ADBB Vitamin Club ~ do you supplement for cold season?

[jimmie 48]

i'm wondering who takes what during cold/flu season to prevent (or help prevent) getting a cold or flu.

i take echinachea. we've done that for years and years. i used to drink quite a bit of orange juice, too, but that stopped when i started low carb.

the dosage, on the bottle of echineachea that i have at the moment, states 2 -3 pills, 2 or 3 times a day. i've never done this kind dosage before. i take one a day, with my other vitamins, and i actually think that is the wrong time.

if i'm not mistaken, vitamins should be taken with or after a meal and herbs should be taken on an empty stomach. don't quote me on that. it's something i need to look up for sure.

the last time i was sick was march 2005. before that, i can't remember.

that's what i take. how about the rest of you?

[Alexa]

Re: ADBB Vitamin Club ~ do you supplement for cold season?

I take echinacea and extra vit c on top of my normal vitiamins when I know I'm going to meet with small children because my nieces and nephews always seem to have lots of colds. That seems to work.

I took pre-emptive echinacea when my BF got a cold last week, but I've got it anyway.

When I'm ill I also take a strong and horrible garlic tablet (very anti-social) which seems to make cold less severe for me.

I found this link:
http://www.normanallan.com/Med/herbs/how2herb.html which says tinctures or teas are a better way to take herbs. I'm not sure about this - but I do remember echinacea seemed more effective when it came in a capsule you could open and make into tea. The ones I have at the moment aren't like that though.

[jimmie 48]

Re: ADBB Vitamin Club ~ do you supplement for cold season?

good morning, baarb! and thanks for the link!

it appears that my thought of taking herbs on an empty stomach was right.
the capsules are so readily available, i have not looked into buying echinachea any other way.

someone, a long time ago, told me to take zinc but that never seemed to help me.

baarb, do you have the no odor garlic tabs available to you? i would tend to think that cooking with fresh garlic would be way to go. let everyone have the same garlicy breath.

[Alexa]

Re: ADBB Vitamin Club ~ do you supplement for cold season?

These are meant to be odor controlled! I get my BF to take one at the same time. I should cook more with garlic, I'm still feeling my way around Atkins cooking - it's all still quite plain.

Any thoughts on when to take herbs if you have to take meds first thing on an empty stomach? I get up, take meds, wait half an hour, cook breakfast and take vits with breakfast.

[jimmie 48]

Re: ADBB Vitamin Club ~ do you supplement for cold season?

maybe take the herbs at night before going to bed?

[Alexa]

Re: ADBB Vitamin Club ~ do you supplement for cold season?

Yeah, I guess that;s kind of obvious - I always think of herbs and vits as a morning thing. I'll try it, thanks

[sillygirl]

Re: ADBB Vitamin Club ~ do you supplement for cold season?

Jimmie, we take Zinc (50 - 100 mg twice a day if sick) as soon as we feel some cold come on. I think it really works either by keeping the cold at bay, or shortening the length of it if it develops.

[jimmie 48]

Re: ADBB Vitamin Club ~ do you supplement for cold season?

that is my experience with echinachea. even if i get a cold, it doesn't seem to last as long.

i should say here that echinachea boost the bloods white cell count, boosting the immune system.

http://www.care2.com/channels/solutions/self/1741
Echinacea
Echinacea stimulates the immune system and helps the body rid itself of microbial infection. Echinace angustifolia and E. purpurrea are equally effective, and many products contain E. pallida as well. Start taking Echinacea tincture –30 to 45 drops 3x a day—a week before traveling to obtain ints immune –enhancing effects.
While all treatments work differently, depending on the individual, experience shows that Echinacea can knock out a cold if taken at the onset of symptoms.

[HeidiE]

Re: ADBB Vitamin Club ~ do you supplement for cold season?

I take Airborne to keep colds away ... be careful if you are allergic to ragweed do not take echinachea you could have a severe reaction to it ...just a little fyi

[sallyseachange]

Re: ADBB Vitamin Club ~ do you supplement for cold season?

Can't say I take anything...but then I don't get many colds (thank goodness). Never did, and since being on Atkins, even less! Not having to use public transport is a great help I think!
Nice to read your posts though... I've heard many good things about that echinea too.

[Miss Phode]

Re: ADBB Vitamin Club ~ do you supplement for cold season?

If I recall correctly, echinacea should be taken for 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off, for maximum effectiveness.

[boonie stomper]

Re: ADBB Vitamin Club ~ do you supplement for cold season?

I agree with Miss Phode about only using echinacea for 2 weeks at a time, and at least 2 weeks before repeating. It is good for boosting immunity. But better is to have a strong immune system to start with. I take supplements every mornig about 20 minutes before eating. Eating soon after helps increase absorption. I also vary the regimen every couple of weeks. That way, it's less likely any of the ingredients will lose effectiveness due to tolerance building up.


In the event of say, a sudden case of swollen lymph glands/sore throat, I swear by the ascorbate version of vitamin C. Not ascorbic acid, which must be conveted by the body to ascorbate in order to be useable, or you just pee out most of it if you take a big dose. With calcium/magnesium/potassium ascorbate, a spoonful is like 20-30 oranges and your body can use all of it at once. I've had swollen glands go normal in 20 minutes after 1 spoon of it. Hard to find, though - I guess marketers would rather make more money by selling more of less effective product, just like they do with food....

[jimmie 48]

Re: ADBB Vitamin Club ~ do you supplement for cold season?

i found this on the dosage of echinachea:

How much is usually taken? At the onset of a cold or flu, 3–4 ml of echinacea in a liquid preparation or 300 mg of a powdered form in capsule or tablet, can be taken every two hours for the first day of illness, then three times per day for a total of 7 to 10 days.11

my dose is under the recommended doage as per the bottle. i split the bottle of 60 capsules, between jack and i and then stop for several months or until colds/flu start making it's rounds again. it's proved true for us doing this for years.

[biogeek]

Re: ADBB Vitamin Club ~ do you supplement for cold season?

Prior to developing asthma, I took vitamin C during cold season. However, I take mega-doses of Vitamin C (about 4 to 5 grams worth) everyday, spread throughout the day for my asthma. So, I don't up the dosage during cold season anymore. I don't recall the last time I had a cold either.

[boonie stomper]

Re: ADBB Vitamin Club ~ do you supplement for cold season?

Which kind of vitamin C do you take?