Other people make you sick. Become a hermit.
i periodically gargle with peroxide. sounds gross but seems to help.
Sorry to say, but welcome to parenthood! We’ve all been through it. Good advice in washing, sleep and eating right. Other than that, it’s all part of the experience.
I take massive doses of vitamin C at first sign of a cold. Usually only 3 doses. Long term Vitamin C overdose can depress your immune system. After that I treat with honey and Cinnamon. Raw honey is best if you can get it.
The best way to kill germs is copper. Houses use to have copper door knobs.
I was sick most of my daughters first nine months in daycare, including a nice little bout of hand, foot, and mouth, the sores from which made it feel like I was swallowing acid dipped razor blades made of lava for a week when I drank water, let alone tried to eat or drink anything else. That was fun! I’m mostly over it all now, but my poor very pregnant wife (due this week!) has gotten everything for the last 3 months and just can’t stay healthy.
I’m trying to move more, have been taking more vitamins, and wash my hands a lot, but I think I’ve just gone through the crud’s and will be immune until the next batch of tourists and seasonal employees bring us something new.
In reply to skierd :
Jesus. Can't wait to be a dad lol
cdowd said:i periodically gargle with peroxide. sounds gross but seems to help.
Yup, I do it too. My paternal grandfather swore by it.
So glad to see the way this thread is going. I was hesitant to chime in as our values are not mainstream.
100% with Curtis on this one, it's all about inflammation. My wife has done a lot of research and is currently doing a qualification in nutrition and diet, from the holistic natural point of view. I wish I had the self discipline she does, I know when I follow her recommendations I loose weight really fast and feel better with more energy and don't get sick. My wife is in incredible shape for a 51 year old woman and it's all down to her diet. She never gets sick even when the rest of us are.
Gluten and dairy free get laughed at a lot and written off as kooks, but it works. You don't need to be a celiac to be better off without gluten. If you look at what passes for wheat compared with only a few decades ago it's a joke, the gluten content has gone up over 50%. Don't just go for gluten free substitutes either, most gluten free cakes, breads etc. are just junk food full of simple carbs that will spike you blood sugar and leave you feeling like E36 M3 a few hours later.
The very first minimum is to cut out Gluten, dairy and any artificial sweeteners (Stevia is OK being natural, but I don't like it)
Next, cut out all grains
Next cut out sugar
Next cut most simple carbs. Now you are effectively paleo. this means no white potato's, rice etc.
Final step would be to go on the AIP (Auto Immune Protocol). To keep it brief that's hard core Paleo with no eggs, no nuts and more.
I could write pages on each line, my wife could write books, and may people do and have.
I live basically in the gluten and dairy free. I try to be paleo and when I manage it I feel so much better. I do have massive food issues though. I'm down over 20 lb's from my peak, but still up 15 lb's from my low of the last 18 months and really need to get back there ASAP.
In reply to Adrian_Thompson :
No, she gets sick. In reality, getting a virus is 100% impossible to avoid, even if you live as a hermit in the middle of nowhere (since many viruses are transmitted by insects).
They KEY to what you and Curtis are pointing out is being robust to getting sick. At least how I'm reading it. When you are robust to getting sick, getting well is really easy.
The core ideas that both of you are pointing out is that on the highest of high levels- don't live a lifestyle that makes your body fight itself constantly. That way, when a true invader comes in, you can fight it.
What's really hard is to really understand what that state really means and feels like.
Just to chime in, most people get 1000% Vit C in general eating packaged foods. It is the moat common preservative because its considered healthy and is dirt cheap. If you are not deficient, more C does nothing. Please feel free to post any proof otherwise. Its all marketing. Also, tamiflu has also shown to be ineffective.
I will also echo to avoid 'antibacterial' anything in general. Normal soap is also 99.99% antibacterial, without lasting hormone issues. At the very least avoid tryclosan.
Good sleep, less processed foods, vigorous workouts (studys show walking more doesnt cut it).
Your system will get stronger,but in the meantime just keep well fed and rested. Don't actively lick doorknobs, but sanitizing the world just makes more problems.
Some unpopular opinions here, but i will back all my suggestions up with hard, peer reviewed, data. Ymmv.
Caveat number 1: The "Gluten movement" is still relatively young, and good studies haven't had a chance to come out yet
Caveate numero due: I'm not saying you're wrong, and if it works for you, wonderful. Not really all that harmful to try.
I've not seen any evidence that gluten/etc. hurt the immune system. What I have seen is that getting your full 5 servings of fruits and vegetables--especially the healthiest fruits (berries) and vegetables (green leafy's)--can help reduce illnesses.
There has also been evidence that probiotics can reduce incidences of illnesses. On a related note, anyone who was delivered by C-Section has a harder time, as they didn't get the same gut flora that they should have.
Other interesting tidbits I've come up with: Eat kiwi's. A lot of them.
Researchers in New Zealand found that the consumption of gold kiwifruit reduces the severity and duration of certain upper respiratory tract infection symptoms. Why study gold kiwifruits? Because the study was funded by the company that owns the patent to gold kiwifruits. A few dozen elderly individuals were randomized to one or two groups, eating two bananas a day, or eating four kiwifruit a day for a month, and then they switched. The next month, the banana group ate kiwis and the kiwifruit group ate bananas.
The rationale for providing banana as kind of like the placebo was to provide an alternative fruit that had relatively similar calories, but lower nutritional value.
The purpose of the study was to determine whether regular consumption of gold kiwifruit reduces the incidence, duration, and severity of symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections, like the common cold, in comparison to bananas. They found no reduction in overall incidence, but those that did get sick during the kiwifruit phase had significantly reduced severity and duration of head congestion and the duration of sore throat–and not just by a little. The sick banana eaters suffered for five days with a sore throat and congestion, compared to the kiwifruit eaters, who felt better after just a day or two ...
The reason they studied older individuals is that they tend to be more susceptible to respiratory infections. Small children are another at-risk group, averaging twice as many upper respiratory tract infections as adults (four to six a year). So, 66 preschoolers were randomized into the same two groups, kiwifruit versus bananas, and not only were there, again, significant improvements in the symptoms of those who got sick while on kiwifruit, fewer got sick in the first place. Forty-five percent lower odds of a cold or flu-like illness, which means that the children eating kiwis had almost a 50% reduction in the chance of having a cold or flu.
This suggests that kiwifruit consumption may be a daily prescription for health, though, about 1 in 150 children report being allergic to kiwifruit, which ranks them #3 after milk and eggs, and above peanuts, in a survey of 3,500 kids, as the most common food allergies and, so, are not for everyone.
Additionally, gargling can help soothe AND prevent a sore throat. It has been proven to reduce the common cold (though not the flu).
My source: Dr. Michael Greger: https://nutritionfacts.org/audio/beating-colds-and-flu/
His sources:
In reply to mtn :
GTFOOH with sources! The internet is for opinions, my man. Opinions!
Adrian_Thompson said:To keep it brief that's hard core Paleo with no eggs, no nuts and more.
OMG I would die. You've described cutting out almost my entire diet right there. ;-)
I think the simplest advice is the best. "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." from Michael Pollan. My wife and I mostly eat "real" food, home cooked meals, not much sugar at all. We manage to be healthy, fit, active people in our 40s that way. Our kids are growing up eating the same. It's not rocket science and being too strict is pointless to me as it encourages binging and backsliding. But the crap that most Americans shove down their gullet is pretty disgusting. Still - while I'm known to eat raw pecans as a midnight snack and we all ate broccoli, peas, and quinoa bread as a meal the other day, I'm still willing to hit Raising Cane's for some 80%-calories-from-fat chicken wings and mayonnaise sauce from time to time. Just make sure that "time to time" is measured in months between trips and not hours or days.
In reply to mtn :
Can I point out one of my issues with the medical system?
Lots and lots of population studies that show that X has an impact on Y based on a population. (which I don't really have a problem with)
No follow up on the core physiology that makes that study true. That drives me nuts. All of the studies have theories why the population study came out the way that it did. But few actually look into the core physics of what's going on. And that, IMHO, is why we still have little idea how we really work.
An example-
Is very interesting. But other than vegetables leading to increases in antibodies that seem to fight diseases- there's no real physics explaining why- was the increase in the anti-bodies because of specific chemistry found in the fruits and veggies, or was the increase due to a natural decrease of other foods eaten because people can eat only so much in a day.
I've had this same struggle with real physics for weight loss studies.
If we can get to the core physics, then how you feed yourself really can become a tool in how you keep yourself healthy. And one of the keys is knowing that people are different- some can be super healthy on a really strict paleo diet, others can be on a very vegan diet, etc. If we can get those physics, then we can understand to see the forest through the trees, and pre-treat ourselves to be more robust to living.
In reply to alfadriver :
It might help to remember the health care industry has little to no incentive in preventing people from getting sick. Not much profit in healthy people.
alfadriver said:In reply to mtn :
Can I point out one of my issues with the medical system?
Lots and lots of population studies that show that X has an impact on Y based on a population. (which I don't really have a problem with)
No follow up on the core physiology that makes that study true. That drives me nuts. All of the studies have theories why the population study came out the way that it did. But few actually look into the core physics of what's going on. And that, IMHO, is why we still have little idea how we really work.
An example-
Is very interesting. But other than vegetables leading to increases in antibodies that seem to fight diseases- there's no real physics explaining why- was the increase in the anti-bodies because of specific chemistry found in the fruits and veggies, or was the increase due to a natural decrease of other foods eaten because people can eat only so much in a day.
I've had this same struggle with real physics for weight loss studies.
If we can get to the core physics, then how you feed yourself really can become a tool in how you keep yourself healthy. And one of the keys is knowing that people are different- some can be super healthy on a really strict paleo diet, others can be on a very vegan diet, etc. If we can get those physics, then we can understand to see the forest through the trees, and pre-treat ourselves to be more robust to living.
Well, I'd argue that in the long term no one can be super healthy on a strict paleo diet as the incidents of heart disease and gut cancers have been shown to increase. But I digress, that isn't the point of this discussion.
As for your actual complaint, does it matter? With the control groups, it has been shown that eating more F&V's is good. So eat more of them. Different studies have shown that eating less animal products (especially red meat) is good. So eat less. You have to eat something though--you basically have plant products and animal products. So if you're eating less animal products, you're eating more plant products.
Disclaimer: My wife is a dietitian and has had meat about 3 times in the past 2 years, 2 of those times were fish. I am a wannabe vegetarian/vegan, but my favorite foods are Bruanschweiger, bratwrust, Polish Sausage, and Chorizto. It is a hard road. I end up eating meat about once a week. I'm also getting over a flu bug--we think I caught it from my BIL, who is NOT vegetarian in the slightest. His is still ongoing, mine is wrapping up after about 3 days. He's on day 8. So anecdotal evidicece here would suggest the fruits and veggies help. Also, I eat a LOT of gluten, FWIW. I did try gluten free for about a month, and noticed no change to anything.
Ian F said:In reply to alfadriver :
It might help to remember the health care industry has little to no incentive in preventing people from getting sick. Not much profit in healthy people.
This isn't the healthcare industry. Just scientists doing studies--which is why it is so hard to find these studies; no one really funds them.
In reply to mtn :
yes, it does matter. First of all, people are different. If you came from an area that still lived off of largely a paleo diet, your reaction to that diet will be very different from a person who can trace themselves from a different path.
Just saying X is good without explaining WHY that conclusion makes sense makes it hard to know if they are right. That kind of work does not fly in any other scientific field. And that matters a lot when you are trying to keep people robust from viruses.
mtn said:Ian F said:In reply to alfadriver :
It might help to remember the health care industry has little to no incentive in preventing people from getting sick. Not much profit in healthy people.
This isn't the healthcare industry. Just scientists doing studies--which is why it is so hard to find these studies; no one really funds them.
Exactly. Why fund a study when the results are not likely to produce something you can profit from?
People often complain about governments funding pointless studies. Often a study isn't revealed as pointless until after it's been completed. That's just the way research works. Sometimes you learn something useful and/or ground-breaking. Sometimes you relearn 2 + 2 = 4. But we need funding sources less concerned about hard profits to take these risks.
Other things I've found help not getting sick:
1. Stay away from small children. Seriously, they are gross.
2. Pick good genetics. If you inherited a good immune system you can as stated above "lick doorknobs" and be fine.
3. Don't smoke. Smoking crushes a normally healthy, happy immune system.
4. Exercise a bit. Not to go crazy with it and break down, but getting the lymphatic system moving once in a while is good for you.
5. Drink a bit of hard alcohol. It's anti-microbial and kills bad stuff.
That's it, simple really.
mtn said:I am a wannabe vegetarian/vegan, but my favorite foods are Bruanschweiger, bratwrust, Polish Sausage, and Chorizto.
Processed meats are bad M-Kay…
RX Reven' said:mtn said:I am a wannabe vegetarian/vegan, but my favorite foods are Bruanschweiger, bratwrust, Polish Sausage, and Chorizto.
Processed meats are bad M-Kay…
Oh believe me, I'm well versed in this. And a family history of gut cancers, along with a bunch of dr's and dietitians in the family (including a gastroenterologist), I've heard all about it.
I'm down to nearly no processed meats :(. But, my blood pressure has never been lower.
Sell the kid and use the money to build a Challenge car!
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