I just can't afford to get the high temp and cold the children have got - what can I do to stop myself getting it?

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Apart from moving out!!! three dc's have all had high temperatures and a variety of cold symptoms and have been off school all week. I have to work tomorrow and Thurs morning and have arranged for good old grandad to stay at home with dd's (ds well enough to go to school now). So I can work except I can feel my throat is getting sore and I've sneezed a bit. If I'm not too ill I will carry on, but dc's have been completely wiped out and I just can't get that bad. I'm self employed so it's not a case of a Boss telling me to work.

I know there are no guarantees, but what has worked for you?

Echinacea. Its a herbal supplement that boosts your immune system. I swear by it. At the first hint of a cold or flu I dose up. I also dose up on loads of vitamin C, zinc and garlic.

Drink gallons of orange juice/vitamin c - well 1 or 2 litres anyway. I do remember chasing a definite cold away that way.

Then tell yourself just how busy you are. I never got colds when I was in a very stressful job - only ever at holiday time.

(Beware of the diarrhea (sp?) effect of echinacea though. MIL swears by it, but neither dh nor I can take the stuff)

really NQGU? I have never had tummy troubles with it and my tummy tends to get troubled by things.

Vitamin C! You can get a big bottle of 500mg tabs from Boots, take at least 4 of those a day - it won't stop you catching it but it can fend off the worst of the symptoms. Good luck

First Defence, sometimes works brilliantly, the nose spray one - you have to use it loads though, and do masses of handwashing.

I end up kissing snotty faces and eating dd's fallen biscuit (complete with viruses) by mistake, which wipes out benefits of either of the above

Good luck, hope you either don't get it or get it very mildly!

But if it does move in with a vengeance, taking paracetamol (or Max Strength cold'n'flu tablets) and ibuprofen together (but at diff time intervals) squashes the symptoms better than one on its own.

Wow - thank you all

Have taken one vit c tablet today, but will dose up some more. Can't believe that it didn't occur to me that I could alternative paracetamol and ibuprofen for myself even though I've been doing it all day for the dc's.

Trip to chemist tomorrow for echinacea.

second the echinecea - have never had any tum trouble. take it at the first sign of a cold or if you think you might get one - as in your case

also eat plenty of string chillies ie curry, chilli,

oops - that should read 'strong'!