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That's just sick

» Cheap home remedi

*

Adam Tatelman
(GM staff writer

don’t get sick often, but

when I do, it’s usually one of
those wet-cement-in-the-nose,
projectile-spitting, sternum-
shattering, blood-eagle coughs
that hangs around for a week or
two. Students don’t have time
for any of that, so 'm going to
share all of the techniques I’ve
learned over the course of my
recent illness to help you, the
hard-working college student,
cope with these symptoms.

Lozenges: Tried and true,

lozenges are useful for reducing
throat irritation, and suppress
the cough impulse by giving
you something to suck on. The
usual medicinal ingredients are
benzocaine, menthol, or both.
There’s a ton of brands, but I
prefer Vicks. They last longer
than Halls do, and they retail for
$1.20 for a pack of 20. ’
Tea & Honey: Traditional
Medicinals is the best tea brand
there is. They’ve got sleep aid
teas, and ones with echinacea
for sore throats; what I like to
do is brew both together when
I’m sleepy. Adding honey helps

Expectorate: The best

: way to clear one’s sinuses is

: not to blow into a hanky. That

: just makes a mess. Gross as

: it sounds, the most effective

: technique is to inhale sharply

: through the nose, sucking all the
: phlegm into the mouth. Then,

: spit the phlegm into the sink,
and wash it away. Just please try
: and avoid doing it in public.

Breath Control: I’m not

: saying you have to become a

es for the fall season flu

: to calm the throat muscles, and
: drinking something warm helps
: with the chills. Staying hydrated
: is important. So is peeing a lot;

: it helps to expel the invading

: germs. For a little extra kick,

: dissolve a lozenge in your tea

: before you drink it.

: Herbal Remedies: There are

: lots of these, so let’s use Nin

: Jiom asa case study. It’s an old

: Chinese remedy, a syrup-like

: concoction made from honey,

: plus various different rootsand —:
: herbs, One of those herbs is—you :
: guessed it—menthol. Yes, they
: had it back in the Qing Dynasty.
: It’s the reason Nin Jiom tastes

: like a cough candy and works the :
: same way. It’s no cure, but it’s :
: as effective as any prescription
: your doctor might give you,
minus a host of side effects.

  

: ninja overnight, but none of the
: above remedies do anything

: more than relax your symptoms
: for a bit. That makes sleeping

: with a bad cough very difficult.
: The only thing that actually stops :
: the cough impulse long-term
: is to sleep in a sitting position
: supported by pillows while trying :
: to slow your breathing. Practice
: until your breath is too quiet to
: hear and almost too gentle to

? move your chest up and down.

This issue:

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And more!

  

es 4
a &
Ss LL

Learn to hang out in that state
: of breathing, and you'll greatly
: reduce your nighttime coughing.

Things I Avoid: Throat

sprays like Chloraseptic are

good for numbing your throat,

: but they are very temporary
: and do nothing to impede the

cough impulse. Just gargle with

a

Image via thinkstock

: worse. Use blankets instead.

: Humidifiers are a toss-up; they

: might help keep you warm at

: night without drying you out,

: but they're pricey and make your
: whole bed feel drenched.Nobody
: likes being sick, but using these

: tips will help you get through

: the day, as well as speed your

: mouthwash or salt-water instead. :
: Avoid forced-air heating if you’ve
: got a fever or chill; that just dries
: out your lungs and makes things

recovery without you needing to

: rely on prescription drugs. Just
> remember—as with all ailments,
: nothing helps like sleep.

 

No meat November

» Surviving going vegetarian for a month

Cazzy Lewchuk
Staff Writer

ovember is often seen as a
month of disappointment
and change. While others
are busy mourning the loss
of Halloween, writing rushed
novels, and remembering the
veterans and victims of war,
I chose to make this month
stressful in my own way:
by becoming a temporary
vegetarian. I can’t remember
the last time I didn’t eat meat
for more than a day or two.
I also don’t cook much, eat a
lot of take-out/fast food, and
don't even really like that many
vegetables. My ultimate goal in
this challenge is to re-evaluate
what’s in my diet and why,
understand the importance of
balanced nutrition, and learn
better tactics for preparing or
obtaining nutritious meals. It’s
going to be a lot more work to
prepare a plant-based lunch

: instead of grabbing it from

: Wendy’s across the street at work,
: but ideally, Pll be better off for it.

: | could always order one of their

: vegetarian options, but I'm trying
: to better myself—not replace bad
: meat-food with bad veggie-food.

I decided before the month

started that there was no way

: | was going vegan or planning

: on making a lot of vegan meals.
: While going vegan has lots

: of merit, it’s simply too hard

: for me to survive this without

: relying on animal by-products.
: Maybe I'm just lazy; maybe

: I’m the product of a Western

: country that relies largely on

: meat and its derivatives for

: sustenance. Either way, things
: like cheese and eggs will be my
: way of feeling full and a little

: closer to my carnivorous roots.

One thing any vegetarian or

vegan quickly learns is the sheer
: judgement from those around

: them. After announcing my

: plan on Facebook, I got a lot of

: comments questioning my ability :
: to eat healthily on such a diet, as
: if there aren't millions of people
: around the world who do just fine :
: not eating meat. I also noticed

: debates in the comments from

: those who are vegan/vegetarian

: debating the health, ability, and

: genital size of meat eaters. |

: thought balanced meals can take
: many forms and are not based

: ona certain diet, but apparently,
: those who do not follow your

> own personal food choices

: are completely wrong. There’s

: obviously a lot of misinformation :
: floating around on both sides.

On the first day, I stocked

: up at Safeway on food that was

: not made out of animals. While

: [threw ina few unfamiliar fruits
: and vegetables, I mostly bought

: things I’m already comfortable

: eating: lots of yogurt, alfredo

: sauce, rice, bananas, beans,

: boil-in-the-bag Indian food,

: and, of course, perogies. I plan

: to play this by ear: start off

with familiar foods/meals that

: I already eat, and move on to

: trying new meals once my body
processes the shock of not having
: aslice of creature inside it.

I’m four days in as of the

time of writing, and it’s still

: a challenging process. I’d be

: lying if I didn’t say that I’ve been

: feeling fairly dizzy, confused, and
: like I'm missing something most

: of the time. This is most likely

: my own fault, and not a result

: of switching to vegetarianism;

: I'mstill slowly learning how to

prepare balanced meals, instead

: of “meals containing everything

: minus the meat I normally have

: in it.” I’ve never realized just how
: delicious the fries at A&W are on
: their own. I imagine I'll get used
: to this in one way or another:

: either my body will giveupand ~~
: deal with the change by itself,

: or I'll figure out through recipes
: how to actually make delicious

: and filling meals. Stay tuned.

——

   
  

_

a

Image via thinkstock