Avoiding the Common Cold

[Obi-Wan Nihilo]

I've been working in close quarters with a number of sick people for the past couple of weeks, so far so good I've managed to ward off the cold/flu. Not sure which but whatever they've got is nasty. So, figured this thread might be a nice place to collect the folk wisdom of the Watch as to the best ways to avoid getting sick, or to get better as quickly as possible. Here's a few theories / guesses / possible superstitious practices that I have associated with varying degrees of success:

• Extremely spicy broths, consumed at high temperature soon after the initial symptoms of an oncoming sore throat, seem to have prevented at least one sore throat I was developing. I ate the soup and woke up the next day symptom free
• Massive doses of Zinc seem to help ward it off
• Mixed results with Vitamin C but it does seem to help
• Warm saltwater / honey / lemon tonic for gargling seems to help resolve a sore throat more quickly
• Same thing with gargling with Hydrogen Peroxide
• Cold eze lozenges seem to help
• Zicam Cough Mist seems to have prevented an upper respiratory infection for at least a week, this despite experiencing a few different instances of onset symptoms that thankfully did not persist
• Oranges -- not sure if they help but they are tasty
• Peppers and hot sauce in general seem to help
• Wearing a surgical mask, Japan style -- haven't tried it yet but I am considering it

Anything anyone else can think of is appreciated, I'll probably try them out at some point (unless they are clearly a practical joke).

[Avatar]

Positive thinking.

--A

[Obi-Wan Nihilo]

Can't hurt.

[ussusimiel]

I'm told that Manuka Honey is good for actual and impending sore throats, a bit expensive though!

u.

[Hashi Lebwohl]

I can't do anything too spicy but honey and lemon work really well, especially when you stir them into a warm glass of whiskey.

Strangely enough, my wife suggested putting menthol rub on the bottoms of my feet then wear socks to bed. At first I was skeptical but it definitely helped the last time I was under the weather.

[Obi-Wan Nihilo]

That is truly interesting, Hashi.

[DukkhaWaynhim]

Wel, actually, all the treatments you list are ways to minimize the bug once you've already gotten it.
Here are three big things I started doing in 2007 that I firmly believe are linked to the dramatically-lowered rate of colds and flus I've suffered since:
1) I started exercising. It hasn't been constant (I *really* got away from it between Halloween and Easter, but have gotten back into it), but more often than not, I have run or lifted since that time. I'm much lighter, I'm in better shape, I sleep better, I feel better, I can do more, and I also get sick less. And even when I do get sick, I don't stay sick as long, and it usually isn't debilitating sickness.
2) I take a multivitamin every day. Not all the experts agree that vitamin supplements are great for you, but I think they make a difference for me. The few times I've runout, I've noticed difference in my energy levels. This is also important for me when I'm doing crazy low-carb things, because low carb foods aren't nutritionally complete foods.
3) I don't touch icky surfaces any more, and I avoid icky people whenever possible. Seriously. I work in an office with hundreds of other people. When I use the restroom, after I've washed my hands, I take the paper towel I use to dry and use it to turn off the fauct, and to open the restroom door. I keep a bottle of hand sanitizer at my desk. I avoid touching surfaces that are commonly used, or I use my sleeve to operate those that are unavoidable. The best way to fight is to keep it away entirely.

If I do get sick, I take lots of long hot showers to keep my sinuses from getting too clogged up, supplementing with the store brand version of DayQuil. and then I gargle 4+ times a day with warm salt water. The gargle is totally gross, but it works. It loosens things up, it helps ease my sinus issues, and it seems to allow me to get over the infection faster. All that, and I can get a big box of salt for less than a buck, and it never goes bad.

[Avatar]

Haha, I don't worry about icky things, surfaces or people. I mean, I won't go and hug somebody who is clearly suffering from flu or something, but I genuinely never bother about things things like touching surfaces that might have "germs."

This is slightly amusing, because the GF has mild(ish) germaphobia.

If I think I might be getting sick, I take some high doses of vitamin C.

I sometimes take a few supplements, (my diet probably isn't great), but not daily.

And I hardly ever get sick. I've taken 1 sick day in the last 3 years in fact. I don't have the time.

--A

[sgt.null]

morphine and demerol.

then you won't give
a damn if you get sick.

i wish this was a legal
method of fighting off
the common cold...

[Orlion]

Anything high in vitamin C, like oranges (or orange juice). So it's good that you like them!

Frankly, I'm more concerned about the Uncommon Cold.

[aliantha]

My #1 top way of avoiding catching a cold: Stay away from small children. The bloody things are incubators for every bit of nasty crap known to humankind.

More seriously...as I understand it, there are lots of different viruses that cause what we call the common cold. It's possible that when you come in contact with a snot-infested person, you don't come down with what they've got because you've already fought off that particular virus and have built up an immunity to it. It would also stand to reason, then, that the older you get, the fewer colds you would come down with, because you've already built up immunity to most of them -- and that certainly has seemed to be true for me, as I rarely get colds any more (knock on wood!).

Well, and also, I don't much come in contact with those adorable little germ-incubators any more.

[sgt.null]

children should be locked in cellars and attics...

[Obi-Wan Nihilo]

My #1 top way of avoiding catching a cold: Stay away from small children. The bloody things are incubators for every bit of nasty crap known to humankind.

More seriously...as I understand it, there are lots of different viruses that cause what we call the common cold. It's possible that when you come in contact with a snot-infested person, you don't come down with what they've got because you've already fought off that particular virus and have built up an immunity to it. It would also stand to reason, then, that the older you get, the fewer colds you would come down with, because you've already built up immunity to most of them -- and that certainly has seemed to be true for me, as I rarely get colds any more (knock on wood!).

Well, and also, I don't much come in contact with those adorable little germ-incubators any more.

Between them my sisters have 4 children between 1 and 10. I refer to them when talking to my wife as "the germs." As I avoid sick people as much as possible, I have not seen very much of the rest of my family for the past several years. We make plans and sure enough someone gets sick and they are cancelled. In the past few months, Easter and Thanksgiving get-togethers have been outright casualties of assorted maladies, with no rescheduling attempted. Even when they are supposedly healthy, there is always a disconcerting cough or wheeze going on. For instance my two older nieces came over to our house with their parents. I was sitting on the couch quietly minding my own business when one of them nearly sent me through the ceiling with an unshielded, particularly nasty sounding cough originating about 6 inches behind my head and directed straight down my neck. I had to explain to her to cover her mouth and turn her head away from people when coughing. Not quite sure how she made it to 8 years old without being taught that by her parents, but perhaps they have larger fish to fry at their house than manners. In any case my sisters can be quite touchy about it when questioned closely about their children's health, but I really don't give a damn, and tell them so. My wife has a compromised immune system so we have to be careful about it, if she gets sick it might last 2 to 4 weeks before she shakes it.

[[Syl]]

Generally, my philosophy is 'embrace the germs.' Chances are, you're not going to avoid them forever, and whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. But there's being realistic and there's being reckless.

1) Wash your hands (properly). Not just when you use the head, but before you eat, after you handle money or touch common surfaces, etc.
2) Get enough sleep and eat well.
3) Don't f*** with the phlegm. Your body has a lot of processes to stop germs. Let it do its thing.

[Obi-Wan Nihilo]

Generally, my philosophy is 'embrace the germs.'

I'll give them a hug from you next time I'm home.

As long as they're well.

[[Syl]]

Honestly, germaphobes make me uneasy. We are all, to an extent, walking disease factories (some more than others, sure, but...). Reminds me of an episode of ST Voyager where the doctor encounters another holographic life form that ends up killing his whole crew because he can't stand how disgusting they are.

Me, I'll share a glass or a bottle or a cigarette with just about anyone -- including a homeless guy in Monterey one time who really wanted a drink of my smoothie (though I'll admit, that one made me a bit uneasy).

[Obi-Wan Nihilo]

Syl, I'd hate to make you uneasy unnecessarily. As you know I work offshore so getting sick during my two weeks at home is about as bad as it gets. Also, starting about 6 or 7 years ago I seemed to start catching every damn cold that came down the pike, so I've gotten a little paranoid about being exposed to sick people. Lately, though, I seem to have successfully resisted the past few bugs that were going around (other than a particularly nasty stomach flu, but we won't go into that), so I've let my guard down some. I don't object to germs, I object to getting sick from germs, especially when my vacation is ruined by it. And, I also try to make allowances for my wife, who is very susceptible to getting sick, and it takes her a long time to recover.

[[Syl]]

Sorry, I was talking more about people with the opposite to my approach, not people like yourself who are reasonably cautious. I mean, I'd rather have a fastidious doctor than one that was more... laissez faire like me. Time and place, I suppose.

To the tips above I would add -- eat local. Especially local honey, which many people claim helps with seasonal allergies (and you don't have to worry about that fake Chinese crap). The less distance your food has to travel, the less nastiness it will probably encounter. Still, wash everything thoroughly (including cooking utensils). I'm a strong believer in safe and sanitary kitchen practices.

Also -- POE. Grain alcohol and rain water.

[Obi-Wan Nihilo]

We mus'n't neglect our precious bodily fluids, now mus'n't we?

[peter]

A bottle of Southern Comfort will stop any cold in it's tracks, and if it doesn't - who cares!