Avoiding Common Viruses

[paul80]

Some of us with M.E constantly get every virus going, and it drains our energy when we already have very little.

Do you think products like this are worth taking or are they a con? http://www.boots.com/en/Vicks-First-Defence-nasal-spray-15ml_21963/

There are some tips on this Dr myhill page that are helpful but it has a lot of different herbal and vitamin supplements and it would be easier if there was a product that cold combine them. I found this one: wellness formula It contains a lot of the recommended supplements but not all of them.

If anyone else has any good products or tips for avoiding colds and viruses please share.

 

[ukxmrv]

My extended family use this product and like it very much.

http://www.boots.com/en/Boots-Dual-Defence-Nasal-Spray-20ml_1880696/

However one of the ingredients is said to possibly cause inflammation and bowel cancer

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2016/...enan-in-organic-food-production/#.WDHMTrKLTZ4

I take this

http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/sh...m_medium=cpc&gclid=CMmTmsret9ACFcyRGwodEQYO_w

 

[ljimbo423]

I use to get 6-8 colds and flu's a year. A couple of years ago I only got sick once all winter. I consistently take new supplements to see what works and what doesn't and stop others. It took me a year and a half to figure out that the winter I only caught one cold or flu was because I started taking colostrum, then stopped a few months later, not realizing the benefits I was getting.

Even one 500mg capsule a day dramatically lessened the number of colds and flu's I caught. Since I started taking it last October (2015), I have only been sick twice, instead of 6-8 times! Colostrum is high in immunoglobulins which can have a strong immune modulating effect and certainly do with me.

 

[KME]

I find NeilMed Sinus Rinse helpful for preventing respiratory viruses, and managing allergies and infections when they do manage to sneak in. Essentially you rinse the viruses right out of your nose. Particularly good if you tend to get side effects from medications, as it's not a medication. I use it every couple of days, and then more frequently if allergies are bad or I feel a virus coming on or I've had contact with someone who was sick. It takes a bit of getting used to, and there's a bit of faff involved, but it's so worth it if viruses or allergies are problematic, in my view.

 

[Hip]

If anyone else has any good products or tips for avoiding colds and viruses please share.

I am one of those ME/CFS patients that very rarely get colds, likely due to a constantly ramped up immune system.

However, many years ago, before ME/CFS when I was healthy, I used to get colds as often as everybody else, and one thing I found that worked very well to prevent colds is the immunomodulator herb Echinacea. However, for Echinacea to work to prevent colds, I found you have to employ a very particular protocol, which is as follows.

Most people can sense when they are just starting to come down with a cold. Even before the runny nose appears, there is a feeling you get in your body that a cold is about to hit: you may feel slightly lightheaded, or feel slightly hazy mentally, and may have one or two odd sneezes. This initial feeling may be present for say 4 to 6 hours, after which the runny nose and continual sneezing appears, and the cold begins.

If you take good doses of Echinacea immediately at this very early stage, in the first 4 to 6 hours, I found you can almost always abort the arrival of the cold; you will kill off the cold before it has a chance to get a grip on you.

However, once the cold has got into swing, and the runny nose and continual sneezing start, Echinacea is then pretty much useless, I found. I have also seen a study that which found that Echinacea offers most benefit when taken in the very early stages of a cold.


When I was healthy, and wanted to avoid colds (so that I would not need to take days off work, or feels groggy at work), I actually used to keep some Echinacea pills in my office desk draw as well as at home, because of the importance of taking Echinacea at the very first hint of a cold coming, in order to be effective. When you are out and about somewhere, and you get these first hints of a cold, if you wait several hours until you get home to take the Echinacea, it can often be too late. So that's why you need to have Echinacea with you, if you want to properly follow this protocol.


This meta-analysis of 14 studies on Echinacea for preventing or treating the cold found that Echinacea reduced the chance of getting a cold by 58%.

However, I found that by taking Echinacea in the very early phase when you get the first hints of a cold coming on, this will prevent the cold appearing almost always.

 

[taniaaust1]

When I went though a stage where i was actually getting colds, I found that taking a big dose (eg 2-3g both morning and night) of a very good quality vitamin C supplement was helpful as long as it started being taken on very first sign the cold was developing. With doing that my colds only lasted 2-3 days instead of 7 days and were more minor.

 

[IreneF]

I don't get get colds, I have crashes or flares or what ever you want to call them. I no longer eat food that someone else (outside of immediate family) has eaten from or touched. I ask sick people to stay away. (I am nearly housebound so it's feasible.) I wash my hands frequently. My husband sleeps in a separate bed when he is sick.

All these things are helpful but not foolproof. I tried using a neti pot, but it was too messy and complicated.

 

[Skippa]

I rarely get one... but when I do get one... BOY DO I GET THE MOTHER OF ALL ONES.

Hehe.

My technique is holding my breath when in public walking past anyone who even slightly sniffles.

 

[Athene*]

First Defence Nasal Spray and Echinacea and Propolis all separately caused worsening of my autoimmune illnesses (hypothyroidism, pernicious anemia). Anything that stimulates immune system causes an increase in autoimmune antibodies along with antibodies against viruses/bacteria in my experience. I should say, this was over the years, but now I rarely get colds/viruses/bacterial infections. Like others here it's the crashes that knock me out, especially after exercise or stress