Just had a couple of lay days fighting off some kind of bug that come home with my daughter from school. Her and my wife ended up at the doctors and on antibiotics for a bronchitis type thing.
Hopefully I am not talking too soon but it doesnt seem like it will go that far with me.
My witches brews and routines now to try and stay well after a couple of horror winters in the past years are now: (once you get something of course)
Sambucol (Elderberry, god's gift to reducing the time you are sick, if you start early much quicker than half of the time)
Whole chunks of raw garlic, swallowed not chewed
Vitamin C like smarties
Zinc
Washing hands like someone with OCD
Never drinking from the same glass twice
Lots of fruit
No alcohol
Staying warm etc etc
I'm keen to know what you guys do both to get rid of 'em quick to get back to training and avoiding being off for any races/events and also what do you do over winter to make sure you don't get sick to start with??
I get the antivirus shot. Worked well for me the last 3 years.
I have a sauna followed by a hot spa every sundays to prevent colds, and I am disease free every winters.
^^^
A couple of years ago I got that nasty cough thingy that lingered for weeks and weeks - sapped my strength and kept me outta the water for the best part of a month (the cold water would just start me coughing again).
Since then, I have the flu shot yearly and then if I do get a cold or something I do most of what CMC does - except the zinc and I tend to go the vege soup rather than fruit... lots of water too. I've managed to get through the last two winters OK.
And I'm no germ-a-phobe, but if someone in the house or at work has a cold, I start washing my hands a whole lot more often...
Flu shots can be effective if they get the strain right. If not, your gona get sick just the same and also be exposed to potential long term poisoning from the way they create and preserve the vaccine.
1-5 shots shouldn't harm you, but more than that and then you're more likely to develop symptoms in later life, specially with Thiomersal... I'd opt for ethanol or formaldahyde type preservatives.
A flu shot is the only way to prevent disease as the immune system has a developed response. Nasal delivery techniques are quite effective too.
Personally I'd get the illness and try and be as strong as possible to fight it off.
I got the flu this year from an asswipe at work, 2 days off work and felt lousy for a week.
AAKG is scientifically proven to stimulate immune system response in animal test subjects.
I was talking to a bloke in a steam room sauna in the Airport Novotel in Bangkok last year. He was an International business type travelling for work very regularly. I was there for work also but my International trips usually involve a super cheap hotel or friends couch. I splashed out this time.
He said that he only stays in hotels with a Steam room in each country he visits as he is convinced that you sick a lot from planes. He gets off the plane, checks in and heads straight to the steam room before doing anything.
He said since he was doing that he stopped getting sick from endless plane trips. He also said that dry saunas just didn't work the same.
Must bestow the virtues of the Triple Strength...works like a treat and is very stinky....mmmmmm must be good!
I used to live off the Garlic Oil Tablets but I think it was just placebo affect. Actually exercise I think is the best solution above all else.
I always found a long hold down in half decent surf does wonders for clearing the sinuses...
when i get the frog in the throat, i squeeze 1 grapefruit,2 lemons and 1 lime.
drink this twice or three times daily for a few days.
as for flu shots being effective,please!
no correlation at all between taking the thimerosal [mercury] flu shot and protection from the flu.
and no follow up studies to prove there is correlation.
look at the photos ffs,
www.whale.to/vaccines/thimerosal.htm
I agree with the super hold down, I reckon even if you're sick you should swim in the ocean..
as for suplements, I go for allicn C and oxy C.
oxy C is expensive, there is usually a waiting list and you can only get international orders in cases of twelve, but this stuff cures what ailes ya
allcin C is good too, take a handful if you get sick and the next day you're well again, though there is a slight garlic after taste
rense.com/products/newearth.html
I like hot toddys at night.
Malt whiskey, fresh lemon big dollop of honey and hot water.
Works perfect.
This is the first year of no flu injection, last week i had man flu - the worst type of flu.
Lots of toddys, lemsip, Fresh oranges, rest and a kick up the ass from the wife and 1 week later better.
Scotch whiskey. Lots of it. Works every time.
It may not cure ya but you won't care.
I managed to get a few hours in the water this morning. I have a snot nose at the moment but spent the first five minutes out there blowin it out and have not needed a tissue since. I try to hit the water whenever i get a cold and it seems to help me.
Timely thread - 
just caught somethign from the kids grrrr
Bit of a different circumstance but last time they had gastro, every time I had to deal with a puking baby I did myself all over, face hands everything, with Glen20 and Glen20'd the room and anyhting we all touched.
I was the only one who did not get it 
It seems the common issue here is it seems most of us get crook from the little germ farms we call our kids. It seems no matter how often i tell them to cover their mouths while coughing or sneezing, it never sinks in. Even though the missus is a teacher and she never gets sick. She must be immune.
I never get colds or the flu.
When I feel it coming on I just tell it to fark off and go on about my business. It works. Go for surf go sit in the sun. My colds last a few hours and go away. I'ts all mental. Don't tell my boss though...I use my sick days when it's sunny and offshore.
Oh and don't touch sugary stuff like orange juice this farks your immune system.
the likelihood of the sun rising in the morning is exactly the same as the injection of thimerosal [50% mercury] into the bloodstream is harmful.
now if you want to contend dusta that the sun doesn't rise in the morning,or that injecting mercury into the bloodstream is not harmful then i'm all ears.
Bill Gates,
“The world today has 6.8 billion people … that's headed up to about nine billion,now if we do a really great job on new vaccines, health care, reproductive health services, we could lower that by perhaps ten or 15 percent.''
I personally strongly believe in the goodness of regular strenuous exercise over eating well and all that good stuff, although the latter cannot hurt, of course.
The reason is, I used to be on the beach circuit, live in cars, eats hamburgers and beer, never sleep and so on. But me and me mates we was in shape year around, and never got sick.
As soon as we'd settle and started getting into good habits - regular married life, eating well, vitamins, good sleeping patterns, using utensils, that sort of stuff, but no regular sport, then we all started getting sick. Strep throats, ear infections, flu, in-grown toe nails, and so on. Appeared just about overnight, with seemingly no amount of good habits and good feeding working - only antibiotics.
I would even swear those (very few) who get back into the fold of being active, usually after a divorce, started having a better health in spite of returning to bad habits.
Anyways, that's me. I convinced the missus to let me be long time ago. We still have to use utensils when there are guests in the house, that was the main concession... 
look what happens to EPL footballers when they retire,to a man they become fat c's.
