Eric - gargling with warm salt water does make your throat feel better, and if it's really sore (like strep sore), you can mix 50/50 Listerine with hot water, and it will really minimize the pain.

As for the others, I take Dayquil (non-drowsy), and drink tea all day long...that, and stay warm...easier here in FL some days, I think!  Feel better!

Thanks, Carol!  I never thought about the Listerine.  And I have tea on the bedside table right now.  I sure don't have any appetite today!

Go sleep as much as possible.  definitely gargle with the warm salt water, as nasty as that is.  i still subscribe to what my grandparents used, the mix of honey and whiskey.  warms you up and coats that throat.  hope you feel better!

Leigh, I don't think I have any whiskey around here.  Does red wine help?  Maybe I'll have to bundle up & go shopping for a few things later today.  Thank you so much for the advice!

Chicken soup with a twist -- add as much cayenne pepper to it as you can stand with the sore throat.  It loosens everything up and helps you breath too.  I hope you feel better soon.

Linda, the cayenne is a great idea!  At this point, I'll try anything to feel better..

Hi Eric,

Take my advice; get rid of that flu. If you don't take care of it now it will rebound on you. I just went through it. Rest, sleep, take zinc tablets, tons of water, and I know it sounds corny, but take about a quarter teaspoon of baking soda in the morning, and at night.

That is the worst feeling when you get sick like that. Hope you feel better soon.

Regards

Tom Braatz

Tea w/ honey and lemon is soothing.

In my (much) younger days, a vodka stinger was my favorite sore throat remedy.  It either cured me, or after a couple, I didn't care.

Hope you're feeling better soon.

Tom, thanks for your suggestions.  I forgot that zinc is supposed to help.

Eric, I appreciate the ideas.  I've got tea with honey by the bed right now.

Alcohol seems to be the most popular remedy so far.  No wonder they put alcohol in all those liquid cold medications! 

I even disabled the built-in webcam on my laptop this morning.  I look pretty awful today.

Eric, it is real simple. Make some hot tea, take a table spoon or honey, a tablespoon on lemon, and a shot of vodka to an 8 ouncec up of tea.

Danny, thanks!  I found about a third of a bottle of Skye Vodka in the back of a cupboard.  I think I'll doctor up my tea a bit..

Hey, Eric. So sorry you are under the weather. Here is what always worked for me...
It's really an old pirates' thing, but it works.
Here is what you need:
a cup of dark rum
some (i use a lot, but that's upto you) cloves
2 inch cinnamon sticks
5 tablespoons lemon juice
3 slices lemon

Basically, you put 2 or so cups of water in a sauce pan, and when it gets hot, pour in rum and drop all the other ingredients. Get the thing to boil for a few minutes, but no more than that. If you don't have rum or don't drink that, you can do white wine and red wine half and a half mix instead. I also put in a fresh rosemary sprig when I make it. If it's yucky, just put a pile of whipped cream on top, and it'll be awesome.
:-)
Feel better, whatever you do!

Inna, how long would it take you to fly up here and whip up that concoction for me?

I must be feeling better..my sense of humor is coming back!

Hi Eric:  Mollie said she would volunteer to be uploaded, which would then allow you to download her up there.  She is a great snuggler.  So, Mollie, chicken soup, wine, whiskey, NyQuil, more wine, more NyQuil, and you'll either feel better, or you really won't care.  Feel better, my friend.   Karen Anne

Karen Anne, thank you for caring!  I slept all day off and on, so now I'll probably be awake most of the night, at the keyboard of course!

Gee Eric:  I've never known anyone who stays up till all hours of the night just making Active Rain comments.  Now why would anyone do that ?  LOL.  I hope you are feeling better.  If you need a warm place to stay... I might know someone in FW... <grin>

Karen Anne, I love Fort Worth!  I used to stay on the west side of town, near Benbrook.  It would be fun to visit again.

Eric,

I'm not the first here to suggest this, but the hot toddy works for me.

Tea, lemon, honey, Bourbon (a real man's liquor) and sitting next to that nice looking Jotul woodstove you sent me a picture of on my recent post about alternative heat.

I also thought the idea of the neat looking crock next to the stove was great.

Glad I don't live where its any colder than here in Asheville, NC.

Get well soon and be glad its not the peak of your selling season.

Don, thanks for the good advice.  I'm feeling slightly better today, although I still have a fever.

This is what you need! It is called Dragon Well (Lung Ching) green tea. What did you think it was??? <<<smile>>> I get it at a local Chinese market. There are several varieties but this is the one I find most soothing. These tea leaves can also be mixed about 3 to 1 with jasmine tea leaves in your tea ball for a soothing aroma as well. I would follow any of the recipes above that include honey and a small amount of liquor; the tea will help you sleep whereas the liquor can wear down your immune response. The tea is naturally decaffeinated so it won't get you wired. I would definitely recommend the natural (non-ground) tea leaves as opposed to what you get with say Lipton or Luzianne. I heat a whole pot of water and allow the tea ball to steep continuously for at least 10 minutes. I swear by the green tea and honey remedy; plus there is some clinical research which supports the medicinal benefits as well. I hope you get to feeling better soon!

Rich, I will try this.  I know it looks like pot (LOL) but I'm sure it's on the up-and-up!

I have read some articles about green tea helping with the immune system.  Thanks for the detailed comments.

Eric, just checking in to see which one or two or three of the alcoholic remedies you chose... Some sounded exceedingly good, and maybe those could be used regularly to ward off any illness :-)
In all seriousness though, just wanted to check up on you and wish you well... Hope you feel your normal self again already!!!

inna-

Inna, I'm making a slow recovery.  I didn't try the booze part, but I'm grateful for all the good suggestions and I've tried several.  Thanks for checking on me.

Eric:  Benbrook is a great area.  It has a little of the "getting away from it all" feel to it.  Let me know when you're coming back this way.  I make a pretty great chicken soup.  LOL

Karen Anne, I'll remember that!  Am feeling a bit better this morning and I actually got a full night's sleep.

Eric - Sorry to hear you are not feeling too well. You got some good advice here. Wish I could add some miracle remedy for you...my advice is to get some rest.

Bill, thanks.  I'm doing a little bit better today.  Two days in bed is about all I can take anyway.

Eric, sorry you were feeling poorly, but I'm sure you're back on your feet! I saw in Karen Ann's response that you used to stay in Benbrook..you wouldn't recognize it now!

Linda, I'm doing better today, but the cold symptoms are hanging on.

I imagine Fort Worth and the surrounding area has changed a lot since I was there..it was years ago, back in the early 1990s.