CALM THAT COUGH

I have a cold. Not a bad cold. Feeling okay. I rarely medicate a cold. It is what it is and I will get over it.

What is not okay is that I always end up with a scratchy cough. Just a tickle in my throat that makes me cough long and hard. Not a welcome thing at the office I assure you. Also makes it hard to sleep.

There is relief for this cough however. A non-medicinal trick to stop that cough. Don’t ask me how or why it works. IT JUST DOES!

Cut up an orange or grapefruit into wedges. Now just like when you were a kid you place it in your mouth in front of your teeth to make the giant smiley face. You remember that right?

Do not suck on the wedge or eat it. Just let it sit there and it will release its juice ever so slightly into your throat. For the most part you will stop coughing.

Seriously for real.

I even do this in bed to stop my cough in the night. You won’t choke. It is a big wedge.

I can find nothing to say why this works but it works instantly. Is it the way it opens up your airway when your mouth is stretched over the wedge of fruit? Is it the citrus vapour from the orange or grapefruit?

I don’t know. Just do it….and go look in the mirror to see how cute you look with a fruit wedge for a smile.

STARVE IT OR FEED IT

You all know the old adage. Well at least we think we know it. Which do we starve and which do we feed? 
I think we feed a cold and starve a fever what with all that chicken soup for a cold business. Am I right? 

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I fought the big fight against a cold for a few weeks but in the end the cold won. For me it has gone right into my chest and I am coughing a lot. The timing has me furious as I had a 3 day weekend and hoped to get lots done. I didn't. I napped a lot though. That was good.
The coughing leads to a sore throat and a sore chest and back. The coughing leads to peeing. I am making sure that my bladder is empty all the time in case a fit of coughing strikes. Should be fun at work today. 
One of my co-workers told me to cut up an orange and put a slice across my teeth like we would as kids and just suck on it to get the juice to run down my throat and do you know what. It stopped my coughing. 

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She also told me to make an infusion of thyme and hot water and put that by my bed at bedtime and that would also help. I never did get around to that. 

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I did have to break down and get some cough syrup Friday but other than that I don't usually medicate a cold. Except for Vicks Vaporub. That I do use on my chest.  

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What cures do you guys use to alleviate your cold symptoms? Do they work or do you just do them because your mother did them for you when you were little?