"Jagermeister Cured My Cold!!"

“Jagermeister cured my cold!”….. and other mythical cures for the Common Cold

BD Marie Hughes

Originally submitted to SUBSTANCE Magazine, Oct. 2007

Feed a cold, starve a fever. Starve a cold, feed a fever. What are you going to do?? You’re suffering and you just want relief…..

Contrary to the exclamation above, alcoholic beverages do NOT ward off the flu! That includes Jager, Cosmos, designer martinis, single malt scotches, and Heineken!

Other myths to cure the common cold:

• Drowning yourself in orange juice

• Boiled cabbage quarters wrapped in a tea towel and applied to the chest

• Chicken noodle soup (vegetable is actually better – it’s easier on your digestive system)

• Eating garlic, garlic, and more garlic

• Turnip juice

• Pigeons’ egg yolks

• Donkey or goat milk (huh??)

• Wrapping a stinky, woolen sock around your neck (compliments of my Swedish mother, “When you can smell the sock, you’re good!”)

• Large doses of vitamins including vitamin C (Be careful! Vitamins, in excessive doses, can be toxic!).

There is no known cure for the common cold. There are many strains of influenza. The flu shot is only effective for a few. At most you can do things that bring comfort and induce sleep. Who wants to be awake and suffer?

When you begin to feel lousy, that’s when you’re most contagious. That’s also the ideal time to excuse yourself from life for a day or two. That time frame gives you a chance to get eating as healthy as possible and get more rest. You also avoid stares and complaints about sneezing, coughing and “infecting everyone”! You will also be stronger to endure the inevitable symptoms that will follow.

Go with what feels right to you. Eat what you can, drink plenty of liquids, and rest.