{"id":1115,"date":"2016-03-18T01:21:19","date_gmt":"2016-03-18T01:21:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/192.241.231.59\/?p=1115"},"modified":"2016-03-18T01:21:19","modified_gmt":"2016-03-18T01:21:19","slug":"cold-and-flu-survival-kit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vosvado.com\/cold-and-flu-survival-kit","title":{"rendered":"Six Things You MUST Keep on Hand for Cold &#038; Flu Season"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><em>\u2666 READING TIME: 6 min, 7 sec<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>My niece started kindergarten this year. Really, is there anything more adorable than this rite of passage? Picture it:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cute little girl heading off to class in her brand new school dress&#8230;<\/li>\n<li>Cute little girl coming home with her very first homework assignment&#8230;<\/li>\n<li>Cute little girl stricken ill with the latest round of <span style=\"color: #800080;\"><em>EbolaBubonicPlagueBirdFlu<\/em><\/span> that is infecting every classmate in her !@*#^! schoolroom!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I love my nieces and nephews, but you can\u2019t deny that once a kid starts school, they are going to endure the immune system hardening that is just part of being a member of the human herd. They are going to pick up every virus within sneezing distance while they sit at their shiny new desks, and like it or not, they\u2019re going to bring that virus back home to you.<\/p>\n<p>Now I don\u2019t have kids, myself. But in addition to the aforementioned nieces and nephews that live near us, I also have a passel of friends who are raising the next generation of little peoples. Consequently, even though I\u2019m not a parent, I, too, swim in the viral stew that is part of the Parenting Package.<\/p>\n<p>Of course there are things you can do to keep your immune system\u2014and that of your kiddos\u2014in fighting form. After all, just because a virus enters your system, it doesn\u2019t mean you have to succumb to its dastardly clutches. Some of my favorite preventative strategies include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Loads of Vitamin D, via sun exposure and\/or supplementation with a combination of D3 and K2<\/li>\n<li>Stress reduction<\/li>\n<li>Plenty of sleep<\/li>\n<li>Sticking to a healthy diet at least 80{5b94df0808d5051ae4460ba229ec68b809d99f898aebd4fa5019c7ba642362c2} of the time<\/li>\n<li>Drastically minimizing refined sugars<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>But even the best of intentions can go awry. We travel. We attend parties. Work gets crazy. And before we know it, we\u2019re sleep-deprived, stressed out, undernourished wrecks, ripe for a viral ambush.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, the above-described perfect storm happened to me a few months ago. And double-unfortunately, my immune-compromised situation perfectly coincided with the post-Christmas back-to-school season for the kiddos of friends and family. Before I knew it, I was as sick as I\u2019d ever been as an adult. Partially bedridden with an almost narcoleptic feeling of exhaustion. For almost TWO WEEKS.<\/p>\n<p>So how did I handle it? Well, aside from withdrawing from the world and watching untold hours of Netflix, I fell back upon my in-house store of items that I keep in stock for just such an unfortunate occasion. After all, emergencies aren\u2019t just about earthquakes and tornadoes! You need emergency kits for the more mundane calamities of life, too.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Here are my top 6 &#8220;Sick Kit&#8221; items, in descending order of awesomeness:<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1122\" style=\"width: 210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1122\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-1122 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/192.241.231.59\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Mother-care-vapor-tent-200x300.png\" alt=\"mother child daughter congestion steam vapor essential oils flu cold\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Mother-care-vapor-tent-200x300.png 200w, https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Mother-care-vapor-tent-100x150.png 100w, https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Mother-care-vapor-tent.png 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1122\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A picture is worth a 1000 words: here&#8217;s how to make a steam tent!<\/p><\/div>\n<h4><strong>Peppermint and eucalyptus essential oils<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>For me, the worst part of a cold is the unrelenting congestion. I get horrendous sinus headaches that make me want to curl in a ball and sob\u2026except the sobbing would only make the congestion worse, so I usually just do the curl-in-a-ball part.<\/p>\n<p>And then I turn to <strong>my secret weapon: the towel steam tent<\/strong>! It\u2019s super easy and super effective. You simply boil a pot of water, remove it from the heat, and add 1-2 drops of peppermint and 6-8 drops of eucalyptus oil. Then you put your head over the steam, drape a large towel over both you and the steam pot, and breathe in the steam until you get bored (for me, that\u2019s about 5 minutes).<\/p>\n<p>Repeat as often as needed. Keep a box of tissues nearby, as this is shockingly effective at\u00a0loosening up nasal congestion.<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: right;\"><strong>Saline nasal spray<\/strong><\/h4>\n<div id=\"attachment_1123\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1123\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-1123 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/192.241.231.59\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Nasal-spray-to-help-a-cold-300x200.png\" alt=\"woman nasal congestion saline spray flu cold allergies\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Nasal-spray-to-help-a-cold-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Nasal-spray-to-help-a-cold-100x67.png 100w, https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Nasal-spray-to-help-a-cold.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1123\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This woman looks way more elegant than I do when I rinse my sinuses.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>This is an adjunct to the steam tent. Some people like to use a neti pot, but I prefer to buy the premade saline spray at the drugstore.<\/p>\n<p>I know there are people who can pour the saline solution directly through their nostrils, but that makes me feel like I\u2019m drowning, so what I do instead is tilt my head back, close off my throat with my tongue, and direct a stream of saline into each nostril. Then I pinch my nose closed with a tissue and tip forward at the waist. I then tilt my head to one side, then the other, effectively swishing the saline around my sinus openings.<\/p>\n<p>I know it sounds goofy\u2014probably looks goofy, too\u2014but I was taught this technique by <em>a former NASA flight surgeon<\/em> who said this was what he taught his astronaut and pilot patients to do when <em>they<\/em> had congestion issues. It\u2019s completely drug-free and thus doesn\u2019t affect flight performance. So there. :p<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>REAL chicken broth<\/strong><\/h4>\n<div id=\"attachment_1118\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1118\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-1118 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/192.241.231.59\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Chicken-Broth-Is-Cooked-300x199.png\" alt=\"Chicken broth stew soup sinus congestion flu\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Chicken-Broth-Is-Cooked-300x199.png 300w, https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Chicken-Broth-Is-Cooked-100x66.png 100w, https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Chicken-Broth-Is-Cooked.png 750w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1118\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This is totally not how I make chicken broth, but you get the point.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Turns out grandma was right: chicken broth is MAGIC for colds!<\/p>\n<p>Some as-yet-unidentified element of broth helps clear mucous better than either plain cold or warm water, and in addition to breaking up congestion, it also alleviates many of the other general discomforts of illness.<\/p>\n<p>But <strong>don\u2019t use that crap boxed stuff you can buy off the shelf<\/strong> at the grocery store. Either order frozen batches of the real deal\u00a0from any of the myriad vendors online, or make your own next time you roast a chicken and then freeze it for when you need it.<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: right;\"><strong>Chest congestion reliever<\/strong> (guaifenesin)<\/h4>\n<div id=\"attachment_1120\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1120\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-1120 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/192.241.231.59\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Cough-Syrup-spoon-left-300x200.png\" alt=\"cough syrup decongestant chest lungs flu \" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Cough-Syrup-spoon-left-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Cough-Syrup-spoon-left-100x67.png 100w, https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Cough-Syrup-spoon-left.png 750w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1120\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8230;and the cherry flavor is AWESOME!<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Sometimes, even using all the natural remedies you can think of, you still can\u2019t get rid of the crud that sets up shop in your lungs. This is where actual pharmaceuticals come in.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Guaifenesin<\/strong> is what you want, but it\u2019s a bitch to find it in its isolated form. Almost every cough remedy you find on the shelf claims to be both a cough suppressor AND expectorant. How can something that\u2019s supposed to stop you from coughing also help you cough crud up??<\/p>\n<p>So spend the time searching the bottom shelves of the cough medicine aisle. Eventually, you\u2019ll find the guaifenesin-only syrup. Pick up a bottle and stash it at home for if\/when you need it.<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Sore throat spray and\/or lozenges<\/strong><\/h4>\n<div id=\"attachment_1119\" style=\"width: 262px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1119\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-1119 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/192.241.231.59\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Chloraseptic-Bottle-252x300.png\" alt=\"Chloraseptic throat spray flu cold laryngitis \" width=\"252\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Chloraseptic-Bottle-252x300.png 252w, https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Chloraseptic-Bottle-100x119.png 100w, https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Chloraseptic-Bottle.png 488w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 252px) 100vw, 252px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1119\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A childhood memory that tastes just as awful as you remember&#8230;but it WORKS!<\/p><\/div>\n<p>You know that part of a cold where your throat hurts so bad, you can hardly swallow? And how when you\u2019re in that much pain, sleep is pretty much impossible? And how one of the best things you can do to get over a cold is to sleep, sleep, and sleep some more?<\/p>\n<p>Yeah, saltwater gargles and honey-laden tea can sooth inflamed throat tissues for a few minutes, but for lasting throat pain relief, you\u2019ll need something a little more heavy duty.<\/p>\n<p>There are numerous natural remedies on the shelves at health food stores, but for me, I keep an emergency bottle of Chloraseptic in my medicine chest.<\/p>\n<p>There have been concerns raised in the past few years about the phenol content in this popular throat spray, so now the directions say to spit it out after you let it bathe your throat for several seconds. Being a geek, I just dove into the research on phenol hazards at the percentage (1.4{5b94df0808d5051ae4460ba229ec68b809d99f898aebd4fa5019c7ba642362c2}) used in Chloraseptic. Even at the largest size available, you get a maximum of 2g phenol in a bottle. The LD50 indicates that a woman of my size would need to ingest 12 full bottles of Chloraseptic at a sitting to be at any risk. I think I\u2019m safe.<strong><\/p>\n<p><\/strong><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: right;\"><strong>Cough syrup<\/strong><\/h4>\n<div id=\"attachment_1121\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1121\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-1121 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/192.241.231.59\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Cough-Syrup-spoon-right-300x200.png\" alt=\"Cough syrup cold flu \" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Cough-Syrup-spoon-right-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Cough-Syrup-spoon-right-100x67.png 100w, https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Cough-Syrup-spoon-right.png 750w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1121\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gee, this looks suspiciously like the guaifenesin up above&#8230;.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Eventually, you get to the point in the cold cycle where you just have a lingering annoying cough.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not bringing up any chest congestion; it\u2019s just keeping you from getting your much-needed rest.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes keeping your throat well-hydrated with copious amounts of warm liquid, or even a teaspoon of honey, can keep it at bay. But other times, you need to bring out the big guns: specifically, you need <strong>dextromethorphan<\/strong>.\u00a0<span style=\"line-height: 1.5;\">(Or codeine\u2026but my mom is viciously allergic to the stuff, so I avoid it, too, out of an abundance of caution.) <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"line-height: 1.5;\">You can find dextromethorphan in the same area of the drugstore as you unearthed that bottle of guaifenesin.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">* * * * *<\/p>\n<p>So those are my top 6 Sick Kit must-haves. I left out things like pain relievers and tissues because those are the sorts of items people usually have on hand as part of daily life. But if by chance you don\u2019t, give some thought to what else you need to stock up on for the next time YOU\u2019RE laid low by the latest rhinovirus.<\/p>\n<p>If you have kiddos, you\u2019ll want to augment this with child-specific medications. Additionally, you\u2019ll need to take into consideration what your kid will actually agree to endure in the name of recovery. And that preceding sentence? Yeah, that applies to your life partners, too. After all, one doesn\u2019t have to be chronologically \u201ca kid\u201d in order to act like one. Especially when they\u2019re sick. \ud83d\ude00<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em>Want to learn even more about to\u00a0prepare yourself\u00a0for emergencies?<br \/>\nDownload my free \u201cEmergency Preparedness for Women\u201d guide <\/em><\/strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em><a href=\"http:\/\/192.241.231.59\/join-the-tribe\/\" target=\"_blank\">HERE<\/a><\/em><\/span><strong><em>!\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2666 READING TIME: 6 min, 7 sec My niece started kindergarten this year. Really, is there anything more adorable than this rite of passage? Picture it: Cute little girl heading off to class in her brand new school dress&#8230; Cute little girl coming home with her very first homework assignment&#8230; Cute little girl stricken ill with the latest round of &#8230; <\/p>\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/vosvado.com\/cold-and-flu-survival-kit\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1124,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2,7],"tags":[23,21],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1115"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1115"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1115\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}