Make Hot Lemon.
Forget all this talk about making lemonade. It's cute but really, when things are that bad, lemonade ain't going to cut it. When things are that bad, all you really want to do is grab a blanket, take to the couch and stay horizontal. Generally something has given and you're depressed - physically or emotionally.
If you're sick physically, and your throat hurts, then you're going to have to suck it up and gargle with salt water. This is the most disgusting and therefore, the most effective remedy that my mother has inflicted on me. I've learned to phone home complaining, "My throat hurts Mom . . . but I've already gargled with salt water." Then I can start the whining process that will garner me absolutely zero sympathy. I will instead get a recommendation to go to bed early and stop staying out so late. I'm pretty sure this is why I am rarely severely sick.
There's no point in being sick if you get nothing out of it. I mean, why bother with the runny nose and the head and body aches, if you have to drag yourself out of bed to make the chicken soup, which invariably you won't have in the house anyway. You then are going to be clutching the counter in the kitchen, feeling like death-warmed-over, with the sinking realisation that there is nothing to eat. You don't have the energy to go to the grocery store to get food suitable for invalids. Apparently calling in pizza is the only option you have. At that point, you're so sick, that the thought of pizza makes you go hide under the covers again. When you can't stomach pizza, you know you're sick. In fact, if you live on your own, being sick isn't an option unless you plan for it.
I was told to make sure I had soup and invalid-type food on hand over the winter in case I got sick. So I stocked up. This is the second most effective cure. If you're prepared for something, it will not happen. I'll be eating soup all summer.
There are times though when you're not that type of sick. You had a bad day at work or after work; you're mildly not feeling well; the weather outside is nasty. Then it's time to break out the Hot Lemon. (For bad days, I have another drink that also works but that's a whole different drink, in fact it's Greek.)
To make Hot Lemon, you have to be generous with the quantities.
Get a large mug because you're going to want more but you won't want to get up to make another one.
Put two large heaping spoonfuls of sugar in the bottom,
squeeze in lemon juice over top until it's a good generous half-inch at least,
and dump in boiling water.
Give it a stir, grab a blanket and take to the couch.
(You can also make it with tea which is just as comforting). The blend of sweet and sour will make you feel better if only temporarily. Combined with a warm bath and bubbles, it's even more effective.
Now, if I was an infomercial I would insert testimonials here. But I won't. I know that it works when the body hurts, but I'm not so sure about when the heart hurts. No one's given me a fool proof remedy for that yet.
This week-end, I made the tea version for a friend who was tired and borderline sick. She could barely talk. I think it helped but more so the music and the company of friends.
I also gave the recipe to a friend for whom I had made it in the past. If distances were shorter, I would have been making it for her too. Instead all I could do was give her the recipe, tell her to take a bath, and inform her that she was fabulous. One day, the right person will agree with me.
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