I'm no expert, but traditional medicine looks askance at colloidal silver. My late father, who didn't have much nice to say about traditional medicine, on the other hand, swore by colloidal silver. But on the third hand, there are apparently documented cases of people who used this stuff and developed argyria, which is, according to WebMD, "a permanent blue-gray discoloration of the skin and deep tissues." Yikes.

that is, during the day, IF you have to work... if not, stick w/ the Dr. McGillacuddy...

one thing that's worked for me for years is sipping Dr. McGillacuddy ORIGINAL mentholmint formula... it allows you to sleep, much like NyQuil, and because of the mentholatum (commonly found in Vicks and Halls cough drops)... it soothes the throat and does aid in clearing up your sinuses... if you put the bottle in the freezer, it comes out thicker, and works longer... during the day, I recommend DayQuil (not the generic form of), Ricola honey lemon cough drops, and hot lemon tea w/ honey...

Neti pot works well if your sinuses are NOT COMPELTELY plugged! There's also a product found by the humidifiers, it's a mentholatum ointment like vicks, but it has a triple antibiotic with it, so it helps PREVENT/heal chapping of the nose! This stuff is the best thing since sliced bread!

Well, my suggestion does not involve any drugs. It does involve purchasing a baby nasal aspirator and a bottle of pure glycerin. When you get home fill a glass with water about 12-14 ounces and a couple teaspoons of glycerin. (The glycerin won't cause the sinuses to dry out.) Fill the rubber bulb of the baby nasal aspirator with the water-glycerin solution. (You can at this point close off your sinuses from allowing the water from entering your lungs by using your tongue muscle.) While leaning over the sink in your bathroom "shoot" the solution up into your sinuses on both sides - this may take two or three bulb shots to achieve. Once you have filled them you then "blow your nose" into the sink and you will blow out all the junk that has accumulated in your sinuses which was clogging your breathing. Better breathing and no drugs.

The problem with OTC medications is that they just suppress "symptoms" they don't actually heal your body. And prescribed antibiotics kill all the healthy bacteria, along with the bad. Natural methods may take a bit longer (not in an hour like with nyquil) but they actually heal your body, and kill the infection.

I also want to specify, that I meant you didn't need to mix the silver with anything when used in your EARS. The Neti pot requires a very specific saline solution to be mixed at the right temperature to work in your sinus's. 2-3 drops of silver to this mixture is sufficient.

Neti Pot with Colloidial silver will completely kill out a sinus infection. Also, drop a few drops of colloidal silver in your ears, to kill any infection that may have spread. Doesn't need to be mixed with anything. Make sure you get a colloidal silver that is high quality. I've used it for years on myself, and my infant son, and it is a miracle. Because of all the paranoia out there about it, I will include a link, that explains the difference between "good" and "bad" kinds of silver.

http://www.all-natural.com/silver-1.html...

Bee Pollen with hot organic Milk will really wipe out a cold or flu.

Blockade by New chapter you can find at Basics, will kill any virus.

Zicam is also a good natural immune booster.

If you are going to take vitamin C, or B12. Make sure it is a "whole food" source. Most grocery store brands are chemical compounds, and only have one "part" of an entire "family" of compounds in a single vitamin. Your body has to fill in the gaps, and can be hard on your system.

I use these methods, and haven't had a cold or flu "take over" in 5 years.

A shot of cayenne pepper sauce with lemon juice, about 50-50 mix, should do the trick for temporary sinus and chest conjestion relief. I hear the Neti pot work miracles for people with allergies. If you think you have a sinus infection (green, brown and yellow mucus are not normal), go to the doctor. Not everyone can overcome infection without meds.

Vicks and Emergen-C

Zicam is my favorite, but I've had good luck with Cold-eeze as well.
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Ginger tea also helps. To make it, peel a 2" piece of ginger root and cut it into thin slices. Boil 4 cups of water in a saucepan and add the ginger. Then cover the pan and simmer for 15-20 minutes before straining the ginger bits out. The hot water and spice combination really opens up blocked sinus passages.
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But don't overlook the usefulness of Sudafed (brand name). Get the kind with Pseudoephedrine (at the pharmacy counter), not Sudafed PE which contains Phenylephrine.
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Good luck!!

I have tried both the netipot and the sinus rinse bottle. The sinus rinse bottles are by far easier to use. The netipot can be kind of tricky. But either one does make a HUGE difference.
Sinus infections are no fun! I had been getting sinus infections every other month for about a year when my doctor ordered a CT scan of my sinuses. Turned out I had a deviated septum and major blockage in my sinuses from a history of chronic sinus infections. The doc said he was surprised I could breath out of my nose at all, even when I wasn't sick. So they did surgery to fix all of it and I feel 100 times better since. I never realized just how tired and run down I felt all the time till I wasn't fighting an infection all the time.
Anyway, hope you find something that helps!

Also, keep your hands away from your eyes. Your eyes aren't as evolved to fend off bacteria as much as your nose and throat are.

As a nurse, I recommend changing your toothbrush, lysol down everything you touch (doorknobs, phone, sinks, toilet handles) wash hands LOTS!!, cup of hot tea with honey and a shot of brandy, and a neti pot. It will work wonders!!

Oops! I forgot my favorite! Good old Vicks vapor Rub. Helps you breath easier, and if you rub it on the bottom of your feet before going to bed (with socks on) it can help with your cough.

Zicam nasel swabs have worked for me. They recommend that it is more effective at the beginning of your symptoms. It knocked my cold down in four days instead of the usual seven.

Testerrific,

I am sure you being sarcastic, but you never can tell with the people that post in here ;-)

belisamasana: I think I found out what you have!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death...

I think I need a magic wand because nothing is curing what I have :( I've been sick since November 25. First I had bronchitis, felt ok for a day, then I got a cold. Now everytime I cough or move, I feel like my ribs are popping out of my side. I refuse to go to the doctor again, since I've been there twice already. Ugh, I wish it was summer!

beth, i don't care if you can't have them at your apartment, but you NEED a kitty! they cure EVERYthing! ;)

Furry friends always help - they don't care how red and puffy your nose is! Also check out: http://icanhascheezburger.com/

It's always good for a laugh or smile that will make you forget your cold if for a few brief moments.

I usually feel colds in my throat or chest, not in my nose, hence the thought I might be dying of a sinus infection. Well, maybe not dying.

I *did* remember I have Zicam hidden on a shelf. For some reason I thought you only took it at the beginning of a cold. Took some last night and this morning and I feel better.

When I bought the Zicam several months ago, the pharmacist recommended neti pots as highly effective.

Food remedy-wise, I ate some jalapenos with my nachos last night and had some garlic today. Coworkers, beware.

And this worked today, too: http://www.dogwork.com/dogsnow/

Who likes to take cough syrup? Most I have tried haven't tasted the best. Even if it is marketed different, at least you don't get the taste of cough syrup in the caplets.

Yes garyprimer, you confirmed what I just said.
The problem is that most people think everybody else has a head cold, THEY have a sinus infection. Don't be overly concerned at the color of stuff you are blowing out or if you have a headache. Studies prove again and again that those are not good indicators of bacterial infection - just urban legend never backed up by science.

BTW, if only 2-5% of people who have colds during the fall and winter months came to the doctor seeking treatment, it would break down the medical system as we know it. Use your common sense and judgement-you'll know when it's something out of the ordinary that may need treatment.

Antibiotics have no effect on viruses. They only work on bacterial infections. Colds and influenza are caused by viruses. Sometimes these virus infections can lead to secondary bacterial infections and that is why people with colds and flu are sometimes prescribed antibiotics. This has led to the misconception that antibiotics are effective against colds and flu by a large segment of the public. In the past, rather than argue with patients (or their mothers), doctors would prescribe an antibiotic. No trip to the doctor was complete without a prescription.

Unless a person has had their head cold for at least 2 weeks, there is absolutley NO evidence whatsoever after hundreds of studies that antibiotics will "cure it". Colds are caused by viruses and time and patience will cure it. The antibiotic seeking behavior of our society is, in my opinion, rampant. We think that because we have busy lives, we need an antibiotic, but you are doing yourself much more harm than good. Sure your doctor may give you an antibiotic; do you need it? Most likely not.

So what do you do? Salt water rinses (netti pot or sinucleanse) is the VERY best way to reduce the duration and severity of your cold. Drink fluids, don't pick your nose and wash your hands. Mucinex can work, but it's also know as guaifensen and has been in cough syrups for years, so is nothing new. They just market it as if it is.

My wife has found that Mucinex works for her very well. I haven't tried it yet, but I do feel one coming on, so the theory might get tested soon.

Well all I hear all day long at school is how great Marsha is at this, or how wonderful Marcia did that. Marcia! Marcia! Marcia!

Not the garlic, the Nyquil D.

You have to be 18 to buy it.

Fresh garlic.. Three chopped/diced/pressed, let the allicin activate a minute. Add 24 oz water, a Tablespoon apple cider vinegar for a kick. Glass of V-8 juice can be substituted for water.

MARK707...thanks for the heads up. The next time I go to the store, I shall inquire as to the NYQUIL D. I have just been buying the weak stuff on the shelf. But I just have to say...as a GazetteExtra contributor...I CANNOT BELIEVE that THEDIPLOMAT is suggesting that the kids reading this blog use STEROIDS!!!! That is just irresponsible. Whenever kids can read something, adults should not talk about adult things!!!!!!!!

First of all, you're in Wisconsin, so any "booze cure" must be brandy...no substitutions.
I have used Nyquil for many years but the stuff on the shelf today does not have the "good" ingredients that work so well. You have to ask at the pharmacy desk for the "behind the counter" Nyquil D.

DO NOT MIX brandy and Nyquil...the two together can cause some very wierd, and dangerous, side effects. {:>(

Neti pots are great for sinus colds. I would suggest going to the doctor to get a script for a steriod nose spray as well.

It IS highly gross, but very, very effective: I used to get sinus infections at LEAST once a year until I started using a saline rinse. Basically, you squirt salt water up your nose and let it drain through the other nostril. As someone else mentioned, there are kits for this, and I've also heard there's something called a neti pot? that works on the same principle. Since I started doing saline rinses when I have colds or allergies, I have not had ONE sinus infection. It's truly incredible...just...unpleasant to think about (once you've done it a few times, it becomes no big deal, though and it feels better quite quickly).

mickie: My wife uses a nasal flush called a Netipot by Nasaflo she got at Walgreen's. She swears by it, so I'm thinking you are both on to something there.

I have a very regimented program whenever it comes to ANY malady...(1) Pray to Jesus to cure my pain...(2) Wait...(3) Wait.... (4) Wait....(5) Go to a Doctor and get the appropriate prescription. But this is of course only the process I follow if in fact my insurance will be involved in any kind of remedy, or a hospital stay will eventually be involved. Of course, for "over the counter" stuff, I only pray once (usually micromanaging the prayer time into my actual drivetime to Walgreens) and then I park my car in the parking lot and go inside and purchase Nyquil (or whatever over the counter product will actually cure my pain). But that's just me! I believe the Lord Jesus Christ provides "over the counter" medications for a reasonable price, because he is a busy man, and has more important things to worry about from day to day! And he will solve all of our problems. We are the WORLD, and Jesus has a "bottomless prescription pad" for our ills, my friends. To put it all in perspective, earthly beings are like Elvis, and Jesus is like "Dr. Nick". Hunka Hunka Burnin' Heaven!!!! And for that, I am, and shall be, eternally grateful.

Nasal rinse.. Buy the kit at Walmart pharmacy.(10.00) It only makes sense to flush out the germs.. This works! At the very least it cuts a cold in half. Been doing this for 3 years now. Good luck!

Some good Green Tea and honey does it for me

Hot Buttered Rum.

Well, that explains the husky voice on the radio. The whiskey is good for everything, so is rum. Also, when brushing your teeth, include the tongue, the roof of your mouth, and the gums.

Duly noted. I'll report back!

Zicam.

I have allergies, so I have a whole list of things that help:
-Saline nasal spray is awesome. It's just salt water, but it clears everything out of your nose.
-Hot tea with honey. (When I was in Spain, my host mother made me drink warm milk with honey when I had a cold. It tasted weird, but it worked.)
-Spicy salsa.
-I read that if you add two tablespoons of Italian seasoning to a pot of boiling water and inhale the steam, it will unclog your sinuses. Haven't tried it yet.