4 Home Remedies to Knock Out a Cold

For more than three years, I and my family have been taking varying levels of Vit D3 (cholecalciferol, NOT D2, which is synthetic ergo-calciferol) along with 2-3 x year testing of our blood levels for 25 (OH)D (this test measures the inactive or “storage” form of Vit D in the body). One of the most noticeable things about varying doses of Vit D and our blood levels of Vit D are resistance or lack of resistance to colds.

I live in the San Diego area, where making Vit D from sunshine a good part of the year can be easy (if you allow yourself short regular midday sun exposure), but surprisingly, many people here are still Vit D deficient (my gynecologist says about 80% of her patients are deficient) due to high SPF sunscreen use, sun avoidance, indoor careers and lifestyles, low intake of full fat foods that contain Vit D, etc. Additional factors which can limit Vit D production from sunshine are increasing age (Vit D production in the skin starts decreasing in middle age), air pollution (blocks UVB rays), lack of cholesterol (the raw material that is converted into Vit D from UVB radiation).

My experience over three years has been fairly consistent for every family member. Through trial and error I’ve determined that we need about 1000iU per EACH 25 pounds of body weight to keep our Vit D levels up to a point where we see excellent resistance from colds and flu. For my 12 year old, thats 4000iU daily on average, for me that 5000iu, and for my husband, that’s 8000iU. If we are consistent with these daily doses, our 25 (OH)D tends to stay around 70-80 ng/mL.

However, if we slack off on the Vit D supplementation, for instance taking little or no supplementation in the summer when we get more sun (esp our 6th grader and myself), our 25 (OH)D level drops below 50 ng/mL (mine goes closer to 40 ng/mL). And we will catch a cold, usually around late summer, early fall when the days are becoming shorter (note in coastal So Cal, the temps are often higher then than during summer due to hot dry Santa Ana wind patterns from the desert). 25 (OH)D level in the 40s is not considered deficient or even low, but there is a definite difference in resistance to colds. I usually start supplementing double doses of D3 at the first sign of a cold (typically a sore throat), and usually that sort of “aborts” the cold by the 2nd or 3rd day, but even if the cold lasts longer, it is much milder and shorter if we are taking a big dose of Vit D until symptoms are gone. We take no other cold remedies other than salt gargles or nasal saline spray/neti pots.

My husband, a research scientist, was quite skeptical about this when I first became interested in our Vit D levels, but he went along with the 25 (OH)D testing and by the second year he also began supplementing with D3 and is now the most consistent family member with regard to Vit D supplementation, as he’s had none of the colds that typically spread via his lab staff and colleagues. He travels quite a bit for science conferences and no longer gets colds after long airplane journeys.
who engage in the same activities always seem to have bone injuries.

I should note that Vit D doesn’t work alone. Fat soluble vitamins A and K2, (abundant in the fat of animal raised on pasture, not grain); calcium; and magnesium, are all nutrients that work together. Deficiencies or imbalance of one or more will impair absorption and utilization of all of them.

I’ll have to try the cinnamon and honey. I’ve been using raw garlic and honey at the first sign of illness (pressed 10 minutes before ingesting) and it seems to work nicely. The honey makes it really easy to take (especially for my two-year-old).

I also love to make a tea of ginger, honey, and lemon. I buy a lot of ginger at a time, peel it and mince it in my food processor, and then freeze it. That way I always have it on hand. I just pour boiling water over about a tbsp or two of the frozen ginger and let it steep until it’s cool enough to drink. At that point I add lemon and raw honey. Actually, I woke up this morning feeling on the verge of a cold, and this concoction seemed to knock it out within a half hour. (coincidence? perhaps. But it tasted pretty darn good and put some extra fluids into my body, so it certainly didn’t hurt.)

We tend to avoid antibiotics too, Katie! As soon as anyone in our family shows signs of moving toward sickness, I tend to respond with lots of healthy foods, plenty of water, and chewable Vitamin C. Also: extra sleep.

Could be the most influential blog I read all year.

My mom would always put warm oil (I’m assuming just olive oil) in our ears when we complained of ear aches.  I would sometimes tell her I had one, just because it felt so nice!

I used it on my daughter when she was pulling at her ear and crying when laid down just before 6 months.  Clearly not scientific proof, but when we went to the doctor a few days later (she had developed a cold too), there were no current signs of an ear infection, but she has narrow ear canals, so they are likely.