Can Alcohol Really Help You Beat a Cold?

re: Can Alcohol Really Help You Beat a Cold?

AZDC — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 16:19:53 GMT

I wonder who sponsered this article...perhaps a grape grower consortium? Maybe some rich wine producers? How absurd...drink a poison to get well! Disgusting and reprehensable to the proliferators of such nonsense.

re: Can Alcohol Really Help You Beat a Cold?

A Storm — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 01:38:55 GMT

My secret for many years without a cold or flu is a whole grapefruit every day!! I love texas grapefruit. An old farmer in Illinois told me why they are best. The Texas trees are newer, sweeter varities than the Florida varities. I just got back from florida and I hate to tell them, they are not as sweet as the Texas ones. Florida boasts that they provide 70 - 80 % (I don;t remember exactly) of the grapefruits in USA. Hopefully, as they replace older groves they will plant the 'Rio Star' red varities.

But back to the 'secret'. A whole grapefruit daily can't hurt and I swear by it!!

re: Can Alcohol Really Help You Beat a Cold?

pexx421 — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 08:39:12 GMT

ok, from what ive read of the naturopathic view on colds, by the time you are feeling symptoms, most of the cold "virus" is already dead, and what you are feeling is symptoms of the Interleukans produced by the cold being processed out of your body through your mucous membranes. Therefore while the vit. c thing may help prevent future illness, its not really effective for symptoms of the cold... Echinacea however (the right part of the plant) binds to the interleuken receptor sites helping to relieve the symptoms pretty effectively. One thing i had heard (and tried successfully as well) from my naturopath was that..as uncomfortable as it sounds..as soon as you notice cold symptoms take an enema. Yes, an enema, and by so doing you flush your lower colon of its toxins reducing the load on your liver so it may more effectively process out the toxins left over from the cold. I have tried this on day 1 of colds, and they never lasted to day 3, simply amazing (and i hate enemas).

re: Can Alcohol Really Help You Beat a Cold?

yves — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 21:21:16 GMT

I was wondering what our favorite Doc thought of

the drug "Chaser". I saw an add on TV promoting

it's "Anti-Hang-Over" effects.

"Take two with your first drink and two later"

says the narrator. I can't imagine mercola being

enthusiastic about it but would love to hear an

analysis of its workings.

I wish all readers vibrant health, youthful and playful

energy.

Yves Baggi

www.PeanutsRealEstate.com

re: Can Alcohol Really Help You Beat a Cold?

JohnH — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:15:35 GMT

I believe one aspect of alcohol consumption is that it appears to reduce your body's defeneses to sunlight, herein obtaining more Vitamin D in a shorter period of time. How many times have you seen someone passed out on the beach and they get sunburned when their other sober friends didn't get nearly as much sun. Somewhere there is a relationship between the two.

re: Can Alcohol Really Help You Beat a Cold?

crash2348 — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 21:20:06 GMT

It should also be noted that people who consume eight to 14 glasses of wine a week aren't doing it alone. Social relationships provide emotional support and stability and are therefore vital in preventing colds.

re: Can Alcohol Really Help You Beat a Cold?

ozseppo — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 20:23:45 GMT

It's simple. Don't drink macrobrews, support your local micro, and take a few RU21's, and you'll never be hungover! Drinking is part of my culture (inner city welfare housing Australia), evry day since I was 12 (I'm 47). It's the whole overall picture of your life. I'm never sick, people guess my age at 30, I win tri's, do 24 hour mtbs, kayak big waves, life is great. Grass fed beef, organix veggies , dark chocolate, good weed, great beer, don't believe everything you read about what's BAD for you.

Judging others in a self righteous sanctimonious way, will take more years off your life than anything I ever do. See you on the podium, with a gold medal around my neck, a beer in the left hand, and friendly wave of the right very soon!

re: Can Alcohol Really Help You Beat a Cold?

ebatycki — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 18:16:58 GMT

I've had a sore throat all weekend (possibly even strep), but I thought I was all better on Monday. My friends convinced me to buy a bunch of drinks for New Years, and I feel like crap today... I figured since it was bacteria it could be killed by alcohol but now I'm even worse than I was before. Too bad I didn't read this sooner.

re: Can Alcohol Really Help You Beat a Cold?

Lelia — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 17:38:46 GMT

For years I have used Echinacea combinded with Goldenseal for colds. At the first sign I take it every hour or two and within 24 hours I am symptom free.

re: Can Alcohol Really Help You Beat a Cold?

greeneyes — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 17:29:49 GMT

It does not cure the cold , but sipping apple cider vinegar in warm water will stop the coughing. I have used this many times. gargle with perioxide mixed in warm salt water, which i believe Dr Mercola has recommended does work for sore throats also. Many years ago an airforce doctor recommended it for our military family. greeneyes

re: Can Alcohol Really Help You Beat a Cold?

Freevoice — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 15:54:57 GMT

Here is a simple and easy non-toxic temporary aid for singers or speakers who develop sore throats and must use their voices. I was an opera singer and actress for many years. I found this helpful for vocal fatigue and minor laryngitis. It used to be called "scotch packing." - only there is no scotch in the treatment! - sorry!

ingredients: 1 hand towel, one bath towel, hot water, cold water.

Soak the hand towel in tap water as hot as you can tolerate it - don't burn yourself. Wring the hot, wet towel out, wrap it around your neck particularly the throat area and then wrap the dry towel over it. Leave for 15 minutes, or until the hand towel begins to cool off. Take the towels off, soak the hand towel in very cold water, wring it out and wrap it around the neck and throat, covering again with the dry towel. Repeat this procedure 4-6 times.

I suspect this remedy is useful because the drastic changes of temperature idraws blood circulation to the area and blood begins a refreshing and detoxifying process.

Beware: the vocal folds are muscles. Over use of them by singing or speaking loudly for long periods of time is what causes polyps or nodules as the cords swell and become too thick for certain frequencies. When viruses hit the throat and particularly the larynx, a program of on-going practice and performance is not smart. There is a plethora of cortisone and anti-inflammatory use in every opera house in the world right now. Some of these singers develop a lifetime of vocal problems by using them, not to mention stomach ulcers and other side-effects from anti-inflammatory and cortisone use. The best cure for a bad throat or laryngitis is vocal rest and sleep.

re: Can Alcohol Really Help You Beat a Cold?

curious7 — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 15:45:18 GMT

Each and every ounce of alcohol we swallow, destroys millions of brain cells. So let us see, brain cells, or cold releif. This should be a no brainer. Protect the brain.

re: Can Alcohol Really Help You Beat a Cold?

Loren_Brown — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 13:11:01 GMT

As soon as I feel a bit out of sorts, I use one tiny drop of Frankincense oil, under the tongue and keep it there as long as possible. The first time of use, I found it incredibly strong and had a glass of water ready.

re: Can Alcohol Really Help You Beat a Cold?

Fenderman — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 11:44:25 GMT

Over the past 30 years or so, I've beaten 9 out of 10 colds by simply eating raw onions when I first feel the onset of a cold. That and a good night's sleep works almost every time. So next time you feel a cold coming on, head to the Coney Island hot dog stand for a hotdog with chili, mustard and onions instead of the pharmacy.

re: Can Alcohol Really Help You Beat a Cold?

HansMassage_203 — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 09:39:45 GMT

As I understand it; the amount of alcohol needed to dissolve nutrients and make them available to digestion is very small and evaporates in cooking in the lungs or is metabolized for energy. It is the amount of alcohol in the standard drink that has been calibrated to be sufficient to reach the neurotoxin level because that is what drug addicted population is looking for.