Hehe, I have seen the weirdest topics in this board, and it's one of the most active I know so... what the heck

I have recently moved from (sunny warm) Spain to (rainy humid cold) Netherlands. Wonderful country. Thoroughly enjoying it, even with the difficult language! (that I'm studying... )

However, I am catching colds and flus time and time again...

Anybody knows of any wicked way to avoid it? Any tested way to improve my natural defenses? I don't want to be addicted to any pills or become a walking sweater showcase...

(Just trying my luck... Would have never thought of asking, but this thread convinced me... )

Get the cold, enjoy the Nyquil. See you at the next AA meeting!

How about warm beer?
Have one before going to sleep, and you're completely new man in the morning.
Never tried myself though.

Vitamin C, Echinachea and Zinc are the usual "natural" recommended supplements to take. You are getting sick more often, I think, because you moved to a new place, so your body is not used to the bacteria/viruses in that area. Give it some time, and they will go away even if you don't take anything for it.

Oh, and plenty of fluids. Natural juices like orange or other citrus are great.

Of course, as a side effect, this thread can also be an effective easy humour repository, an spontaneous post count increaser, and a silly waste of time...

@Trelane
Nyquil?? What's that?

@ak
Warm beer? Ugggghhhh!! Doesn't sound very appealing... Where did you get that from?

This could be a bit extreme or even dangerous but it worked for me. Next time you get a cold/flu, don’t take any drugs. This way, your natural defences will strengthen! Next time you get a flu/cold, it should not be as bad as the previous! Over time, your chances of getting flu/cold will be reduced dramatically.

I have a thing about taking medication (I just wont take it, where as the rest of my family always take medication at the first signs of illness) I think this is why I have not been ill for well over 10 years, not even a single cold!

The way I see it, taking medication will weaken your immune system!
If you wanna strengthan your immune system, take vitamin tablets!

I'm sure i'm gonna get weird replys to this post

Folk medicine

@Kblood: Welcome to Holland!!!

I know, the weather sucks, but the softdrugs is legal!!!

Anyway, to avoid colds and the flu, take vitamins (pills or citrus fruit or kiwi) and get used to the weather...

B.T.W. Where (in Holland) do you live?

@SikkeK:
Good to know kiwis are so good... I am growing to like them...

Utrecht!

@jenny:
I have also thought about that... I try to avoid pills as much as possible, too, for the same reasons... Never bothered trying to confirm them, though!

@LoKi128:
I certainly hope you are right!!!
I will put my trust on the natural ability to adapt that all human beings possess... (with my luck, I will have as much of that as common sense... none! )

Kblood:
Nyquil is a great cold medicine sold in the United States (not sure about other countries). It contains a fairly large amount of alcohol and it pretty much knocks you out for 8 to 10 hours so you can get some sleep on those long, miserable nights when you have a cold.

@Trelane:
That explains my past experiences (in Spain), in which I would sometimes go out with a cold starting to appear, drink an unreasonable amount of vodka, act completely careless regarding my health, arrive home somehow, sleep like a rock, wake up with a terrible hangover, but no cold whatsoever...

This weekend shall be a turning point then...

Vitamins, fresh fruit, balanced/varied food, regular exercise and a steady intake of garlick helps a lot. Especially the garlick! Keeps the vampires away too

No weird reply here .
Exactly the same here, "right on!" ..

Of course... how could we miss our very own "post monster" (just like the cookie monster, but different and not so blue...)... SK1!!!

And the posts keep on coming, and coming, and coming, and coming...

Cure for colds and flu...............................EASY!!!!!

Find a good woman...................................................................

Good luck,

auldyin

I reckon the intense approach works quite well.

Maximum dosage of the best most expensive cold/flu products
One Pint of water an hour
Take it easy but dont stay in bed
Bathe often
Blow your nose often
Drink Coffee
And the miracle food is Chicken Soup, get the concentrated add water type, and have the whole lot hot.

It'll be more like the Cold has got to battle to get out of you .

Ruairi

Man, knock it out already .
I posted that post not to have one more lousy "point", but to comment on something because i felt like commenting about it.

Anyway...try this. If you have a cold, squeeze a lemon/s and fill an entire glass, then drink all of it. Not kidding, for real.. It help a friend of mine many times, and i tried it once too and the (bad) cold was gone in a day.
Yeah i know it sounds crazy, i thought so too, and it took him a long time to convince me to try it it was gross.. but it worked.
Not guaranteed to work, and if you die by doing this, do not sue me. If you intend to sue me in case you die, just don't do it, you have been warned.. (o...k.... )

@SK1:
Just kidding a little... Your hyperactiveness puzzles me, that's all

The lemon thingie... Well, I bet that's a strong supply of Vitamin C in one go, so it kind of makes sense...

After posting here, I decided to google for it, "natural way avoid colds", and some nice pages came up... I think one of them even mentioned the "warm beer" (yeeecchh! ) trick.

Thanks everybody for your tips!

PS: I have the woman already. Didn't help. We merrily shared the cold together B)

A simple solution:
Stay away from sick people!

Hahaha yeah really simple!

Go to work, may be sick people there.
Go to school, may be sick people there.
Go visit your sick best friend, you gotta .
Walk in the street, may be sick people there.

If it were only that simple ...

Told ya. Proven by generations of people fom northern countries ...

The way to really get more resistant to cold or flu as well as more serious diseases is to spend time with others, spend time outdoors, and spend time with barnyard animals.

Honestly.

You dirty dirty prevert!
..
..
..
Oh, you meant.....Uhh, nevermind!

In the USA, there is a product called "Cold-Eeze" available over-the-counter (no prescription needed). It's a Zinc Gluconate Glycine lozenge, supposed to reduce the duration and severity of the common cold. My wife swears by them, gives them to me and my kids whenever we have a hint of a sniffle. I can't tell you whether they do what they are designed to do (how would I know?), but I CAN tell you that they leave a definite metal taste in your mouth.

Hope you give yourself a little "knock on wood."

voltron

The scientific knowledge supports the following in strengthening human immuno-response:

Zinc (e.g. zinc gluconate, don't overuse over long periods, will mess up your cell chrome levels)

Echinacea (fluid extracts diluted in alcohol absorb the fastest, don't overuse the alcohol part )

Ascorbic acid aka Vitamin C (pref. time released. c. 500 mg will saturate blood serum)

Asetylic-salisylic Acid aka Aspirin non-buffered (half a tab will do, don't overuse, can cause stomach ulcer/intestinal bleeding if used over long periods of time)

Garlic (Allicin being the principal active agent, fresh garlic is the best bet)

Ginger (gingerols being active agents, esp good for viral outbreaks with associated joint pains/inflamations)

B-vitamin multi-formula (some B-vitamins needed for synergistic effect others have immuno strengthenig effects, namely B6, B12 and folic acid)

Also, regulating your non-diuretic fluid intake and keeping your body temperature non-regulated pharmatically (i.e. no ibuprofen or other fever reducing medicine, if you actually fall ill) will help you recover faster.

Non-diuretic means that it does not increase your fluid outtake (i.e. need to go to the bathroom). Alcohol, coffee, tea, beverages and many highly processed fluids can contain diuretic agents. Good bet is plain water or fruit/vegetable juices.

If you follow this formula and have a decent basic aerobic and cardiovascular condition, it is highly likely you will go for years or decades without catching a single flu that really brindgs you down with fever.

You will catch flus, but your body will adapt, repel and form a resistance to the strains extremely quick, without you having to go through a long period of sickness. You probably won't get a fever or have to be away from work or other activities.

Then again, sometimes it's good to fall sick for a while as it can do wonders to the psyche (after you've healed, that is)

regards,
Halcyon

Touch wood

Looks like I'll have to live with it, and hope my body adapts and becomes stronger...

Pity that thing about not taking any body temperature regulating medicines... Paracetamol with caffeine was my best friend for going through the worst moments...

Oh, well, I guess I'll have to save it as the last resort.

Juices, kiwis, strength of will... Ready to go through it!

I'll post how it's going in 6 months... I know you will all be dying with expectation!

(I'll still keep an eye on this thread for more tips!)

@Halcyon:

What a thoroughly useful reply!

That's right up there with kuro5hin.org quality.

Ruairi

Boys (and girls) you are really scaring me. I'm also from Spain and may be living in Netherlands too in a few months (work and all that). Does that mean I'm going to suffer those terrible colds Kblood is talking about?
Now I'm hoping they don't give me the job.

Well, I didn't say they were terrible, they just are a little too frequent, and that's kind of bothering me...

But coming here to work is a good idea!