If you are getting a cold/think you have one you can do a few things:
Pattern 1: If you find that you are getting chills, aren't sweating, have a stiff neck (not from sleeping funny), find that you are getting cold easier than normal, have some runny and clear discharge from the nose: drink ginger tea with scallions and some brown sugar and from there either take a hot bath (as hot as you can tolerate) and lay in it for 20 minutes, or get under a lot of covers and get yourself to break a sweat. Make sure you wear long and loose clothing (i.e. sweatpants with a t-shirt and sweatshirt, pajamas). Drink the ginger tea at least twice a day, or even better put it in a big thermos to take with you to sip on at work all day.
Also what you can do is cut up fresh slices of ginger and scallions, mix it with chicken broth, rice and a pinch of cinnamon and simmer it for 5 minutes. After eating, get under covers to induce sweating if you weren't after eating that concoction (give it a little bit to digest to see).
Pattern 2: If you find that your skin feels warmer than normal to the touch, you are sweating a little bit but feel no relief, have a red sore throat, drier mouth than normal, have higher thirst:
Drink Mint Tea with a spoonful of honey or Chrysanthemum tea.
For either pattern
Take your index finger or thumb (whichever) from one hand and press down in between the thumb and forefinger in the meat of the web, feel around and eventually you will feel a pressure point. Dig into this with your finger and massage it in a circular motion (it should be either mild or strong sensation but not enough to make yourself screaming for mercy). You can also rub that area with the same area with your other hand. Do it briskly until they both feel hot. When it feels hot or as hot as it will get stop.
(LI) Large Intestine Meridian - Graphic | Yin Yang House
The point is LI 4
Best diagram I can give you to help locate it sadly.
Next, position your arm with the forearm belly facing your body along with the palm of your hand. Feel with your finger about inch above the pit that your wrist makes (called the "snuff box") on the bone. Should feel a slight depression, press down and rub in a circular motion like the one before. Do this a few minutes each day.
(LU) Lung Meridian - Graphic | Yin Yang House
The point is LU 7 (There are a few locations for this point but I am describing the position of the arm differently because there are points around that area which can help you even if you miss)
The areas I mentioned to massage are powerful acupuncture points and basically you are doing Acupressure (the only other thing you can really do to stimulate Acupuncture points besides getting needled).
For Congestion
To get rid of that Damp in your head, you can get yourself a Neti Pot (SinuCleanse I think is the company now you can search either, its in the local drug stores) which is phenomenal (just if you are using it make sure to always breathe out your mouth while doing it and never use just water along with making your chin tilt higher than your ear), add a drop of pure Tea Tree oil with the solution that is used with the neti pot (saline) to kill any viruses lingering. Use it about twice a day (I do morning and then night), you can do more if needed. If not that, get Alkalol and follow the directions on the bottle.
Phew, sorry for the long post but I really hope this helps. It isn't a cure by any means but it does help reduce the duration. If I was nearby I would come by and treat you myself.
What I said above anybody else can also use, it is a very useful bit of knowledge to have (saying this humbly because it has saved my ass on several occasions).
Hybrid Mode
