Cold and flu season is officially here. Want to know how I know this? I’m sitting here trying to focus through a stuffy head, sore throat, and overall feeling of blah. The problem? I still have a lot of work to do and can’t go back to bed yet! So what am I doing to feel better when hibernating in bed isn’t an option? I partnered with ScriptSave® WellRx to share a few of my top ways to power through a nasty rhinovirus.
As a work-at-home-mom and only source of support for my family, I haven’t had the luxury of taking a full sick day in years. Sure, I knock off a bit early when I’m feeling miserable, but even on those days I have to put in at least a couple of hours to fulfill my obligations to my clients. Getting through even just a few hours when you feel like someone rolled over your head with a steamroller is a major challenge. What do I do to make it through? Read on to find out!
5 things that help me power through a nasty cold
*First things first: none of this is meant to be taken as medical advice. The internet is not a substitute for your doctor. I know you know this but I still need to say it.
Bring on the spice!
One of the more annoying aspects of being sick is the inability to taste anything. That adage about feeding a cold isn’t so fun when everything tastes like I imagine cardboard would taste. I think that’s how I first realized that spicy foods made me feel better. Have you ever eaten hot wings and felt your sinuses clear right up? Imagine that feeling when you need it most. Unfortunately, hot wings are off my cold and flu menu because I get severe nausea whenever I get any type of headache. Instead, I add spices to the foods that I can keep down. Chicken noodle soup, for example, packs a more powerful punch when you add garlic! Scrambled eggs with a bit of sriracha pepper is also a great choice.
Think outside the soup can!
Chicken noodle soup rocks when it comes to making you feel better, but let’s be honest, you can only eat so much of it before you feel like you’re floating in broth. While vitamins and minerals won’t cure the common cold, certain foods can definitely ease your symptoms. The minute I feel sick, I stock up on orange juice. I think it’s a comfort thing, since I know that vitamin C doesn’t really get rid of a cold. I also eat a lot of yogurt because the probiotics help with the digestive issues that always come on when I take certain medications. As hard as it is for me, I cut down to one cup of coffee and switch to tea until I feel better. Other great “feel better” snacks include peanut butter toast, oatmeal with bananas, and fruit smoothies.
Chill out
When we’re sick, our natural inclination is to turn up the heat and wrap ourselves up in blankets. If that makes you feel better go for it. For me, though, being hot makes me nauseous (you’ll quickly find that there are very few things that DON’T make me nauseous, although I have yet to find out exactly why that is). I’m sitting here writing this with a massive ice pack behind my back. In between thoughts, I press it to my head, my throat, and the back of my neck. The cold not only helps my head feel better, but also helps clear brain fog so I can power through my day faster.
If you have a dry cough, cold air can actually help stimulate mucus production. Mucus, while absolutely gross, serves an important purpose. It’s your body’s way of catching pathogens before they enter your body. While I wouldn’t recommend taking a stroll in sub-zero temps, a few minutes outdoors in the crisp, fall air can really go a long way towards helping you feel more functional.
Take a mental vacation
The moment I’m done with my obligations, I give myself permission to veg out the rest of the day. I put on my comfiest jammies, hit the couch and binge on mindless entertainment. This is harder for me than you might think. Since I work from home, I’m always at work, which means I feel like I have no excuse to extend my day a bit and get more done. Even when I’m “relaxing,” my mind is constantly going. I’m thinking about what to write tomorrow, what I want to change about my site design, whether the font I’m currently using is the right one, how many pictures I need to take tomorrow, and so on. I force myself to turn it off when I’m feeling miserable because, as I’m sure you know, stress can actually make you feel sicker.
Talk to your doctor about the right meds for your symptoms
I’m not going to tell you which medicines you should be using because that’s your doctor’s job. I can tell you, though, that my doctor recommended some unexpected medications to treat the worst of my symptoms. For example, he recommended a prescription allergy medicine and nasal spray to treat my stuffy head and clogged ears rather than OTC cold medicine. I regularly take a migraine medication that already has acetaminophen in it, so I have to be careful with OTC medications.
Interestingly, prescription medications sometimes end up costing me less than many of the OTC versions of the same medications. In some cases, my insurance covers them completely. A few of them, though, aren’t covered. My insurance doesn’t cover cough medicine for anyone over age 18 for reasons only they know. That’s where ScriptSave® WellRx comes in super handy. First, I ask my doctor to give me a paper script instead of calling it into my regular pharmacy. Then, I use the free app or hop on their website to search for the best price on the medication in Stroudsburg, PA. I find the one that costs the least, then take my prescription and my ScriptSave WellRx discount card to get it filled.
What you need to know about ScriptSave WellRx
I’ll be honest, I was a bit skeptical at first because I’ve tried other prescription discount cards that actually increased my overall cost. I was anxious to try it out though because my insurance just dropped one of my medications that I pretty much need to function: the one that keeps me from losing my breakfast most days. Like I said above, I have a sensitive stomach and spend half of my life feeling queasy. I was surprised to find that the medication is less than $15 out of pocket at several pharmacies in my area, including Rite-Aid and the Weis grocery store pharmacy. That was a shock because I expected the grocery store pharmacy to be the most expensive.
ScriptSave WellRx is one of those rare “all benefits, no drawbacks” things. It’s completely free to use. You don’t need to put in a credit card and there’s no membership fee. The very worst that can happen is that you don’t find a discounted price in your area. You’ll never pay more with the card than without. If there is no discount or the price is higher for some strange reason, just don’t use the card when you fill the prescription. See, literally NO drawbacks.
The benefits, on the other hand, are plentiful! Instead of sitting on the phone calling all of the pharmacies in your area for the best price, search all of them with one click. Many of the pharmacies in our area won’t even tell us if they have certain medications, let alone the price for them. Plus, prescription prices can change almost daily. I’ve paid for prescriptions before that were $24 one month and $50 the next at the same pharmacy. So even if you DO call around today, there’s a chance that price will be different tomorrow. You’d also be surprised at just how much the cost varies from pharmacy to pharmacy. In my example above for my anti-nausea medicine, the pharmacy that I used to fill it at when insurance covered turned out to be the most expensive without insurance.
Even if your medication is covered by insurance, you could still end up paying more through your copay than you would if you just bought it without insurance. It’s always a good idea to know the cash price and compare that to your out-of-pocket-cost. Don’t think that your pharmacy will just tell you if the cash price is lower. They have deals with insurance companies that keep them from volunteering that information. You have to ask them yourself.
Bottom line, with ScriptSave WellRx, the worst that can happen is you don’t save extra money. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. In fact, some people save up to 80% on their medications! On average, though, members save about 45%. Even if you only save 5%, it’s extra money in your pocket that you wouldn’t have had, right?
Ready to check it out? Sign up for your ScriptSave WellRx Card now! When it asks if you have an invite code, please use Opinion.
What are some of your favorite ways to power through a cold? Share below!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of ScriptSave® WellRx.
That’s the one thing I dread about Fall and Winter – colds and flu! I find that certain essential oils really help me with my symptoms – especially tea tree oil! However, I’m definitely going to look into this program. Without insurance, when I need them, prescriptions cost me an arm and leg! It’s great to learn about this – thanks for sharing!
Thanks for reading the blog post, Alaina. If we can help, we’re only a tollfree call or click away. If you’ve not yet visited the special link that was provided, we certainly invite you to do so. Not only can you price-check each medication in your household at local pharmacies in your zip code, but we’ll also give you a free lifetime membership to the ScriptSave WellRx prescription savings program from this link…
http://www.wellrx.com/opinion
I love the whole “natural” side of all these remedies. I never thought of having an ice pack, although someone did mention something about a cold shower. I thought that was just for fevers, but apparently not according to your post! I will definitely keep this all in mind! One of the best spices we go to a lot is turmeric. Not sure if you’ve ever tried but it’s great for killing whatever’s going on in your body.
Thanks for reading the blog post, Karlyn. If you’re curious about the ScriptSave WellRx prescription savings program works, the link below will play a short TV segment that Lifetime TV aired about us last year.
https://youtu.be/GjnVPRk_Twg
If you’ve not yet visited the special link that was provided in this blog post, we certainly invite you to do so. Not only can you price-check each medication in your household at local pharmacies in your zip code, but we’ll also give you a free lifetime membership to the ScriptSave WellRx prescription savings program from this link…
http://www.wellrx.com/opinion
I am loving your tips! Especially about spices! I totally agree! I need to check into WellRX that looks like an awesome way to save on prescriptions!! I can use all the help I can get!
Hi Joely, thanks for reading Nicole’s “5 Things That Help Me Power Through a Nasty Cold”
If you’ve not yet visited the special link to the ScriptSave WellRx website, don’t forget that you can download a free lifetime membership to our savings program from here (as well as being able to price-check your own prescriptions at local pharmacies in your zip code)…
http://www.wellrx.com/opinion
If you have questions, we’re only a call or click away!
We are a self pay family and this is so good to know about. We don’t get sick often, but we like to save at the pharmacy when we can. I had no idea this app existed.
There’s definitely been a growing trend for Self-pay families in recent years, especially with the proliferation of high-deductible health plans.
It seems as though every month we see more and more new members at ScriptSave WellRx who tell us that they are on one of these plans and, because many of them will never reach their annual deductibles, they do indeed opt to pay cash for the 1-or-2 prescriptions they fill each year…and, hence, they sign up with us.
If you’ve not yet visited the special link that Nicole shared in the blog post, don’t forget that you can download a free lifetime membership from here (as well as being able to price-check your own prescriptions at local pharmacies in your zip code).
http://www.wellrx.com/opinion
As a Mom, do we ever get to be sick? Like really sick? LoL. I go in to sheer panic when I feel a cold coming on as I know my time to rest, sleep, and chill out is limited with a toddler and four pets on the go all day. Being able to save on scripts when I carry no personal insurance is something I try to look for!
LoL, Nichole – seriously, no time for moms to get sick (at least, that’s the consensus from the moms in the ScriptSave WellRx office)!
If you’ve not yet visited the special link to the ScriptSave WellRx website that Nicole shared in her post, don’t forget that you can download a free lifetime membership to our savings program from here (as well as being able to price-check your own prescriptions at local pharmacies in your zip code).
http://www.wellrx.com/opinion
If you have questions, we’re only a call or click away!
LOL, I know the feeling! As a WAHM, I never, ever, ever get a sick day.
These are truly amazing tips that in my opinion everyone needs to know. The fact that they are natural remedies is so wonderful. These are absolutely useful and will definitely be used by myself, my family and friends.
Thanks for reading, Shannon!
If we can help with any out-of-pocket prescription costs, we’re only a call or click away. Furthermore, don’t forget that you can download a free lifetime membership to our savings program from the special link that Nicole shared in her blog post (as well as being able to price-check your own prescriptions at local pharmacies in your zip code)…
http://www.wellrx.com/opinion
Thanks for reading, Shannon!
If we can help with any out-of-pocket prescription costs, we’re only a call or click away. Furthermore, don’t forget that you can download a free lifetime membership to our savings program from the special link that Nicole shared in her blog post (as well as being able to price-check your own prescriptions at local pharmacies in your zip code)…
http://www.wellrx.com/opinion
I too love spicy foods especially when I’m fighting a cold. Relaxing does help with faster recovery. With the rising healthcare costs, know that ScriptSave® WellRx can help save some money is a welcome addition.
Thanks for the support & positive sentiment, Louisa! Not sure if you saw us featured on Lifetime TV a few months ago, but they’re doing another segment on our prescription savings program in November (scheduled to air on Nov 8th and again on Nov 15th).
If you missed the last one, you can watch it at the link below…
https://youtu.be/GjnVPRk_Twg
I agree about the spice – and herbs! When I get sick it’s anything prepared with turmeric and ginger, plus honey and lemon, and oregano oil!!
Thanks for reading! If you’re curious about how the ScriptSave WellRx prescription savings program works, the link below will play a short TV segment that Lifetime TV aired about us last year.
https://youtu.be/GjnVPRk_Twg
If you’ve not yet visited the special link that was provided in this blog post, we certainly invite you to do so. Not only can you price-check each medication in your household at local pharmacies in your zip code, but we’ll also give you a free lifetime membership to the ScriptSave WellRx prescription savings program from this link…
http://www.wellrx.com/opinion
Drinking loads on fresh squeezed orange juice is always my go to cold remedy. I even drink OJ before events where there will be a lot of people so that if they’re sick, I have plenty of vitamin C to block even getting cold. Great post!
I drink a ton of OJ too when I’m sick. I try to remember to get it before the cold kicks in, but I usually end up waiting until I’m already miserable, lol. Then I NEED my OJ.
Yep, you can never bet against good old Vitamin C when the family gets struck by colds.
That said, if it gets more serious and a prescription is needed, that’s where we can help with our ScriptSave WellRx savings card or mobile app.
Happy Holidays!
Thanks for your tips to get rid from the cold specially in winter season. We love this cold is summer and arrange AC, Coolers etc. but in winter we will really enjoy your tips.
Thanks for reading the blog post, Rakesh. Stay warm this holiday season and, if the unthinkable happens and you do come down with some seasonal ailment, don’t forget that the ScriptSave WellRx program is here to help…
http://www.wellrx.com/opinion
I usually drink Spiced tea by using tulsi or ginger while preparing it. These elements play a crucial role in preventing a common cold and cough.
That sounds delicious!
I need to check out SCRIPTSAVE WELLRX! That sounds like incredible savings! Also, I do use hot sauce a lot. It really opens up your sinuses! Be healthy 🙂
Don’t hesitate to give us a shout if you have any questions, Amy (and, if you’ve not already done so, you can get a free membership to our program at the special link that’s shared in this blog post … http://www.wellrx.com/opinion)
We look forward to having you as a ScriptSave WellRx member!