Somehow this winter hasn't been the friendliest to us, and we've already managed to all get sick more than once. After quite a few years of not even getting so much as the common cold, this seems particularly harsh.
Not wanting to get sick again, I have been going back over all the files of many things we used to do to ward of germs during cold and flu season. There were a number of herbal remedies, some horrible enough to make that I would rather have a cold than think of subjecting myself to them again.
And then there are the more peculiar ones.
I had a great uncle who declared the best way to remain healthy is to stand on your head for a few minutes every day. He was a scrawny little man, and very pleased with himself to be able to keep up this daily routine. On one of his birthdays he called and left a message to take to Grandma saying. "I turned 86 today and still stood on my head."
We delivered the message to Grandma and couldn't contain our laughter when her response was, "Humph! Maybe if he quit standing on his head everyday he would remember he turned 84 today, not 86!"
Whether or not standing on your head has any health benefits, I don't know, and I won't be trying it in order to find out.
Another precaution that was more on the peculiar side was something one of my dear aunts did every winter.
She had her usual vitamins, garlic, and herbal remedies to try to keep sickness at bay. She also took it a step further. She wore a pair of cleaning gloves to fetch the mail every day. She would then proceed to spread the mail out on a cookie sheet and bake it for a while to kill any germs that might have attached themselves by being handled by other people.
I won't be doing that either.
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This has been a particularly tough year for lots of people but I don't think either of your relatives methods would work for me either. Love your Grandmothers spunkyness! :-)
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Betsy
Oh, my! These are great! hahaha
ReplyDeleteI usually don't get much more than a cold. Yet, this year, I've been sick twice.
I love natural/home remedies and would love to hear what works for you!
I know what your aunt's were feeling. I hate touching the mail at this time of year. It's been around all of those envelopes that have been licked to seal after all. So I do wash my hands really well after handling it. No oven baking, though.
ReplyDeleteHere near St. Louis there are a lot of people sick with cold/flu/virus/stomach bug/pneumonia lately. Going to Walgreens makes me feel like I'm in a science fiction Contagion movie. I wish that my car had some type of anti-bacterial mist system that would sanitize me automatically when I get in and close the car door.
As tired as I am of my own cooking, my desire for restaurant (fast food or slow) fare isn't there at this time of year when I think of all of the germy hands involved.
I read somewhere that putting Vicks Vaporub on the bottoms of one's feet is supposed to help fight colds. I tried it. I don't know how good it does for colds, but it feels good and warm on my cold feet when I slip my socks on over my Vicks-ified feet, and my feet are softer and smoother than ever, callous free.
I am extra careful to use hand sanitizer after being in stores. But I think the most effective way to avoid colds and winter sickness is to stay away from sick people. Coughs and sneezes can spray germs into the air for quite a distance.
Not too much longer for this winter's sickness season. I hope we will all stay well. Summer is my favorite way to stay well.
Ha, ha, I'll never look at mail the same again! Never thought about the germs on it! The place I think about germs is public handrails, escalators, etc. so far I haven't been sick...I hope it stays that way!
ReplyDeleteOh my...live these stories. Made me smile this morning. Hope you all feel better soon.
ReplyDeleteThat was supposed to say "love these stories"
DeleteI would love to stand on my head when I'm 86. Or 84. See the world from a different angle.
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
Is there more flu and sickness around each winter than it was years ago? I don't remember as a child ever having the flu. Although we had the usual measles, mumps and chickenpox but other than that there was nothing.
ReplyDelete