Here in Tennessee the weather always flip-flops back and forth from warm to cold weather at every season change. Right now we are transitioning from summer to fall and the weather has changed so many times in the last two weeks that I haven’t been able to keep up. Yesterday, I wore a thin long sleeve blouse in the morning, but by lunch I needed my coat. Today, I was back to wearing a long sleeve blouse. Tomorrow is supposed to be sweater weather all day. Each one of these shifts in the weather puts me at risk for a cold.
My favorite remedy to ward off a cold is Natural Wild Cherry Flavored Cold-Eeze; it is both gluten free and sugar free so I don’t have to worry about creating other health issues. All of their products are labeled gluten free, but the only other flavor that is sugar free is lemon-lime. For those of you who do not have to worry whether an item is sugar free or not, there are several flavors to choose from: natural wild cherry, honey-lemon, tropical fruit, citrus, green tea with honey, strawberries & cream, and orange & cream. Before I forget, I want to tell you that each box has 18 lozenges in it.
A friend recommended Cold-Eeze to me. I had seen it on the rack at the pharmacy, but didn’t believe that the claim that is written on the front of every box “Clinically proven to reduce the duration of the common cold.” Well, I’m a believer now! If I feel the slightest sniffle coming on I start taking Cold-Eeze and I either avoid the cold altogether or I only have to endure it for three or four days; which beats the heck out of the week or more I used to be sick. I should add that for those 3-4 days I’m not as miserable as I usually am. For those of you that are afraid to take over-the-counter meds because it may be made in China, Cold-Eeze is for you. It is made in the USA – it says so right on the back of the package.
The active ingredient is Zincum Gluconicum 2x; the inactive ingredients are acesulfame-K, glycine, isomat, and natural flavors. There are no artificial colors or preservatives. They instruct that you don’t drink or eat any kind of citrus juices or fruits within 30 minutes of taking Cold-Eeze, because it will lower the effectiveness of the product. I wasn’t thinking and drank some orange juice right after I had taken a lozenge and I have to tell there is another reason to not do it – the combination of the zinc with the orange juice was nasty! I guess now is the time to tell you that Cold-Eeze has a slightly metallic taste; it isn’t strong enough become an issue. I rarely notice it now.
There is a warning label for those people who “are taking monocycline, doxycycline, tetracycline or are on coumadin therapy,” to talk to their doctor first before trying Cold-Eeze. There is a diabetic warning that says “sugar replacements may affect blood sugar levels.” I haven’t noticed any effect on my sugar levels when I take a reading. The recommended dosage for adults is no more than 6 in a day and for children between the ages of 12-17 should take no more than 4. I usually take about 6 each day the first couple of days then I taper down to 4. It is a wonderful product that can be stored for long periods of time. I keep at least one box in the house, right now I have two because of all the weather changes. I highly recommend Cold-Eeze.
