Normally I enjoy a head cold: I drink teas, nibble citrus fruits and rye crackers, watch amusing old movies, and rest. This time it’s different. Next week I need a good phone voice for radio interviews on Feed Your Tiger. My red swollen sore throat, where my tonsils once were, may not even have a cold. I am one of the last hold-outs who refuses to own a cellphone. This is the second time I’ve developed a raw throat after using a public phone in an airport. Ah well, I tell myself, even if I would break down and buy a PALM, I wouldn’t yell into it and make people around me wish I would choke. Fortunately, I live with one of the all time champion garglers. Here is Bearsie’s sage gargling advice:

To Gargle:

Always use warm water to cut your gargling liquid. Warmth relaxes the throat and opens pores. Add one of the following to make a strong-tasting solution. Take a little into your mouth, lean your head back, and gargle, without engaging your voice, for up to a minute before spitting it out. Bearsie can change pitch gargling higher in mid-gargle, but he says that’s only for show-offs.
Lemon Juice

This is a favorite among singers. Lemon oil soothes throat roughness and lemon’s vitamin C is useful for boosting immunity.

Tea Tree Oil

This one will burn unless you add no more than one drop of Tea tree oil to at least 3 Tbsps. of warm water. It kills germs, refreshes breath, and clears congestion.

Oregano Tea

This one is tasty. Oregano is used by Mediterranean cooks to boost flavor in cooking. You may not know that the herb kills cold and flu germs, fungi, parasites, all sorts of things you want to avoid. Make a strong tea using 1 tsp. of dried oregano leaves or 1/2 tsp. oregano powder per cup of tea. Strain it and gargle while humming “Oh Sole Mio!”