Some things I've heard people swear by...

Sleeping with one hand in a bucket of ice water will make you wet your bed.

A combination of Whiskey, honey and lemon will cure the flu (I've heard from one source that it should be heated).


Now, I think I can tell you that taking Ester-C every day will prevent illness. I started doing so just over a year and a half ago after the last time I had the flu and have not been sick since. I don't think I've ever gone this much time without at least two colds in my whole life.

I was out camping with friends years ago. We pulled this trick on someone in the group who was mutually disliked by a few of us. I don't think it worked. But it did get us in trouble with the adults on the trip because the water spilled in the tent.

My best advice... find a sibling or friend to be an unwilling guinea pig. Put thier hand in a bucket of ice water, and check the sheets the next morning. Let us know how that one goes.

i thought it was a bucket of warm water. lol thats funny.

You need warm water to put the hand in, and it works. I've seen it. We got a guy out camping years ago doing it.

Cure the flu with honey, lemon and whiskey? Nah, I don't believe it. It won't cure but it will relieve some of the symptoms.
Many cough medicines contain grain alcohol, the same alcohol found in booze. The lemon and honey have a soothing effect on the throat.
Years ago, the U.S. military had a cough medicine that was 50% grain alcohol! Drink one of the little bottles and you had a good buzz!
Any doctor worth his salt will tell you that grain alcohol, in moderation, will help alleviate the symptoms of a sore throat or cold. To make it more palatable, add lemon and honey.
In the old West, whiskey was valued as much for its medicinal value as for its recreational value.
Liquor, in moderation and of the right type (chiefly whiskey, rum and brandy) can be useful medicines.

Some Brandy and Coke would sure be nice now. When it comes to flu I have the simple saying : Take Medicine and you will be cured in 2 weeks;Take no Medicine and you will be cured in 14 Days . As previously stated the medicine only lessons the symptons, it doesn't cure you.

My Mum firmly believes in Whiskey and warm milk. I used to get pumped full of that crap when I was younger and sick with flu! Can't seem to remember much else once I had one of those concoctions

I refuse to believe there is a cure for the cold, nothing seems to work!

Both the cold and the flue are caused by viruses and can not be “cured.” As someone stated, you can treat the symptems, but not the disease. The best defense is a healthy immune system to help fight it off. As for treating the symptoms, I suggest rum. As a sailor, I find rum may not help, but after a couple of shots, who cares? Just kidding… rum, like any alcohol is a cough suppressant. Now, the hand in the water joke. I’ve heard both warm and ice water. Cold water makes sense because when you are cold everything constricts which could cause excess pressure on the bladder. Warm water would relax you which could cause you to relax your sphincter muscles. My guess is you would have to get your victim at the end of the night when most people have to pee anyway. Let me know how it works.

The water trick only works on some people. I have a cousin that it works on but another in which the water has to be lukewarm to work. It is all dependent on the individual.

lemon and honey WILL work best used with tea (herbal/natural) because of the acid the lemon contains and im not too sure about the honey. dunno if whiskey works well with it

The honey would be good at raising glucose levels.

It has to be warm water because it has to relax you enough to releave your bladder.

do what i do to my brother
just throw water on them while their sleeping

Don't throw water on your brother while he's sleeping, rayray! On one night put his hand in warm water and check the outcome in the morning. The next night try putting his hand in cold water and check the outcome in the morning. If you throw water on your brother it will wake him up and ruin the experiement, silly

Be sure to let us know the outcomes!

Regarding the water/sleeping one, they did that on House once. Didn't give an explenation though as to what it did, but it was implied that it was a practical joke.
So, of course, me and my friends, being the great scientists which we are, decided to experiment.
And do you know what?

Of course you do. IT works.

Maybe the idea is that if you're drunk you won't care if you're sick. Seeing as how most colds/flus last around three days and the third is the worst, that's when you give the person the alcohol. The next day, they won't know if they are sick or hungover! I vaguely remember being given Brandy with a candie cane desiolved in it. Tastes pretty good too! Normally htough, they took me ot Doctor Rhine, before he died anyway. One shot of penicelin and I was ready to take on the world in the morning!

I've often heard that it works but, never knew exactly how it caused thta reaction. Man! The things one can learn running around this forum!

i believe there is a cure for the common cold,,but they money isnt in the cure its in the treatment,,just look at how manyshelves would be empty at the store if they cured the cold...


i want to ask any millitery person's when was the last time you were sick..i have a freind that was in the marines and he swears after all the shots they got randomy he hasnt had a cold in 8 or 9 years..

It doesn't CURE the flue. However, taken in sufficient quantity, you no longer CARE that you've got the flu

Meow Purr.

Well, I believe this could be true, however I personally find that taking one clove of garlic a day keeps at bay most bugs and flu's. For those that don't like garlic simply cut a clove into small pieces and "swallow" like taking a pill. You will barely taste it. Better yet, put heaps in food.

I believe that alcohol will not necessarily cure you of anything, but it will relieve you, that's for sure.

I remember one time having a terrible stomach ache and feeling as if I were going to throw up. I couldn't sleep and was miserable. I had a beer and felt much better afterwords. I think it's a combination of the alcohol and fizz that works wonders for an upset stomach, or at least, for me.

I just did a big report on military vaccinations.. I'll never get a vaccination again. Don't need that aluminum and other live attentuated (supposed to be dead) extra virii. The vaccine companies are smart, they release the vaccines when the natural disease curve in descending.

The water thing doesn't work on me, at least. When I was frying something one time, my pinky slipped into the hot oil and got burned REALLY bad, and, unfortunately, it happed close to bed time. Anyways, my boyfriend told me to soak my finger in ice water. . .and it hurt so bad to take it out that I ended up sleeping with my hand in the bowl of ice water which, by the time I woke up, was a bowl of lukewarm water. . . My hand was all swollen from holding it down in the bowl so long, but I didn't pee on myself. . .I was afraid I was going to because I had heard the stories. . .maybe it was because I had my hand in there so long. . .

Edit: As for the other one, my grandma swears by hot toddies. I'm horribly sick right now, and I would totally try one now and test the theory, but I don't have any brandy or whiskey. . .and I think I'm a little too delirious to drive to the ABC store. It's a shame rum or vodka wouldn't work, I've got plenty of both. Well. . .I guess there's no harm in trying a new cold cure with vodka, is there?