For those of you who have been sick within the last year or so, I am wondering if you have tried anything different to deal with it, and if so, did it work or not?

For instance, most people who feel like they're coming down with something or feel a fever coming on, will rush to take aspirin (or similar). Certain folks say that doing that interrupts the body's defense mechanism (fever) and makes the flu last longer. Any experience with comparisons?

What about those cold remedies like Zicam, where you're supposed to start taking them as soon as you feel the flu coming on?

If doctors are prescribing antibiotics like Zithromax, are they attempting to treat the virus (useless) or the symptoms?

Just wondering.

Sue

About the only thing I take when I feel something coming on is vitamin C. As a matter of fact, I'm taking some now...........

Vitamin C
Echinacea
ColdFX (which is just ginseng)

These have all worked for me in the past but usually I let it run it's course and I feel fine in a few days time without doing anything except stay hydrated and well fed.

My wife swears by Zicam, I gobble cherry flavored Vitamin C like crazy...

My mom always said - "stay in bed and force fluids" and she kept us quiet and well hydrated. Still works for me - last episode was about two weeks ago. I also took pseudofed to combat a runny nose. Most cold remedies are just expensive placebos. This does not mean that they might not help you.

Sometimes I'll take aspirin or psuedofed or something to relive symptoms, but I don;t take anything to combat the flu or colds (except Vitamin C). I just rely on my body's system to take care of the rest.

My reply: I don't know. I've heard mixed results concerning TheraFlu. I carry some in my FAK but I haven't had reason to try it yet.

My reply: Aspirin, acetominophen, ibuprofen, etc will shut down the fever which will ease some symptoms but you are prolonging the illness. My understanding from physicians is that fever is a good viable mechanism to fight off a bug. Most Dr's will have slightly differing opinions on when a fever is considered to be getting dangerous. Most will say the danger area is between 103-105 degrees.

My reply: This is why bacteria develope immunities to anti-biotics over time. It's never good to take anti-biotics when a virus is involved because the virus isn't adversly affected but it too will develope stronger immunities, over time.

No, I am not a Dr but I use to play a Medical Officer on a Coast Guard Cutter.

In the event I get a little under the weather I drink tons of liquids and make sure I get out in the sunlight and shuffle around the backyard or driveway.

The getting outside in the sunlight also works wonders for the ocassional "blues" and "funks" I get in.

Up until recently (when the .gov made them put them behind the counter) a large percentage contained pseudoephidrene. It's a decongestant and it works and it works well. If you can take it. Most decongestants will make any blood pressure problems worse.

Never fails, I find a product that I like and it turns out to be deadly. Not that I doubt your word, but can you give me a link or something about this???

About every other year I get a cold or flu bug, which gives me a runny nose, then I get the secondary infection which attacks my lungs and makes me miserable. I wait about a week or so after the virus has started, then if the symptoms get worse I head for the antibiotics. Experience has always told me to wait for it, sometimes I get lucky and just have the sniffles for a week then it is over, but as soon as it moves to my chest I go see the doc quick. After that, it is ibuprofren, codeine or dextromethorphan (sp) and guifstassen, along with the horse pill.

Yep, it seems like doctors and drug companies are in a mad scramble to stay ahead of the ever-increasing resistance curve. I guess the question is will we perfect nanite technology in time to thwart evolution of the bugs?

Yep, I've been watching way too much SG-1 lately. Got the 10 season special edition dvd collection for Xmas, and already I am up to season 7. Gonna be even better watching the whole thing through the second time I reckon, as I will have the audio commentary option activated then.

I love picking apart their plot flaws. If it weren't for writing at least one of the characters acting stupid in almost every episode, they wouldn't have a story most of the time.

I try to keep my Blood/Alcohol (in my case its Alcohol/Blood) count as high as possible to kill any virus that would dare invade my system

Last I looked neither zinc nor silver had any anti-viral effect inside the body nor any preventative effect in a person not suffering a nutrient deficiency.

There are all sorts of drugs available but they just control the symptoms that result from your body fighting off your average cold. They can sometimes make you more comfortable and allow you to either sleep or work through the normal disease process but they don't change the timing or outcomes.

The old saying is that getting over a cold takes ten days if you do nothing and a week-and-a-half if you do everything right.

But if you feel better about it stuffing yourself with vitamins or chemicals have at it. Sometimes I down a couple of 500mg tablets of vitamin-C. makes me feel like I am doing something and, in return, I get Technicolor urine.

When I used to drink I chased the vitamin-C with a tall scotch. Followed by 16 hours of hugging my pet bedbug. Rinse and repeat as needed.

What about silver alignate bandages etc? They are pretty much the standard in treating burns and cetrain other types of open wounds (I've worn enough of them since May)

Thanks...