[JoyStick]

I feel like shit. This is the first time I am sick in probably a couple years.

[JoyStick]

Nyquil seems to keep me up instead of make me sleepy. Is that wierd?

[Strikeb4ck]

Take 20-30 mg tablets of zinc twice a day after eating as soon as you feel a cold coming on. Just do it for 2-3 days, I find it either kills off the cold or drastically reduces how long it lasts.

I used to get colds somewhat frequently that consistently ended with a 5+ day post nasal drip cough. It was awful being in school with that, having to cough loudly every minute. Since taking the zinc I've never had a cold that got to that point.

I'm not sure how much it will help when you already have the cold though, haven't used it like that. You might have to research that.

Also, be sure to get as organic a zinc as you can, always good and not a notable price differential...as in get something from a vitamin store as opposed to Walmart.

[Joga Bonito]

Organic coconut oil seems to nip things in the bud pretty well. 1-2 teaspoons a day. Start with one a day so you don't get a gnarly stomachache.

[B00G3r]

one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in the morning and one at night.

[Thomas the Rhymer]

(03-03-2014 11:48 PM)JoyStick Wrote:  

Nyquil seems to keep me up instead of make me sleepy. Is that wierd?

No, a small percentage of people do get the 'paradoxical' effect on anti-histamines, in that they feel more energetic instead of being sedated.

As for cold treatment: zinc, zinc, zinc, zinc, zinc, zinc, zinc, zinc, zinc, zinc, zinc, zinc and zinc. Oh, and lest I forget, zinc.

For a runny nose, saline nose sprays also help, or if it's really bad, then anything with oxymetazoline in it. Also a disinfectant throat spray, something with chlorhexidine and alcohol in it, to kill the bastards sitting on your throat.

For flu symptoms, you need to tone the inflammation with an anti-inflammatory, using something like aspirin or ibuprofen. Works well in combination with paracetamol (called acetaminophen in North America).

Get well soon.

[roberto]

As soon as you feel the symptoms come on, 'overdose' on vitamin C. Take like 10 tablets. This will lessen the symptoms and help it pass more quickly.

[strengthstudent]

As far as I know, C, D3 and zinc are the keys to strong immunity system.

My anti-flu dosages:
Vitamin D3 5000 IU/day
Zinc 30 mg/day
Vitamin C in grams, not in mcg. I take 2g daily.

I am very rarely ill, and if I do, it never gets bad.

[Handsome Creepy Eel]

- throat syrup (honey + propolis mixture) 4/day
- lozenges 4/day
- paracetamol if fever gets above 38 degrees celzius, up to 2/day
- zinc 15 or 30 mg capsule 1/day
- general multivitamin or Calcium + Vitamin C 1/day
- eating a mixture of honey, butter and freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/day
- eating a meal with onions and/or garlic 1/day

That said, you know the famous saying? "If you take supplements, your cold will be gone in a week. If you don't, it might last as long as 7 days!"

[Kangaroo]

zinc and probiotic is stomach is acting up

[Wreckingball]

multivitaminic

and a warm cocktail of brandy+milk+lemon+ginger

[JoyStick]

Thanks for the tips guys. Much appreciated!

Sorry for the typo in the title. Good thing tuth was only kidding about the bad title rule.

[JoyStick]

(03-04-2014 09:40 AM)Wreckingball Wrote:  

multivitaminic

and a warm cocktail of brandy+milk+lemon+ginger

warm cocktail? You heat up the milk? And why brandy?

[DJ-Matt]

(03-03-2014 11:48 PM)JoyStick Wrote:  

Nyquil seems to keep me up instead of make me sleepy. Is that wierd?

Beware of the variants of Nyquil, only the actual night time version puts you to sleep. Look for "20% alcohol" on the label, that's the good stuff.

[Suits]

Sleep, water, pasta, meat, colourful vegetables, orange juice, more water, vodka.

[TopPanda]

Zinc supplements will shift a cold in record time.

But to stop a sore throat in its tracks, try eating sushi ginger. Find jars of it in any Asian supermarket. The yellowish stuff is best, the purple stuff isn't as strong.

[JoyStick]

(03-04-2014 03:22 PM)TopPanda Wrote:  

Zinc supplements will shift a cold in record time.

But to stop a sore throat in its tracks, try eating sushi ginger. Find jars of it in any Asian supermarket. The yellowish stuff is best, the purple stuff isn't as strong.

That's good to know! I work in a Japanese restaurant.

[Blunt]

Zicam has always worked well for me. Try to start it on the first day of the cold. You can get the store generic which is usually 2/3 the price.

[Wreckingball]

(03-04-2014 09:43 AM)JoyStick Wrote:  

(03-04-2014 09:40 AM)Wreckingball Wrote:  

multivitaminic

and a warm cocktail of brandy+milk+lemon+ginger

warm cocktail? You heat up the milk? And why brandy?

yes, warm the milk. I have old bottles of that lying around. It makes you sweat a lot and i feel better the next day. during the night I can breath well through the nose which is a plus.

Plus, it's a manly recipe

[rottenapple]

Garlic

[BoiBoi]

Just drink lots of water or better fresh ginger tea with honey, eat homemade chickensoup and sleep a lot.

[gringochileno]

For the common cold, Sudafed (pseudoephedrine, not phenylephrine) plus Zyrtec (or another non-drowsy antihistamine like Claritin, Allegra, etc) is the combination that's shown the most benefit in alleviating symptoms like runny nose and nasal congestion. There's not a lot of evidence for vitamin C, but it won't hurt you to take it either. Zinc might shorten the duration of symptoms if you take it soon enough after they begin, but there's a risk of losing your sense of smell which may be permanent in some people so I'd be cautious with that. The main thing to avoid taking with a cold is antibiotics--they have no benefit whatsoever since it's caused by a virus, and several significant downsides.

If you think you might have the flu, go to a doctor for a Tamiflu prescription right away. It can decrease the duration and severity of the symptoms, but probably only if you start taking it < 48 hours after symptoms start.

[tarquin]

I believe Zinc and loss of smell were only connected when you use the old Zicam method of sticking the Zinc directly up your nose. Lots of guys here take Zinc regularly in oral form and I don't believe that one of them has mentioned anosmia.

[Drazen]

I currently have the flu. Taking NyQuil + Mucinex for upper respiratory irritation/coughing. Taking Zinc (50mg). Drinking lots of cold pressed juices as well.

[The Lizard of Oz]

I use Manuka honey, which is honey collected by bees from a plant which only grows in New Zealand. This honey has truly remarkable antiseptic and antibacterial properties that have been well documented (it is actually FDA approved for topical wound management and has been known to cure cases of drug-resistant staph infection or MRSA). It is an amazing substance -- the most viscous honey known to exist.

I eat some teaspoons of it when I feel an incipient sore throat and make sure I don't drink anything or rinse my mouth and throat for some time after eating it so that as much as possible can get absorbed. I find that in most cases the sore throat goes away.

Note that the strength of medical Manuka is measured in units of MGO, or milligrams per kilogram of methylglyoxal (considered to be the active ingredient). The most potent one, which is what I buy, has MGO 550+:

http://www.amazon.com/Manuka-Health-MGO-...uka+health

It's pricey at $40 for a half-pound jar, but if you only take a few teaspoons at a time when you feel like you might be getting sick, it will last you forever. And like most honeys it never goes bad. I also love the taste.