I know the feeling..... I remember going to Morocco one year and realising that I had the start of a cold. However, in the conditions there, the cold didn't develop and stayed the way it is in those initial stages, the lethargy, all the aches, the feeling of having been "slapped upside the head" , etc. - and after a couple of weeks I longed for it to "break" into thenormal coughs and sniffles, annoying as those are. Horrible.

Bowl of hot water with eucalyptus oil in it, towel over head and breath. Old fashioned but extremely effective for sinuses. If you have one of those facial steamers that would be even better.

Rosemary

Thanks, I'm going to give that a try.

It shouldn't be too hard to find Eucalyptus leaves! Just crack them to test the pungency. Another to try (and easy to source) is Rosemary, great for congestion as a herbal steam: Just pour boiling water over a handful of leaves in a medium sized bowl.

Menthol crystals are quick and effective too.

That's no way to talk about our moderator!

- thought about using the Portuguese term, Alecrim, because it grows wild in Portugal..... but, hey.

Agreed, think that I should execute a ban for the cheek of it.

Rosemary

All the pharmacies my husband went to had run out of eucalyptus or menthal produts for steaming. I tried it without anyway and it has worked a bit just with steam. The pressure seems to have reduced slightly in my forhead and nose. I'll try again to get some menthal stuff tomorrow.

Steam works very well for easing the pressure. Make sure you do it before going to bed as that will help you to sleep.

Rosemary

Thanks, will do.

As I’m travelling for six weeks I decided not to bother with my daily dose of honey and lemon. A couple of days ago I had to take the one-hour train ride into town to see a supplier, and as the temperature had gone up to the high teens I thought I could get away with shorts, long sleeve T-shirt and a body warmer. Before I got to the destination train station I was feeling cold and by the time I got home again I was coughing and sneezing like a dog. I feel absolutely terrible today and will try to find some meds to help. Honey and lemon would have helped and also a jacket for the train.

Sorry to hear that, there is a bit of it about. If you're in Portugal there is a product called Griponal which is supposed to help with flu and cold symptoms. We both took one fizzy tablet at night, it states it causes drowsiness, we both slept like logs! We still felt ill the next day in the worst of it, but it was so good to sleep. I think you're supposed to take it twice a day, but once was enough from the drowzy point of view.