Foxy Tip #7: Getting Rid of a Lingering Sickness

So you're sick. You've had this cough/sore throat/congestion/whathaveyou forever. You've been babying it the whole time, sticking to the safe foods, sucking up entire bags of Halls, and drinking honey and tea for every meal... and it's still there. I've learned that sometimes, you just gotta do the exact opposite of what you'd expect to work, and it'll knock the sickness out of you.

As a child I once had a cold for a long time, but decided to go to my friend's birthday party at a gymnastics center anyways. All the running, jumping, and exercise did something amazing because the next day I was cold-free and feeling great. Once in high school I had a cough that just wouldn't go away. One day I went to the football game with my friends. All the screaming we did there must have knocked that cough out because it never came back. And most recently, I discovered the wonders of alcohol. Back in college I had been babying a sore throat for a week, but it just wouldn't let up. So again, I just said fuck it and decided to go out and party with my friends. And yes, you guessed it, all that alcohol did something magical because the next day the pesky sore throat was gone.

Now of course keep in mind these were all situations where I had been battling that sickness for like a week with no change. I would never suggest doing these things at the start of being sick, but rather as a last ditch effort to get rid of it.

DIYish: Cheapo Medical Kit

So when I went to college, I very quickly realized it was smart to have a medical kit nearby. Perhaps my friends were just a bunch of hoodlums, but regardless, time and time again that kit came in handy. I've been slowly building it up with cheap and sometimes free medicines, bandages, etc. So here's a DIY (sort of?) medical kit.

I used a Legend of Zelda lunchbox because it makes me feel like the Hero of Time. And Band-Aids.

disclaimer: it should be obvious but i'll say it anyways, pay attention to expiration dates on medicine.

So from the top left, that's Ibuprofen, Align (for digestion), Prilosec, vapo rub, Tums, cough drops, antacid tablets, alcohol (for cleaning wounds), Breathe Right strips, adhesive tape, Band-aides, elastic bandage, gauze pads, Biofreeze, Theraflu, Gluten Relief pills, more gauze, Clariten, antibiotic ointment, and a forehead reader thermometer.

Now the great thing is that I got a few of these for free. The Align, Prilosec, Gluten Relief, and Breathe Right strips were all samples I signed up for online. (And I have multiples of each!) And using samples is a great way to fill up a medical kit. I don't get heartburn, but chances are someone around me at some point in time will. Well I don't need a whole pack of Prilosec, but a few samples just in case someone needs one? Hell yeah that's a good idea. 

A lot of the other items in here I got rather cheaply as well. Now there are some things that you shouldn't buy at the dollar store, things like pens always run dry, and batteries never last, but there are other things that it's great for. The gauze pads, elastic bandage, and band-aides for example are pretty hard to mess up, so it's safe to buy those there.

Anyways, I hope this gave you some ideas for a medical kit of your own. They're good to have around, just in case. And I'm actually expecting another sample to arrive in the mail soon, they're 3M doggy bandages, just in case any furry friends hurt themselves.