying to avoid having to go to the doctor. Nothing worked.

My point is that all these remedies only work to some extent in my case I had to use antibiotics.

(the benefits come from a compound called allicin – see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allicin)

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/63371/best_sore_throat_treatment.html

Gargle with cayenne pepper every 15 minutes until it’s gone.