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JasonFL
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Alcohol can cure a cold?

I had a buddy of mine say that alcohol helps with the fighting of a cold. I have never heard of this before but the more I thought about it, the more sense it made.

Can anyone here verify this? No I am not an alcoholic :P

Charlie MV
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My uncle [88 now] claims that a fifth of Jack Daniels mixed with falling out of a Sunfish sailboat in December is a sure fire cold cure. He was fuzzy on how well it worked the other 11 months.

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rainbowgardener
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My mother, who was completely teetotal the rest of the time, swore by it. If she had a bad cold, she would disappear into her bedroom with a bottle of whiskey and go drink/sleep the cold off.

I personally have never tried it, but a lot of the NyQuil kind of stuff has a fairly high alcohol content.

"NyQuil has 25 percent alcohol content. The alcohol is listed as an inactive ingredient and is in NyQuil Cold & Flu Relief Liquid, NyQuil Cold & Flu Symptom Relief Plus Vitamin C, and NyQuil Cough."

Read more: https://www.livestrong.com/article/20870 ... z2GRxP99sB

That makes it 50 proof!

gumbo2176
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Nothing like a well made "Hot Toddy" to help when you have a bad cold in my opinion. Drink one of those just prior to going to bed and you're likely set for a decent nights sleep.

I've drank my share of them over the years and it's one of the things I reach for when I'm stuffed up and not feeling well due to a cold.

If it's a placebo, it's a darn good one.

gumbo2176
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Charlie MV wrote:My uncle [88 now] claims that a fifth of Jack Daniels mixed with falling out of a Sunfish sailboat in December is a sure fire cold cure. He was fuzzy on how well it worked the other 11 months.
Sounds like your uncle may have tipped the boat over in December to catch a cold, thus having a good reason to hit the whiskey. :lol: :lol:

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digitS'
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I imagine that many of us have tried this. Of course, I'm talking about binge drinking.

So, there I was as the most severe weeks of winter are setting in. Humidity has plummeted, every time I step outdoors I am met with a blast of frigid, dry air. Go back inside?

Indoors, there are all these others, you know, the carriers! They are just ordinary people but they are in the thick of it - interacting, spreading pathogens!

I'm sick!!! My throat feels like someone has run a rasp down it! Just breathing hurts. Frequently, I choke and begin a spasm of coughing, coughing . . . My face is flushed. I'm cooking! My entire body begins to ache! What to do???

I pick up a bottle of something at the liquor store on the way home. Two hours later I am high! Dizzy! Almost happy but - who knows!? Twelve hours later I am still sick. AND, hung over!

I've got Bottle Flu and a Head Cold! My inflamed respiratory system is now further dehydrated. Smart thing to have done to myself? No, I don't think so.

Booze may help a healthy body stay healthy and may improve circulation over the long run. Some wines must have a good dose of vitamin C and other anti-oxidants. Beyond a slight buzz, it is abuse. The alcohol doesn't mind but feeling, looking and acting like road-kill is just a few klicks down the path. If anything, the pathogens just have a better chance because of the weakening of the body.

There are plenty of people who look for any excuse to break a seal. Use your judgement from a human nutrition standpoint.

ImageSteve

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applestar
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That's so funny that you point out the OT "medicine" is equivalent to doing a shot or 1/2 shot before going to sleep. :lol: certainly makes it sounds a lot more socially acceptable than disappearing with a bottle doesn't it?

There's always the mini keg of schnapps that the stereotypical St. Bernard or Swiss Mt. Dog carries on his collar to rescue snow stranded victims.

And s shot of brandy as cure-all and to "treat shock".

Japanese folk remedy for flu is a beaten egg coddled in hot sake. I remember my father giving me one of those when I was a teenager and nearly gagging.... :roll:

My grandmother used to drink a Chinese herbal alcohol "for medicinal purposes" -- it came with a plastic measured shot glass (kind of like NyQuil :wink:) and she would carefully measure it out and drink -- I think she said once a day.

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tomf
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It may not cure a cold but you many not care that you have one after drinking enough. :wink:

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JasonFL
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haha, interesting stuff...

I was mainly wondering because I'm always fascinated about how efficient the human body is, this may sound gross (*Warning*) but when I drink a healthy shake that full of vegetables and fruit and even a little milk I can only assume that when my urine is clear it's because its absorbed everything I put into it, amazing to me at least, lol

I was wondering if my body applies the same logic to alcohol, use it it combat a cold just the same as vitamin C. As far as all the alcohol abuse goes, if you don't have self discipline then everything will crumble for you, doesn't matter if its drinking or addicted to the computer...not doing the right thing at the right time will always have consequences...but I don't think I would start a topic like that with a post count of 4 :wink:

In any case, thanks for the funny stories :D

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ElizabethB
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IDK about a cold cure but a hot toddy will warm my innards and make me sleep. I will have one when I have a fever. A cup of hot lemon water with 2 asprin crushed, a shot of whiskey and lots of honey to cut the bitterness. Sleep like a baby and sweat out the fever. When I feel the first sign of a cold I use ZiCam Cold Remedy. When used as directed it really does reduce the symptoms and shorten the duration of the cold. G says it doesn't work for him but he never reads directions much less follow them.

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I don't think so. Alcohol depletes the body, in several different ways, and makes it weaker and vulnerable. What you want to be doing is fortifying the body, making it stronger, not weaker.

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digitS'
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I don't know if urine color can be too much of a guide to nutrition.

Anti-oxidants seem to be rather closely associated with plant pigments. What is supposed to be quite a healthful veggie is the beet. Baby beets - I'll wash the dirt off - cook them with a little butter and splash a little vinegar on them Image! If I eat a nice big serving - a few hours later I'm there at the toilet Image!

Cauliflower & broccoli . . . broccoli has about 1/3rd more vitamin C and well over double the folate in the same serving sizes.

The neighbor decided that I've been good this year and gave me a bottle of his homemade raspberry grape wine for Christmas :) . Have to wait just a couple more days for my recovering alcoholic son to be on his way. (He already knows about that wine but don't tell webmaster!)

Steve

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JasonFL
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My lips are sealed :)

Ya webmaster, I hear ya, damage to cell walls and what-not for sure... on another note, this may be too forward, but does PHP2 have a "Thank You" add-on that can be installed? For those moments someone posts something interesting but I don't have enough feedback for an actual post ?

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Francis Barnswallow
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Every time I get a cold I drink a crapload of water. I was told that if you have clear urine then you're in the clear and will recover much quicker.

btw, Zicam does not work.

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ElizabethB
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Francis - all a matter of opinion - ZiCam works for me -not a cure but a reduction of symtoms and duration. Still like a "hot toddy" when I have a fever.

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rainbowgardener
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ZiCam works for me too or other Zinc/Vitamin C lozenges.

When I said my mom disappeared with a bottle, I didn't mean that she drank the whole bottle. Probably a couple shots worth and then put the bottle away for next time. She never drank any other time.

But yeah, even though I grew up seeing her do it, I don't.

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I have done it quite a few times and it works for me. If I have a cold I drink southern comfort mixed with hot tea and honey. If I have the flue I drink tequela(sp) and lime. The trick is drinking enough fote it's close to a 1/5. If I just feel kind of crappy I drink beer with bloody mary mix.

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ElizabethB
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Of course we all know that alcohol is no "cure" Taken in moderation with hot tea, honey and asprin provides a nice placebo effect. Also helps you sleep. When I have a "Hot Toddy" I know darn good and well there there is no real medicinal effect except maybe the crushed asprin. Other than that it is a "feel good". Yes alcohol in excess is a real killer but in moderation - no big harm.

Snifff - snifff - Is that a cold I feel coming on :?: Naw just foolin.

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PunkRotten
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When I get sick I eat citrus fruit, drink teas, and eat lots of probiotic foods and drinks. I make sauerkraut as well as water kefir often so it keeps me pretty healthy.

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digitS'
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ElizabethB wrote:Of course we all know that alcohol is no "cure" Taken in moderation with hot tea, honey and asprin provides a nice placebo effect. Also helps you sleep. When I have a "Hot Toddy" I know darn good and well there there is no real medicinal effect except maybe the crushed asprin. Other than that it is a "feel good". Yes alcohol in excess is a real killer but in moderation - no big harm.

Snifff - snifff - Is that a cold I feel coming on :?: Naw just foolin.
To think, a woman drove me to drink and I didn't even have the decency to thank her. ~ W. C. Fields

Steve's digits :)

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ElizabethB
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Digits LMFAO



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