Wednesday 6 March 2013

My Home Remedies for Sore Throat and Fever


I have not been well. Yesterday was probably the worst, with blocked nose, reddish eyes, swollen throat, fever and a pounding headache. But alhamdulillah I am getting better. A combination of long-distance travelling, exhaustion, lack of sleep and perhaps walking in the polluted roads of KL (I imagined I was getting some exercise!) plus exposure to hubby who was suffering from a cold, knocked me down for a couple of days.

I would like to try home remedies before opting for some paracetemol, clarityne and antibiotics. So far for the past year and a half I have only had to use antibiotics once. Which is a major improvement for me, as I used to get prescribed antibiotics for a cold every few months.

So here are my tips on tackling a fever, blocked nose/sinuses and sore throat for adults. Please be mindful that this is the result of a lot of reading, other people's personal experiences and self-experimentation.

Ingredients for what I call the Elixir of Health (minus the vitamin C).
I think good old rassam will also do the trick. ;-)

  • Drink plenty of plain water. More than usual. Make a point of drinking a glass of water every 2-3 hours or so if you are the forgetful type (like me!)
  • Rest. Sleep. Plenty. Enough said. 
  • Plenty of vitamin C. My favourite is Calcium C Sandoz, in the form of an effervescent tablet, 1g. But when using this, please remember to increase your plain water intake to cope with the calcium load. I would take a tablet every few hours, alongside with several cups of water. Watch out for soft stools or diarrhea, as that is a sign of Vitamin C overdose. My personal tolerance limit seems to be 3g in 8 hours. For those who tend to have gastritis, it may be worthwhile to invest in a non-acidic or buffered form of vitamin C.
  • Magnesium, once a day. This helps calcium stay in a soluble form so it will be taken up by your body instead of becoming insoluble and end up being deposited where it is not wanted, like in your kidneys. Best form is magnesium citrate, but I make do with whatever I have. Watch out for diarrhea, as excessive magnesium intake can cause this too. You could also soak your feet in Epsom salts and warm water as an alternative magnesium source (Epsom salt is magnesium sulphate). Very soothing.
  • B complex to help your immune system, once a day.
  • Virgin coconut oil, 4 tablespoons a day during the cold.
  • Oil pulling with virgin coconut oil. Basically you swish around 1 tablespoon of virgin coconut oil in your mouth for a maximum of 20 minutes. I only managed about 5 minutes yesterday before I had to spit it out. Please do not swallow this!
  • Elixir of health, a recipe I obtained from my bestie. A dash of turmeric powder, some Bentong ginger, some honey and lemon juice in a mug of hot water. (See above picture for the ingredients I use). This is so comforting to a sore throat and contains turmeric, a well-known anti-bacterial agent.
  • The above honey contained a small amount of black seed oil mixed in it. I also took a teaspoon a day.
  • Did I mention plenty of fluids? Soups and broth can help too. Easy to digest and so comforting.
My favourite brand of extra virgin coconut oil because it tastes like coconut cookies. 

People who are used to fighting off infections using natural remedies tell me that, in the beginning, your body takes a long time to recover without modern medicine. But with each infection, your body recovers faster as it learns how to deal with illnesses naturally. I would still go for antibiotics if I don't see an improvement after doing all of the above. But the key thing here is still rest and plenty of fluids. This time around I was lax about the amount of plain water I was consuming and vitamin C. I was wondering if it was time to go for conventional meds. Ironically enough it was meeting up with my doctor relative that reminded me of the vitamin C and plenty of water. She was quite concerned, and while she was not pushy, she had already suggested clarityne and paracetemol. But I thought I should give natural remedies one last ditch effort before I succumb to her ministrations ;-)

I had a very good night's sleep last night, and woke up with no headache, my fever has gone down and my throat less sore. My nose is still blocked, so I will continue my regimen until I get better, if God so wills.

Yinkey Pet has been a valued companion. She reminds me to relax and take it easy.


17 comments:

nadia rashid said...

salam mama pongkey...comel betul yg tengah rest tu..nyenyak tido..:D
kalu sy & suami amalkan vit c & B complex..daily supplement..if tertinggal makan..lupa..biasa sy lah..rasa nak selsema...kat mekah ada sy beli madu yaman..tapi tak makan pun lagi..
okey get well soon..:D

@na said...

salam, thakns for the useful info..hope getting well soon..

GO GREEN said...

kiutnya miau tu!!! masalah Lynn pulak allergy dgn Vit C. Kalau mkn akan dpt migraine. Kdg2 sampai mata berair & bengkak. Mujur jrg kena selsema sbb mmg kaki minum air suam. Sehari berbotol2.

olive said...

mama ponkey, can try mix 1 part of honey & 1 part of apple vinegar cider. Get well cepat cepat!

Mama Pongkey said...

Nadia,
Thanks for the wishes. Ni miau yang sama tengah tidur tepi keyboard saya ni. Manja betul dia. Amalan yang bagus makan kedua-dua vitamin tu. Masalahnya saya selalu je terlupa nak ambil, bila dah demam ni barulah nak teringat. Madu Yaman saya tak beli hari tu, beli minyak habbatussauda je. Masa mula balik dari Mekah rajin juga amalkan, ni adalah dekat sebulan lebih 'terlupa' nak makan. Adui.

@na,
Thank you. I hope the tips can be of some help :-)

Lynn,
:-) Miau tu pun tahu yang dia kiut. Kalau masuk rumah waktu malam, mesti nak tidur tepi ketiak. Alahai. Lepas tu dia minat dengan segala macam makanan manusia pulak tu. Hmm pertama kali dengar allergy to Vitamin C. Tapi alhamdulillah Lynn dah ada habit yang baik minum air suam banyak. Saya ni selalu lupa minum air. Apa daa. Kena ikut habit Lynn ni.

Olive,
Thank you for your tip :-). I just tried it now and the taste is quite pleasant and give a good tingle in my throat. Sedaplah pulak.

Mama Pongkey said...

Nadia,
Thanks for the wishes. Ni miau yang sama tengah tidur tepi keyboard saya ni. Manja betul dia. Amalan yang bagus makan kedua-dua vitamin tu. Masalahnya saya selalu je terlupa nak ambil, bila dah demam ni barulah nak teringat. Madu Yaman saya tak beli hari tu, beli minyak habbatussauda je. Masa mula balik dari Mekah rajin juga amalkan, ni adalah dekat sebulan lebih 'terlupa' nak makan. Adui.

@na,
Thank you. I hope the tips can be of some help :-)

Lynn,
:-) Miau tu pun tahu yang dia kiut. Kalau masuk rumah waktu malam, mesti nak tidur tepi ketiak. Alahai. Lepas tu dia minat dengan segala macam makanan manusia pulak tu. Hmm pertama kali dengar allergy to Vitamin C. Tapi alhamdulillah Lynn dah ada habit yang baik minum air suam banyak. Saya ni selalu lupa minum air. Apa daa. Kena ikut habit Lynn ni.

Olive,
Thank you for your tip :-). I just tried it now and the taste is quite pleasant and give a good tingle in my throat. Sedaplah pulak.

Umm AA said...

comel lak yinkey tuh..elok tuh tido cam yinkey bnyk2 ms demam..bagus amalan mama ponkey nie..kat umah nie pun abuaidan kalo demam mulalah membuat oren jus byk2 minum..utk vit c...tp cepat tuh recover that way
get well soon yer..take care

Mama Pongkey said...

Amiin thanks Ummu Aidan. :-) Kadang-kadang tu elok cuba yang simple dulu, mana tahu boleh sembuh insha Allah. Buat oren jus tu ada juicer ke?

Ibu Qistina said...

Saya ambil vit-c sandoz mcm yang mama pongkey makan. So far kalo makan yang tu kurang sikit sakitnya. Tp kalo dah sakit jugak kene ambil ubat lain sama kan. Saya pun kalo boleh nk try yang natural remedy pnya method. Tak nk depend banyak sgt pd ubat hospis ni. Get well soon ya mana pongkey.

suka suka said...

As salam Mamam Pongkey... minum banyak air yang seeloknya.... kalau berat kita sekitar 40kg air 2 liter sehari... ikutlah sifir tu.. macam K Mar kena 4 liter.. dah tau lah berapa berat K Mar kan he he! sekarang ni dah panas semula air kena jaga-jaga .. K Mar ni dulu-dulu resdung dan allergic kuat sampai kena buat operation.. lately ada produk mineral salt dari Revell amat membantu.. kalau selsema dilute dalam air dan masuk kat hidung dan tekak semacam je titik terus kat tekak.. tak sedap tapi hasilnya alhamdulilla.. get well soon..

Mama Pongkey said...

Ibu Qistina, eh, samalah kita :-) Saya pun ambil ubat allopathy ni kalau perlu atau natural remedies tak berkesan lagi. Maknanya dah need extra help la tu. Thanks, amiin wa iyyakum. Semoga urusan keluarga Ibu Qistina juga dipermudahkan oleh Nya.

Kak Mar, peringatan yang memang sesuai dengan saya. (oop dah teringat ni gi minum air jap). Ahhh lega tekak. Mineral salts? Menarik tu. Saya biasa letak secubit garam laut kelabu ke dalam air minum saya untuk sumber mineral. Sebab kalau saya kurang mineral, kaki saya akan cramp.

Ni tengok komen kat FB, ada yang mention barley. Ha ah ye. Makanan sunnah yang Nabi sallallahu alaihi wa sallam galakkan bagi pada orang sakit, di dalam bentuk 'talbina'. Peluang baik untuk mencubanya.

Mama Pongkey said...

Ishk lupa nak jawab salam Kak Mar,
وعليكم السلام ورحمة الله
:-)

Umm AA said...

bkan guna juicer..tp selalunya buat jus guna sunquick jer lah.heheh

TukangKebun said...

Hello Dear.

Hope you feel much better.
I will try my best to pack as much citrus as I can for you this Monday.
Natural remedies are always the best.
Good summaries and thank you for sharing.

Mama Pongkey said...

Ummu Aidan, hehe itu yang cepat. Kat sana senang nak dapat Sunquick ye? Perasa macam-macam? Lama dah tak minum Sunquick..

Tukang Kebun, thanks, hidung sumbat lagi though. Hehehe. I am so looking forward to the Pasar Online box next week. Kalau duduk dekat dah terjah gi self-pickup. Sekarang bergumbura peluk kucing dan tengok seeds dah sprout ke belum.

TukangKebun said...

Sekarang ni dah tak syok nak peluk jack sebab muka bercakaran sahaja setiap kali tengok bergaduh dengan kucing lain. Yang bagi chance nak belai pun si putih paling tua dalam rumah ni. InsyaAllah esok post.

Mama Pongkey said...

Ohhh Jack asyik defend territory. Macam Mr Poogey, kucing jiran yangvselalu datang lepak di laman saya. Hensem. Tapi muka dah teruk. Kesian tengok tapi nak kena cari spray bottle VCO, nak spray kat lukadia. Harap dia veri kerjasama, sebab dulu saya pernah nak rawat dia terus gigit lutut saya. Adoi. Saya pulak dok sapu VCO kat lutut sendiri.