Colds. Talk to me about them.

[Backroads]

So I am currently experiencing a cold with extremes I haven't felt since my first year of teaching snot-nosed elementary school students.

How do y'all deal with your colds? Tricks, tips, home remedies, just plain ol' stories you want to share?

[jerome1232]

Nyquil, lot's of nyquil, I like the tea versions.

[pam]

I don't want to talk about colds. It will jinx me. haha

[Guest]

Vicks Vaporub is your friend.

[Palerider]

Vicks Vaporub is your friend.

I agree....Vicks vapor rub on chest and then if I have a cough I rub the stuff on my feet and wear socks when going to bed. That helps control my cough. I never forget the NyQuil

[Palerider]

I don't want to talk about colds. It will jinx me. haha

Oh pppllleeeaaaasssseeeee......lol

[SpiritDragon]

Plenty of rest and fluids is always a staple around here.

We have recently found that copious amounts of elderberry extract seems to be quite helpful. This fall I started to get the sniffles and I loaded up on elderberry extract and the disaster was averted.

At the onset of a sore throat oil of oregano tends to be useful dropped under the tongue a few times through out the day.

Keeping vitamin D levels up has been shown to reduce frequency and duration of colds, unlike vitamin C which is popular but has failed to conclusively help.

Zinc is also useful for maintaining proper immunity. It can be useful even after onset... I once had a nasty cold that was leaving me quite congested, after taking a chewable zinc tablet some of the congestion eased.

my wife likes eucalyptus and peppermint oils dabbed on the corners of her pillow to help relieve congestion for easier breathing to sleep.

A hot bath may also help. They can supposedly give your body a break from running a fever by keeping your temperature up for you allowing your body to re-allocate energy to the healing process instead of running a fever. At the very least they are usually soothing.

Hot lemon water sweetened with honey (which may actually be the most important part) also tends to have a soothing effect, even if it does nothing to promote healing.

Once the cold (or flu) sets in fully a cozy blanket and pillow with a go to movie seem to be about what's left.

[davisjone]

Drink loads of hot fluids as they relieve nasal congestion, help prevent dehydration, and soothe the uncomfortably inflamed membranes that line your nose.

[Guest]

A week of remedies, or seven days of white-knuckling your way through it. Either way, whining seems to be a consistent effort in this house, but does none of us any good.

[beefche]

I think I have a low immune system. I am just now getting over a cold and now this thread pops up, thus ensuring that I will get another or this one will continue.

I try to get lots of rest and fluids. And whine.

[Maureen]

I drink lots of liquids during a cold, especially hot drinks since they're nice on the throat. I've also been recently using a saline nasal spray, I find it helps. And keep washing your hands with soap multiple times a day.

M.

Edited February 24, 2014 by Maureen

[beefche]

Oh, Maureen reminded me. Using a neti pot really helps, but it helps to use it regularly. It's more difficult to use while your sinuses are swollen or clogged. They are not difficult to use, but I don't find it pleasant. It's a little uncomfortable to use for me, but not so much that I refuse to do it. I just haven't made it a habit.

[Palerider]

I also take my vitamins each day and that helps me.

[Roseslipper]

I use to get sick a lot then I met this guy who worked in the hospital and he said how do u think dr's don't get sick often? He told me to go to the health store and buy vitamin d3, with no fillers. And I tell u it works it builds up yur immune system and helps your bones, teeth and so many other things(helps u stay healthy)....If your new to this you can start taking this ur first month I use the 5ooo iu then I bring it down to 2000. I have been around people in the office sick or had the flu and I didn't get it. 5 yrs no cold then I stopped for a while and I got sick a bad bad cold. So I started up with the 5k again and will bring it down to 2k. Try it it really works...take your vitamin d3 go out and buy a bottle of this by it self even if its in your vitamins ur not getting enough...My opionion. I tried it I know it works This advice is for adults I do not know about children since I never had any...Who wants to get sick? Yuk!!!! being sick is a big pain in the neck!!

Edited February 25, 2014 by Roseslipper

[Quin]

I use to get sick a lot then I met this guy who worked in the hospital and he said how do u think dr's don't get sick often? He told me to go to the health store and buy vitamin d3, with no fillers. And I tell u it works it builds up yur immune system and helps your bones, teeth and so many other things(helps u stay healthy)....If your new to this you can start taking this ur first month I use the 5ooo iu then I bring it down to 2000. I have been around people in the office sick or had the flu and I didn't get it. 5 yrs no cold then I stopped for a while and I got sick a bad bad cold. So I started up with the 5k again and will bring it down to 2k. Try it it really works...take your vitamin d3 go out and buy a bottle of this by it self even if its in your vitamins ur not getting enough...My opionion. I tried it I know it works This advice is for adults I do not know about children since I never had any...Who wants to get sick? Yuk!!!! being sick is a big pain in the neck!!

Be careful with that.

- Above 4k is in the toxic range for D vitamins. Generally it leads to hyperkalcemia, which means calcium deposits in your organs doing damage (also quite painful, kidney stones are an example).

- D vitamins are fat soluable. So instead of excess levels being peed out, they store in your fat. Which makes toxic levels difficult to deal with, and weight loss potentially very dangerous (as when fat burns, it releases all of its fat soluble chemicals into the bloodstream & surrounding tissues... This is why "are you now, or have you ever worked in drycleaning" pops up as a question in physicals & gym memberships. VitaminD toxicity rarely kills, although calcium deposit in your organs can become very serious, but the chemicals from dry leaning are a lot more toxic).

- There have been numerous studies done on D vitamins, with most of the health claims surrounding them proven as false. Nutritional supplements are NOT monitored by the FDA (instead they count as beauy products) so manufacturers can write whatever they want about them -true or not, and need no studies to back up their claims. (And, yes, they do get sued all the time... Think of Airborne who had to pay out over $30 million in damages & for making false claims, and Zicam whose zinc based formula Permenantly damaged or destroyed people's sense of smell who have paid out 12 million to date, and have hundreds of lawsuits still in process). Lots of studies have shown that people, especially in northern & urban areas are almost epidemically low in vitD, And low D has been linked to SADD and other issues, but mega-dosing, especially with fat solvable chemicals, is a risky thing to do. Few people get vitD toxicity, as you have to supplement it in order to do so, your body won't over create it from sunshine. So be VERY careful supplementing it!!!

____________

I come from a medical family, and have worked in healthcare.

I've never heard of taking vitD for immune function.

To the best of my knowledge... The reason doctors (and nurses, admin, etc.) don't catch everything they come into contact with is

- Universal Percautions

- The same reason teachers don't: they already DID. For the first couple years they were sick almost constantly (often 300 some odd days a year), so their immune systems have antibodies for most of the common ailments floating around. Our antibodies are good for most minor mutations, so once you've caught all 57 of the common cold strains in your area your first 2 years practicing (or teaching) #7b & #51m that's going around this year, you caught back in residency. #58-62 you manage to duck by gelling in and out, gloving between every patient, and not staying in an enclosed space with them for more than a minute or two (and masking if you need to stay longer). It's hard to catch what you don't breathe, and don't touch.

all my best!

Q