DISCLAIMER: This is a cold/flu symptom reliever that was told to me by my husband, who learned it from a friend. I admit to have added my own touches to it. I make no promises that it will really aleviate all your symptoms. All I can tell you is that it helped me. You should be 21 or older, or of legal drinking age for your state/country before trying this method. DO NOT TRY THIS IF YOU ARE UNDER THE LEGAL DRINKING AGE FOR YOUR AREA!

Things you will need.

1 Hat. (It can be just about any type of hat, but it should be able to stand up on its own. I used a cowboy hat. My husband has used a baseball cap before.)

2 Cats. (If you don't have two cats, one will do. The original cure contained no cats, but I find the cats help. You can also use three or more cats. A dog might help too, but I don't think two dogs will be quite as useful One dog and one cat will make a very good substitute for two cats.)

1 Bed. (Very important. It should be a comfortable bed, or one that you are at least used to sleeping on)

Several blankets or 1 electric blanket (Several blankets is better than one electric blanket, but if that's what you have, that's what you have...)

1 Bottle of alcoholic beverage. (This should be something you like to drink when you are not sick. Since I don't really drink much, and don't like the taste of alchohol, I used what we had in the house, which was a bottle of wine. I have heard that Jack Daniels or Southern Comfort is much better than wine. If you cannot drink alcohol, you should not try this method.)

2 Quarts of water

Step Two: Make sure all blankets are on the bed. If you are using an electric blanket, set it on High. When you get into the bed, be sure to set the blanket on LOW! (otherwise, you might suffer burns)

Step Three: Put bottle of alcohol by the bed. Climb into bed.

Step Four: Put the hat on the foot of the bed. Make sure that when you lie down, you can see it clearly.

Step Five: Get cats on the bed. Put one cat on one side of you, put another cat on the other side. If you have one cat and a dog, put the cat on the side you usually face when you turn on your side to sleep. Put the dog where your back is likely to be. If you have extra cats or dogs, distribute them accordingly.

Step six: Lie on your back, propped up with enough pillows so you can see the hat. Put the covers around you, get in a comfortable position.

Step seven: Realize that you forgot to go to the bathroom, and go do it now. Come back and repeat steps 2-6 until you're comfortable.

Step Eight: Begin drinking the alcohol. I prefer the sip method myself, but I have heard there are others that like the guzzle method. Either way, be very careful, and keep looking at the hat and the cats.

Step Nine: Begin getting the that will be lying against your chest to purr. Do this while you're drinking the alcohol if you can. Tell the cat how wonderful he/she is. Rub him/her under the chin or behind the ears, whatever it takes.

Step Ten: Keep looking at the hats and the cats. Keep drinking until you see two hats and four cats. When this happens, it's time to stop. Put the bottle aside, curl up with the purring cat along your chest and the other one warming your back. The purring cat will vibrate your chest, which in theory is supposed to help congested lungs, but in truth, probably does absolutely nothing. But it will still keep your chest warm.

Step Eleven: Go to sleep. You will sweat a lot. At some point, the cats will probably leave you as they have better things to do, and you sort-of stink. It doesn't matter, you're passed out by this point.

Step Twelve: When you wake up, you might have an awful hangover. But, if it worked, your cold/flu should be burned out of your system. I still felt yucky, but not quite as yucky. A shower and a lot of water helped me feel even better. I've found some people like to repeat this method a few times, just to make absolutely sure it worked. I know some peole who like to do it even if they don't have a cold or the flu.

I make no promises about this. Good luck. If it works for you, let me know.