On my recent food-mood trip to Boston, I was able to keep going for three days despite the fact that I had picked up a bug or two! I had a slight sore throat before leaving and the long flight and time change didn’t help. It was also a pretty demanding 3 days of all-day presenting on Food and Mood: 9 Steps to Calm the Anxious Mind, Improve Mood & End Cravings. Each day I lectured for about 7 hours and had about an hour of Q&A time answering questions. I really thought I might lose my voice by the end of day two but these natural remedies for colds, flu and sore throats really saved the day!
- Vitamin D (5000IU), which has important antimicrobial properties
- Vitamin C (1000mg 4 x day) and Zinc (30mg), both of which help with the common cold
- Boiron Cold Calm, a homeopathic product that is amazing for cold symptoms
- Boiron Oscillococcinum, a homeopathic product that is amazing for flu symptoms
- Boiron Roxalia, a homeopathic product for hoarseness/voice strain. I love Boiron Cold Calm and Oscillococcinum and always have some on hand, especially when travelling. The Roxalia product was new to me but worked wonders for all the talking and I think should be a standard for speakers and singers! You can check out all the Boiron products here. Another favorite is the Arnica cream which I used on my aching feet (all that standing!)
- I drank warm herbal tea all day. I had a jug of hot water up near the podium and enjoyed sipping on Throat Coat!
- I also gargled twice a day with a few drops of tea tree oil diluted in warm water
- And another new one for me was Manuka lozenges – lozenges made from pure manuka New Zealand honey, very soothing on the throat and with great anti-bacterial properties. This is a keeper too!
I did of course also make sure to eat well, drink plenty of filtered water and get a good night’s sleep. I hope you can benefit from some of these wonderful natural remedies too.