Saturday Sips: Winter remedies

Winter remedies are my sweet and soothing gift to you today.

I know many of you have been shoveling, shivering, and sniffling your way through this unusually cold and snowy season.

Consequently, you have sandpapery skin, the bent back and complaining ways of a 120 year old, and if you owned stock in Kleenex, you would have just made yourself rich.

Although I can’t wave my happy wand to make the winter of your discontent disappear,  I can offer products to help ease the discomfort of your winter.

First up is absolutely the best hand lotion my hubby and I have ever used: Gold Bond Ultimate.

We adore how this goes on smoothly, but is not greasy. We tend to keep several around the house,  and I keep the travel size in my purse, too.

This three-pack from Amazon is a great price, plus it’s Prime Eligible. For comparison, I have paid close to seven dollars for a single tube in the store.

I don’t know about you, but I would pay just about anything to avoid chapped and cracked skin. Fortunately, with Gold Bond Ultimate, you don’t have to.

Update: The Amazon price has increased significantly since I wrote this post. You’d probably do better checking your local department store.

What to do about those aching muscles?

You’ve probably tried the standard remedies, but I have a new one for you: a Muscle Therapy Foam Roller.
.

It’s like a really short pool noodle on steroids.

It will find every sore muscle in your body, and then some.

If you are anything like me, you’ll start the process by screaming in pain by being happily surprised at how deeply it massages each area into relaxed submission. 

Trust me; this is an amazing product, and it doesn’t need batteries or electricity. Hooray!

What about something for those colds?

There isn’t a cure, but there is a product that will help you feel better.

What would you say to a “large volume, low positive pressure nasal wash”?

© Bill Watterson-Calvin & Hobbes

That’s what I thought.

I felt the same way when, in the midst of the most miserable cold I’d ever had and a head that felt like it was going to explode, I bought a NeilMed Sinus Rinse Kit.

I. Was. Desperate.

The pleasure of being able to breathe even a little easier was greater than the potential icky-ness of using a sinus rinse.

I really, really, dislike getting water up my nose when I swim, and I thought using this rinse would give me that same blink-my-eyes, scrunch-up-my-face, make-my-nose-tingle-in-a-bad-way, sensation.

Or, perhaps I’d squeeze the bottle too hard and the saline solution would shoot up my nose, into my brain, and out the top of my head, revealing my secret identity as the offspring of Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer and Shamu the Whale.

After procrastinating for way too long, I finally took the plunge.

It wasn’t bad at all.

I was able to breathe more easily and the pressure lessened.

I actually regretted not using this product sooner.

Other family members with sinus issues and allergies have found this to be indispensable, too.

Here’s what the manufacturer says:

NeilMed Sinus Rinse is a natural soothing saline nasal wash. A large volume low positive pressure nasal wash is the most effective way to irrigate the nose based on current medical studies.

Nasal Irrigation is an excellent way to clean mucus from the nose making medication more effective. They also clean allergens, irritants, bacteria and viruses from the nose reducing the frequency of infection.

Furthermore, they help decrease swelling in the nose and increase air flow. Sinus RinseTM Nasal Wash is excellent for all ages.

But what about the baby?

There is a product similar in purpose to the NeilMed that my daughter uses and highly recommends.

It’s called the Nosefrida.

Well, there’s more to the name, and there’s a picture, but I’m not going to share it in an effort to maintain at least a shred of decorum.

The tool is pretty low-tech, but extremely effective: a tube, two ends, one filter, and of course, you.

Think about how you might go about siphoning gas, and you’ve got the picture on how this works.

There are over 1,800 positive reviews for this on Amazon, so if you or a friend has a baby who is suffering from a stuffy nose, the Nosefrida is a must for the medicine chest.

Well, there you have my suggestions for winter remedies.

I hope if you are under the weather you take advantage of them to feel better.

If you don’t need them now, be sure to Pin them for later. Just hover your curser over the image and click!

And now for the necessary disclaimer: I am not a doctor, so you must use your best judgement on how and when to use these products.

Please be responsible and wise, as you are grownups.

Question: Do you have any favorite winter remedies? What are they?

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Remedy image credit: Suzanne Lynne Photography. Image was cropped, text added.