How can I nip the start of a cold in the bud?

[Overseasmom100]

Ahhh started with a sore throat this afternoon, now running nose which is trickling down back of throat. All the signs in me of a cold starting.

I have a massively important week lots to do....really can not be ill or unwell.

Anything I can take to wade it away? Im not in pain but starting to feel abit iffy

Raw garlic sandwich (one clove of garlic per night) each night until symptoms subside. Shortens the length of a cold, and sometimes will head one off, but it needs to be eaten at the very first hint of a snuffle.

Echinacea in fizzy water. Amazing.

In addition to things mentioned above:

More greens
Hot face cloth

And temporary relief: get menthol crystals, pop in boiling water in big mixing bowl, towel over head, stick your face over it and stay there as long as you can stand it.

Gargle. Preferably with (diluted) TCP or soluble aspirin solution. No need to swallow it. Get it right back to the post-nasal space by trying to make a 'g' sound while gargling.

Salt solution might work if you don't have the above, or I managed to abort that sore prickling in the post nasal space feeling last week by gargling with white wine. No cold developed.

Vitamin C and Zinc supplements here too on top of a normal multivitamin.

Do you feel light headed, sore throat?

Drinking plenty of fluids helps me.

I came in to suggest Echinacea. Too late to take my own advice 🤧

loads of fresh garlic (can you find a way to get some in you?). hot curry also!

fresh ginger too :)

Sleep and a berocca.

When I have a bad cold I find that if I go to bed at 5pm then a day later I'm almost fine.

Chicken soup actually does help too, scientifically. Although won't cure you

First defence. Swear by it now in my household.
Due to go on holiday (first in 9yrs) few months ago, started getting sore throat and sneezing, used the first defence religiously for three days...no cold, symptoms simply didn’t progress. Always thought it was a load of baloney but it’s well worth the £6 for the bottle.

@Allmyarseandpeggymartin the theory behind the fasting is that your body uses its resources to fight the cold and not on digestion.

Personal experience tells me that a short fast (if you can even call 23 hours a fast) is effective on stopping colds. I suspect if you ask any 5:2er they'd have a similar experience.

Unless the OP has an ED it will have no impact on her big week either.

I'm no expert on fasting or any thing much else, but the research (real proper research) is nevertheless interesting.