For you to tell me your secret for warding off colds/flu illnesses etc ??

[getmesomewater]

For months I get one a cold or chest infecthon am well for a week then bam puck up something else ! I must have a awful immune system!! Apart from the norm diet, exercise & everyday hygiene... what do you do to ward off being ill? ?

I walk daily plus eat a couple of oranges and take a multi vitamin plus a separate zinc supplement. No idea if it works really!

Everyone around me has had this awful cold/cough and I've had a very mild "illness" consisting of a sore throat for a day, followed by coughing up occasional green chunks of phlegm (sorry tmi). I googled it as I thought it was a bit odd having this with no real cold or feeling ill and it said it's "a sign your immune system is really fighting back" so maybe I'm onto something!

I take a daily multivitamin, and a separate Vit C one, along with another Vit D chewy one.

I very rarely get ill though, so maybe my immune system is particular good, I don't know. I was a very sickly child so maybe I burned through all the variant bugs out there then.

Flu jab 😀

Nothing. I lead a pretty unhealthy life except no alcohol, but never get ill. Super immune system I think.

I take a seriously good vitamin.

And first inkling of a sort throat I make a jug with 1 lemon, 2 cinnamon sticks and enough raw ginger to burn. Fill with boiling water and drink. Top up with boiling water every time you drink. Generally I can stop it from happening.

I almost never get colds/bugs. Not sure why, I used to get more in my 20s and 30s (am now 50), maybe I have come in contact with most viruses already.

The #1 way to prevent catching or passing on cold/flu viruses is frequent hand-washing. Wash hands after the toilet, before and after preparing food, after touching a pet, before eating, and as soon as you get home from a public place. You must wash hands for twenty seconds using soap and running water.

I think my issue is having young kids, they are the source of every cold/flu/covid in our household each time.

We go away for a couple of weeks of winter sun every year. Never ever ill. Never had a sniffly kid come home from nursery. In fact, never taken the kids to GP between them. Eldest is 15. None have ever had flu/rona jab between us either..also enjoy a healthy varied diet but I think its the sun

I don't think there's a logic. I don't get colds or flu, practically never ill. I've only had about 3 days off work in over 10 years. Ds's the same. Both only had about 3 days off in the whole of their schooling, primary and secondary. One of those things. No logic.

Circumstances maybe? I would guess that I probably just don't mix with other people as much as you do, don't have to be crowded in with them, and often have the option of avoiding them when they're ill.

If your job or your commute bring you into contact with a lot of people, or you have kids who are in contact with ill people, that will make a difference.

Yeah, not having kids at home would probably work for most people wanting to avoid illness these days.

Ive found I haven’t had as many colds since quitting smoking 10 years ago, although I have one now that’s really done a number on me - daughter got sick in mid December, it’s gone through the rest of the household (ruined our Christmas) and finally got me 3 days ago! I can’t honestly remember the last time I had a cold hit me this hard.

Flu jab 100%, I wear a mask in poorly ventilated indoor spaces and go out far far less unless it’s important.

I’m immunosuppressed though and society has made it clear my survival is my personal responsibility and so I have to hide away while they go out coughing and sneezing all over each other.

I think it's all down to your immune system OP, I eat terribly (several bars of chocolate a day, mostly shit processed food) and yet I am never ill.

Think my last cold was about 10 years ago and that was just a bit of coughing. I feel strongly that it's not the way you treat your body as I treat mine terribly, sadly.

I agree with this, completely. Adding to that, I avoid touching my face, I sneeze into my elbow if I don't have an immediate tissue, and I open doors with my sleeve or glove, never with my bare hand.

I rarely catch anything, but family and ILs can drive me mad by inviting me round (or inviting themselves to mine), then dropping into conversation an hour later about all the people in the family who are stricken by / just recovering from colds / flu / stomach bugs.

I think this is why I rarely get sick. I see so many people at work, in public toilets etc, half heartedly rinse their hands with a modicum of soap.

I channel Dr Peter Benton from ER when washing my hands.

I take vitamin c with zinc alongside high strength vitamin d and a multivitamin.
The one thing that has warded off several sniffles turning into something worse is swimming in sub 5° water! I work in a school, teaching small groups/individuals in very close proximity and have avoided catching the multitude of terrible doses floating around

Not having kids and living alone helps 😂

I wear a mask on public transport since covid times, have always washed my hands lots and taken a multivitamin and extra Vit D during the winter months.

I take Immunace extra supplements and have done for a very long time. They help

Fruit, vegetables and but, healthy fats, some dairy and cheese. Not too much sugar. Some exercise, although mainly walking.

I use First Defence whenever I use public transport or have been in a crowd, and immediately as soon as I get even the slightest sign of a cold. It is absolutely brilliant if you catch the symptoms early on.

I also wash my hands all the time in flu season and never touch public things like door handles or lift buttons with bare hands.

Vitamin supplements too.

I work in a hospital and am rarely sick. I avoided covid even when working in covid wards in the early days. For me I think the secret is not drinking alcohol, I eat well and take vitamins and regular exercise, but if I have a drink on a special occasion I find I’m run down and more susceptible to colds and things. I don’t drink often and find I normally get a mild sore throat or a bit of a cough when there are nasty bugs doing the rounds. I haven’t had a sick day off work in 3 years.

Gargle with vinegar at the first sign of any tingling at the back of the nose/throat.
I hadn't had any colds/ flu for years having been practising social distancing for a long time before it became a legal requirement but I am now looking after my 18m old granddaughter on the days she's not in nursery and we have all had cold after cold. The vinegar has limited the worst symptoms to a couple of days.

If I feel a cold coming on, I take echinacea, zinc and vitamin c to try and ward it off. I do think the First Defence spray works as well, but it stings my nose too much for me to use!

Dr Bronners Lavender hand sanitiser, rosehip supplements and wearing gloves a lot at this time of year