Cold/sore Throat X 3 In 10 Weeks

[marsaday]

Myself and my wife have both had a cold, sneezing, sore throat and cough three times in the space of 10 weeks.

It is very strange as i have never had so many colds in such a short space of time. We are looking at end of Jan, early March and now the first week in April. I know it is normal to get some cold in the winter, but this is excessive for me and my wife.

I was wondering if any vitamins we are taking could be contributing to the problem because something just doesn't feel right. I take vit D3 (5000 IU), K2, biotin (10000 mcg), niacinamide, vitamin C (1000mcg).

My last vit D test was 60nmol after taking 2500 Iu for 2 months.

Diet is generally good and fairly natural.

 

[charlie]

I got it twice this season, hangs on for a long while too. Everyone I know got sick at least once with it, anyone I know said everyone they know got sick with the same thing, some of them multiple times. Walking around the stores tons of people coughing the same hacking cough that I had.

 

[Blossom]

Anecdotally this has been a 'bad' year for respiratory tract infections where I live. Many younger healthier people at work who don't normally get sick have complained of experiencing at least one round of the sinus, cough, sore throat and chest congestion symptoms. It may be coincidental but I also personally know of two people in their 40's that ended up with shingles in their airway this year. The respiratory symptoms seem to be hitting younger folks more and the season seems extended. I have no idea why so I don't want to speculate.
Interestingly the Pau d'arco herb that haidut posted about recently really seemed to help my congestion when I had it.

 

[charlie]

I have heard this a couple times this year, " I NEVER get sick, but got sick this year."

Shingles in the airway?

 

[marsaday]

What are good foods to eat when you have these immune system attacks ? Is it just plenty of hot drinks. What about paracetamol? Is this effective at all ?

 

[Blossom]

I have heard this a couple times this year, " I NEVER get sick, but got sick this year."

Shingles in the airway?

Yep. One friend and one family member. It's not contagious per se and they both had chicken pox in childhood which is the same virus that resurfaces later in life as shingles. They both were told by their treating physicians that it was probably from having a lowered immune system. One works in healthcare and the other has been recovering from some health issues related to past drug abuse. They were both advised to get the shingles vaccine :?
Sorry to get off topic.

 

[charlie]

:1 on Pau d'arco.

Blossom, this cold/virus going round is definitely a doozy. I took a huge immune system hit with it. Although, I wonder if the hit came before the cold but thats for another thread.

 

[Blossom]

:1 on Pau d'arco.

Blossom, this cold/virus going round is definitely a doozy. I took a huge immune system hit with it. Although, I wonder if the hit came before the cold but thats for another thread.

It's a great expectorant and rivals guaifenesin IMO. I suspect it help me fight off whatever bugs were infecting me too. BTW- Big thanks to Haidut for originally bringing up this herb on the forum.

 

[Blossom]

What are good foods to eat when you have these immune system attacks ? Is it just plenty of hot drinks. What about paracetamol? Is this effective at all ?

I made sure to rest as much as possible and NOT skimp on the OJ! You could try Pau d'arco tea? Homemade broths seem to hit the spot nicely as well.
Is paracetamol the same as Tylenol?

 

[Blossom]

Paracetamol is the same as Tylenol! I try to stick primarily with aspirin just because I feel more comfortable taking aspirin compared to other OTC pain relievers/fever reducers. I can't really say either way what you should do though....
Generally I believe the liver takes a hit from paracetamol but it's virtually treated like candy by a lot of folks. I would probably take one here or there if I needed something and didn't have aspirin but I personally wouldn't make it an everyday thing. Aspirin has its own risks as well so it's probably a matter of considering the pros and cons of each in context of your situation.

 

[charlie]

Like Blossom said, paracetamol is hard on the liver.

I cannot take aspirin because I get terrible dermatitis outbreaks from it. Haidut posted a study about naproxen (Aleve) uncouples the mitochondria, so its my go to pain killer if I absolutely have to take something. You can also see in the same study that Paracetamol did not uncouple mitochondria and actually inhibits it.

viewtopic.php?f=75&t=6129&p=72565&hilit=naproxen#p72565

 

[jyb]

I was wondering if any vitamins we are taking could be contributing to the problem because something just doesn't feel right. I take vit D3 (5000 IU), K2, biotin (10000 mcg), niacinamide, vitamin C (1000mcg).

My last vit D test was 60nmol after taking 2500 Iu for 2 months.

Diet is generally good and fairly natural.

It could be due to supps, although symptoms should be an indication of whether they're helping or not. One of those made me very weak and it coincided with a winter where I had several colds (very rare for me to have any otherwise). I had taken it for a while because I didn't realise it was due to the supp.

 

[Blossom]

I agree jyb and the vitamin C would be the first supplement I'd suspect might be problematic. Ray has written about this before and talked in one of the KMUD radio interviews about overdoing it with anti-oxidant supplements. I will try to find that particular radio broadcast.
I'm also curious marsaday about what made you double your vitamin D dose when your levels were good?

 

[HDD]

My household caught the bugs this past month. My 19 yr old son had 3x back to back. My husband who never gets sick caught it. We all missed work from it.

 

[kkrtype]

I use wheatgrass every day. Every morning. I get the organic kind. When everyone is getting sick in my office it doesn't attach to me. I also have homemade broths almost daily. I eat the RP way, but I have been taking wheatgrass daily. I put it in my juice along with liquid Vitamin D and other supplements my kinesiologist recommends.

When I feel that I am getting a cold or a sore throat, I immediately take zinc and suck on it or take bilberry lozenges and do the same. If you do this after the cold has already settled in, it's too late, it will help however but won't stop is in its track. You need to take it right at the onset of feeling sick.

When I used to drink too much when I would go out with friends, and I say used to!, I would get home and put some wheatgrass in a small amount of water, drink it and I would not wake up with a headache or symptoms of a hangover. Just saying!

I hope this helps. Wheatgrass is super just be sure to Google it to see the right kind of wheatgrass to buy and what to look for when you are purchasing it.

 

[marsaday]

I agree jyb and the vitamin C would be the first supplement I'd suspect might be problematic. Ray has written about this before and talked in one of the KMUD radio interviews about overdoing it with anti-oxidant supplements. I will try to find that particular radio broadcast.
I'm also curious marsaday about what made you double your vitamin D dose when your levels were good?

Hi Blossom

Could you explain a little more about how Vit C may not be so good for us. I have never heard that before, only that you can take it in really high doses if you want. I was using a 1000mcg tablet.

I started to take 5000 IU Vit D because i finished my 2500 ones and the 5000 were on amazon in a big jar and the same cost. So i bought them. Also the recommendation for minimum Vit D levels is 75 nmol/l and i was 60 after supplementing, so i thought it would be fine to go up.

Anyway i have stopped all vitamins since thursday and will see how i get on for the next two weeks off them. Maybe start them again on a once weekly routine.

Temp this morning is 37.5C, so fighting off the infection is ongoing.

 

[Blossom]

I will need to dig up a quote from Peat on his concerns about the impurities from the manufacturing process of vitamin C. Ray talks about excessive antioxidants in the radio interview transcript I bumped leading to an overly 'reduced' cellular state. There are many forum members who take it with no problems but that would be the first supplement I'd suspect as possibly being an issue.
I was just curious about the vitamin D and don't necessarily think it's a problem.

 

[Blossom]

This is taken from peatarian email exchange:

The trace impurities in synthetic ascorbic acid can increase free radical production, and quite a few people have allergic reactions to it.

 

[thebigpeatowski]

I read somewhere Peat said that vitamin C can act as a PRO-oxidant in the body, so that's probably not a good thing, plus 99% of it comes from China...who knows what you may be getting.

Also, wheatgrass has lots of beta-carotene and iron which would be anti-metabolic I think. :2cents

 

[tara]

I've just resumed night-time mouth taping for the duration of my current cold.