Cut A Cold Short
Cut a vitamin C–rich lemon in half and squeeze the juice from one half into a cup. Studies show that vitamin C taken before the onset of a cold shortens its duration and severity. Drop the lemon half shell into the cup. Add boiling water and a teaspoon of organic raw honey, an immunity booster that also coats painful throat tissues. Breathe in the healing vapor to open sinuses, and sip a cupful two or three times daily to fight the bug. (To make a traditional hot toddy, add a half shot of brandy.)
–Expert: Ellen Kamhi, PhD, RN, clinical instructor at Stony Brook Medical School and co-author of Alternative Medicine Definitive Guide to Arthritisand The Natural Medicine Chest
