BellaOnline Forums Health and Fitness Wellness preventative measures to avoid a cold?

Seems like everyone in my office is coming in with the sniffles lately...I'm nervous since I'm going on vacation next week and I don't want to get sick! One of my coworkers gave me a bottle of Cold-fX to keep in my drawer...Has anyone ever used this? It's supposed to help boost your immune system...wondering if anyone's had any experience with it?

Haven't used it but here are my suggestions.

1. Eat well--lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. The old saying "An apple a day keeps the doctor away..." is actually not a myth!

2. Wash hands OFTEN!

3. At the first sign of a cold, take some echinacea and maybe a good vitamin C supplement like Emergen-c.

Cool...thanks for the advice, Jan! I definitely wash my hands lots and have been using those anti-bacterial wipes on my desk/keyboard/phone to keep those pesky germs away...Cold fx is a supplement that has Ginseng in it - supposed to help with the same kinds of things as other supplements...I've heard good things about it but wanted some Bella testimonials before I gave it a shot <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Remove all excessive clothing and walk through it. Walk through the rain, avoid busses and public transport if you can, take the bike more often. You will expose yourself to cold temperatures and bacteria, but your resistance will get better the moment you start doing it, therefore decreasing the chance to get a cold.

Mmm... I know a lot of homeopaths recommend echinacea; but, I won't use it.

See the American Cancer Society blurb on this one at http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_3X_Echinacea.asp?sitearea=ETO.

I do take vitamin C--but as a part of my daily regimen and not in high doses.

Encouraging people to stay home (or at least away from you) when they are sick; keeping tissues handy; posting signs about covering mouths when sneezing/coughing; staying hydrated; sleeping well; eating well--that's the trick for me.

I like Airborne. I just bought a ton of it at Sam's for the winter.

Also, use your own ink pen. Many people use the same pens at public places where you need to sign your name or something--banks, hotels, stores, silent auctions, and so on. Keep your own handy and avoid those germs!

Apply few drops of eucalyptus oil mixed with a carrier oil on your scalp.2 drops in 10 ml.

emergen-c & zicam. wash your phone, doorknobs, handles on everything, keyboard, mouse, pens... all those things we touch all the time without thinking... light swtiches... also FRESH AIR, open the door even though it is cold, walk, wash, eat well.

Hmmm, I didn't know that one...
I know that eucalyptus globulus is usually used to stimulate your appetite and to relieve a cold that is heavy/located in your nose (don't know how to express it otherwise) with warm water and inhalation.
By "scalp", do you mean the forehead, face or directly on your scalp and hair?
When the cold is located in your neck and throat, it seems better to apply it to your torso/abdomen and throat I think.

By scalp I mean, directly the scalp. avoid hair.