Anyways, I also had a cold this week, and it completely destroyed my routine. I should be posting again tomorrow, because sniffles or no sniffles, I'm running 20 miles, even if part of the run is to Rite Aid so I can get some nose spray.
Well, according to this article, it's okay to run if you have the sniffles as long as you don't have a fever or you have congestion in your lungs. Personally, I hate running if I can't breathe. I'm not a panter. I breathe rhythmically, like a swimmer. I like having the ability to breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth.
Meds are nice and everything, for a quick fix, but if your sinuses are congested, there's only so much you can un-congest them. Or is there? I've become addicted to the neti pot. Well, actually, I use one of these:
That thing that looks like a water bottle on the front? You fill it with saline and squirt that stuff up one nostril and it comes out the other side. The whole bottle, too. Yeah. It's not fun. What is fun is being able to breathe afterward. It's really nice. The neti pot does the same thing, but instead of squirting saline up your nose, you pour it. These are a bit more popular and look like this:
Another regrettable yet effective homeopathic remedy is raw cider vinegar. My mother swears by it. I say regrettable because the moment I tip back the shot of the stuff, I instantly regret it. It tastes beyond sour and burns my throat on the way down. I find it helpful if you follow it with a honey chaser. If you get the Bragg's
stuff, there's a recipe on the bottle for some sort of health drink. I find that this stuff tastes even worse than just doing a shot of the stuff, for some reason, so I deconstructed the recipe by doing a shot of the vinegar, following it with the honey, and then chugging some water. The raw vinegar is good for cooking, if you ever decide you want to get rid of the stuff. However, it does help in keeping your sinuses clear for some time, I find, and I've been drinking that rather than taking NyQuil before bed. It makes it much easier for me to get up in the morning.
stuff, there's a recipe on the bottle for some sort of health drink. I find that this stuff tastes even worse than just doing a shot of the stuff, for some reason, so I deconstructed the recipe by doing a shot of the vinegar, following it with the honey, and then chugging some water. The raw vinegar is good for cooking, if you ever decide you want to get rid of the stuff. However, it does help in keeping your sinuses clear for some time, I find, and I've been drinking that rather than taking NyQuil before bed. It makes it much easier for me to get up in the morning.Less regrettable remedies that I like include zinc and sweating the cold out. I don't know why the latter works, but it does for me. Just bundle up and get nice and toasty. I think this just may be a comfort thing, but it helps. I once had a doctor tell me that in Europe they wrap scarves around their necks if they have a sore throat, so there may be more to that than comfort. Zinc is an immune booster and something else my family swears by. I take it regularly because my immune system is just terrible. If you remember Zicam at all, that cold remedy gel you squirted up your nose (before it went off the market for a while because people were apparently losing their sense of smell), it contained zinc. Just be careful that you don't overdose on the stuff. I did, once, and my glands swelled up so much that my jaw was completely indistinguishable from my neck. Also, make sure that if you take it in pill form, as opposed to lozenge, that you eat first. My friend recently took some without eating first and became quite sick to her stomach.
Most importantly, make sure you drink a ton of water and eat well. I sleep a lot when I'm down with a cold or the flu. Get plenty of rest. Luckily, most viruses like the cold or flu will only take up a week or so of your time and you'll be back up and running before you know it.
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