What is Your Favorite Placebo?

[CleverNickName]

I am sick. Runny nose, fever, sore throat, nausea...it feels like I have spent the last few days snorting battery acid. On a roller coaster. I hardly ever get sick, but when I do, wow. I'm down for a week.

And it never fails...whenever I catch a virus or whatever this crap is, all of my well-meaning friends and family members come out of the woodwork with home remedies and quick-fixes to make me feel better. And it is great to know they care. But there is only one problem...

...their advice is absolute crap. Which is why I stick to what my doctor recommends: fluids and sleep.

I've collected a few of the remedies that they have suggested (read: forced me to try) over the last few days, and added them to this poll. Vote for your favorite...or defend your tried-and-true remedy.

 

[CleverNickName]

Right now, I'm going with the hot toddy. At least the whiskey helps me sleep.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

My favorite placebo? Placebo Flamingo, of course!

When I feel like you describe, I drink lots of OJ- more than my usual, that is- and try to eat high-quality chicken soups- preferably something like a Matzoh ball soup. The combo of vitamins, minerals and electrolytes (as well as alternating cool and hot liquids) usually has a positive effect on my feeling of well being, if not my actual health.

I also gargle with Listerine, use a high-power nasal decongestant (usually some kind of Afrin knock-off), and wash my hands frequently to prevent the spread whatever I have.

Oh yeah- I always get a flu shot!

 

[CleverNickName]

My favorite placebo? Placebo Flamingo, of course!

Nice one.

When I feel like you describe, I drink lots of OJ- more than my usual, that is-

Oops, I forgot about that one. And hot lemonade, as well...apparently that is a popular "down south" remedy that my wife's family swears by.

Oh yeah- I always get a flu shot!

Me too. Which I think only exacerbated the problem, in this case.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Vitamin C; two a day. One in the morning with my first cup of coffee and one before climbing into bed.

Two Vitamin C's when you are sick and trying to keep a positive outlook (that is trying not to feel sick) help to cure you of the situation. There is a lot to be said about the power of positive thinking.

 

[frankthedm]

Well, IIRC there is a japanese superstition that you will get better faster if you give your sickness to others.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

If I'm really having trouble clearing mucous from my throat & lungs, about a half-hour after I use my decongestants, I try to get my torso in an upside-down position.

Usually, I do this by draping myself off the side of my bed. The resultant gravity assist really helps my coughing be effective.

Now, if I could only get some gravity boots...

 

[awayfarer]

I didn't vote. I do have a little commentary for a few selections though.

1: Chicken soup. This is a terrible thing to do to a chicken and food in general. Soup is drowned food. I refuse to acknowledge it as anything other than a chunky bevereage for wierdos.

2: The flu shot. I haven't gotten one in a very, very long time and I get the flue about as often as everyone else I know. The difference is that my immune system is training with live targets.

3: Mint and Lemon. This doesn't sound like a cold rememdy, it sounds like a bet. May as well just throw garlic in there and ask for another five bucks.

4: Hot toddy. A little validity to this one. Hot beverages of any kind (like soup, which is not a food but a beverage for the deranged) can help wash away crud in your throat. This will help.

 

[EricNoah]

Soup really does help me. Doesn't have to be homemade, but it is soothing and helps keep me hydrated.

I used to get colds fairly regularly. I get them less often nowadays. My preventative placebos are daily doses of a) alergy medication to keep my nose/throat area clear of gunk, where my colds always, always start, and b) vitamin C. Whatever else might be going on, these two things seem to work.

When I do get a cold, my treatments are a) nasal spray to allow me to breathe easy (especially at night - nothing saps my strength more during a cold than not being able to sleep due to a stuffy nose), and b) something to stop the gunk (pseudafed or other related stuff). And of course fluids and rest.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I didn't vote. I do have a little commentary for a few selections though.

1: Chicken soup. This is a terrible thing to do to a chicken and food in general. Soup is drowned food. I refuse to acknowledge it as anything other than a chunky bevereage for wierdos.

Soups, because they hold their nutrients in liquid form, deliver those nutrients more rapidly to the body. Essentially, a good part of the work of the digestive tract is already done, and your bod can simply go to work on absorbing the goodness.

2: The flu shot. I haven't gotten one in a very, very long time and I get the flue about as often as everyone else I know. The difference is that my immune system is training with live targets.

My Dad is an MD with a MPH besides. It drives him nuts that people still don't get their shots.

As he points out, the shots are generally cheap and effective, yet 30,000 people die from the Flu every year in the US alone.

It doesn't just kill by attacking the respiratory system, either. One of his patients back in the 1980's died when the flu virus migrated from his lungs to his heart. An otherwise healthy 20-something man died waiting for a heart transplant.

And that's just the normal flu. Heaven help us all if one of the avian flus decides to go after us like they did in 1918- 70 million dead worldwide, and that in a world without high-speed air travel as a vector.