Dirty socks, acupuncture and tomato tea. These are some remedies that everyday people come up with to relieve the symptoms of the cold. Here are some of the most odd yet effective tricks to boost your immune system, as well as some things that can help your body fight off the infection.

• Dirty socks- This so-called remedy calls for greasing your throat with lard or chicken fat and then placing dirty socks around it. The logic behind this one is difficult to decipher, but the idea may have started in England. This induces sweating, which is believed to help rid the body of germs. The socks also labeled people with serious throat ailments. Before powerful drugs and vaccines could wipe out strep and prevent diphtheria, the dirty socks warned others to steer clear.

• Onions and garlic- These strong, tear-inducing vegetables have strong antimicrobial properties that alleviate the symptoms of the common cold. Although they do not cure this unfortunate disease. According to MedExpress Urgent Care doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Dr. Christopher Dietz, who was interviewed by Bustle.com, “They (onions and garlic) do have a variety of health benefits and can help boost the immune system, and can possibly alleviate symptoms if you do get sick.” 

• Acupuncture- Ever get that pins-and-needles feeling after you sit on your foot for too long? Imagine paying for people to make certain parts of your body feel like that. Well, apparently this method of torture is actually beneficial to people who have a cold or continuing symptoms of the cold. When you receive acupuncture, the body thinks it’s been injured and actually increases the production of white blood cells. This causes there to be more white blood cells to fight off the infection.

• Tomato tea- This remedy is made by mixing three cups of tomato juice, a pinch of ginger, a tablespoon minced garlic, a tablespoon lemon juice, a tablespoon hot sauce and half a teaspoon celery salt. Each of these ingredients has a purpose in helping you alleviate your symptoms. Ginger is a natural pain reliever that can help soothe a sore throat and achy muscles. The tomato juice provides your body with the nutrition it needs while it is sick, and the hot sauce clears out the sinuses. The celery salt just helps flavor the mixture.

As you can tell there are many ways to be as comfortable as you can while suffering through the demon of winter: the common cold.

To learn more, visit the following web sites:

Healthline: Flu remedies

Bustle: Weird cold remedies

Allrecipes: What ails ya?