Confederate Hokie

Copious amounts of alcohol. Look at it this way, hand sanitizers are mostly alcohol. Alcohol kills germs, right?^

Drink, kill some germs, be happy

viking407rob

Sickest I ever got was during my "health nut" phase. I worked out, had taken supplements and made "healthy" choices for years. Those things are good, categorically, but your body tends to get lazy from relying on the assistance of supplements and doesn't do its job as well. On the subject of Airborne and similar products, they may help but they are not a gurantee that you wont get sick. Tamiflu is a good medication if taken during the early stages of flu, but in my experience, did little to help once I'd reached full blown flu status. IMO, It's really a matter of being smart and leading a moderate lifestyle.

lance6

I am a little wary of all the antibacterials in stuff myself. Besides, like another poster said, an antibacterial does nothing for a virus, especially a cold and/or flu virus. My wife took a microbiology class and they did an experiment to show the efficacy of hand sanitizers versus washing your hands with soap (antibacterial and non). Turns out the hand sanitizer ended up just pushing around the buggers; using any kind of soap is better.

That being said, I do wash my hands often, especially going through public places. That's where you'll likely touch a door knob/handle after the guy in front of you sneezed/coughed into his hand and left behind his nasty viruses.

Each year, I get a flu shot and take Emergen-C daily throughout the winter season. It's worked pretty well so far.

mosburger

- Plates of Cacik/Zaziki garlicky yoghurt sauce with pita bread whenever I can

- Korean Ginseng chicken soup (Samgyetang). It helps both in prevention and after the flu outbreak

- Green tea with grated ginger or ginger tea. Ginseng tea with honey is not bad either

- Cow stomach soup if my tummy is upset

blahman

I personally know a few people who wear surgical masks on the plane. Lessons learned during the SARS days.

bluesincenew

My practice for long duration flights or during cold and flu season is to use a moisturizing nasal swab.

Air during winter and in an A/C cabin at altitude are very dry. Gel nose swabs work to counteract the theory that as the skin in your nose dries out, minute cracks form allowing airborne contaminates closer to the blood vessels where there is a greater chance to enter the blood stream.

A quick swab before boarding along with my daily dose of C and a multivitamin, keep me upright.

R&R

Vit C is a known anti-oxidant and extremely effective in preventing many disorders in the the body. Humans are UNABLE to manufacture it in the body, so we must get it from foods or supplements. I have been taking 3000-5000 milligrams a day for almost 50 years. It will prevent most viruse infections. If it doesn't, then everyone is getting that strain and it is a serious bug.
If I did get a severe infection, I would increas the dose to 2000 mg an hour, since it helps prevent the organisms from spreading through the cell walls. Fortunately, I have not had to take that much for years. Another way to avoid getting sick in an epidemic is too stay home and enjoy a lot of chicken soup or PHO.

opus17

For the Airbourne "believers" -- no clinical study has shown that this product does anything. It even says it was "invented by a second grade teacher" -- not exactly science.

basia

Use a nasal douche, both for prevention and for easing symptom's once you've caught a virus. This is what my ear and throat specialist suggested after I started getting occasional sinus trouble a couple of years ago. Works with half a liter of saline solution - you can get pre-packaged portions of medical salt to dissolve in half a liter of warm water - very simple on the road. At home I simply use a half-teaspoon of plain salt instead. The saline solution goes in a little gadget that gently pushes it up one of your nostrils and it thens runs back out of your other nostril (apologies to the more squeamish FTers!).

Not sure if this is sold in the States yet, but you can get it in pharmacies and discount drugstores all over Germany, and I think other European countries as well. Simply amazingly effective in my personal experience.

Bobster

It's called SinuCleanse. Sold at many pharmacies in U.S.

R&R

I have heard and seen this argument at every turn for anything, that a drug company does not spend Millions or even Billions on to promote chemicals foreign to body chemistry. Just think of all the drugs, that have had double blind studies, approval, and turn out to be DEADLY! The News sources are full of them. Watch the warnings on you TV news, too often to be comfortable. Chemicals foreign to the body need to be 'double blind' studied. Many times the studies are halted, since they are so detrimental to the participants.
Yet, when a naturaal NON toxic supplement is suggested, people ask for a double blind study as 'proof' that it works.
Twenty or so years ago, an editorial was published about a well studied case of ONE can be just as assuring as a study with hundreds of thousands of people. I have used Airborn with GREAT effective, while on a plane or in a hotel with beginning symptons of sore throat and upper respiratory congestion. So if you find it is effective, don't be intimidated by the competitive drug companies mantra. If Airborn didn't work, it would not have become a best seller.
I also think it is possible for a second grade teacher, housewife or Mother to have done enough research to put together an effective product, whereas there is NO final word, that the double blinded study drugs work WITHOUT creating serious side-effects or problems equivalent to the 'symption' being treated with a prescription drug. Incidently, I have the knowledge and experience to back up these remarks.
Don't be afraid of your own research in this case.

opus17

It is the difference between science and religion.

Rejuvenated

Flu shot & Proper clothing.

R&R

I know of many cases of faked or distorted studies of major MARKETED drugs by LARGE Pharmaceutical companies, that ended in very large penalties. And now the name of the drug has been changed, but the chemical composition has stayed the same. Still on the market and one of the most prescribed drugs of all.

So I have no problem with what you want to believe!!
Just don't try fear to influence others to not do something, that might work better for them, then all the anti-organism drugs, that cost $$$ for each tablet, that give more side-effects then the original problem being treated.

JT8D-217

Zicam rapid melts + shots of the Zicam nose gel at the first sign of scratchy throat / stuffy nose. The stuff WORKS.
Also, Red Zinger tea - hot as you can stand it, sweetened with honey (... an old Hippie remedy)