Apple Cider Vinegar is a powerful weapon to fight a chest cold. The body becomes more alkaline during a cold and the vinegar will help to re-balance the body’s acid level. I have also learned that along with the apple cider vinegar, if you put just a drop of hydrogen peroxide in your ear, and lie down, there are dramatic improvements.
Here are a few household items that will make you feel better, and keep you off antibiotics. The symptoms usually start out mildly enough. A little sniffle, a little knot behind the ears, maybe a scratchy throat.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: The best thing you can do with this is sip it throughout the day. And adding the teaspoon to a glass of warm water is much easier to take. This is by far, my strongest weapon to get rid of the congestion in my lungs, and head, and does keep me off antibiotics. I can literally feel it breaking down the congestion in my chest, my ears, and my throat. Everything gets broken up, and then there’s nothing left for an infection to feed on. Take this especially at night when everything is draining down to your chest.
- The Rock and Rye:
This recipe appeared in the Wall Street Journal: Adapted from LeNell Smothers
1 bottle rye whiskey
3-5 tbsp rock candy
2 slices orange
2 slices lemon
pieces dried apricot
1 slice pineapple
1 tea bag full of dried horehound
Combine whiskey and sugar in a jar or decanter. All other ingredients optional. Allow all—except for horehound tea bag—to steep for a day or two or more. Leave horehound in for no more than two hours. When sugar is finally dissolved, strain and bottle. Cough a few times and clutch your chest in distress. Then serve the Rock and Rye on the rocks.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: This time, put some on a cotton ball, and rub it across your chest, your neck, up to your ears, and your throat. If you have a sinus headache, rub it on your forehead. Yes, you will not smell nice, but who cares, at this point? Then, for an extra kick, I turn on my heating pad, and place it on my chest. The coughing stops, the tightness goes away on my chest, and I can sleep.
- Cool Mint & Eucalyptus Bath and Massage Oil
: I put this on top of the apple cider vinegar to deepen the effects. The Eucalyptus keeps me breathing without congestion.
- The SinuCleanse Neti Pot System
: I won’t lie to you — this does hurt a little, if you’re really stuffed up. But it gets better. But it’s the best way to clean out your nasal passages. The warm salt water breaks everything down, and goes right through you head, and down into your chest. Does it’s job well.
- Warm water with lemon. Drink this first thing in the morning. In fact, I do this every morning. But I didn’t on Saturday, because I ran out of lemons. Hmmm? Is there a connection between my illness showing up on Sunday?
I just started sipping the Apple Cider Vinegar last night, and that heavy feeling in my chest is disappearing. Yes, I should have started on Sunday, but I thought putting the apple cider vinegar on my chest would be enough. It wasn’t enough. Drinking it is. So, as I sit here, sipping apple cider and tea, caught between the Darth Vader Lightsabers
So, bookmark this, and try this the next time you get sick.
Great tips! We’ve just recovered from this sort of thing at our house. I hope you feel better soon!
I am so happy to read about how you are taking care of yourself in a natural way! Antibiotics, although helpful I dare say in some situations, really weaken the immune system and tend to become outdated as these kinds of illnesses and infections only get stronger!
Kudos to you, Susie! And get better soon!
p.s. I am so loving you and your blog right now!
Oh Kiddo. I’m so sorry. Stress doesn’t help, you know. Slow down and relax. The blog will be here when you get back. I’m thinking about you!
Neti pot is the way to go – little unpleasant, but so effective. I will have to keep the vinegar in mind.
feel better
Great! I will do this. I have the colds ALL the time. I also take a lot of chicken broth soup with tons of ginger.
I hope you feel better real soon.
Really trying hard to avoid antibiotics — and I had forgotten about ginger. That’s a good one to add.
Thank you so much for this list. I’m sick right now, and I never heard of drinking apple cider vinegar… but after reading this and trying it out, the congestion seems to have melted away! I hope you feel better soon as well (or hopefully you’re already better)
I look forward to trying the apple cider vinegar with water, but i need to buy some, i dont have a cold anymore i just have alot of congestion left over after all of my colds and i want it gone, it will help that wont it?
For my kids, who would never drink vinegar and water, I put the teaspoon of acv in a half-cup of apple cider. They never even know the acv is there!
How much acv do you use?
I will definetly have to try the apple cider vinegar since it is my last resort. There is only so much water you can intake and teas. I now feel like there is ten pounds of bricks on my chest and a wheeze when i cough. Thanks for the tip.
I absolutely swear by apple cider vinegar – its much easier to take in a glass of apple juice. Organic is much better.
Apple cider vinegar is also great for pets, my parrot survived an extra 18months with ACV …which is amazing considering he had PDD(Macaws wasting disease).
Aloe juice and a spoon of horseradish are also excellent when you have a chest cold.
this all looks like great advice, I have had some great success with acv
I just wanted to mention that colds are viruses, so they aren’t treated with antibiotics which target bacteria. The only time antibiotics are prescribed for cold is when a secondary infection is expected, or, I have heard a rumor, that some wimpy doctors will write the Rx for pushy patients who won’t leave.
Great tips! I’m currently experiencing these symptoms and I’m 6 months pregnant so I’m definitely looking for natural alternatives (which I usually look for anyway).
Question, I only have Cider Vingar (not APPLE cider vinegar). Will this have the same effect?
Ive been fighting this chest cold for about a week already. So I went online and google for help on chest cold. I came across your site. This is very interesting. Im going to try this and see what happens.
Thank you
Added the apple cider vinegar in a glass of hot apple cider, this seemed to be the way to go.
I wasn’t sure I could come across natural remedies for chest congestion. Thank you a million times over for this helpful advice. Also happy to see it’s safe enough for children. Going out tomorrow to buy my medicine: Apple Cider Vinegar. Thanks again.
Glad I though to use my PC to find some info. on getting help for a chest and head cold. This all sounds great.I’m trying this as soon as possible.Have to buy the vinegar.
THANK YOU SO MUCH