Comments on: 8 Highly Effective Cold Prevention Strategies

By: Johnnie

Johnnie — Sun, 25 May 2008 19:43:14 +0000

I don’t know if this en posted already but 1 sure fire way to prevent colds and other illnesses is by taking Vitamin C and lots of it. Vitamin C usually is very cheap and the benefits are amazing. I haven’t gotten a cold in about 5 years thanks to it. I usually take about 2000mg a day. It may sound like alot, but it’s not.

By: online fitness

online fitness — Sun, 11 May 2008 08:44:35 +0000

Yeah I know that these days we many people getting sick because of the changing climate and most of affected are children who are vulnerable to infection.

By: Tea Benefits

Tea Benefits — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 14:15:06 +0000

One more way, eat meat

By: Israel

Israel — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 05:04:47 +0000

Can you elaborate on that, possibly in a post?

By: Paul Eilers

Paul Eilers — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 23:39:50 +0000

Another good tip is to avoid sugar.

It can surpress your immune system.

By: Waqar

Waqar — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:31:01 +0000

The number of countries that are developing a high-level flu virus resistance to Tamiflu is growing. The list now includes Japan, the country that uses more of the drug than any other.

By: Israel

Israel — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 17:14:52 +0000

Oh yes, studies have been done that prove most folks dont wash their hands after using the restrooms. I grab a paper towel to open the faucets and pump the hand soap, then I wash my hands and with a new paper towel, I dry my hands, close the faucets, then open the door.

By: Tyler

Tyler — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 05:48:31 +0000

I try not to touch anything when I’m in the public washrooms. I always use a paper towel to turn off the taps and open doors, I think this really helps.

By: eric y

eric y — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 01:53:17 +0000

sammie washes his hands, jay whitlow sneezes on his sleeves, eric y takes multivitamins, sinclair takes a bath twice a week but still gets colds so what’s the deal?

By: John

John — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:32:20 +0000

very good strategies, I’ll use them for sure and will advice other to use it,Thanks for the great info!Keep on!

By: Dr. Kal

Dr. Kal — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:12:45 +0000

Erik, I apologize for the confusion.

The water amount is just a minimum that most people should aim for. I could have also told you to to drink enough fluids, so that your urine is clear or close to clear. However, that answer is harder for most to follow.

I was being facetious about avoiding contact with people. I was also being facetious about bowing, virtual hugs, and not touching one’s spouse.

Avoiding crowds, whenever possible, is a great way to avoid getting sick. There are so many strains of viruses that exposing yourself to people will not boost your immune system or protect you long-term. Also, I wrote avoid crowds, not live in a bubble.

Disclaimer: Please consult your physician, nurse, pharmacist, priest, rabbi, reverend, monk, president, governor, senator, congressman/woman, and mayor before executing these potentially harmful strategies.

By: Erik

Erik — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:12:12 +0000

Yep, this person is a quack. The cold study mentioned by another poster came out this year and tied virus transmission to the low humidity rather than the temperature. The water thing is a good idea, but the amount mentioned is an old wives tale. Most importantly, avoiding big diverse crowds is a bad idea, but avoiding contact all together just sets you up to get super sick instead of a little sick. Our immune systems are made to fight this stuff without getting sick, but we have to get exposed continually to keep immune. So 3 our of 10 of the suggestions range anywhere from BS to harmful. Don’t listen to this person.

By: dp

dp — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 02:56:40 +0000

yah i just read the ingredients list…its all extracted from ginseng
Amazing what people would buy if you slap Don Cherry on your commercials.

By: Dr. Kal

Dr. Kal — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 02:49:25 +0000

Don’t waste your money on products, such as ColdFX. There is no evidence backing up their claims. ColdFX will only give you expensive urine.

By: dp

dp — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 02:41:51 +0000

what do you think about ColdFX. Its a huge craze, but does it work or is it a scam?
all i know is it costs a lot and you have to take it every day

By: Dr. Kal

Dr. Kal — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 01:50:52 +0000

In regards to colds, I’d stay away from medications (natural or prescription). Colds are caused by rhinoviruses and coranaviruses which are extremely benign viruses.

In regards to the flu, I’d see a physician before attempting to self-medicate with any medication (natural or prescription).

The human body is well equipped to fend of most viruses.

By: pc

pc — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 21:55:34 +0000

My two cents:#1 should definitely be number one. There doesn’t even need to be a rest of that list, though most of it is good (I agree with the commenter that the cold weather thing is a myth, but that’s just something I learned in school). Everything you learn in medical school about disease prevention centers around washing your hands. Phytoresearcher sounds like someone working for Biotivia (makes bioflu). Don’t know everything about tamiflu or bioflu, but Tamiflu is FDA approved, which means it has gone through many more rigorous studies with thousands of people and any significant adverse effects would have to be disclosed. A non FDA regulated substance like bioflu doesn’t have to go through any of that. It’s classified as a supplement rather than a drug so it’s largely unregulated. It would have to be demonstrated as very unsafe before the FDA would do anything about it. Otherwise, the company’s free to say basically whatever it wants about its products. The assumption that something is safer just because it’s natural is a terrible one. Chemical compounds are chemical compounds. And there are dangerous compounds in many natural remedies, for example aristolochic acid linked to renal failure and cancer: http://www.webmd.com/content/article/36/1728_58270This case in particular is ironic because phytoresearcher says pharmaceuticals are diluting the benefits of natural remedies. But most of the time, natural remedies have many chemicals in them that you never know you’re taking. This is not to say all natural remedies are bad. But the idea that natural is better than pharmaceutical just because it’s ‘natural’ doesn’t make logical sense.

By: Anonymous Coward

Anonymous Coward — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 20:10:57 +0000

I also read “somewhere on the internet” that the reason people get more colds when the weather is cold is that the dry air changes the mucus in your nasal passages, making you more likely to catch a cold. So I guess the answer would be a humidifier?

By: Israel

Israel — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 16:33:12 +0000

That is the beauty of the internet: You do choose to read what you want or don’t want.

By: AlexM

AlexM — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 15:28:17 +0000

#8 should be #1. Stress is the biggest cause of flu and colds. That’s why students get sick before/after exams, employees before the deadline, etc. Cold winters don’t help (as Dr. Kal pointed), but people get sick in summers too.I also don’t see the need to eat all those vitamins, etc. That’s a bit overkill I think. Eat normally (McDo is not normally) and you’ll be fine.

By: Luke

Luke — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 13:45:45 +0000

this is good advice, i’ve been following those rules for years and i hardly ever get colds!

By: Dr. Kal

Dr. Kal — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 12:56:57 +0000

dp, you may be right. #7 may be some medical dogma that was passed down to me. However, it does make sense that if your energy is being diverted to keeping your body warm, there would be less available to protecting your body. I will do some research to see if the evidence backs up the intuition.

By: Phytoresearcher- Davis

Phytoresearcher- Davis — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 12:56:23 +0000

Tamiflu, the default drug to treat viruses, was developed from Chinese Star Anise, a traditional remedy for colds and flu. The natural version of this is available still in a supplement form called biotivia bioflu. The difference between Bioflu and Tamiflu is that Tamiflu has been associated with serious phychological effects including suicides and must carry a FDA warning of this effect whereas Bioflu has no such side effect and is totally non toxic. When drug companies take safe natural remedies and synthesize them for profit the beneficial effects are often diluted and new adverse effects appear.

By: adventis

adventis — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 12:55:56 +0000

By the time I read “Avoid contact with people” I immediately disregarded this article. What a bunch of crap - test your immune system once and a while. It’s only a freakin’ cold. If you have a justified reason for time off from activities like vomitting-flu or something else, fair enough. But the sniffles and a touch of coughing is not something I’d call fair to write a guide about!

By: Dr. Kal

Dr. Kal — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 12:45:30 +0000

Great additions Tj. Yogurt is an excellent way to get probiotics. If it’s fat-free yogurt, you also get all of the benefits of milk products.