Can you kill a cold before it takes?

[ShakyBake]

Feel a bit sore throaty and that a cold is about to hit but also feel like it's not taken over yet, like I'm on top of it. Is it possible to actually fight a cold off before it fully takes?

Have been eating extra well with lots of veg and high quality protein and just had a fizzy vitimin. What else can I do?

I take vitamin c, zinc and echinacea tablets as soon as I start. Usually helps me.
Or a spicy curry with lots of veg 😁

Drink lots and lots of water and try and get some extra sleep.

Lemsip often works for me.

At the very first sign, immediately take echinacea tablets. I really do believe they make a difference! I do seem to avoid colds this way, on the whole

I’ve started with a bit of a sore throat tonight too. Hopefully it doesn’t turn out to be anything I can’t afford to be off work. I’ve got sore throat spray in the house so I’ve used some of that. Fingers crossed 🤞 it works

There is an over the nasal spray you can take which I have found effective. Called First Defence.

Blast with echincea tablets, eat plenty of vitamin c and zinc, and sprays as directed of something like Boots Dual Defence cold and flu - someone recommended the latterba few years ago, since when applying the above I've only had a minor niggle, other than ifvits covid, which when I tested positive I'm the past gives me an odd sort of headache and insomnia.

If I feel a cold coming on I have a cup of tea with a capful of whiskey in it and then straight to bed. Always works for me but only if I do it before the cold takes hold.

There’s no evidence that vitamin c taken at the first sign of a cold does anything at all.

Your best bet is rest and staying hydrated.

Eat the hottest curry/chilli, you can manage, and put vicks on your feet overnight.

Seconding this. It works for me too.

Piriton liquid works wonders if you have just started a cold, for a bad sore throat Difflam mouth rinse also helps.

Yes and I haven't had a cold in two years as a result. I've started rinsing out my sinuses with saline (Sterimar sprays) as soon as I feel any sign and do it at least four times a day until I'm confident the risk has passed.

As an asthmatic, I'm keen to avoid viruses which inevitably lead to a dose of steroids and touch wood, it's working.

Squeeze a few oranges into a glass, stir in a teaspoon each of cayenne pepper, turmeric and ground ginger. Knock it back with a couple of paracetamol.

Another vote for First Defence.

First Defence has worked for me. I discovered it fairly recently.

First Defence is amazing. Read about it on here and haven’t had a cold in years now after always having them regularly. You’ve reminded me to get a new bottle!

Help your immune system oust it quickly. Lots of water, micronutrients, iron and protein (immunoglobulins aka antibodies are proteins).

Another vote for echinacea, I take it a couple of times a day for a few days and nine times out of ten it gets rid of it before it gets started. I feel the slight sniffle/sore throat, take the echinacea and it’s generally gone by the end of the same day. I don’t know how it works but it really does for me and I’m in the throes of it with three young children!

This works for me. Might need to take it a couple of times but it's fended off a cold last week for me that laid DH low.

Another first defence user here, haven’t had a full blown cold for about 8 years since I started using it (whereas my husband is often under the weather for a week or two every time…) plus I gargle salt water before I go to bed if I feel a bit of a sore throat starting. It never really progresses past that point for me now.

Another vote for First Defence, and as much sleep as you can possibly manage

A large clove of raw garlic. Mash it up, mix it into some margarine and spread it thickly on a slice of bread or some crackers. And two desert spoons of apple cider vinegar, sipped slowly, for the sore throat.

I heard a radio show with a doctor years ago who said that if you thought a cold was imminent get into a bath as hot as you can bear then straight to bed. It has worked for me several times.

Another vote for First Defence, as long as you get in quickly!