OT: Getting sick way to often

[itsflantastic]

Been thoroughly checked over by the doc and they say i'm all fine aside from this cold.
I am a preschool teacher so I'm always around germs. Any tricks to strengthen immune system?

[indyrider]

I take a daily probiotic and drink :beer:

[Wilkinson4]

I travel a bit for work, and sometimes it just happens but what I do to try and keep the rhino bug away is:

1. Wash hands often and keep them in my pockets so I don't touch my face or nose.

2. Use some purel. Or better yet, have each kid use it as they walk into your classroom unless there is some religous objection:D

3. Whenever I am around alot of people I will use the neti-pot to flush but if I was around germy kids daily I would probably do it daily.

4. Ditto for Zicam. I'll pop a throat losenge in if I think I was even close to a sick person.

5. Use Airbourne or equivlent.

There are other supplements you can use, but basically colds are transfered from hand to nose and that is where it tends to grow(s).

mIKE

[rugbysecondrow]

I like the neti pot or the neti flush...both work well. I can't use the purel because it burns my skin.

I have a 5 and 2 year old and when we had our first child, I was sick all the time, much less so with the second.

Best of luck.

[Fixed]

vodka i shot every hour
cheers :beer: :rolleyes:

[itsflantastic]

Fixed - that'll make me sick..

[Wilkinson4]

Vodka net-flush. That will kill it for sure.

mIKE

[thwart]

Lots of good advice here.

Use lots of antimicrobial gel, use a neti pot daily, exercise as often as you can. And try to get at least 7-8 hrs of sleep.

If some munchkin coughs in your face, go to the bathroom and wash it off right away.

Daycare centers are about the worst for passing on illness. Kids generally go unless they have a temp over 100 degrees, and they aren't old enough to know to do anything to prevent spreading their bug to someone else, like hand washing/gel or coughing into their sleeve.

And then there's the vodka 'cure'...

[dekindy]

I was getting sick way too often and there were certain times of the year that I would always get sick.

1. Got allergy tested and am taking shots for dust mite and mold allergies.
2. Got tightly woven bed linen that minimizes dust mites.
3. Taking an antihistimine daily.
4. Daily NeilMed Sinus Rinse, some of my cycling buddies use a NetiPot.
5. Regular workouts during the Winter that raise body temp and increase airflow.
6. Take a probiotic for digestion but have learned it helps against colds also.
7. Whey protein is supposed to strengthen the immune system. I use this as recovery after workouts.
8. Take L-Glutamine prior to a workout. Some claim that it will enhance performance and apparently not all experts agree with this or the fact that it helps prevent your immune system from being weakened during a hard workout. I have noticed that I do not get the sore throat feeling that I used to get after Winter workouts so I will continue using it. If I forget to take the L-Glutamine I usually get that sore throat feeling and remember that I have not taken it so I am fairly sure there is no placebo effect.

Now I hardly ever get sick and when I do the duration is about half as long and intensity is about one-fourth and the Sinus Rinse rinses snot out of your nostrils that it is just not possible to get out by blowing your nose. You will be amazed how much relief this will give you. After blowing my nose until no more snot comes out, I rinse multiple times of day as long as large green mucous globs rinse out.

Probably more than you wanted to know but my sinus infections and colds were getting to the point of debilitating me for weeks at a time. Your sinuses press against your brain and my ability to concentrate during an attack was zero. My Allergists's exact words were that my 'debilitating attacks" would be a thing of the past once the allergy treatments became effective. And he was right and I was also glad for the confirmation that I was not just being a big baby during my attacks.

[jimcav]

i went from cold to cough to GI (seemed like i got sick every other time i ate out. turned out my vit d was super low. get your 25-hydroxy vit d checked. if under 30 consider vit d3 supplement
i was trying raw milk (helped with much of it) but once i got on d3 i have not been sick since then (february) if only it healed labral tears in hips i'd be golden

[dekindy]

Good point, I take D3 during the Winter also which reminds me that I need to get some.

[skijoring]

Warm salt-water gargles every night. It's tough, but it helps. :beer:

[false_Aest]

1) Daily aerobic exercise. 25 minutes on a treadmill at 1.5% incline 3.5 mph is enough.

2) Weight lifting of some sort. Breaking down muscle triggers your body's protect and rebuild systems.

3) Breaking down muscle to rebuild = nutrition. As previously mentioned: protein and l-glutamine. Also consider a "half-dose" of gummy vitamin in the am and the 2nd half in the PM (that way your body will absorb it all instead of peeing out the extra or pooping out an overly compacted pill).

4) Hydration. Yeah, cold and dry weather help chap your lips but the solution isn't lip balm. It's drinking more water. Everyone seems to forget to drink water when it gets cold out.

5) Turn down the heat. Let your body fight to stay warm. Seriously.



All this is just anecdotal. But in 2.5 years of working at my current job I have yet to miss 1 day of school because I was sick. My colleagues all cancel class at least once a semester because they're too sick to teach. . . . I have 30 sick-days I don't intend on using.

[rain dogs]

Spanish paprika.

Pimenton de la Vera from Caceres (try your specialty store. a brand like La Chinata is common)

cook with it. Use sparingly.

I hear the latest great drink is pickle juice, but haven't tried it.

[Ralph]

If you are around kids a lot, eventually you get what they got. I stay away from my grandkids when one is sick, and they are passing somehing around. Pre school is the worst.

I avoid airports and airplanes during winter.

[C5 Snowboarder]

My ex-girl friend's cooking -- boy that was rancid stuff sometimes but it killed any bug who was near... :beer:

[ts0673]

I travel extensively (and mostly international), and when I feel a cold coming on I consume copious amounts of water, take some Cold-eze (or equivalent) and Airborne. It might be completely in my head, but I tend to only feel the symptoms mildly and for a short duration.

I've got 3 children under 10 at home as well, so there is always something going around. In terms of overall prevention, regular exercise (including weights) seems to be a positive factor...

[itsflantastic]

forced myself to do a 5 mile run in the woods today. the first mile was PAINFUL, but once I got moving all my energy seemed to come back. At the end of the run, I collected a bunch of pine needles and made tea with it at home :) (it's full of vit. c. That's how the native americans cured the european explorers of scurvy) Almost myself again.
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll be sure to implement some!

[echappist]

avoid mass transit during rush hours. If you have to use it, touch everything with your gloves on

sleep is quite important, so yeah, 7-8 a night

re: aerobic activity. While it's good for you, intense stuff will leave one drained. Keep in mind that the immune system is weakened 12 hours after heavy exercising (though i'm not sure if the cut-off is threshold intervals or VO2max intervals).

[MadRocketSci]

most germs get in through the eyes, so don't touch them....or wash your hands before doing so.

[Dekonick]

most germs get in through the eyes, so don't touch them....or wash your hands before doing so.

Beat me to it...

Wash your hands often. Dont rub your eyes/nose. Repeat.

Clean commonly touched surfaces... door knobs, etc...

[gemship]

I'm surprised no one mentioned this, spread a crushed glove of garlic, yes thats raw, on your buttered toast. Do this at least two times a day and eat it. Garlic the natural immune system fortifier. I knocked out a common cold with sore throat, runny nose and slight body and head fever symptoms within 4 days doing this, most symptoms knocked out in 3 days and in 5 days it's like what cold? I also ate apples and went to bed early getting 7-9 hours bed rest. Didn't drink much juice until day 3, had cranberry juice.


I think the garlic and bed rest was the ticket for me and normally a cold like this will last me a full 7 day week sometime two weeks. I also did all this while working full time, lobstering on the broad Atlantic in December, bet nobody on this forum does any sort of commercial fishing :rolleyes: and I also find time to pound nails at over twenty feet up on ladders and roofs to build my new house after lobstering and because of that stuff I don't even bother with biking as much but that's a whole other discussion.


What's even funnier is just last night the guy who spread the cold and gave it to me (I think) well we hung out last night. Once a week we like to share germs by passing a doobie or smoking bowl back and forth and making homemade perogies :banana:

[markie]

It is funny because I do not believe everyone else's anecdotal stories, but I have my own.

When I was young I got sick a lot. I started cycling and once I got fit I hardly ever got sick. After I got married I gave up cycling for a few years and I got cold and flu regularly. I took up cycling again and ride at least a litlle 5 or 6 days a week. I never get sick now.

Cold-eze is really good for sore throats. The zinc is a topical antimicrbial.

[slowgoing]

sleep with the window open

[zap]

I was getting sick way too often and there were certain times of the year that I would always get sick.

1. Got allergy tested and am taking shots for dust mite and mold allergies.



This.

Showers can aggravate too. Clean shower head.

Of course sick people are contributors so hand washing and keeping hands away from face.

[93legendti]

only use your own pen-ever wonder how many people have used that pen you are using to sign a check/cc bill?

[Jeff N.]

I get an upper respiratory infection that works it's way down to my lungs every...single...year at this time. Got it right now. Starts with a sore throat, progressing to plugged ears and gobs of snot and painful coughing, culminating in expectoration of disgusting green sputum for about a week. The whole deal usually lasts two to three weeks. Hate it. HATE IT! :crap: Jeff n.

[1centaur]

I saw Lance swigging Listerine (alcohol) on a documentary, and he seemed pretty mental about his health.

[echappist]

I saw Lance swigging Listerine (alcohol) on a documentary, and he seemed pretty mental about his health.
they all should be. at their exertion level, it's amazing how more of them aren't sick

[jpw]

Colonic irrigation?

The thought of that should already start to make you feel much better ;-)

[Sheldon4209]

How long have you taught preschool? I am a retired teacher but I remember my first couple of years as I was sick frequently. After a few years teaching I was did not have problems as I had been exposed to so much.

I also do the sinus rinse which helps and use a humidifier to keep the humidity up in the house. Dry air causes the membranes to dry and crack. The bacteria or virus can then enter through the cracks in the membrane.

[Dekonick]

only use your own pen-ever wonder how many people have used that pen you are using to sign a check/cc bill?

I have 'dirty person' pens that I carry to give to anyone to use so mine remains clean. Learned that trick from an old emergency room RN... great for people covered in blood/puke/poop... (everyone has to sign forms - they just don't have to use MY pen :) ).

[mapleleafs-13]

lots of vitamin c, try not to use to many sanitizers, use water and soap for hands, sanitizer alcohol based stuff is terrible for u

[gasman]

lots of vitamin c, try not to use to many sanitizers, use water and soap for hands, sanitizer alcohol based stuff is terrible for u

Several large randomized studies have shown that vitamin C does nothing to prevent or shorten the duration of a cold.

Soap and water works great. I'm not sure why you say alcohol based sanitizer is bad for you. It has clearly been shown to decrease transmission of germs from patient to patient in health care settings.They have decreased the spread of MRSA and other bad actors in every hospital studied. There are alcohol hand sanitizer dispensers everywhere in our hospital and outpatient surgicenters. Maybe not as good as a soap and water scrub but about 99% as effective when used properly. I use them before and after every patient I see.

Neti pots, saline nasal sprays and salt water gargling all seem to be effective, though the studies aren't very robust.

Zicam may work but the nasal zicam resulted in permanent loss of smell in a number of people. I think it has been pulled from the market as a result.

As you get older you will have been exposed to and gotten lots of cold viruses. When my kids were young I got everything they did. Not a problem nowadays as my immune system has seen lots of viruses. Your experience will be the same.

Moderate aerobic exercise will stimulate your immune system-all out hammering will depress your system.

Vit D does seem to be the real deal.