I've been getting sick ALOT lately and I'm beyond tired of it. I've had a really bad sinus infection that lasted 3 weeks. I had strep throat for a week and a half and numerous colds. And now I'm sick again :( I get like a two week break and get sick again. Any tips on how to stop getting sick all the time? Or rec's for vitamins to take? Does vitamin C or echinacea or any of that other stuff really help with colds and things? Thanks for your help :)

My mom swears by echinacea. I haven't tried it, personally.

I used to get sick a lot too but extra vitamin c and zinc help me. My doctor had recommended them for bruising (I bruise horribly really easily) and they both really help me with how often I get sick and how long I stay sick.

Make sure you're getting at least a full 8 hours of sleep!
Take naps when you feel tried: The best time is during the day between 12-3 PM, lasting no longer than 2 hours.
Vitamin C
A good women's multi-vitamin. I love Nature's Cure Multi for Women
Hot Green Tea
Lots of water
Reduce sugar intake while sick and for a few days after being sick
Since its getting cold out, change sheets and blanks on bed to warmer materials such as flannel or 100% cotton
No fans running in the background while sleeping
If you feel your room is too cold and you want to avoid a sore throat in the morning, put your head under the blankets in order to breathe in the warm heat coming from your bodyHope you feel better soon!:)

I highly recommend taking 500 mg of Vit C chewable tabs a day (the walmart brand in the white bottle tastes decent). They really worked for me...I had the exact same problem until junior year of college when my roommate told me to start taking them daily. I now get maybe 1-2 nasty colds a year instead of the 7-8 I had been averaging.

I highly recommend taking 500 mg of Vit C chewable tabs a day (the walmart brand in the white bottle tastes decent). They really worked for me...I had the exact same problem until junior year of college when my roommate told me to start taking them daily. I now get maybe 1-2 nasty colds a year instead of the 7-8 I had been averaging.

Wow! Maybe I should start taking Vit C.

Three years ago this was happening to me. I have made some lifestyle changes that I think have really helped, like drinking plenty of water, getting into antioxidants (vitamin suppliments, juice and green tea) and getting more rest. Rest doesn't just mean sleep, it can also be just general down time at home reading, watching tv, ect opposed to being out and on the go all of the time. Also take stress levels into consideration too. Three years ago I was under a lot of stress all of the time, resulting in being sick almost all year round.

Your body will often tell you when things aren't right. When the signs are starting to show that you are getting sick: If you are dehydrated, drink more fluids. If you are feeling extremely tired, rest. Often we are too busy and ignore the signals, but try to grant your body's needs wherever possible.

My mom used to always make me use a new toothbrush after I'd been sick when I was a kid, since they harbor germs and just keep getting you sick all over again. I still do that now, and I think it works (knock on wood).

I also agree with what's been said above: lots of rest, lots of water/tea/fluids in general, healthy eating. Most studies show that echinacea doesn't do much, but I think taking a regular mulitivitamin is a good idea.

I learned at work (I work in the Pharmacy building on campus) that you can't really overdose on Vitamin C-if you take too much, it just comes out in your urine. I'd recommend taking extra Vitamin C every day. At the first sign of a cold, start taking Cold-Eeze. It's basically zinc which really helps to stop a cold from getting bad.

yep Cold-eeze or Cold-FX works well.
Herbal teas and vitamin C, multivitamins and a well balanced diet.

Try and wash your hands lots, don't touch your face or eyes without doing so.

If you share computers, phones or desks at work or school get some alcohol or disinfecting wipes to clean the work surface before you use it.

Hope you don't get sick this year!

OJ is my friend. :)

I also carry around some hand sanitizer with me in my purse at all times, and have extras around this time of the year.

I hardly get sick. MAYBE once a year if that. :)

oh and this might not apply but I found that quitting smoking really helped me not get sick as much.
:)

Use hand sanitizer like your life depends on it!!

I like Cold-Eeze too and I wash my hands constantly.

ITA w/ all thats been said, just adding that if you keep getting sick you may want to get some testing done. Sometimes when you keep having infections, they're recurring b/c of a greater underlying problem. Not to be scary, but this happened to me when my appendix ruptured...it was abcessed & I just kept getting sick off and on for about 4 months.

Katie makes a good point-my friend's nephew was constantly getting sick, and doctors ran some tests. It turns out that he has a weakened immune system (some immunodeficiency thing) and now he has to be monitored super closely.

When I was a kid and in my early teens, I got sick all the time. I was in the doctor's office at least twice a month, mostly with sinus infections. They thought I might have chronic sinusitis, and I underwent some tests but that's not what I had. Turned out mine was allergies. Once I got tested for allergies and went on a daily antihistamine and weekly injections, I rarely ever get sick. I haven't been to the doctor for an allergy-related illness in over 2 years. I did go for mono earlier in the year, but before that it'd been about a year and a half since I was sick. It's just something to think about. :)

oh and this might not apply but I found that quitting smoking really helped me not get sick as much.
:)

I quit smoking on November 15 and am already enjoying breathing easier and being able to smell better (I smoked for a relatively short time...about 3 1/2 years). I'm excited to know that I probably won't get sick as often! I did notice that I was sick more often when I smoked (about 3-4 times per year) than before I started (when I got sick 1-2 times per year).

Quitting smoking is a great thing! I love my patches. Hehe. :p

I quit smoking on November 15 and am already enjoying breathing easier and being able to smell better (I smoked for a relatively short time...about 3 1/2 years). I'm excited to know that I probably won't get sick as often! I did notice that I was sick more often when I smoked (about 3-4 times per year) than before I started (when I got sick 1-2 times per year).

Quitting smoking is a great thing! I love my patches. Hehe. :p

Congratulations, Heather! That is a huge accomplishment! :)

Everyone gave really good advice. Vitamin C and zinc really help and eating healthy nutrious foods. Brocolli has more vitamin c than orange juice.

Pretty standard stuff works for me.

-workout every day
-drink lots of water
-sleep sleep sleep
-eat healthy. Lots of vegetables and fruits

I've tried EmergenC and multi vitamins. They don't really do anything. I find that I always get a sinus infection around this time of year. I have bad allergies too. It must be the East Coast cause when I was in California all my allergies cleared up. I didn't even sneeze when I was out there.

Thanks Marisa! It's been kinda tough, but lots of people who smoked longer than me have quit so...I'm hanging in there. :)

Thanks for all the tips! I'm starting to wonder if I have allergies as some of you have suggested myself. I'll have to get an allergy test sometime I think. I will try the coldeeze some of you suggested and maybe start taking some vitamin c. I already exercise and I don't smoke and I try to eat healthy so hopefully supplements will help me out. I don't have insurance so I don't like going to the dr all the time. Right now I'm feeling a little better, just a headache and runny nose. Thanks again for the help :)

The Cold-Eeeze work really well. I always buy them when I feel a cold coming on.

When I was a kid and in my early teens, I got sick all the time. I was in the doctor's office at least twice a month, mostly with sinus infections. They thought I might have chronic sinusitis, and I underwent some tests but that's not what I had. Turned out mine was allergies. Once I got tested for allergies and went on a daily antihistamine and weekly injections, I rarely ever get sick. I haven't been to the doctor for an allergy-related illness in over 2 years. I did go for mono earlier in the year, but before that it'd been about a year and a half since I was sick. It's just something to think about. :)

Similar thing happened to me. I have indoor allergies so I got sick year round. Since taking allergy meds, I've been doing pretty well. Some of the allergy symptoms really feel like cold and sometimes flu (congestion, head in a fog, tired eyes, and even dizziness).

I also agree to get enough sleep. I recently was feeling a little bit under the weather and just made myself rest and sure enough I felt better a lot faster. I felt a cold coming but it just remained mild. Previously when I didn't slow down, it would get worse and worse until I was just miserable or had to go to the doctor.