Cold & Flu Season...

[diamondlady]

Now that it's starting, how do you try to avoid colds?  My boss was sick late last week and still sick this morning as we speak, coughing up a storm and just plain miserable.  Aside from the usual wash your hands 1000 times a day and purell and keep your distance, how do you avoid getting colds?  Technically he should be home and in bed, but not an option as he's the CFO and he's expected to be here when others aren't, and it's just plain busy here right now with Auditors, etc.

Anyone have any recommendations on how to avoid colds?  A couple of other folks in our office have some of the same symptoms already, not sure if boss gave it to them or visa versa.  Who knows.



Diamondlady
Peer Moderator

[msmarieh]

Some people claim that the massive quantities of vitamin c will help avert (or shorten the duration of) a cold.

Halls makes some immune defense lozenges. Not sure they actually work, but you never know.

Echinacea and some of the other herbal remedies are alleged to help boost your immune system.

I am hoping that since I now work in an office by myself with far fewer people around, that I won't get it myself. My boss went and got the flu shot last week as a preventive measure.

Marie

[Jackie G]

Marie

Flu shots won't prevent colds though,

My tip is lots of hot (as hot as you possibly can) fluids - worked a treat for me last year.  You flush with cold and spend a lot of time in the smallest room in the house, but it's worth it to get rid.  I did it to get rid of a cold for a dance I was going to that I couldn't get out of and it worked!

Jackie, Peer Moderator
www.iqps.org

[Cathy S]

Hi

I guess it’s partly luck/genetic, partly good diet and partly the environment one spends most time in that determines one's susceptibility to colds and flu.  The things below work for me but I think everyone has their vulnerability so they may not help everyone.

I don't often get colds/flu but if I do it settles in my throat and I cough for weeks afterwards, so I try hard to prevent catching them in the first place by:

Making a conscious effort to ensure my diet includes a good balance between zinc and vitamin C (apparently vitamin C on its own is not as effective) and to drink at least the 'standard' 8 glasses of water each day.

From an environmental point of view, even though I work in an air-conditioned building I walk the dog on cold winter mornings so my lungs get a good workout in fresh air setting me up to avoid the nasty bugs doing the rounds in the office.  The other thing we do is keep the central heating at home turned as low as we comfortably can to avoid the dehydration that comes from being in too hot an atmosphere.

Finally, here in Scotland, we now also benefit from the ban on smoking in enclosed public places which means we don't have to constantly avoid inhaling other people's smoke.

Fingers crossed for a cold/flu free winter

Cathy

[gee4]

Can't avoid - prone to sore throats so get my colds at change of seasons, usually March and Sept.  This year it was Oct and last year didn't have one in the autumn season.  Depends.

[susans]

I am not sure it works but I do try the massive vitiamin C and mabye or maybe not but I "think" it does help.  I

[diamondlady]

I've tried the Vitamin C thing, and it seems to shorten the cold a bit and not as bad, so guess I'll have to stock up on that.  I've also found that washing the hands and using Purell works too for germs.  

But mine are mostly allergy related, so far I have yet to get the seasonal cold.  Maybe I won't, since we've already had a hard frost for the year. Guess this is our Indian Summer with the temps in the 60's today and tomorrow.  Yay! I'll take it.  Just keeping my distance from boss as much as possible, but when you share the office space it gets tough to do.  Usually I don't catch his colds, but if others catch it I may.  Trying to avoid it as much as possible.

Diamondlady
Peer Moderator

[Judy Loux]

I don't know about across the pond but here in the US we can purchase a product called Airborne.  

The following is their advertisement.  Tired of cold medicines that do not work?  Looking for a effervescent cold remedy that really works? You need Airborne Effervescent health formula. A dietary supplement invented by a 2nd grade school teacher who was tired of catching colds every winter.

My son told me about this wonder drug and it works.  It costs about $6.00 a bottle and I take it when others in the office start with their colds.  It doesn't work against the flu but a flu shot works wonders.

Ddiva

[bluefire21]

Just finished getting over my cold.  I was miserable for a week, and I still had to come in though.  If I didn't, no work would be done.


Ellen (the only admin in this office) in TX

[tiffanyctd]

I've already had a cold this year, but I got some juice called "Oddwalla Wellness", and the cold seemed to not last as long nor be as bad. Don't know if it was actually the juice or just a placebo effect, but it was the first time in years that a cold didn't last for weeks and turn into something nasty like bronchitis.
Tif

[countrigal]

Another thing to remember... stay well-rested.  If you allow yourself to get rundown, you're going to be more susceptible to colds and such.  That's hard for a new mother, and I've found it really difficult with 2 toddlers, but getting as much sleep as possible (whatever your body requires to function properly) and eating right, drinking fluids, general healthy stuff, really helps out.  I haven't had a cold or flu or anything since the first year I moved to AL (almost 6 years ago) and that's with the 2 boys in daycare, bringing home all sorts of germs and such.  Generic good hygiene, ensuring I don't get too worn down, and eating healthy is what I attribute it to, since I don't take anything, including vitamins.  If I do start to get a sore throat, I use an old home remedy... take a small juice glass, put about 1 finger's width of vodka in it and 3 fingers of pure lemon juice... toss back 1/2 of that mixture quickly... then sip the remainder, letting it burn its way down the throat.  My dad always said it was "guaranteed to kill ya or cure ya" and since I haven't died yet, I believe it works.  My thoughts is it kills the germs causing the sore throat, since you put alcohol on a sore on your skin and it kills them, why wouldn't the other type of alcohol do the same thing when ingested?  Whatever the reason, I truly feel it works and will continue to use this method.  Oh, and I've never gotten the flu shot before.  This year will be my first time, and I'm not looking forward to it, but it's my first year being able to since Tanner was born.  Since Tanner can't take the flu shot, everyone else in the family has to in the hopes of reducing his risk of catching the flu.  (he's allergic to eggs, so can't take the shot, and is too young for the flumist yet, unfortunately)

CountriGal
Peer Moderator

[joysmile60]

I love the vodka idea for a sore throat, but I think I'll leave out the lemon juice...

:)60
Joyce