Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Sore Throat Killers

Over the years I have found several things that helped me with a sore throat and sometimes with the cold that came along with the pain in the neck. When I was a child I remembered my Dad making what he called a hot toddy (whisky, honey, lemon juice) for me when I had a bad cold and sore throat. I remember sleeping a lot and probably the whisky made me not care so much about the sore throat. The toddy sure tasted good, felt soothing on my throat, and the lemon juice probably helped some with vitamin C? I have tried the hot toddy remedy as an adult and found that it didn't help very much at all. Maybe if I had three or four of them?

I was a kid in the 40's and 50's and don't remember going to the doctors or being given store bought medicines. I remember that sipping warm wine helped my throat feel better for a while. And I think I remember eating garlic as some kind of cure. We managed to survive all the childhood diseases (no polio or small pox thank you very much) and I only went to the doctors to have my tonsils out.

In the 1970's when I was working near a Mexican restaurant that made their own salsa, I found out that eating hot salsa when I had a sore throat made my throat numb and many times seemed to kill off the cold and sore throat or at least made it more bearable. Hot salsa (homemade works the best) for a long time has became my go to treatment when a cold or sore throat struck. And the hot salsa helped me feel better with a chest cold too.

I eat the salsa with lots of salty tortilla chips with the idea in mind that the salt will make me thirsty and I will drink more. Well, that's my excuse for eating lots of chips. Sometimes I will crave soda and so of course I give in and treat myself to colas and ginger ale. Come to think of it, I eat a lot of my favorite foods when I am sick.

Then Kristine came up with some discoveries of her own: "The vinegar works because it changes the PH balance in your throat. Most viruses and bacteria can't adapt to the sudden change fast enough to survive. A teaspoon or two of Braggs vinegar with Mother in hot water with honey taken three times a day will help enormously with a sore throat. If you can't get that type of vinegar, then dill pickle juice will do the job. Don't heat it up, just pour it straight out of the jar. I tend to use the brand name Claussens kosher dill pickles." ~ Kristine.

I suppose everyone has a favorite feel good home remedy. Everyone is different, but I know that if I hit the very, very, very beginning of a sore throat with one/some of these "cures" I have a chance of winning the battle. Whether or not they really help or not at least I feel better thinking that I'm doing something constructive. I drink a lot of cranberry juice, tea, orange juice, etc.

I do remember getting a sore throat back once when I forgot to throw away my toothbrush. The germs must hide out in the toothbrush ready to strike again.

And then there is my ultimate feel good treatment: Homemade chicken soup! Made with a whole chicken, garlic, onion, celery, carrot, and rice. Just the smell of it cooking makes me feel better (and I bet the steam from the soup humidifies the air?) Chicken soup rules!

I think I took my kids to the doctor too much, but I was so afraid they had strep throat and they did most of the time they were sick. I must have had it as a kid too, but we just had to suffer through it and managed to survive. The girls took lots of antibiotics to get rid of the strep. I wish all we needed was salsa, vinegar, a hot toddy, garlic or pickle juice to make us better.

Disclaimer: This stuff works for us sometimes or just makes me feel better. I'm not saying that anyone else should try it! Best to see a doctor if you are sick!

[1 egg today]
That's my breakfast!

Smiles
~:>

10 comments:

diane b said...

How can you eat chicken soup when you love your chickens so much?.Our remedy is put a clove of garlic in your socks in bed at night so that it infuses through the souls of your feet.

Callie Brady said...

diane: How does that remedy work for you? I think I would rather just eat the garlic raw. I love garlic! Chickens? Well, I wouldn't eat my chickens because I know them, but I can eat chickens I haven't met or if I raised them as meat birds. I guess I am just a farm girl at heart. I used to watch my Uncle kill chickens for our dinner. It's all about what you are used to. People eat puppies in Asia. If I was Chinese I guess I would love eating puppies.

Lindsay said...

I keep on with my daily swim - chlorine is wonderful!!!!

RoeH said...

Okay...I'm doing everything suggested. Even Diane's garlic socks tonight! My mother used to say that the whisky/honey/lemon juice made you want to get a cold. :) I used to use it but haven't for a long time. I just hate the whiskey taste so bad. But then....maybe if I had three or four.....or five, maybe I could bypass that.

Chicken Boys said...

We gargled salt water for a sore throat, but that was only if it was the only symptom. When I was a baby, my mom gave me a cap full of wine for my stomach, as I had stomach issues as a baby. But when it was necessary, we did go to the dr. I find that chips and hot salsa are a great cure for watching football on an empty stomach!!
~Randy

DayPhoto said...

It's hard to eat an animal you have made friends with so if you never are a friend....

I gave my kids a drop of whiskey with a drop of honey in hot water. I still like it today for myself.

Although, I have found that Zicam works fast!!!

I will tell Terry about the vinegar as he refuses to use store bought meds for anything. They often have gluten in them as a binder and he gets instantly sick.

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

Shaheen said...

Hi Callie,
I read this post with great interest, I like toddy and salsa - thanks for sharing. The comments you've received have also been good to read. We are all different. Happy new year to you.

Becky's Barnyard said...

I like salsa and chips anytime and I can see where it would help. I like the whiskey, honey, and lemon also. I hope they worked well for you and you are feeling better.

Gus, Louie and Callie said...

Wow you have lots of remedies. Mom's Dad used to give her the Hot Toddy's too. They sure make you sweat and sleep.. Dad says gargling with peroxide helps but do NOT swallow it..

Big Sloppy Kisses
Gus, Louie and Callie

Jennifer said...

Thanks for the tips! I love salsa and chips anyway so I will try them next time I have a sore throat. Chicken Noodle soup is wonderful when a person is sick.