Post: #1

This is Zinc & ACV level shit right here.

My livelihood depends on my voice working immaculately. If I'm congested, coughing, and don't have access to half my vocal range, I'm not getting money. If you've ever had an audition, or pivotal gig a couple days away, and you wake up with the sniffles, this could save you.

(Note: in my experience, this works only with rhinovirus head colds and run-of-the-mill flu, not chest colds, sinus infections, strep throat, or flus named after animals)

Hydrogen peroxide. The shit in the brown bottle that costs a buck. Get an eyedropper, too. Lay on your side, get an earful of that H2O2, using the eyedropper, Hold it for 15 minutes (it'll be uncomfortable), drain your ear into a towel, then repeat on the other ear.

If the illness you have can be helped by this, your ear will have a stinging/itching/burning sensation, really fucking uncomfortable (and usually more evident in one ear than the other), and if you don't feel this, the remedy probably won't work for your particular illness.

Assuming that happens, after 1 treatment of both ears, your congestion should improve. Repeat the treatment every 2 hours or so, and you should be breathing clearly and fully before you count the total treatments on one hand.

Yeah, it's really unpleasant to sit there with the peroxide feeling like an allergy test in your ear, but I'd gladly tolerate this a few times if it meant I didn't spend the next month recovering from a cold (it takes me upwards of 6 weeks to thoroughly shake a respiratory infection, even though I rarely get sick), and especially if a paycheck is riding on it.

The how behind it is that the viruses that cause the particular infections are killed by exposure to hydrogen peroxide, and that they set up shop and multiply in the ear canals. Therefore H2O2+Ear Canal=Viral death.

I've done it many times. As long as I got that itch on the first application, the process cured the cold within the day.

Post: #2

(04-05-2014 04:00 AM)Fitzgerald Wrote:  This is Zinc & ACV level shit right here.

My livelihood depends on my voice working immaculately. If I'm congested, coughing, and don't have access to half my vocal range, I'm not getting money. If you've ever had an audition, or pivotal gig a couple days away, and you wake up with the sniffles, this could save you.

(Note: in my experience, this works only with rhinovirus head colds and run-of-the-mill flu, not chest colds, sinus infections, strep throat, or flus named after animals)

Hydrogen peroxide. The shit in the brown bottle that costs a buck. Get an eyedropper, too. Lay on your side, get an earful of that H2O2, using the eyedropper, Hold it for 15 minutes (it'll be uncomfortable), drain your ear into a towel, then repeat on the other ear.

If the illness you have can be helped by this, your ear will have a stinging/itching/burning sensation, really fucking uncomfortable (and usually more evident in one ear than the other), and if you don't feel this, the remedy probably won't work for your particular illness.

Assuming that happens, after 1 treatment of both ears, your congestion should improve. Repeat the treatment every 2 hours or so, and you should be breathing clearly and fully before you count the total treatments on one hand.

Yeah, it's really unpleasant to sit there with the peroxide feeling like an allergy test in your ear, but I'd gladly tolerate this a few times if it meant I didn't spend the next month recovering from a cold (it takes me upwards of 6 weeks to thoroughly shake a respiratory infection, even though I rarely get sick), and especially if a paycheck is riding on it.

The how behind it is that the viruses that cause the particular infections are killed by exposure to hydrogen peroxide, and that they set up shop and multiply in the ear canals. Therefore H2O2+Ear Canal=Viral death.

I've done it many times. As long as I got that itch on the first application, the process cured the cold within the day.

I'm not willing to risk the possibility of burning a hole in my ear drum. If you're prone to ear canal infection, this may kind of work, but white vinegar (mixed with water to make a half-half mixture) is a far safer and as effective ear canal cleanser.

Post: #3

Hydrogen peroxide is a common treatment for ears, but you want to make sure the solution is 3% w/v.

I think it's about 6% you use to bleach hair, and solutions up to 33% aren't hard to get, but if you get it in these concentrations make extra sure you dilute it correctly.

I haven't tried it to ward off respiratory infections, but can recommend using it to syringe ears, clearing/keeping them free from wax. I'll give it a try next time I feel the sniffles coming on and see how it goes.

Post: #4

I take antibiotics regularly and that has kept me from getting sick for a while now. Although I'm not sure why that has prevented viral infections as well. lol

Post: #5

(04-05-2014 10:55 AM)Earth Wrote:  I take antibiotics regularly and that has kept me from getting sick for a while now. Although I'm not sure why that has prevented viral infections as well. lol

Earth, I thought taking a lot of antibiotics was a bad thing. Something about how it has contributed to certain bugs that are too strong for current antibiotics. I also thought some bacteria was good for us and when we kill them we leave space for the resistant ones to take over. Now this is all stuff I have randomly heard and could be way off.

Post: #6

(04-05-2014 11:32 AM)samsamsam Wrote:  Earth, I thought taking a lot of antibiotics was a bad thing. Something about how it has contributed to certain bugs that are too strong for current antibiotics. I also thought some bacteria was good for us and when we kill them we leave space for the resistant ones to take over. Now this is all stuff I have randomly heard and could be way off.

Yeah I mean when you take antibiotics it kills off all the bacteria in your system, even the good ones. This is a terrible idea unless you've stumbled upon some scientific revelation.

On that note, everyone should supplement with probiotics.

Post: #7

Taking antibiotics for a viral illness is useless and medically makes no sense at all. Not only that, it's very likely that it's counterproductive and may even be detrimental on both an individual as well as population level.


Taking antibiotics on a regular basis as some sort of general preventive care is also fraught with plenty of risk. (Note: this does not include things like doctor prescribed antibiotic prophylaxis prior to dental or other surgical procedures for certain at-risk populations.)


When you take antibiotics you disrupt the normal bacterial colonizations of your body; particularly in the gut. Doing this can make you prone to developing other types of serious infections, among them clostridium dificile colitis (a well known intestinal illness caused by overuse of antibiotics and associated with severe diarrhea.)


The common cold is typically known as influenza. It is a virus. Antibiotics will do nothing for a VIRAL infection. If you must take some sort of medicine, you can consider Oseltamivir (Tamiflu). The dose is 75mg taken twice daily for 5 days.


By the time you start to feel symptoms of influenza, you are likely already a few days into the illness and will continue feeling symptoms until after a few days of Oseltamivir dosing. Considering that symptoms of a viral flu syndrome typically last 5-7 days ... Taking this medicine will likely just reduce your overall symptoms by just a day or two.


As an aside ... I fear that as overuse of antibiotics has led to the development of bacterial superbugs such as MRSA (methicillin resistant staph aureus) and VRE (vancomycin resistant enterococcus), overuse of antivirals such as Tamiflu may give rise to antiviral resistant viruses in the near future.

Post: #8

(04-05-2014 11:32 AM)samsamsam Wrote:  

(04-05-2014 10:55 AM)Earth Wrote:  I take antibiotics regularly and that has kept me from getting sick for a while now. Although I'm not sure why that has prevented viral infections as well. lol

Earth, I thought taking a lot of antibiotics was a bad thing. Something about how it has contributed to certain bugs that are too strong for current antibiotics. I also thought some bacteria was good for us and when we kill them we leave space for the resistant ones to take over. Now this is all stuff I have randomly heard and could be way off.

It somewhat works like that more or less. I'm actually taking it for a reason though (acne), and it's a low dose. I'm a science major so I understand what you're referring to. FYI, I'm not taking it to prevent myself from being sick. I just think it has had that effect on preventing bacterial infections.

Post: #9

(04-05-2014 04:49 AM)Thomas the Rhymer Wrote:  I'm not willing to risk the possibility of burning a hole in my ear drum. If you're prone to ear canal infection, this may kind of work, but white vinegar (mixed with water to make a half-half mixture) is a far safer and as effective ear canal cleanser.

This process is safe with hydrogen peroxide. Dr. Mercola wrote an article recommending the process several years ago. You can probably find it in his archives.