Cartwright's Cold Cure

There was an episode from a very famous, very well-done, critically acclaimed television show with a world-renowned doctor that addressed the common cold.

Of course, I'm referring to "Dr. Granny" on "The Beverly Hillbillies."

Granny, part of the Clampett clan (although her name was Granny Moses, I think) had all kind of cures that generally revolved around some homemade moonshine. I remember one episode where some big city-slicker type, or maybe banker Drysdale, heard about her common cold cure and had to have it.

Anyway, the long and the short of it was take her recipe, and in 7-10 days, you'd be well...of course, the length of many colds anyway.

So take this as you will. But I've studied this intently over the years, and arrived at what I truly--truly--believe is the best way to attack a cold. I am 100% convinced the duration of my colds are shortened, and the symptoms accelerated and minimized. But I think you have to do all of this for it to work as described. Shortcutting it won't work.

Here are the keys.

Day One
a) Begin taking zinc lozenges immediately. Take one every 3 ours, allow it to melt in your throat. It will take 15 minutes to completely melt (yes, I have timed it). Do not get the zinc rapid melt--they do not work as well. There is something about the coating that just works better when it does that for 15 minutes.

b) Do not drink anything for 15 minutes or more after it dissolves. So that's at least 30 minutes with no liquid intake (or food, really.)

c) Do not take any citrus or orange juice, etc. for at least an hour.

d) Bombard yourself with Vitamin C. Yes, my doctor (and yours too) will say it's expensive urine. It works. I like to drink orange juice, or Emergen-C coctails, rather than just take pills. Again, I think it works better.

e) Continue to drink fluids. I drink tons of water to keep mucus thinned and clean.

a) through e) continue each day, but some of the symptoms will change according to where you are with your cold, and that will dictate what you take when you take it.

Continuing day 2-4
f) There's not much you can do about the sneezing. It will happen for a day. Mine does. Don't try benadryl or some OTC antihistamine to stop it; it's not an allergy; it won't work. Plus you'll need to use benadryl later, and your body builds up a benadryl tolerance fairly quickly, so you need to stay away from it.

g) When you are sneezing and your nose is running, use a Neti-Pot up to 4 times a day. That's aggressively attacking it. Your water is probably fine, but recommend using purified water or boiling your water before putting it in your sinuses and risking brain-eating amoeba.

I thought that was the most disgusting thing imaginable until I was desperate a few years ago and tried it for summer allergies/sinusitis. It is actually soothing, feels very good and helps get the gunk out and keep the mucus thin. I use Simply Saline salt/baking soda combination as the additive, which is very soothing. The salt shrinks the nasal membranes and the baking soda is soothing to the nose so that it doesn't get tender during all of the nose-blowing/sneezing/running nose stages.

h) After day 1, my sneezing stops. Day 2 my running nose stops. Day 3 is approaching the end of my colds, but at the end cycle of the cold is when the worst congestion and post-nasal drip stage starts. It's a bear. Causes you to cough, makes it difficult to get sleep.

The way to combat that is to continue (every day, a) through e) your procedures. But now you're going to add additional lthings to do.

i) Take Sudafed. Generic is fine, but you will want to take the "real" sudafed, and not that PE crap they sell. You need the stuff the meth-makers use--if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for you. I usually get the 24-hour Sudafed and take it around noon. That doesn't seem to affect my sleep much at night (sudafed is a stimulant--for some people--including me--you'll get a "wired" feeling when you take it that will keep you awake).

j) 20 minutes after taking sudafed, use the Neti-pot. When you're extremely congested, as you are in the last cycle of the cold, the Neti-pot is more difficult to use. If you use Sudafed, though, it will help break that up a little before using the Neti-pot.

k) At bedtime, take 1-2 benadryl (will help you sleep, and may--may--help slow the drip a little), plus take a Mucinex-type guafenissin expectorant drug to thin the mucus and allow the post-nasal drip to not be so thick. If you want, you can take something like Robitussin DM, which has both a cough suppressant and the expectorant that thins the mucus. Now, caveat--I have also been told that guafenissin is of questionable value, but again, it absolutely works for me to make the drip more easily manageable.

l) For symptom relief and sleeping, at bedtime take a 12-hour Afrin spray. There's a way to do this properly, and it took me awhile before learning. First, don't use this more than 3 days in a row. It has a rebound affect that will cause more problems than it cures if you do. I never use it during the day, but only use it at night. I still don't use it more than 3 days in a row, although I think using it like that I could go a little longer (4 or 5 days of only 1x per day).

Anyway, the trick is this. First, squeeze the bottle--don't have to do it hard--ONE time in a nostril while you pinch the other one shut. DO NOT "sniff" the spray. It won't hurt, but you don't need to, and you'll see in a minute why trying to sniff it up your nose is not a good idea.

Switch nostrils, do the same thing for the other nostril.

Wait 5 minutes.

Repeat the process for both nostrils.

Wait 5 more minutes.

Now do a 3rd spray in each nostril. A doctor told me the rationale here. Basically, you are opening up the nasal passages in stages. You don't want (or need) to try to open the upper nasal passages until the lower ones are unblocked first. That's the first squirt. The 2nd squirt gets a medium range, and the 3rd squirt--after the nasal passages really feel great by them--will take care of you through the night.

Do all of this, and the severity and duration of your cold will be lessened to manageable. And yes, I am a big, huge, gigantic believer in taking the zinc logenzes throughout. Warning--it will make a lot of foods taste bad. I find my taste buds all screwed up while I'm taking them, but it does work. And the vitamin c all-out attack on it? Also helps.

The rest is symptom relief, but I highly recommend it. Of course, if you want to add Kentucky bourbon at each step, that's up to you, and also highly recommended.

Vitamin C all the way. We bombard the cold with Vit C lozenges and have a pretty good record.

Damn, what a complex remedy though....

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Originally Posted by dethbylt

Vitamin C all the way. We bombard the cold with Vit C lozenges and have a pretty good record.

Damn, what a complex remedy though....

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Well, I made it sound more complex than it is. It really makes sense. Take zinc + vitamin c all the time (but not right on top of each other). Neti-pot all the time, but when really congested, wait 20 minutes after taking sudafed. At night, the expectorant + antihistamine + nasal spray.

All day
Zinc/C/Neti/Sudafed

Night (begin usually day 3-4)
Expectorant/benadryl/nasal spray

(Note--benadryl is almost counterintuitive with a decongestant, but it works fine in this context.)

That's really pretty straightfoward. Trust me, when it shortens your cold time at least 2 days, it's worth every bit of the complication. I have an app on my phone that tells me when to take everything, too. I'm preparing for my golden years already. Sigh.

I do about everything on that list but the irrigation, I imagine it helps a lot though. I use more nasal spray, which combined with tequila or vodka helps you not feel so bad about being ill. Besides the limes have vitamin c.

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Originally Posted by Darrell KSR

Well, I made it sound more complex than it is. It really makes sense. Take zinc + vitamin c all the time (but not right on top of each other). Neti-pot all the time, but when really congested, wait 20 minutes after taking sudafed. At night, the expectorant + antihistamine + nasal spray.

All day
Zinc/C/Neti/Sudafed

Night (begin usually day 3-4)
Expectorant/benadryl/nasal spray

(Note--benadryl is almost counterintuitive with a decongestant, but it works fine in this context.)

That's really pretty straightfoward. Trust me, when it shortens your cold time at least 2 days, it's worth every bit of the complication. I have an app on my phone that tells me when to take everything, too. I'm preparing for my golden years already. Sigh.

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Hahaha. There is an app for everything. I have used most of the remedies you mention. Good stuff as far as I am concerned.

Be careful with the netipots. Only use filtered and treated water. I seem to remember that some folks got sick from fresh tap water that contained microbes.

We like to use the saline sprays in place of the neti pots.

I almost never get a cold....and I'm not a germaphobe. My wife and kids get 'em and I hug and kiss 'em all. Knock on wood.

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Originally Posted by badrose

I almost never get a cold....and I'm not a germaphobe. My wife and kids get 'em and I hug and kiss 'em all. Knock on wood.

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I'm guessing my coaching activities, basketball commissioner at school, etc. brings me in regular contact with more than 600 kids, some of whom do not have the best hygiene practices makes me susceptible. They say as you get older you get fewer colds, too, but I'm still pretty consistent.

I'm guessing that you keeping yourself physically fit helps, too. That's where I fell down this fall/ winter. Plus a consistent lack of sleep and your immunity is reduced.

I get about one per year in the winter and one in the summer. Just happens.

After four days, this one is 95% done. Still have an annoying post nasal drip, but that's all. Slept good last night (well, from 1-6:30). :)

Telling you, that regimen works.

via mobile app

I'm fighting it today. Feels like somebody is sitting on my chest.

My relief comes mostly from sitting in the shower and letting the steam work its magic.

Hope you're feeling better, Doc.

I feel like crap. was worse yesterday, doing better today.

My treatment protocol
1) Robotussin DM, one glug as needed which is typically three times daily
2) amoxi 500 mg twice daily (I just happen to have some of that around the house)
3) indocen- which is a nonsteroidal antinflammatory that I take for cluster headache/migranes
4) psuedophed-twice daily
5) Mucinex - twice daily
6) most important is HOT SHOWERS. It helps for the headaches and helps to control the congestion.
last night I slept (well, slept is a poor description) on the couch as I coughed, coughed and coughed...didn't want to keep the wife awake because I'm such a considerate guy. Would sleep about 10 min then wake up. The cough was so bad that my head would pound. Finally took an ambien at 4:00 am so I could sleep a couple hrs.

Then had a huge busy day at work with didn't help although I did feel better today. Still got the drips though so at night I wear an old T-shirt and wipe my nose on my shoulder--sounds gross but it works. Today I had to do rather large surgery on a big mastiff (ate a doll, was stuck in the intestines--second time I have to cut this dog for that) and my biggest concern was not dripping snot into his belly!

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Originally Posted by Doc

I feel like crap. was worse yesterday, doing better today.

My treatment protocol
1) Robotussin DM, one glug as needed which is typically three times daily
2) amoxi 500 mg twice daily (I just happen to have some of that around the house)
3) indocen- which is a nonsteroidal antinflammatory that I take for cluster headache/migranes
4) psuedophed-twice daily
5) Mucinex - twice daily
6) most important is HOT SHOWERS. It helps for the headaches and helps to control the congestion.
last night I slept (well, slept is a poor description) on the couch as I coughed, coughed and coughed...didn't want to keep the wife awake because I'm such a considerate guy. Would sleep about 10 min then wake up. The cough was so bad that my head would pound. Finally took an ambien at 4:00 am so I could sleep a couple hrs.

Then had a huge busy day at work with didn't help although I did feel better today. Still got the drips though so at night I wear an old T-shirt and wipe my nose on my shoulder--sounds gross but it works. Today I had to do rather large surgery on a big mastiff (ate a doll, was stuck in the intestines--second time I have to cut this dog for that) and my biggest concern was not dripping snot into his belly!

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Get a script for the cough syrup with codeine, a glug before bed keeps me down for most of the night, worse case scenario is a double glug night.

I'm telling you, I have studied this cold treatment bit and tinkered with it for years before arriving at the perfect treatment. Next time somebody gets a cold, follow this religiously and let me know if it doesn't follow script.

A good part of it is also on the Brown University website health section for students. I actually got the 3 sprays portion of Afrin from that as my last addition, and noticed it contained many of the other things I already did gathered from various places over the years.

Today I have to clear my throat quite a bit, but all the medicines are gone, and I'm as close to 100% as I usually am at any time. It obviously isn't a cure, but I'm very pleased with the system. I haven't had over what I would consider a 4-day cold since I first began the system.

But I can't get my wife or most of my kids to do all of it either, so they struggle for a week or more. My son and I are the only ones that tolerate the neti pot irrigation saline/baking soda rinse, which I think is very important in the first couple of days especially. Nobody likes the zinc lozenges (neither do I) because it makes food taste bad throughout the duration. So it's not a panacea.

via mobile app

bttt b/c I have a freakin' cold.

I forgot the irrigation part, not sure why but I'm stupid that way. if it wasn't closing time for the drug stores I'd go get one now, will do it tomorrow. Already into it too far to help much though I'm sure.

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Originally Posted by CitizenBBN

bttt b/c I have a freakin' cold.

I forgot the irrigation part, not sure why but I'm stupid that way. if it wasn't closing time for the drug stores I'd go get one now, will do it tomorrow. Already into it too far to help much though I'm sure.

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Saline rinse will make it better no matter when you start. Will be a symptom relief, but yeah, probably more relief in the early stages when more is going on in there. Hope you feel better.

via mobile app

OK I was hesitant, but tried it and it really does help. Odd feeling, not sure it will catch on as something to do on first dates, but it is a great suggestion for colds.

I was already doing the zinc and Vitamin C thing pretty big, this is a great addition to the regimen.