My wife swears by those EmergenC vitamin c drinks and she is always sick so I'm not so sure how or why she swears by them. I think it's a big scam. I'll tell you what works for me - a steady diet of Jim Beam.

Wish I knew, too. Otherwise I wouldn't be sitting at work about to fall out of my chair because of dizziness.

Hmmm.....drugs? It's either that or "sleeping more" AND "working less", can't you palm some of the work off on to mini-Bash? If Crecente can do it with Tristan why can't you?

I drink orange juice and that seems to work for me, but you are getting all the joys of having a child...they go out retrieve germs from all around and hand deliver them to you...

Never go out...EVAR! ;)

Eat really hot (spicy) food, literally burn it out of your system.

Dead Serious

When I have had a nasty cold in the past, I have found a nice big meal of really spicy green Thai curry has helped a lot. Usually after having it for a dinner then a good night's sleep the next morning I am at least 92% better.

Nanotechnology

Man, you really need your rest Mr. Ashcraft. If only you had some help...

@Homemaker Betty: Ha ha good minds think alike Homemaker Betty! :)

Bash, if you're seeing spots you need clearasil - not vitamin c!

Last time I started to see spots I promptly passed out- well, maybe pass out isn't the correct word, more like "body ceased to function in a way which was acceptable," though luckily I still had bowel control. The rest of the body wasn't too keen on responding to electrical impulses sent by my brain though. You ever try to go to the bathroom when you have to climb down a set of loft-stairs when you can't move your legs? I haven't either. I just waited it out.

So, um- drink miso, it can be made really easily and it's great for that kinda crap. Take a hot shower and then lie down so you can cough up all the crap in your system. Increase caloric intake and get fresh air.

Hot pressed lemon !

Yeah, I'm a fan of the spicy food idea too actually.

Also have found that for some strange reason, plain old coca-cola helps me feel better (whether or not it actually is affecting my health positively or just giving me good vibrations is higher science than I care to delve into).

I'd say load up on
caffeine like I do, but I'm
feeling sick now too :-(

Zinc. That will kill a cold in a hurry, though the Jim Beam and Maker's Mark seem to work, too.

Nasal Irrigation!
[en.wikipedia.org]

Hahaha. I laughed it off at first, but my I finally tried it and it's actually embarassing how well it works.

As soon as Pfizer can figure out how to market it, you'll see about 8,000,000 commercials for it.

Beer!

@Homemaker Betty: You're right.
I eat tons of really spicy food. That mixed with the whiskey really must destroy all the bad stuff in me while no doubt causing other serious problems that I will get to enjoy in the future. But right now, I almost never get sick and I treat my body like a trash can.

@Ashcraft:It sounds like its time mini bash starts pulling his own weight. Get him to finish up your book...Chapter 15: Daddy blogs all day.

I'm a nutrition major at Syracuse. Get more sunlight and make sure your house is clean. A clean house is the main factor in deciding how good your immunities are. And the sunlight gives your body stronger immunities.

fresh Honey

a few drops of Saint John's Wart extract in juice. Put it in orange juice or something with a strong flavor and it does wonders.

Sleeping more and working less.

@Homemaker Betty: My friends speculate really spicy kimchi is why koreans live so long. Sure the visits to the toilet are explosive the next day but thats a sign its doing you good. Perhaps.

i'd go for the spicy food,
clears you synesis out, and fills your stomach, and if you cook well, you'll get "the Itis" and sleep so good..

My mom swears by airborne and cold-eeze. Airborne to help prevent it and the cold-eeze if it manages to slip past the defenses.

Rest is the key. It is probably hard in your current situation, but that will keep you the most healthy. I recently started using hand sanitizer at work. Since then I have not gotten sick besides a Sinus infection, though I work in IT and service 400 public computers, so my results probably vary from yours.

Vitamin C supplements are actually bad for you if you're partially dehydrated. So...

Lots of fluids.
Lots of fresh fruit. UME FTW.
More fluids.
Simple starches like congee or pancit.
Chicken soup
More fluids.

then, believe it or not.

Stretching! Stretching your entire body for 40 minutes will speed up recovery.

Tea with honey and a slice of lemon. Tasty, refreshing, and it works very well.

I prescribe 2-3 cups a day, stat.

never get within 10 feet of any child younger than 14...@

href="#c5310259">DasKonstruct: Don't use St. John's Wart it has severe interactions with all kinds of drugs including a lot of over the counter drugs.

Hand sanitizer. Use the stuff often when you go out in public. Have Mini-Bash wash his hands the minute he comes home from school. My kids usually bring home all the colds I end up getting.

Sorry man, but there's no doubt about it. You need to give your body the down time it needs.

@WickedOrange: actually, i hardly ever clean and i hardly ever get sick. i also live alone, though, so that might have something to do with it. geeky housecleaning q: how does one clean the crap from pillows/a mattress? i've been waking up a lot with mad watery eyes and i'm pretty sure my bed is to blame...

it won't help u this time, but exercise. 3 - 4 times a week 5 if you have the time and energy. When i first got healthy i didn't get sick for like 2 years.

Yeah, sadly "sleep more and work less" is the cure-all that will probably work best for you right now. Get Crecente to cut you a break!

Buy multi-vitamins, Ashcraft.

not those shitty ones you buy at the store or something either. REAL ones with like 3,000% vitamin C that you have to take 3 times a day and are the size of june bugs.
I usually get the ones from Life Extension, but there are other companies that make that kind of stuff. Just go to like a workout store such as GNC (if they have those there).

Of course, rest up, too and drink lots of OJ.

I very rarely get sick (although I did get the flu something fierce this year...go figure), so that's my secret, at least.

Check with the eye doctor to see if your optic nerve is twisted or strained. Some people (like me) start to see spots after working with computers for extended periods of time (years).

If you stop living and breathing, I guarantee you will never be sick again!

Jamba Juice injected into your veins.

For me, a banana makes me feel better. And really I mean a legit banana, I'm not insinuating anything.

Lots of water too!!! Cranberry juice maybe as well.

Basically for me, it works to eat smaller portioned meals more frequently while constantly hydrating myself.

Good luck man.

Can't really be of much help here. My body has two modes: fine and very sick. There is nothing in between. Either I feel fine or I wake up and I'm so sick that the room spins.

A good old apple a day will keep the doctor away, I always say.

@Mr. Fap☆Fap!: Holy jesus no! Taking too much Vitamin C can lead to indegestioin, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, flushing of the face, headache, fatigue and disturbed sleep. In other words it can make you sicker. With regards to the common cold Vitamin C is fairly ineffectual and, as I have stated, can cause serious problems if taken improperly. It has been suggested that you talk to a doctor if you take more than 1000 mg a day (that's roughly 11 times the RDA).

Ah, such nice haiku.

How to stay healthy? Well, eat a balanced diet, many small portions, work out, and unfortunately sleeping a full 7-8 hours, it's different for everybody, hell, maybe you only need 6 hours, but then again, maybe you're only getting 2.

Hand sanitizer.
Use it as if you were becoming OCD.

It won't help if you're already sick, but touching your face accounts for a huge portion of your exposure to various nasty stuff.

Ginseng works goes down a treat in the morning, and it normally comes with those vitamin C soluble tabs

my grandfather always swore by a tea spoon of Chyanne pepper followed by a table spoon of honey.

Also have to keep in mind that Bash is in Japan, most western cold and flu medications arent legal

Get plenty of sleep and wash your hands after touching anything anyone else touched.

+1 on not relying on vitamin supplements (especially vitamin C!). In fact studies have shown that Vitamin C supplements have only shown studies for severely dehydrated extreme athletes. So unless you're recovering from the Olympics don't count on it...

Lots of fluids and rest along with balanced meals should help the most... try to reduce stress as much as possible..

Wells sounds like you're going to be sick soon.

Percocet helps.

Sleep, maintain healthy diet, drink tons of water. Make sure your body temperature doesn't change too much because when your body is going through homeostasis you are more susceptible to common colds

My usual technique is first taking Vitamin C (or a multi vitamin & mineral) an Echinacea capsule, lot's of water and spicy food followed by a couple good measures of whisky/bourbon. If you can cut back on the coffee and sugar drinks, it'll help you sleep better when you can and let you hydrate easier.

+ 1 for spicy food

Something like a chicken vindaloo is ideal cos it'll sweat the cold out of you in no time.

Try and get fresh air in your house as well. Breathing the same scabby air doesn't help so crack open the windows.

Sleep, vitamin supplements, exercise, and minimal stress (or mitigate the effects), and you should be okay.

Spicy foods ftw. Works a treat.
And as soon as you're feeling better, go out for a run or some other form of exercise to sweat out the remainder.

Sounds like Bash is trying to pull a sicky - I'd keep an eye on him Crecente! ;D

Believe it or not, take in more germs.

Ingestion of harmful bacteria does boost the immune system. Yogurt is a big help, as is some bad habbit like chewing on pens or even eating meat rawish

mostly just yogurt :P\

Dude, Bash. I think I know how you feel. I was in Japan for the last two weeks, (lovely weather last few days of the week, wasn't it) and on the last day there, I caught a cold. I don't know what to do... it's kicking my butt. I've been loading up on Vitamin C and DayQuil (but Tokyo left me pretty broke, so storebrand DayQuil).

I hope you get to be feeling better.

NyQuil.

It's not sleep if you are in a coma.

Big N, little y, giant f^(@ing Q.

Or DayQuil if you are a wuss. But I mean seriously. Coma, you know you want to. Just take a hit from the bottle man. Everyone's doing it.

Spicy foods.

I have this stuff called "Sriracha" or something like that, I add it to almost everything. I really think it just makes my body inhospitable to germs.

I take Vitamins C & E, and Zinc to stay immune. When I start feeling sick I take those plus plenty of spicy foods, and tons of water/orange juice. Going on 3 seasons with only a day long mild cold so far!

@MistahJGM:

Wow no kidding, nearly the same time too :P

Sleep, proper nutrition and moderate exercise. Sorry, there's nothing else that can keep your immune system running at full capacity.

No pill or vitamin will change that. Your wife may have company in the hospital.

Feeling sick myself, but after a full workout at the gym, I feel much better.

Also, think about taking L-Glutamine, it helps your immune system a lot!

Spots in the back of your throat? I know dude I've got those too! but they're going away. All you gotta do is drink a ton of water, take some echinacia pills (I may have mispelled it), and if you have to then gargle salt water