Hi L.,
I too caught that nasty virus with the cough but I am a holistic person and believe that your body is perfectly capable of handling viruses, bacterial infection, fungal infections, etc, pretty much anything we come across, there is a a holistic and naturopathic treatment for that doesn't involved drugs, cold medicines, doctor's visits. That being said, and you know where I am coming from, I have some great natural treatments that work sooo much better than any medication you can use, over the counter OR prescription.
Have you heard of a netti pot? They are basically a small teapot with the spout shaped so it fits into your nostril. Before I got my netti pot, I made something that would work because I was sick as a dog and didn't feel like looking around town to find one. I finally did find one at bed bath and beyond and it is a lot easier to use, but here is what I did in leu of it until I found it. If you have a small teapot, that will work if you take a baby bottle nipple and cut the tip off so there is a hold big enough for water to flow out of it. Just fit the nipple over the spout of the little teapot. If you don't have a teapot, a plastic water bottle will work the same way. You have to cut a small hole near the top of it for air flow, so the water will flow smoothly, but do the same with the bottle nipple, cut the tip off of it and fit it over the top of the water bottle.
Basically what you do is warm 2 cups of filtered water and add a rounded teaspoon of a good quality sea salt. Table salt is actually a chemical that they make chemically and not good for you to put into your body at all. But for treating your sinuses, you want a good quality sea salt, there are several varieties available at your grocery store. I prefer the kind without the visible minerals for flushing your sinuses, otherwise you have to filter those out with a cheese cloth. The water should be body temperature. so feels warm to the touch, but not hot. Dissolve the salt by stirring and if you really want to knock down a bug, take a slice of garlic about the size of a pencil eraser, crush and wrap in a small piece of cheese cloth double thickness to keep any small pieces from getting into the water, you just want the oil. stir the garlic around in your salt water and then squeeze out the excess water and the garlic oil, do this several times until no more oil is coming out of the garlic. Your container should hold about a cup of water so pour in half of your garlic/salt water. Then stand over your sink, tip your head to the side and remember to breath thru your mouth. Insert the pot or nipple into the top nostril and the saline will run through your sinuses, and if your head is upright enough, across your throat and tonsils, and out the bottom nostril. Have a paper towel or handkerchief handy, and when the water stops flowing and your container is empty, blow out your nose gently, without closing either nostril. Then switch sides and do the same with the other side. This method knocked down a full blown sinus infection, strep throat, common cold/flu in just a few days. I did it twice a day, but you can do it more often if you like. There are no dangerous side effects like there are with EVERY medication, OTC or not, there is always a side effect. Most are h*** o* you kidneys and livers, make your sickness last longer than it normally would, and knock down a fever that is FIGHTING your virus. A fever is a GOOD thing, it means your body is working the way it should.
Using my netti pot instantly soothed my sore throat so my cough subsided as well and I was able to sleep all night. By morning I couldn't wait to use my netti pot again for relief again, and it would knock it down for most of the day. You can use it as often as you like!!! The garlic does sting a little bit if you get too much in there. Just reduce the amount you use. but garlic is nature's magic vegetable and is wonderful for killing bacteria, viruses, funguses, all of those nasty things, and no side effects, no drowsiness, nothing but a little garlic smell. :) I flushed my sinuses twice a day for 4 or 5 days until all my symptoms were gone, it didn't take long. No medication can even compare to that. Make sure you stay hydrated, hot herbal tea feels wonderful when you are sick. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and really salty foods as all of those things dehydrate you and will make your cough/sore throat worse. Just drink tea and water, avoid as much sugar as you can, and certainly avoid all imitation sugars as they are just poison in the form of health food. Dairy products make you more phlegmy and who needs that when they are sick right? Chicken soups is wonderful as well believe it or not, very soothing and hydrating.
If you want to see someone use a netti pot before trying it yourself, go online and type in "how to use a netti pot" and you can see a demonstration. I hope you feel better soon, best wishes.
T.