Sarah Flanagan

Anne Miller wrote:I can understand using a sauna for sweating out a cold.  I have used a hot shower for that in the past.

For a sore throat, I would gargle with salt water.

Hi Anne, thanks for the tip.  Gargling salt water was a great tip.  It's beginning to get better.  Definitely moving in the right direction.  It stings like hell at first but it seems to be doing something.  The salt must be killing off any microbes in the infection.

I did a bit of digging.  Sore throats are caused by infections.  Either bacterial or viral.  So, they recommend not using a sauna to treat one.  It can't kill off the infection and it might even make it worse - see here: https://homesaunaheaven.com/sore-throat-sauna.  The dry air in a sauna could irritate your throat and add to the pain.

I'm going to stick to the salt water for now.  Salt water and some pain killers first thing in the morning.  All in all, that's the sensible approach.  Thanks for the tip Anne.

We have access to an old style traditional sauna at our neighbor's house.  We're good friends and they fire it up a couple of times per week.  It's great for relaxing in and for sweating out toxins.  I always feel great afterwards.

I've heard that sauna is good for sweating out a cold.  But I tried it for a sore throat.  And I haven't noticed any improvement.  I had this head cold that dragged on for several weeks.  Most symptoms have eventually cleared up.  But the sore throat just hasn't gotten better.  It's at its worst in the morning.  

I tried a couple of 15 minute sessions in the sauna to see if the high temperature would have any effect.  But I haven't noticed any improvement at all.  Is it just a myth?  Is sauna good for a sore throat??  I'm trying to avoid a trip to the doctor.  Very expensive.

 

MY uncle taught me a trick for boiling an egg on an electric oven.

He puts an egg in a pot of water and puts it on an heating ring.
Then he turns the ring on and brings to the boil.

As soon as the water comes to the boil he switches the ring off and sets a timer.
There's no need for the ring to remain on once the water comes to the boil.

If you leave the egg in the hot water for 7 minutes you have a hard boiled egg.
And you've used the minimum amount of electricity to cook it.

Sarah Flanagan wrote:Have you considered using a stove-top fan?

You just place a heat powered stove fan on top.  And it kicks into action.

As the heat rises the fan begins to turn and starts dispersing it about your room.  
It prevents the bulk of heat from rising up directly above the stove.

here's a pic of the type of thing I'm talking about: https://images.app.goo.gl/RTLvk3cdm2BEoe2D9

Have you considered using a stove-top fan?

You just place a heat powered stove fan on top.  And it kicks into action.

As the heat rises the fan begins to turn and starts dispersing it about your room.  
It prevents the bulk of heat from rising up directly above the stove.

Michael Cox wrote:We actually just bought a breadmaker two days ago. Made our first loaf with it and it was lovely.

I spent £15 second hand from facebook market place. There were dozens on there for low prices.

I haven't tried it yet, but I understand that you can use them as a dough mixer. Just take the dough ball out at the right stage and bake it in the oven as normal.

Nice tip Michael.

I'll check out facebook marketplace.

D Nikolls wrote:Ammonia is used in many cooling systems, primarily in RVs. It is a less efficient system than a compressor based unit, but has the advantage of being powerable by thermal energy, so you can run it off propane.

I hear they are really miserable when they eventually corrode through and leave RV very malodorous...

'malodorous' - excellent choice of word.
My vocabulary has just been enriched.
Thank you.

Michael Cox wrote:100% recommend getting a breadmaker if this is something you want to build into your routine, rather than just do occasionally. My MIL has one, and when we descend en-mass it runs every day. It takes her about 5 minutes to weigh out the ingredients and set it running.

I think a mixing machine is great.  Short of buying a bread maker they're a decent investment.

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:Can you do a little bit of cooking, or even reheating, at her house? Maybe bring over a hot lunch and share it? Sometimes people don't feel hungry until they smell something good.

I agree.  The best trigger for an appetite is the smell of good home cooked food.
Maybe you could take over some soup and heat it up at her house.

Feel the kitchen with that warm goodness scent of home cooking.

David Livingston wrote: Hot lemon juice , honey diluted with Irish whisky oh and going to bed with a book alone

David

I'm found of a hot Irish whiskey with a slice of lemon too when I feel under the weather.
Not sure it tackels the cold but it definitely makes me feel a lot better.