I have had the cold continually on and off since September- anything I can do to boost my immune system?

[SwiftAnchor]

I work in a university and as soon as the students return in September I am hit with a never ending cold.

So after another sleepless night and spending all day popping paracetamol and feeling like crap, is there anything I can be doing to boost my immune system? I try to use antibacterial handwash if I'm around students who are visibly ill but it seems to make no difference.

I've had a permanently swollen gland in my next since October, I think just cos I'm permanently below par (had it investigated, it's nothing sinister)

So top tips please 😢😢

[Polarbearflavour]

Antibacterial handwash doesn’t kill viruses - regular hand washing done correctly does.

Have you tried a good quality multivitamin, garlic capsules, echinacea? Lots of water and more fresh fruit and vegetables plus exercise might be worth a try!

[ObscuredbyFog]

Eat a very healthy diet, I'm sure that's at the core of being able to have a robust immune system. Try and do an hour's exercise, brisk walk outside every day, try a strong vitaminD supplement.

I know it's so hard to cut out all of the crap that's cheap and readily available and it's so easy to consume, there's no or just very little preparation required - look at the labels on convenience food if you're tempted. Please do it for the sake of your own health. Try it for 6 weeks and see how you feel after that.

I've found Vogels Echinaforce echinacea drops taken for a few days seems to boost my immune system e.g. take them for 3 days at the first sign of a sniffle and nothing else develops, but it's not recommended to take it long-term as a general preventative, so a short dose if you decide to buy them and see how you go afterwards then if you do have cold type symptoms, a three day course of drops may work.
It's a tinctured herb, so do check if you are taking any other meds and also if you already have an over-active immune system.

I've heard a few people "swear by" colloidal silver as something they take every day and they say they never catch cold and flu bugs. If I seemed to be going down with things right left and centre, I'd try it, but it's too way out for some people.

[FinallyHere]

It seemed a bit drastic, but i seemed to spend a couple of years with a permanent cold. I did two things that shook it off eventually, the first was to swallow a close of raw garlic, with a big glass of water as a chaser, every morning before eating anything. I still do this now for a few days, anytime i seem to be a but congested. You can actually feel the sinuses drying out.

Generally i eat pretty healthily, with lots of non-starchy vegetables, good quality proteins and fats, avoid any kind of sugar. I am convinced that the bugs feed on sugar....

[Ofthread]

Hand washing v. Important. Avoid touching surfaces and door handles. Don’t pick your nose, apparently this is a really good way to catch stuff.

[EllenRipley]

Some of the successful immune system supplements/herbs I've tried:
Echinacea
Black elderberry (sold in branded, liquid form as Sambucol)
Garlic (ensure high allicin content)
Bio-strath
Lactoferrin
Monolaurin
Siberian ginseng

(Obvs not all at once!)

Also, as someone said, vitD is v important this time of year especially - low levels can affect your immune system. You can get GP to test your levels or it's about £30 to get it done privately. Might be worth getting your bloods done for serum ferritin (iron stores) too, and B12 levels?
A good B-complex vitamin would help too.

Feel better! X

[SwiftAnchor]

Thanks everyone, really appreciate the responses.

I generally do the usual hand washing- after the loo and before food, but I might also start hand washing between students to see if that helps. I don't share an office/mug/cutlery or anything but do have a constant stream of different students coming in and out.

I have been taking berroca but I'll look into some of the other supplements mentioned too, thank you.

Had all my bloods done to check if there was anything going on with my gland so don't think any deficiencies showed up - but similarly I'm not sure what was tested for?

I wish everyone was like some of my international students, if they are feeling a bit under the weather they pop on a surgical mask to keep all their germs to themselves 😷😀

[Flicketyflack]

Elderberry Juice ( no substitute)

[lovemylover]

Was going to suggest raw garlic too, i take a clove at night and swallow it and have a glass of milk after it,
I rarely get colds , almost never in fact

[bluejelly]

Do you exercise regularly? I get far fewer colds now I run

[halfwitpicker]

Loadsa water
Loadsa veg
Loadsa sleep
No alcohol
No caffeine

[Butteredparsn1ps]

Change jobs?

Possibly not helpful

Can you get out - preferably into some fresh air - at Lunchtime? it reduces the time other people can breathe on you.

Eat well, sleep well, exercise well.

Book annual leave mid-way through the winter if possible to give yourself a chance to recover. A series of colds makes you increasingly run down and prone to infection.

A flu jab won't protect you from colds, but may prevent flu.

I used to cover my nose with a scarf on the tube, so that I didn't have to breathe in other people's germs.

[SwiftAnchor]

Those of you taking raw garlic, do you find it a bit smelly or not? I have paranoia about breath when working closely with students

I do 2 half hour walks a day and try to go to the gym 3/4 times a week too. Although I'd let the gym slide over the past few months as I've been feeling rubbish but I've been going again since new year.

I think my diet is probably doing me no favours to be honest, I can be guilty of quick convenience food sometimes. I've been trying to be better recently- lots of home made soups and I've just been shopping today for loads of fresh fruit and veg.

I'll also pick up some vitamins or supplements. Thanks everyone

[SwiftAnchor]

Weirdly I have recently applied for a promotion in a less student facing role, I didn't consider that less colds may also be a perk of this too.

[Topnotes]

I take a cod liver oil capsule, once a day during winter time for vit D replacement. Haven't had a cold for 3 years since I started doing this. It might be a coincidence ...

[Cowardlycustard2]

I work in a student facing role at a large institution and used to pick up every bug going. Then I started taking 1000mg Vit C with Zinc supplement each day. Must be working as I haven’t had a single illness in 4 years! Either that or it’s because I have now met every bug in existence

[yourhavingagiraffee]

Vitimans c & d, I had cold once-twice a month during pregnancy until I started taking these every day.

[teaandtoast]

I haven't had a cold for 18 months/2 years?, since I started eating some raw onion most days.
Possibly not the best solution for working closely with people. unless you want to hurry them up.

[Cowardlycustard2]

Deffo the Vit C but you need to take a high dose for it to be properly effective. I experimented with different dosages but didn’t completely knock the bugs on the head till I went to 1000 mg daily

[lovemylover]

Taking raw garlic doesnt make your breath smell, as you are swallowing it,not chewing it, and you cant even taste it as you swallow it, i always have a drink of milk after it, not neccessarily a full glass,