Stopping a Cold Before it Starts

My mom has been sick these past few days, and I'm super paranoid that I'm going to get it. I'm a little bit of a hypochondriac, so it's hard to tell if I'm actually dealing with the symptoms, or if it's all in my head. I really don't want to be sick for the holidays, I have busy days planned from the 23-26th.

I remember reading/hearing somewhere that there's something you can drink/take to prevent colds. Is it vitamin C or something? Maybe an absurd amount of water???

I'm freaking out.

Vitamin C and water both help (lots of fruits and veggies)...I drink a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice every day and sometimes twice a day if I feel like I'm getting sick: good luck!

Sorry, there is no cure for the common cold.  Plenty of things can help avoid it or lessen it, but nothing is going to stop it.  I keep plenty of disinfectant wipes on hand.  Door knobs, refrigerator handle, keyboard, phone receiver, TV remote, not just the obvious stuff.  Wash your hands throughly if handling something that Mom has handled (sorry Mom).  I'm not a germophobe, but most of these suggestions are for things that get overlooked.  Once you feel the cold might be coming on, it's too late to try to fix it by taking vitamins and drinking juice to think it might prevent it.  Drink your fluids and get plenty of bed rest.   Get some Dayquill or Nyquill if you're that concerned.  Take care; I hope you feel better before the holidays! 

There's some stuff you can buy, one brand is Zicam and the other is ColdEeze.  You can get it at any drugstore and probably at most supermarkets.  It's a combination of zinc, vitamin C and a few other minerals and vitamins that boost your defenses.  YOu take them as prescribed at the first sign of a cold.  ColdEeze makes one that's basically a cough drop and, in fact, I'm taking them right now since my throat has been scratchy.  It won't make it go away totally, but it will lessen and shorten the symptoms.

I swear by ColdEeze. The Cleveland Clinic did a study of them that showed they shortened the duration of the common cold. Here's my method for fending off colds:

As soon as you feel the first symptom (within hours):

-Take 2000 mg of vitamin C

-Start drinking lots of water

-Start ColdEeze regimen

Then:

-Keep drinking lots of water and taking ColdEeze

-Get as much rest as you possibly can

-Keep yourself as warm as you can (I know that being cold doesn't lead to colds, but I feel like this makes your body work a little less hard to stay warm and thus it's more able to fight infection)

-Wash your hands and dishes religiously- don't reuse water glasses

like most others have mentioned, a combo of viatmin c, zinc, selenium & golden seal will help. i find that the 'cold & flu" drops from Quantum (found at health food stores & even whole foods!) work wonders.

then in terms of diet, there is A TON you can do. bacteria & such live off of sugar - so cut out sugar, and anything mucus-building, such as dairy & wheat, add natural immune booster & disinfectants, such as onions, ginger, lemon, honey & cayenne pepper & you should be fine.

my favorite 'i-feel-like-i'm-coming-down-with-something' concoction is warm fresh pressed apple juice blended with ginger, lemon, honey and cayenne pepper. one or two cups of this will have you feeling better in no time!

good luck with the cold!

Well if u start stressing out you can just welcome that cold because your immune system depletes when you stress out! So stop worrying! Secondly, drink green tea daily with lemon, take vitamin c, all the b vitamins & tons of vegetables & take digestive enzymes 

I'm a huge believer in Airborne. You get it at the drugstore and just put it in water and then drink. I take it everytime I feel like I'm getting a cold and I swear by it. 

Eating well, keeping warm, getting plenty of sleep etc., is all you can do to boost your immune system.  The cold will probably get you eventually anyway!   And then, as my lovely doctor tells me, do nothing and it'll last a whole week, take pills and it'll only last seven days....

heat some teatree oil in water, leave it over a flame like a candle and let the smell go all through your house - we do this whenever there is any illness in my house and it hardly ever spreads.

I use a Canadian product called Cold-fX.  If you are in the U.S. you can find it at some Rite Aid's, Wal-Mart's, or Walgreen's or it may be purchased online.  I swear by it.  http://www.cold-fxusa.com/ ; <---you can find more info here.