John Messmer, M.D. wrote:
> Severe, violent coughing can injure the vocal folds, but mild coughing is
> generally tolerated without problem...Dextromethorphan can suppress coughs,
> but some people do not metabolize it well and get lightheaded and dizzy.
> It is the DM part of most over the counter cough suppressants.
It has been my experience and observation that the common cold is actually
many (hundreds of) classically interdependent little bug(ger)/viruses - The
symptoms and treatments seem to vary widely, depending on individual bodies,
climates, seasons, how early treatment begins, etc... - It's kind of the old
"hit & miss" thing - As Dr. Messmer also says, there are no miracle cures
yet...
Violent, "non-productive" (i.e., not producing phlegm) coughing is the worst
thing for me when I get a "cold from hell". Dextromethorphan, in various
forms, helps me if I haven't been able to treat the cold in its initial
stage, which almost always for me with a severe cold, starts as a sore throat
which goes away in about a day, followed by hacking cough and all the other
"fun" symptoms of a cold, which again are my symptoms ("your mileage and
symptoms may vary..." :o)), which may last for a couple weeks and linger for
several weeks after, especially it seems, in a dry inland kind of climate
where I currently am, here in the Yukon. There may also be some causality
between runny noses and run-on sentences...:o) When I'm down in Victoria,
BC, which is on the ocean with a moist, temperate climate, the infrequent
colds I do get seem to be far less severe. It has now been about a month
since I basically recovered from this summer's cold from hell - As I cross my
fingers, it seems the lingering hacking cough has just now finally died and I
only had to miss two nights off from my show...
I always try to hit the cold at the first indication of any symptom, which is
as I say for me, a slightly sore throat, which can get worse very quickly. I
have had some success with 1 gram of buffered vitamin C every hour, or a half
gram of the "chewable" variety, which I have been advised, absorbs more
quickly than the "unchewable"... I do this for about a day, usually in
combination with oil of oregano, 3-4 drops chugged down with water or juice,
between meals, 3-4 times a day. Oil of oregano is an interesting herbal
thing - very expensive, about $45 for a little dropper bottle here in
Canada. It is extremely hot in its undiluted form - *Don't* put it in your
mouth this way...:o) (By the way, it can be soothing in undiluted form as a
kind of liniment for arthritic joints and such...) I also take astragalus, a
Chinese herb which I also get in a dropper bottle as a tincture (fairly
cheap, maybe about $20 for the really good stuff...), versus the dried
version in capsules, which I don't find effective. I follow the directions
on the bottle, which usually say 40 drops in a small amount of warm water,
3-4 times a day, again between meals, which I believe aids absorption. A
companion to this is "Oregamax", a capsule with oregano and other herbs -
also very expensive, but I have had good luck with it - and no, I have no
"commercial interest" here... Another thing that seems to have helped me is
olive leaf extract, which comes in tablets. I use any or all of this stuff
(sort of depending on what's in my cupboard and what I think I can afford at
a given time...) and it often seems to work, *if* I catch the bugger early
enough... Echinacea/Goldenseal and such have been less successful for me
though they seem to help others... and I drink many
tons/tonnes/gallons/litres of water... and I take lots of long, soothing warm
showers to moisten everything, think positive, healing thoughts and just
remember to breathe... and be kind of "monk-like" and kind of "detach" from
everything, as much as "reality as one perceives it" will permit - something
like that...
By the second day or so, if all this peaceful, happening holistic stuff
hasn't worked, then I kind of go to war with, um, "corporate chemical
farmaceuticals" with as mentioned above, various forms of dextromethorphan as
my weapon of choice to suppress the cough from hell - generic versions of
"Vick's Nyquil/Dayquil" and what I personally just find very soothing -
generic "neo citran", which is just kind of yummy and mellow, with that whole
lemon and hot water kind of groove, though I know it's all completely fake
flavouring, sugar and chemicals... As Jennifer suggests, I also take
acetaminophen with codeine at bedtime, though I use the stronger prescription
stuff, i.e., "Tylenol 3", 1-2 tablets, depending on the severity of the
cough. The over-the-counter "Tylenol 2" literally does nothing for me...
And yes, always consult with your own doctor with all of this stuff,
especially where potential addictions and interactions with other drugs are
concerned... If the cold hasn't started to clear up after about a week, get
checked for pneumonia and other infections and keep checking every week or
so. Again, I speak from experience... "What everyone has said" about
resting the voice as much as possible...
Blessings.
Michael
Michael Eckford <michaelb@y...>
Michael Eckford <michaelb@y...>
Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
http://www.angelfire.com/me/interdependence/
Frantic Follies www.franticfollies.com
"The hardest battle you're ever going to fight is the battle to be just you."
-Leo Buscaglia
"Whatever you do may seem insignificant, but it is most important that
you do it." -Gandhi
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