Help me kick a looming cold, FAST!

[Dot-to-Dot]

I am so sick of not knowing what I can take to aggressively get rid of this cold that I feel coming on.  I know I can eat well...I do.  But, that's something that we should do all of the time for prevention.  I want to know what supplements or vitamins I can take in therapeutic doses to make sure I am not sick over Christmas.

--Normally I would take a ton of vitamin C (sodium ascorbate powder).  But, I hear that can cause a miscarriage and so I am sticking to only 2,000-3,000 mg.

--I would take the Myco-Immune tincture given to me by my homeopathic doctor (for my 1 year old in case she gets sick) but I can't find anything that says it's safe for pregnancy (doctor just kind of says, take it at your own risk).

--I can't find anywhere that conclusively says large doses of Elderberry is okay during pregnancy.

--I am dosing a little higher on vitamin D (6,000-7,000 iu instead of my normal 4,000-5,000)

--I am doing the neti pot every day.

--I am drinking lots and lots of water.

--I have taken a few Emergen-C drinks here and there.

--I am taking 50mg of zinc.

--I am drinking red raspberry/nettle tea.

--I drank some garlic tea today (3 cloves steeped for 30 minutes)

My daughter has been sick and it seems that no matter how hard I try, the cold is creeping in on me a little more each day.  My nasal passages are feeling a little irritated, my throat feels raw and exposed and I can feel my lung capacity ever so slightly diminishing.  What can I do (safely in pregnancy) to stop this thing dead in it's tracks before it really gets me???

Edited by Dot-to-Dot - 12/19/10 at 2:23pm

[imogenlily]

Anyone know if oil of oregano is safe for pregnancy?

[Dot-to-Dot]

I took that once when I was desperate to kick a UTI without having to go to the doctor to be prescribed an Rx.  Oh my gosh, that stuff is so strong and awful.  It was, without a doubt, the worst thing I have ever ingested in my life.  I'd rather drink whiskey straight with no chaser.  I just can't imagine that it'd be safe for pregnancy considering how strong it is.  But, maybe...  ??

(Oh and it did not kick the UTI even in the very earliest stage and I ended up having to go to the ER days later when it very suddenly turned to a very ugly UTI)

[DanielleT]

It is gross but works and i would take 5 drops 3-5x a day if i were sick HOWEVER i am almost certain it is not safe while pregnant...

[Jayray]

The only the I would add is lots of ginger tea. 

[Jenne]

Skip the ginger tea--it's an abortificant in high doses...

Add a humidifier in the room you sleep in and the one you spend the most time in...

Feel better soon!

Jenne

[Smokering]

Sorry to give you yet more restrictions, but are you sure your vitamin D is natural? Some sources (like the cheap cod liver oils) strip the natural vitamin D during the refining/purification process, and then add synthetic stuff back in - which is a big no-no during pregnancy. So it might pay to check. On the bright side, if it is natural, you can go pretty darn high dosage-wise if you want.

If you're not vegetarian - chicken broth! Or soup, of course. It's full of awesome. Put lots of garlic and onion in it. :)

Hope you feel better soon!

[Jayray]

Originally Posted by Jenne 

Skip the ginger tea--it's an abortificant in high doses...
 

The very little evidence for this seems hardly compelling.

[Jenne]

It is one of the milder ones but in doses greater than 250mg 4 times a day it can bring on menses. Since most teas don't clearly state exactly how much ginger one is getting I think it can be risky. In early pregnancy menses induction can indeed cause a loss. Since, in my studies it is one of the first listed and is one of the menses inducers my acupuncturist recommends I steer clear in the first trimester. I wasn't being argumentative, most women, in my experience, don't know about ginger being an emmanagogue.

Jenne

[Dot-to-Dot]

I'm not sure....but I buy it from my integrative physician (MD who relies heavily on herbs, acupuncture, etc.)  The brand is Pure Encapsulations.  There's not really any information on the bottle that indicates natural or not, but this doctor is pretty keen on natural stuff.  I trust the source, but that's all I can say about it. 

 

Originally Posted by Smokering 

 are you sure your vitamin D is natural?  

[Dot-to-Dot]

I'm bumping because I really haven't heard anything suggested that would be great for a pregnant woman to aggressively stop a cold dead in it's tracks!  Anyone?  Anything? 

I'm still doing everything I listed and things seem to be getting a little worse with each morning I wake up.  I decided to take a Halls cough drop last night and it made me nauseous so I spit it out.  I went ahead and started taking Myco-Immune which was given to me for my 1 year old in case she gets sick - it's a mixture of immune boosting mushrooms.

Doesn't anyone know what I can do to reverse this terribly sore throat?  My dd is sick and her nose is running CONSTANTLY and she coughs and sneezes all over me.  I can't possibly keep up with her mucus!  I'm sure it's all over me despite washing my hands so often that they are dry and cracked and to the poin that lotion stings when I apply it!

Help!  I still have a few days to try SOMETHING before Christmas.

And P.S.  Doesn't anyone have anything to chime in about safe levels of C in pregnancy?

[Jenne]

Have you added in a humidifier? You may have a sore throat from the dry heated air. Similarly, your daughter may be stuffy due to dry air. It will only take a day or two to notice whether it is helping.

Jenne

[gemasita]

I've got the same issue - a cold that seems worse each morning when I wake up.  I haven't gotten my humidifier out yet.  Hopefully that will help.  I do wish I could nip it in the bud though.

[PAgreenmama]

i admit this is strange, but dd came down with a pretty bad cold last month and i was sure i would get it since i pick up everything when i'm pregnant, however, at the start of her cold dr.mercola posted an article about stopping a cold by putting hydrogen peroxide in your ears.  it sounded crazy but harmless so i tried it and i did not get sick.  not a sniffle or a cough.  i can't find the original link that i read a few weeks ago but i found an older article from his site that actually explains it better

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2002/03/13/hydrogen-peroxide-part-one.aspx

it's certainly worth a try!

[starbyfar7]

i've been battling a cold for the past few days too.. ugh.. im pretty miserable.

i dont know about safe levels of vit C, but i asked my midwife about Emergen C because i normally take it when I feel a cold coming on.. she said the vit C levels in it were fine, but because of the high levels of Vit A she STRONGLY urged me not to mess with it. She recommended, keeping up with my teas (nettle, Red Rasp leaf), soup, and rest. there's not much you can do other than let your body work it out on its own and try to rest up so your immune system has a chance to stave it off.

if what you're trying to do is get rid of the symptoms of the cold, well.. there are OTC things you could take.. but i try to stay as far away from OTC drugs as possible so i really dont have any to recommend :(

[Dot-to-Dot]

I really enjoy Mercola's articles, so I'll look into that hydrogen peroxide thing.  It kinda sounds scary (like it'd burn or something?)

Should have mentioned before that, yes, we've got the humidifier going.  And dd and I spend a good portion of time splashing around in the steamy bathroom together each morning to loosen things up and keep airways moist.  I'm sure she benefits during naps.  However, I rarely am in the same room long enough to benefit.  I suppose I can move mine closer when I sleep.  I coughed so frequently last night that I never could fall asleep and ended up with a killer headache from the dry hacking.  And it's crazy, but the cough gets worse every time I drink the giner/lemon tea...is that even possible!  I thought it was supposed to be so soothing.  I'm considering abandoning that strategy.

[PAgreenmama]

it didn't really burn, but it was loud.  mercola is really on this thing lately... here's another article that came today:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/12/22/alternative-cold-remedies.aspx

let me know if it makes a difference for you.  i'm just curious...

[Dot-to-Dot]

...was just checking all of my old threads and saw there had been a reply that I'd missed!  So, I did try the hydrogen peroxide thing and it was REALLY weird feeling (cold, itchy and just a really weird sensation).  However, I did start to feel better in the following days!  What's more is that I've used this strategy at the very slightest sign of illness or when I've been exposed and I've not gotten sick at all.  I've been convincing my husband to do it too, (he HATES it!) but he hasn't been sick either and so it's worth it!  That sore throat was stressing me out, but the cough only lasted for a couple of nights and it never seemed to become a full fledged cold or anything (the cough wasn't during the day ever and no nasal congestion).  So I think the drops helped!  Now, I just wish I could figure out a way to get my 1 year old to sit still so I could do it to her!

[MoonWillow]

I may try this because I sometimes use peroxide to break up the major wax build up that my kids get so, its worth a try.

Thanks!