Preventing and curings colds and flus

[wesrman]

Ive been sick 4 times this winter already and im getting pissed off about it. Ever since i started working at UPS in September it seems like i get sick every month. Its really dusty and dirty there and i touch boxes that many people have handled. Im also working out 3 or 4 times per week on top of this so i may be overdoing it a bit, but this is ridiculous.

I just had the flu 2 weeks ago and i woke up this morning with a stuffed up head and feeling sick. It sucks so bad cuz i have to work hard at work and need to have energy. Also i hate not working out cuz thats pretty much all i do for fun.

Eating more fruits and veggies is obviously something i need to do, but im eating around 5 servings per day as it is and i dont know if i can afford to eat much more.

If anyone has any ideas i would appreciate it.

[Howlin Mad Missy]

You could give yourself a boost with a good multivitamin/mineral supplement. If I remember right those RDA's were set in the 40's. If you are training hard I'd expect your nutritional requirements to go up.

There is some evidence to support the immune boosting properties of both echincea and ashwagandha.

[wesrman]

Ive been taking lots of vitamins. Ill look into the other 2 things.

Thanks.

[Howlin Mad Missy]

just to add. They get in to your system quicker if you take it as a tincture rather than pills.

Good luck, I hate getting colds

[AdamGB]

Make sure that you wash your hands when ever you can and avoid touching your face as much as possible.

You should get some of that anti bacterial handwash... I had some when I worked in the gyms (you've got to touch and handle equipment that 100s of people have sweated on! quite common for a gym instructor to get a cold) and it killed the germs on your hands and then made it harder for new ones to breed (obviously you've still got to wash your hands as normal on top of this)

Another good thing you can use is a nasal spray.... you can get ones that kill the germs in your nose and then make you sneeze them out... won't cure a cold... nothing can but they can prevent a cold if you do it in the first day when you noise feels a bit tickly etc.

Don't really think there's anything else you can do other than trying to rest, eat and drink well.

[donnydarkoIRL]

Manuka Honey is a good way of boosting the immune system, although it is expensive!

Cancer patients use it to boost their defences and athletes may benefit from it as it does help you.
I take it daily.

[RDJ]

Ive been taking lots of vitamins. Ill look into the other 2 things.

Thanks.

How's your fat intake btw? Not enough of it will prevent you from absorbing certain vitamins (A,D,E and K). Not saying it's likely, but many sport fanatics seem to be scared of fats.

[wesrman]

Ive been taking lots of vitamins. Ill look into the other 2 things.

Thanks.

How's your fat intake btw? Not enough of it will prevent you from absorbing certain vitamins (A,D,E and K). Not saying it's likely, but many sport fanatics seem to be scared of fats.

Nah i eat lots of good fats.

I am however a little low in vitamin E.

[p4pking]

Yeah lots of good advice in here, I would suggest hot/cold showers or the equivalent of as well.. Gotten into the habit of going from the sauna to a cold shower at my gym after workouts and I haven't been sick in eons.. Kind of a health nut though I hardly eat any refined sugar or flour, preservatives etc. whatsoever unless I eat out which I've been doing way to much of lately. I wouldn't put too much emphasis on avoiding germs and that sort of thing as it can become an obsessive thing and obviously if you work around a lot of dust you are bound to be breathing it in. Try doing some basic conscious breathing as well, make sure you are warming up and cooling down properly when you train. It's simple and easy yet so many people just ignore this along with stretching. Basic inversions(headstands are great, anything with your feet above your head though) are excellent as well, anything that increases blood flow to the brain.

[StrictlySP]

Hi Wesrman,
Adam said it well in this post:

Make sure that you wash your hands when ever you can and avoid touching your face as much as possible.

You should get some of that anti bacterial handwash... I had some when I worked in the gyms (you've got to touch and handle equipment that 100s of people have sweated on! quite common for a gym instructor to get a cold) and it killed the germs on your hands and then made it harder for new ones to breed (obviously you've still got to wash your hands as normal on top of this)

Another good thing you can use is a nasal spray.... you can get ones that kill the germs in your nose and then make you sneeze them out... won't cure a cold... nothing can but they can prevent a cold if you do it in the first day when you noise feels a bit tickly etc.

Don't really think there's anything else you can do other than trying to rest, eat and drink well.

He pretty much covered it. To add on a bit, be sure to get plenty of rest, meaning at least seven to eight hours of sleep every night. Washing your hands and not touching your eyes and nose with "contaminated" hands is another biggie as well.

As far as supplements are concerned, well, it's debatable as to what the actually beneficial effects are. With that said, I believe that Zinc supplements such as Zicam and Coldeze can't hurt. And the good ol' standby, 3000 to 5000 mg of vitamin C probably wouldn't hurt the cause either.

With all that said, the bottom line to proactive cold/flu defense simply boils down to getting plenty of good sleep, drinking plenty of water, having a well-balanced diet, exercising sensibly, and washing your hands often. This has served me well as I've gone a couple of years not catching a cold or flu. With that said, I did catch a minor cold last month that lasted a couple of weeks. I attribute that to not following my own advice and not getting enough sleep due to over-extending myself with work and side work commitments while taking care of my number one priority--familial responsibilities (most especially, taking care of my baby). Anyway, I'm trying to practice what I preach again by doing my best to get as much sleep as possible in light of the wonderful circumstances.

Well, take good care...

Best Regards,
Lito

[wesrman]

Thanks everyone.