I’m either on my second cold in as many months or I never really kicked the first one. As a person who is almost never sick I find this highly annoying. I’ve got the stuffy sinus and a bit of a phlemy chest but not as bad as the last time when I was hacking up some nasty green crap.
Anyway I’m tempeted to stray away from my normal regimine of Vitiman C and healthy doses of Scotch or Rum and try some OTC cold remedies so I can continue to train. Anybody have luck with anything that is out there. My last trip to the pharmacy for my wife had me baffled by the shear number of magic potions available. Most seem to be a mix of Ibuprofin and Benedryl since you have to go to the counter to get psudophedrine anymore. I’m not sure any of those things will actually help me get better faster.
X2 on the sleep, drinking lots of water and maybe 2,000-3,000mg of Vitamin C. Once your about 70-80% better go for a run or bike to break up the remaining chest congestion.
I have had really good luck (knock on wood) with not getting sick by taking 1,000mg of Vitamin C each morning. They say the only way it works is if you’re taking it all the time.
Water,sleep, rest, and try mucinex D. Go to the counter for psudeo, it will get it out of your system alot more. Once your over your cold, hydration, nuitrition and sleep are your best preventitive measures.
I used to do the Vit C overdose but it would really dehydrate me and give me a massive headache.
Now I swear by Cold Fx (North American ginseng). One per day when healthy. If I feel a cold coming on, 3, 3x per day until the symptoms go away, max 3 days. Not sure if Cold Fx is available outside of Canada. Another thing we hoard for our Olympians
I have had MUCH fewer colds since getting onto Cold Fx than before.
I also am much more diligent about getting enough sleep. That is where I used to cheat myself and it would always backfire. My coach told me recently, “If you’re not training, you should be recovering”, as in taking care of yourself with good food, hydration and sleep.
sleep. fluids. simple healthy foods. no working out.
plain pseudophedrine. not crazy cold/cough/itchy/wheezy version. the plain small red tabs.
it’s a cold, there’s no cure. rest.
You know its interesting that you do this protocol, and still get colds, and that they last 3 days or so.
I don’t take anything and I get colds, and they last 3 days or so.
my way is cheaper!
If I feel a cold coming on, 3, 3x per day until the symptoms go away, max 3 days. Not sure if Cold Fx is available outside of Canada. Another thing we hoard for our Olympians
You know its interesting that you do this protocol, and still get colds, and that they last 3 days or so.
I don’t take anything and I get colds, and they last 3 days or so.
my way is cheaper!
If I feel a cold coming on, 3, 3x per day until the symptoms go away, max 3 days. Not sure if Cold Fx is available outside of Canada. Another thing we hoard for our Olympians
You misunderstood me. I meant that I do the 3 capsules, 3 x per day dosage for a max of 3 days to stave off a cold. I did not mean that my colds last 3 days max.
I used to get colds about 5 times per year, every year, and they would knock me out for at least a week. Now I get one about once every two years.
Well I had some fake chicken noodle soup for lunch mostly for the broth. I’ve been drinking as much water as I can tolerate and I’d say i’m feeling about the same as this morning.
I guess it is early to bed tonight with the aid of something stiff or a PM version of some snake oil to make sure I actually sleep tonight. Wish I coudl just sweat this out.
As a veteran sinus-infection sufferer, I second the Mucinex-D behind the counter. Yes, it’s a drag to go to the counter to ask for it, but it’s SO worth it.
Cold virus supposedly dies above 104f. Trouble is so do we, but in the sauna you get to cook little bits at a time.
Don’t forget to breath through your nose while you are in there (slowly), really clears the sinus’s.
Do not mix Scottish with Finnish remedies, it’ll kill you.
Good Luck
If that doesn’t work, try to pass it on to someone you don’t like, misery loves company!
For as long as you’ve been sick and having colored “lung collection”, you may have a low level infection. Antibiotics may be an option.
Despite all the naysayers, I’ve had good success with Airbourne, especially at onset. I’ve had zero colds in 3 years and I used to get 3-4 per winter. Once sick, the only thing that helps me is Afrin to keep my nose open enough to get sleep at night. Don’t take nasal sprays for more than a few days.
Mucinex-D is exactly what you need. Cheaper to just buy plain Mucinex and take it with generic Sudafed (same thing as Mucinex-D). Mucinex will break up the phlegm in your chest, and Sudafed will relieve the nasal congestion.
Cut back on training, and sleep more. Hydrate well also. Let your body heal itself. At the same time you are healing from the illness, you will repair those other niggling injuries you might be carrying. Assuming you are a northern hemisphere athlete, it’s not like it’s race season, so like the weather, chill.
OTC medications don’t actually remedy the illness, they simply mask it. This may actually prolong your illness on two fronts. Firstly, your nose won’t run and your cough will be reduced and be less phlegmy. runny nose and phlegmy cough are your body’s way of getting rid of your illness. Secondly, when you feel better, you are less inclined to rest, and it’s during your rest period that your body can allocate resources (energy) for battling the illness rather than making your bike go down the road faster.
IF you must use OTC stuff, I find night and day type things work well for me. I don’t know foreign brands so can’t make a solid recommendation, but I use Codral Night & Day, here in New Zealand.
I don’t take anything for a cold. Sure as hell not Ibuprofen. Symptoms are there for a reason. Masking them so you can train just seems like a bad idea to me.
