At the first sign of a cold, what do you take and does it work?

[Lottapianos]

This house has been like a flipping sanitorium for the past week, and I had a horrible cold mid December as well. Fed up of it. I eat well, lots of fruit and veg, generally get enough sleep and drink loads of water. Have tried taking echinacea and vitamin C as early as possible, both did sod all. Generally in good health and am fit and active

Is there any way to avoid getting colds and bugs, or are they just part of life and no way around it? All advice gratefully received

Night nurse! It works, I never have a cold for long. Sometimes it doesn't even fully develop, I take it at the first sign of a sniffle!

Vicks First Defense.

You spray it up your nose at the first sign of nastiness and it kills all the badnesses.

Yes, it's like snorting petrol, but it's done me proud before now.

Lots of hand washing and hand gel

Night nurse makes your pee bright green! But it’s something we swear by in our house!

Also there is no cure for the common cold and it gets to everyone, no matter how healthy you are!

Vicks first defence. Burns like hellfire and often makes my nose bleed but does the job! Night Nurse is the bomb if the cold does develop. Sometimes I take a slug of it even if I'm cold free for a good night's kip

Vicks First Defense.

All this does for me is make me feel like I am about to get a cold for weeks. I end up giving up and having he cold anyway.

echinacea works for me

Also, if the cold does kick in, Otrivine nasal spray is a brilliant decongestent. Dries it right up in minutes.

Vicks First Defence. It works.

Zinc is good, and drinking loads of water and going to bed early. I know this one is weird but I have blasted the hairdryer up my nose (from hair drying distance, not touching my face!!) and it's worked more than once.

Gargle with corsadyl. But then a cold always attacks my throat first and worst. Stuffy nose, headaches I can hope with but nasty sore throats make me miserable. Corsadyl seems to stop them getting any worse.

I swear by Vicks First Defence too. I just bought the Boots equivalent for under 12s for DD.

early bed.
that and good (hand) hygiene

Lots of Vitamin C, fresh fruit juice in excess, oral vitamin tablets, etc.
Anti-bac gels, hand washing, etc. religiously often.

Sauna and steam room - I just sweat it out.
Haven't had a full works cold since I go regular to the gym.

Pineapple: fresh, juice or tinned. It contains an enzyme called bromelian that is anti-inflammatory and fights infections apparently. You need to take it very early on once you start feeling you are going down with something though!

I have a bit of a triple whammy were colds are concerned. I have asthma, copd and have a third of one lung removed. A cold, for me, is quite dangerous.

As well as having the flu jab myself, DD and her partner who i live with, also have it.

And I use First Defence at the first sign of a cold.

This is the first winter in the last four, so far, when I haven't yet had a chest infection. The first when I haven't needed steroids and antibiotics, the second out of four when I haven't had a trip to A&E.

So far, so good

Berocca, fresh OJ, plenty of water and early nights.
Sometimes I wonder if I wouldn't be better just having the cold rather than holding it off for days at a time, but I'm a miserable patient

I take a multi vitamin and started taking Sambucol daily in October. I'm now suffering with my 2nd cold since 10th December. Having said that, my ex's 2 year old gave me a smacker the other day as he was saying goodbye and then I noticed the snotty nose so I'm guessing he passed it on!

I taken vitamin D this winter and my partner and no cold so far, my partner would normally have one by now.

Vicks First Defence usually works for me. It's not cheap but worth every penny if it does the business.

A huge dose of Vitamin C as soon as I notice tell-tale signs (for me that’s earache/sore glands). Again, just before bed, and on waking up in the morning. Kills it dead at least 50% of the time.

Loads of raw garlic.

Chicken soup.

Vicks First Defence, if you take it as soon as you feel even slightly coldy, and keep it up for a couple of days. Knocks it on the head without fail.

Vicks Vaporub on chest and soles of feet.

I think the feet aspect is because in reflexology the sinuses are linked to the pads of feet at base of toes.

Works a treat

The dose of vit c needs to be big. I take at least 5000mg.