18 thoughts on “That little tickle…”

    1. I second the zinc! My wife and I are usually the “tough it out, it’s not so bad *cough*hack*” type, but we recently tried Cold-eeze lozenges “at the first signs of a cold” and gorammit if it didn’t make me feel all better by the very next day! They used ionized zinc to create an environment that the cold virus can’t thrive in. We prefer the cherry as it seems to have the least metallic aftertaste.

  2. Costco carries an excellent and very moderately priced orange-flavor chewable vitamin C. 1000mg three times a day works nicely for staving off a cold, if you know it’s coming. Echinacea is reportedly also beneficial, as is zinc (it apparently aids cells’ ability to resist infection).

    1. Studies have shown that, while echincacea may not keep one from being ill, it can significantly reduce the time spent dealing with said illness. The kicker is that one must start taking it right away, within the first 24 hours or so of the cold, for maximum benefit.

      To soothe the tickle, I’ve found that warm peppermint herbal tea is very nice. The peppermint has a balm effect, is an antiseptic, and the heat feels wonderful (particularly if the tickle turns into a cough). Peppermint tea can also help soothe the queasiness that all that drainage can cause. Also: water with a squeeze or two of lemon juice is excellent for clearing up drainage, or at least for mitigating its effects.

      Look! Eight years of intensive voice training, and what’ve I got to show for it? I can hit a high C on any given day and I know from the snot-clearing. Tricks of the trade, dont’cha know.

      No sicky for Howard. Imagine what would happen to poor Gleek, and NotMyBaby, and Sandra! They would all go through it too, and that’s just.. well, that’s way too many sick people in one house.

  4. I’ve heard that Vitamin C isn’t the panacea that we all believe it to be. The only reference I easily found for this online was How Stuff Works, however I haven’t seen any non-anecdotal evidence that Vitamin C realy *does* help boost the immune system. It won’t hurt to take more Vitamin C, but I’m not sure it’ll help either.

  5. I started on a cold last week. I waited about 3 days before taking Vitamin C. Took 2500mg the first day then dropped down to 1000mg per day. Felt better after the first day I took it…

    I should have started earlier.

  7. I haven’t had a full-blown cold for like three years, since I started taking lots of Vitamin C and antioxidants. I used to get bronchitis every winter. I can’t prove the supplements work, but I’m not stopping them!

  8. Zinc works for me. I take a calcium, magnesium, & zinc supplement every day and add Zicam oral mist when I’m getting a cold. Found out that, probably because of the daily supplement, that the Zicam can upset your stomach if you use it following the directions. Recommend a half dose if you are already taking a mineral supplement. On the bright side, the cold viruses didn’t like it any better than my insides. Take care.

  9. My wife swears by this stuff called “Airborne”, a herbal/vitamin cold preventive invented by a school teacher after she got tired of catching colds from her students all the time. It’s effervescent tablets you drop into a glass of water, sort of like Alka-Seltzer. As always, YMMV.

    1. I’ve heard of that stuff! I saw a piece on Discovery Health about Travel health tips, and they recommended taking it prior to a long flight, particularly an international one. All those people, all those germs… /shudder.

      1. I might give this a go next time I have to travel in winter. 21 December I was on a plane from LA to Chicago and healthy as could be. 22 December I was sick as a dog. Coincidence? I think not! Especially considering I haven’t had anything worse than a sniffle since 2001!

  11. Don’t know if this has anything to do with the tickle in your throat…

    … but is there some reason why, when the current Schlock strip finishes loading, it vanishes from my browser?

    (Netscape 7.01, FYI. Haven’t switched over to the new machine and FireFox yet.)

  12. complete and utter segue

    My friend Cyd has changed a posting from friends only to public. I asked for and was given permission to bring it to your attention. The posting is here. Please forward it to your best friend’s brother, as referenced in this posting. I hope it gives him hope, or at least a new perspective.

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