Sniffly Thoughts...

[MudPuppy]

I'm sniffling my way through the third day of what seems to be a garden-variety cold, and it's got me thinking about colds in general. Although I'm quite healthy otherwise, my immune system has a real weakness when it comes to colds -- I seem to catch every one that comes along!

And while it's been nice to call off work and take it easy for a couple days, I'm also thinking about ways to take better care of myself in the future. Would you be willing to weigh in on my list, and add suggestions of your own?

1) Take life at a slower pace. Say no to obligations that would add more stress or scrambling into my schedule. Rest.

2) Eat more fresh fruits & veggies. I'm good about this in the summer, when they are coming in regularly from our garden, but it's harder in the winter when they're so expensive and pathetic-looking at the grocery store.

3) Get a neti pot? I've never tried one, but other people swear by them. Given my susceptibility to colds, using a neti pot regularly might be a good preventative measure. Any thoughts?

4) I'm considering additional sanitation/hygiene measures, as well. I always wash my hands after using the bathroom, but do not use hand sanitizer; our house is kept clean, but we don't use lots of chemical disinfectants. Do more chemicals make that big of a difference? Would it help to change clothes & showered immediately after coming home from work? (I teach college-level courses and work a second job as a cashier at the mall -- both of which put me in contact with lots of people.)

5) Should I be grateful that the biggest of my health worries is a little virus that will be over and forgotten in a week, and accept the fact that I'll be sick from time to time no matter what, and enjoy the chance to take a forced rest from time to time?

[Rosemary]

Our pediatrician says that a simple saline spray can make it less likely to catch a cold and shorten the duration of one that is caught. These are a lot quicker than a neti pot - even my 7-year old can use one daily.

As for the general sanitation: I don't use any chemicals in our house, and we don't use hand sanitizer. I haven't had a cold at all this winter, but I had many when DD was younger. Now that she has better hygiene practices (such as being better able to clean up after herself and turning away before she sneezes), we are both healthier. I am very conscious to not touch my face when I've been out amongst people.

As for #5 - yes, absolutely.

[jennipurrr]

Definitely have to recommend the neti pot/nasal irrigation. I use a little sinus rinse bottle. It seriously changed my life. I have had allergies for years, still do, but it is much more bearable. Here is a good site - http://allergies.about.com/od/noseandsinusallergies/a/nasalsalineirr.htm

Also, if you have allergies, your body is more susceptible to colds. For the past couple months I have been trying to keep my house as clean as possible and also launder my sheets every week.

[ApatheticNoMore]

1) yes, stress matters
2) If they are really that pathetic looking they probably don't have much in the way of nutrients anyway (sure you could try to freeze or can summer produce although most vegetables aren't acidic enough to can without a pressure canner without risk of botulism. You could also just buy frozen fruit if it seems to be in better condition than the fresh stuff. That's a simple although not the cheapest answer). But yes fruits and vegetables are good if they are actually in decent condition.
3) don't know, never tried it
4) don't do this. To the extent that such things are actually effective at killing bacteria, they lead to antibiotic resistance. This is a serious problem. I'm skeptical showering will help, but hey it's pretty harmless :)
5) Yes. By taking care of your health you will reduce your odds of getting a cold, but there's some myth of perfect health that if only we did everything perfectly we'd never get sick even with a cold. IMO this will just lead to neuroticism, such as blaming your cold on that one donut that interrupted a perfect diet 2 weeks ago or something (oh I know it's the donut, I just know it :sick:).

I suppose there is also the whole herbal approach from enchinacea to oregano oil. I don't know, I do know oregano oil seemed to help a serious digestive issue years ago (a serious case of food poisoning I had) but other than that ...

[ApatheticNoMore]

For me it also doesn't help that everyone at work is always getting sick and of course coming into work, so often 1/2 the office is sick. The whole corporate culture is: "come to work if you're sick!", so you feel like you are in a germ factory. At that point you're just fighting an uphill battle regardless of what you do (I'm also sick right now with flu, not serious though, I will survive :)).

[mira]

I'm sorry you're sniffly!! If it's any consolation, I'm always sniffly. Not because I have a cold, but because it's friggin freezing in my house all the time!

When I was younger and in contact with a huge variety of people (school kids, university classmates etc) I got colds regularly. I don't get them so much anymore, and it certainly seems like I get them less than most people I know.

Do you get enough sleep? As in, to the point where you feel rested and revitalised? Sometimes a lack of good sleep can contribute to catching colds. I think this goes hand in hand with slowing down, as you've said. If you don't feel like you have the motivation or energy to do something, don't commit to it. Put your wellbeing first.

[MudPuppy]

Wow, thanks for all the responses!

Rosemary and Jennipurrr, I appreciate your insights into the saline spray and neti pots. The saline spray is a little less intimidating, so that seems like a good place to start -- if it makes a difference, I might "upgrade" to the neti pot since it's reusable and could easily live in the shower for regular use.

Thanks to all of you who affirmed that the hand sanitizer and Lysol will only make me neurotic, but not healthier.

I agree, ApatheticNoMore, that there's intense pressure (real and imagined) for people to show up to school/work unless they're deathly ill. In almost all instances, it's simply not worth making yourself miserable and potentially making others sick. I work hard to make sure my college students know that I don't want them in class if they're sick.

I am getting enough sleep, Mira, but I'm also running pretty hard during the day -- working about 50 hours/week between 2 part-time jobs. It's a schedule that will last 3 years at most (until I find better work or DH finishes school, whichever comes first) and it's do-able but not ideal. I'm definitely learning to take better care of myself in the midst of it!

[pony mom]

I once read somewhere on the internet that there is/was a German doctor who believed that you catch colds not through your nose/mouth but through your ears. He recommended putting a few drops of hydrogen peroxide in your ears (wait til fizzing stops, then removing) at the first tickly feeling in your throat and ears. I've tried this and it does work, esp. if you do it early enough.

Since my dog died, I've been taking her supplements (for humans), like immune builders, oleander capsules and fish oil. Most of my coworkers have been sick but I've been fine. My coat is nice and shiny too : )

[HappyHiker]

Hand-washing is so important during cold & flu season--especially after being in public places. I think we get used to our own germs but are affected by new ones from other people. When I'm done at the gym before going home, I wash my hands well and use the sanitizer...same with grocery stores...come home and wash up right away before I carry germs to my mouth from the grocery cart handle and other items I've touched that had been touched by others.

Hope your cold is better soon! Zinc and the neti pot are your friends right now.

[reader99]

In addition to daily saline spray, I take lots of vitiamin C, and even more when I know I;ve been exposed. Once I do get sick (very rare) I've found that if I drink red Powerade it porevents it from going to my chest, Don't know why