Colds

sparrowlegs78

Thanks to my lovely snotty hubby, i 've gone and got his cold and we are going on Tues for 3 days of trail bashing at Coed Y Brenin......is there anything i shouldn't do whilst snotting like a mad thing?
I don't want to make myself worse.
Cheers peeps, Caz xxx

jmeadows

garlic, vit c, brandy , beechams, sauna.
i think the best way to treat a cold is if its just starting, but you can try the above and see if they help, especially the brandy!
otherwise let it run its course, dont train and let ya body rest up, good luck

The Northern Monkey

a good dose af vit C can help reduce the length you have a cold by 1/2 i normally drink a litre of pure orange juice over a few day when i feel a cold coming on (not reccomended if your riding tho as you do spend a bit longer on the bog )

amt27

its possible to make the old peak and therefore pass quickly, by taking paracetomal every 4 hrs and drinking orange juice,
however drinking too much juice can cause the body to od on vit c and therefore the body restricts intake,
sudafed is also great for blocked noses, don't use the combine sudafed/paracetomel tho,

sparrowlegs78

Snotting like a goodun today, so i'm hoping its on its way out now, i don't feel anywhere near as pants as i did.
Been taking the vit c and paracetamol treatment .
I think i should be ok for riding on Weds...yeyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.
Thanks peeps, Caz xxxxxxx

dave_hill

Echinacea tablets - take one a day at the first signs of a cold. Echinacea boosts your immune system and increases your chances of a speedy recovery.

If it does set in, eat a raw clove of garlic before you go to bed, and/or a whisky all-in (whisky, brown sugar, lemon juice, hot water) helps too. Or a "dark storm" - same as an all-in but chuck a shot of navy rum in too...!

BlackSpur

Airbourne tablets - I don't know if you can get them in the UK though. Again, they boost your immune system.

Anonymous

Best thing ever, is sudafed, solpadeine, and a vicks inhaler. They all work really well, contain seperate ingredients, and are all a mild form of uppers!
You'll be setting lap records!

I always resort to that if I've got a week of 16-hour studio sessions to do and a bad cold.

abbots_mike

am i in the minority here as i generally drink 3 pints of orange juice a week and if i do get a cold, i just ignore it?

Popeh

Doesn't really help when a cold has set on, but for preventative measures i'd swear by Vics First Defence. It's pretty expensive at £7-8 a bottle but it will likely last several years.

Typically I used to get on average no fewer than 4 colds a year - I work hard and don't rest/sleep enough so i'm often drained and a nice target for colds apparently. Ever since I started using this stuff 2 years ago I've only had one cold and that's because I didn't feel like using it soon enough.

On the first indications of a cold you squirt 4 rounds of the stuff far up each nostril (It's not pleasant, feels like you;ve been snorting vinegar) and according to the info, it isolates the cold in the back of the throat where the cold infections spreads clearing your initial symptons up after a day or two.

Anyone else ever tried this?

Anonymous

ABBOTS MIKE wrote:

am i in the minority here as i generally drink 3 pints of orange juice a week and if i do get a cold, i just ignore it?

nah, i'm with you on that one. Then only times i bother with medication is, as I said earlier, if I've got crazy shifts to do. Especially as i can't work if I'm bunged up 'cause my hearing gets skewed.

supersonic

Zinc supplements, 15mg a day can reduce the time of a cold by a third. Avoid foods that produce mucus - dairy products for example.

I tried that vics first defense, nearly blew my head off!

Surf-Matt

Tesco - fizzy Vit C and Zinc tablets really help as do echincacea (sp?!) tablets I find.

Got a slight cold now but never let them stop me doing stuff unless they are REALLY bad - in which case whisky, freshly squeezed lemon juice and honey topped up with hot water works MUCH better than Lemsip - as long as you don't need to drive anywhere!

cee

I hated the vicks first defence stuff. It stopped the symptoms getting any worse, but seemed to make it hang about in the back of my throat for ages.

Depends.....I am unsure about whether echinacea would do anything...a friend of mine is currently finishing 4th year of a herbal medicine course and says you need to take it all the time for it to do any good, but other folks anecdotally at least seem to say it works.

I like to roll my own lemsips.... 2 paracetemol, 2 sudafed crushed into a big glass of cooking whisky (like bells or grouse), with a large dollop of honey, lemon juice and brown sugar, topped up with a little hot water from the kettle.

Logic goes.....steam pulls whisky vapours up nose. kills some of the rhinos that are causing the sniffles, whislt the pharmas do the rest

I then like to finish the remainder of the half bottle of whisky in a hot, deep bath, then go to bed early.

MoonCircuit

Have doses of paracetamol, asperin or ibuprofen when you sense the cold coming on and it will reduce the severity of the cold.

Noel PT

I have been battling for ages with colds etc. But I recently read a study that shows that carb and protein intake during and after training as well as a few other bits a pieces significantly drop cortisol levels and therefore allow your ammune system to get back to normal faster. So as a preventative measure, never forget your carbs and protein shakes during and after a ride! Its worked well for me, so far.

lukus

After not having a single cold for 2 and half years i had some bad news which made me run down and yes guess what, along come a lovely cold which has stopped me going out on my mtb as often as i would of liked(twice in 6 weeks grrr)im now in my 8th week of this cold and its now doing my head in will it ever end...I`ve tried everything even eating a healthy meal.every night.Missus says go to docter but as all us men say nah were be ok...So any tips to get rid of this cold and get myself motivated again(And avoid the dreaded docs) would be apprieciated...Or Would gettin off my butt and onto my bike really help get rid...

mcbazza

Wikipedia: Common cold

Nowt you can do. Science can't cure viruses.
You just have to wait until the bodies own defence kicks in, and wipes it out. Which is what the flu jab does - they identify the most likey strain of flu, and give it to you. Your body does the job of creating the anti-bodies.

And even after that has happened and you are on the mend, it takes time for the nose/chest/etc to get back to normal.

Some claim that zinc (tablets) can aid recovery, or that echinachea (sp?) helps prevent.

And if you are my mum, then despite years of me explaining the science of it all, you would think that colds are brought on by being cold ("you've not been out on that bike in the rain, have you?"). And you would believe that it *must* be treated by a Doctor and penicilin, along with hot toddies and making sure your bowel is kept 'regular'.

So, don't tell my mum, but, I generally just opt for:
Benylin Night & Day - the 'day' keeps you awake, the 'night' knocks you out.
Lots of water/fluids
Tea (for the caffeine)
Food - anything full of chilli/garlic!!

Best way to prevent catching colds is to wash your hands, lots!
And, don't fly long-haul - they recirculate the air (which is really dry, thus making the muscus membrane in your nose more receptive to viruses), so all it takes is one sneezer and your chances of catching a cold increase drastically.

Still. Could be worse.
Could be 'man flu' - that'll kill ya.

lukus

Thanks for reply mcbazza.....

Im putting it down to my job being out in the cold then into warm then cold then warm as to why its lasting so long...But i`m going to give that night and day a go and love garlic so its garlic in everything from now on, might give me that day boost to get out on my bike

andyonwight

I do not usually get colds as I tend to eat a lot of garlic/chilli in my food. However since my accidient at the end of Aug I have been staying at my parents for the last 5 weeks and now at my own house.

Have just managed to get my first cold in about 5 years and it has laid me out big time. My remedy is just to drink lots of water/orange juice, have some sudafed (as any cold seems to go to my sinuses) and stay in bed with an extra quilt over me. Sweating the cold out seems to make it work for me.