How do you avoid illness?

January 18, 2022 6:38 AM

I am one of those people who seems to catch every cold that's going around, twice. It doesn't help that I'm a teacher and have a five-year-old. Right now it's extra obnoxious because I'm always worried I have the big C and have to wait for a test. It may just be a crappy immune system, but I'm wondering what you all do that seems to help prevent illness or at least shorten its duration. No idea is too basic (wash your hands) or too out there (neti pot? idk). Thank you!
posted by chaiminda to Health & Fitness (39 answers total)

Sleep at least 7 hours a night.
posted by Seeking Direction at 6:39 AM on January 18, 2022 [20 favorites]

Whole food, plant-based diet. Sleep. And healthy, supportive relationships. As much as you can get of all these things.
posted by Glinn at 6:45 AM on January 18, 2022 [7 favorites]

How to boost your immune system should cover all the basics.

There's also very good scientific evidence (in this case 290 million people in over 140 studies covering 20 different countries) that suggests spending time outside has significant health benefits including better immune responses and lower inflammation. So maybe take kiddo to wild areas when you can so you both get the benefit?
posted by underclocked at 6:47 AM on January 18, 2022 [6 favorites]

Normally I would assume the "Big C" is Cancer, but from context I'm guessing you mean COVID?

Is there any chance you are mistaking allergies for "colds"? The symptoms are similar, but if you are getting sick multiple times per year, I would guess that at least some of these might be allergy symptoms. This would be good news, as you can treat allergies.
posted by soylent00FF00 at 6:52 AM on January 18, 2022 [6 favorites]

Wear a mask. I usually get colds and haven't during the Pandemic, due to Staying Home, Washing My Hands, and Wearing a Mask.

Sugar appears to exacerbate inflammation, which is generally bad for all sorts of health issues, so really cut down on all varieties of sugar, and minimize white rice, flour, etc.
posted by theora55 at 7:00 AM on January 18, 2022 [2 favorites]

Catching multiple colds during the pandemic is surprising, actually, even if you are a teacher. You might want to chat with your doctor about allergies and also diary these multiple colds and look for patterns - are you sure its not one longer period of having one cold; could you be reacting to somethng (visiting a friend's house who has mold). I don't think a "crappy immune system" is the likely answer.

I haven't had any colds since the pandemic, only because I am spending so much time away from crowds, with masks, and hand washing. Would it be possible for you to increase any of the standard mask/hand washing/away from crowds practices that generally lead to less infections?
posted by RajahKing at 7:00 AM on January 18, 2022 [1 favorite]

So...in the spirit of 'out there'? This was me for a really long time. And it turned out that I have Common Variable Immune Deficiency-- basically my immune system is junk and I need to do weekly plasma infusions. All this to say, maybe get some basic blood work done but also ask them to throw in anything that focuses on immunoglobulins or other immune factors. (Again, highly unlikely and rare, but I really wish I'd investigated this sooner because even rare things have to happen to **someone**.)
posted by jeszac at 7:01 AM on January 18, 2022 [2 favorites]

Don't touch your face with your hands (scratching an itch, wiping your mouth, rubbing your eyes, for example).
posted by BozoBurgerBonanza at 7:33 AM on January 18, 2022 [6 favorites]

When I was working at an early childhood center, I got sick ALL THE TIME. Based on advice from my doc, here's what I did, and it worked!!

-Wash hands A LOT MORE than you think you need to during the day.
-When you come home from work, immediately wash your hands and change your clothes. Then wash your hands again.
-Neti pot.

Good luck! Being sick SUCKS, especially now.
posted by cooker girl at 7:34 AM on January 18, 2022 [2 favorites]

Are you getting enough sleep? I know you have a five year old....
posted by intrepid_simpleton at 7:52 AM on January 18, 2022

Don’t share food or beverages with your kid. Don’t eat their leftovers, don’t let them take sips from your drink.
posted by you'rerightyou'rerightiknowyou'reright at 7:53 AM on January 18, 2022 [7 favorites]

Don't touch your face with your hands (scratching an itch, wiping your mouth, rubbing your eyes, for example).

100% this. Spend a day really focusing on noticing how much you (and possibly your kid) touch your face -- use some kind of counter. Then train yourself out of it.

I've almost had to retrain myself to think, without my hand on my chin or somesuch. Seriously. Hone in on that.

(edit add, sorry) - along the lines of the above, turns out I'm IgA deficient (not treatable, but more susceptible), so it gave me huge motivation to learn to not.touch.my.damn.face.
posted by Dashy at 8:12 AM on January 18, 2022 [2 favorites]

Try, as best you can, to train you 5 year old to cover their mouth when they cough (you do the same!).Here's some advice.
posted by BozoBurgerBonanza at 8:17 AM on January 18, 2022

When I had young children I got colds a lot and attributed them to my children bringing germs home. In retrospect I now know that I am allergic to cats, dogs, and dust. I think maybe suffering from those allergies made me more susceptible to colds, like my immune system was overloaded or something.

I rarely get colds; the last time I got one I was visiting and staying with family in a household that included a 3 yr old and a couple of cats and a lot of dust.
posted by mareli at 9:20 AM on January 18, 2022 [1 favorite]

Wash your hands after using the toilet, before eating (or handling food), and as soon as you get home. You can also start teaching your 5-year-old to do the same (make it a together-activity when possible), and ideally also the students you teach.

If your child spends time in daycare/preschool, tell the care provider that you are teaching them to wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating and ask the provider to reinforce this while your child is in their care (this may have the side-benefit of encouraging the provider to do it themself and encourage the other kids to do it too).
posted by heatherlogan at 9:33 AM on January 18, 2022 [2 favorites]

I agree with all of the above, before the plague, I always got all the vira, and I also have allergies, so I was constantly feeling a bit under the weather during the dark season. I had planned to get the flu vaccine this winter, but didn't make it to the doctor's and the thing is, I didn't need it. (Knocks on wood).
The good habits we have learned surely help: wearing a mask is good in itself, but also reminds us to not touch our faces, good hand hygiene should be almost instinctual, but maybe many of us needed a reminder.
I clean my home more frequently to keep the dust mites down. Remember to wash your pillows and comforters. You don't need to do it every time you wash the bed linen, but it really helps to do it 3-4 times a year.
I have also changed my diet towards almost only whole foods and far more vegetables and fruit. Refined carbs are treats for special occasions, not everyday staples.
If you can, get at least an hour outdoors in daylight every day. If you can't, get checked for vitamin D. Do not take any supplements without medical advice, but specially not vitamin D.
posted by mumimor at 9:52 AM on January 18, 2022

My incidence of colds went way, way down when I started being very careful to keep my fingers out of my nose and eyes unless they were freshly washed. Mouth doesn't seem to matter nearly as much, again, anecdotally.
posted by wnissen at 10:11 AM on January 18, 2022 [2 favorites]

Along with not touching my face (especially my eyes) absentmindedly, I need to keep my hair well pulled back so *it* doesn’t get in my face and eyes. Especially if it has just dragged over the outside of a mask.
posted by clew at 10:30 AM on January 18, 2022 [1 favorite]

If your child spends time in daycare/preschool, tell the care provider that you are teaching them to wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating and ask the provider to reinforce this while your child is in their care (this may have the side-benefit of encouraging the provider to do it themself and encourage the other kids to do it too).

This, and it is crucially important to emphasize that hand sanitizer is not an acceptable substitute for soap and water. In addition to not killing nasty germs that you don't want (mainly stomach bugs, but others too), hand sanitizer strips your skin of good, protective bacteria and makes your skin dry out, therefore more susceptible to germs and overall discomfort.
posted by knotty knots at 11:10 AM on January 18, 2022 [3 favorites]

Keeping up with drinking water really helped me when I was working in daycare/preschool. On top of diligent and thorough hand washing and prioritizing sleep, staying hydrated helped me stay healthy. I think it was that my eyes and sinuses weren't as dry/irritated so I touched my face less. It is super hard to keep up on drinking water when working with kids, you're so GO GO GO to get through the schedule of the day. I imagine it is much harder during covid times with masks!
posted by Swisstine at 11:27 AM on January 18, 2022 [1 favorite]

I take Vitamin D and Zinc. Here are a couple of doctors explaining why that works.
posted by rongorongo at 11:29 AM on January 18, 2022

I stopped having so many colds when at 30 I started exercising regularly.
Also I take zinc tablets with the first sniff, it seems to work for me although findings are not as clear cut.
posted by bluedora at 12:05 PM on January 18, 2022

After a few years of low-carb/paleo/keto type diets, I have lately been skewing toward a "high P:E diet" which is aimed at providing satiety (fullness) with fewer calories. The idea is that you favor protein-containing foods over "energy" (fat or carbohydrate) containing foods. (Probably around ~1g/lb of optimal body weight, so I would have 160-170 g protein for a healthy body weight of 160-170 lbs.) The rest of what you aim for is mostly low-starch vegetables and healthy monounsaturated or saturated fats.

I try to sleep as much as possible up to 8 or 8.5 hours a night. It's usually hard to get quite that much so I tend to land in the 7-7.5 range which feels right for me. I also tend to take a bunch of melatonin an hour or two before bed - that seems to be highly individual so you may need to experiment to get the dose right.

I also take a few supplements.

Daily supplements

Morning (dissolved in water)

• 5000 mg vitamin C
• iodine/potassium

Lunch (with a high fat meal for absorption)

• 10000 IU Vitamin D3
• 30 mg zinc
• men's multivitamin
• quercetin
• N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine

Evening (dissolved in water)

• 5000 mg vitamin C
• iodine/potassium
• 400 mg magnesium

(Note that if you supplement a lot of vitamin D you should probably get your blood levels checked regularly as well.)

"Something" I'm doing seems to work. I'm not sure exactly what, but my guess is the sleep, the diet, the vitamin D, and the zinc are probably the most important. My family got a bunch of colds the past couple of months that dragged on for a while; I got something for a couple of days but it was mild and went away quickly.
posted by theorique at 12:34 PM on January 18, 2022 [1 favorite]

Just adding another anecdote to washing your hands - I didn't come from a family that regularly washed their hands, so neither did I, and it didn't seem to matter. But when I got removable teeth aligners, which require you to stick your hands in your mouth and take them out to eat (so at least three times a day), I felt unwell or sick every single day until I started washing my hands before taking out or putting the aligners back in. This is in an office situation, so likely even worse in schools.
posted by meowzilla at 12:35 PM on January 18, 2022

A few years back, after decades of insomnia, I decided to become a sleep farmer, and have experienced a side-correlation of *far* fewer colds, coughs, etc. (For context, I got 2-6 BAD ear infections per year throughout my adult life, up until this point. But I don’t work with or have kids! So definitely YMMV.) I stopped drinking, which is not for everyone, but a lot of the other stuff is more accessible: one cup of coffee a day (early), tons of water (fruity/herbal teas make great no-sugar iced tea for sipping all day), trying to get out into natural light every day, stretching/foam rolling my back, regular multivitamin, more vegetables and fats in my diet, less sugar, all the ginger and garlic and cinnamon and turmeric I can get (added bonus of being delicious), enjoyable exercise (gardening, dancing, rollerskating, walks). I threw away my scale many years ago and avoid fitness trackers like the devil - my brain dysregulates those kinds of information and uses them to maintain low-grade background stress. Last year I moved my phone out of my bedroom and got off of FB - those were also low-grade stressors that made a huge difference in my overall feeling of health when I changed my engagement with them.

When I’m actually sick, I enjoy hot water with lemon and capsaicin - cayenne from the spice rack, or slices of spicy peppers. It’s a mild analgesic, and also helps tame coughs. Gargling with warm salt water and massaging my swollen lymph nodes helps my sore throats. I can never manage to keep distilled water in the house for neti pot-ing, but nasal saline spray for loosening up sinuses has been helpful. Multiple sets of sheets and a garbage can in every place I work/sleep helps me shuffle off whatever virus I’m shedding. Back to general stuff, I also think it’s helped me to use both an air purifier and a humidifier.

I hope you feel better soon!
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 12:36 PM on January 18, 2022 [5 favorites]

Echoing the advice above to NEVER TOUCH YOUR FACE. As an added bonus, when I quit touching my face I also quit breaking out in the places that I usually touched (eg, jawline).
posted by orrnyereg at 1:41 PM on January 18, 2022

Complete anecdata that helped me get fewer colds a few years ago:
- getting more exercise
- spending more time outside
- switching up my vegan diet to include fish, eggs and a little dairy
- like my mother taught me as a kid…always wash your hands right before you eat
posted by vanitas at 1:57 PM on January 18, 2022

This may in fact be too obvious - but when I had family who smoked (and who were very careful about only smoking outside, and washing their hands when they came back in), I got a lot more colds, coughs and ear infections than I did after the family members switched to vaping. So I would say avoid smokers. And smoking yourself. Similarly, I've had more and nastier respiratory illnesses when I've lived in cities with higher levels of pollution.
posted by paduasoy at 2:03 PM on January 18, 2022 [1 favorite]

This is completely anecdotal, but since I started doing nasal rinsing regularly for my allergies, I swear I have fewer colds. Neti pots feel like waterboarding, I use a NeilMed squeezy bottle (available at any drugstore). You should use distilled water or boil water and let it cool.
posted by radioamy at 2:49 PM on January 18, 2022 [4 favorites]

The older I get, the more it seems like the advice for almost everything is the same:

Prioritize sleep
Eat healthy meals, with a focus on a variety of vegetables and healthy protein
Take a multivitamin a few times a week and supplement daily with D and maybe C
Reduce caffeine intake
Reduce alcohol intake
Exercise regularly
Don't work too much
Go to the doctor regularly
Spend time with people you love
If you have any mental health struggles, go to therapy
posted by bluedaisy at 4:24 PM on January 18, 2022 [2 favorites]

One time I gargled salt water (but way too high salt concentration) - it was one of the worst things I've ever inflicted on myself but it killed whatever was settling into my throat!

Gargling is good.
posted by freethefeet at 5:21 PM on January 18, 2022

Don't smoke.
posted by happy_cat at 7:10 PM on January 18, 2022 [1 favorite]

If you're in a class room with kids, maybe buy an air cleaner with a hepa filter. I'd put it on the side of the room so it's not sucking all the air towards you. If you feel like you're catching something, take 1/2 a zinc tablet (25 mg.) It's suppose to help with colds and I've had luck using it to prevent catching flu.
posted by stray thoughts at 7:13 PM on January 18, 2022

No one has mentioned it yet, but a nice hot shower, steamy broths and soups, and the occasional decongestant or antihistamine will work wonders on sinus trouble and postnasal drip.
Gently blowing your nose and using clean soft handkerchiefs or facial tissues are helpful. Stock up on a large supply.
A wedge pillow does make a difference.
As a last resort neti does work. Don't wait until congestion is awful.
posted by TrishaU at 8:47 PM on January 18, 2022

Pre-pandemic, there were a couple of times a year when I would be working for a week or two in a setting with a lot of school age kids. I found the best thing for keeping myself from getting a bad cold was to start gargling with Listerine 3 times a day at the tiniest hint of a cold coming on, usually for me that's a bit of a scratchy throat feeling that I used to just ignore. The Listerine seemed to keep it at that almost unnoticeable level when many people around me were coming down with colds. Doesn't do much if you already have a full cold.

For anything involving sinus congestion or sinus pain, sometimes helps with other stuff too, I like to get a very spicy soup. Soup so spicy it's difficult to eat. I usually get it from a restaurant to go, delivery on the apps can be a bit tricky for this, maybe restaurants feel they need to "tone it down" for people ordering on UberEats who might have no familiarity with the restaurant and the restaurant has no chance to clarify if "extra hot" is REALLY what the customer wants. Something like a very hot green chile stew, or a Filipino or Thai spicy soup -- I haven't had this situation of having a cold come up in the last two years though, I guess I'd feel differently about walking into a place to pick up carryout when I had cold symptoms these days. Used to be back in the day I would call in the order and tell them I was getting a cold and needed to get the soup or stew extra hot. Maybe send a friend. Order something else for your actual meal, you want the soup hot enough you won't be able to eat much of it -- you'll want to reheat the soup and do this once or twice a day anyhow. Soup first, eat it and be sure to breathe in the air above the soup.
posted by yohko at 9:30 AM on January 19, 2022 [1 favorite]

Good ventilation
posted by oceano at 1:52 PM on January 19, 2022

Dr. David Williams oral probiotic probably changed my life. Maybe it's quackery/placebo, I don't know, but it works for me. I'm not never sick but so much more rarely than before, and I work in the schools and am not particularly healthy or careful otherwise.
posted by Salamandrous at 4:42 PM on January 19, 2022

Try out some allergy meds (generic claritin, allegra and zyrtec) in case your colds are actually allergy flares, as others has mentioned. I am allergic to dust, mold, and cat dander and live in a house with dust, mold and cats -- in this era of pandemic when a runny nose triggers anxiety, it's comforting to be able to pop a 24 hour allergy med and have things settled.

Drink hot tea or just straight hot water. If part of your symptoms are feeling chilled, this is one of the quickest solutions for me.

I also keep a bottle of zinc tablets around for when I have a scratchy throat. As linked earlier, the research to date is not decisive, but cautiously positive.

Compared with placebo, zinc supplements or nasal spray zinc are associated with fewer upper respiratory infections. The estimated effect was modest: about one infection was prevented for every 20 people using zinc. The strength of the evidence for these findings is considered low.

posted by spamandkimchi at 11:41 AM on January 20, 2022

nth-ing the above: NEVER TOUCH YOUR FACE. Just don’t. Not unless you’ve washed your hands. For most GI and respiratory bugs, that’ll go a very long way.
posted by Fritzle at 11:56 AM on January 20, 2022 [1 favorite]