Common Cold - Suggestions on How to Keep Colds from Passing Around the Home...

Get (and use) the Zicam oral spray. It's wonderful -- the minute you think you're coming down with a cold, start using it. It's Zinc, and safe for everyone. Works wonders!

I really like ariborne, it seems to keep colds lasting only a few days instead of a week, try Trader's Joe's or a health food store, there is a Jr version too which might be good for you little ones

Have you tried using fresh garlic? I use fresh garlic in a brushetta recipe that my kids love and it seems to ward off the germs.

Also... I personally gargle with peroxide when I feel a cold or sore throat coming on. I understand if you don't want the kids gargling with peroxide. But as an adult it works for me. Hope this helps. C. D

keep hand sanitizer around the house in common places for your family use and guests. of course washing hands is always better but not as practical. (you can buy natural sanitzer too). also cleaning door knobs and toys more often is a good way to be proactive. if someone in your family STARTS to feel ill in anyway, stay away from sugar. major immune depresser. well, that is my 2 cents..i look forward to seeing some other ideas :)

Conveniently, one solution is already in season: pumpkin seeds, which are high in zinc. Studies also show that people who consume a half cup of plain or fruit sweetened yogurt on a daily or almost daily basis get something like half the number of colds as those who don't. I would also be sure to get outside for a dose of vitamin D regularly. And some internal regulating, exersize is also helpful: be it yoga or T'ai Chi. Both do a lot to increase immune response. Good health to you and your family!

Hi Dawn,

A good air system that does not promote ozone. The hepa airsystem kills 99.9% of bacteria, virus and mold. I bought two of them one for the bedroom and one for the family room. I have not had the flu in 10 years. Good nutrition is also helpful for the immune system. I use immunity, Ciaga and barley grass for the whole family. My granddaughter has been using these technologies since she was 2 days old. She is very healthy and seldom has a cold. She is 7 now.

You may check out www.nikken.com/ninamarie for more info.'
Have a blessed day.

N. Marie

I have this fantastic spran called Soluguard it is all natural biotanicals and non toxic and NOT an irritant. I can evey spray it over my fish tanks ..... oooh year!

I love this stuff, i love this stuff, i love this stuff.
My son has chronic asthma and bronchatus so we have to keep all the alerigens and bacterias that cause colds down and while you can get rid of all of them especially saving them from getting them from school. We can stop the spread in our home.

If you would like to know more about the Soluguard I will be happy to share that with you as it is ordered from a fortune 500 company. I swear by this stuff!

The best thing to do is keep your immune systems boosted so you don't have to actually get sick too much. My family and I take high quality multiple vitamin daily and extra vitamin C and zinc when someone brings a bug home. They now have "Airborne," "Immune Fizz," and "Emergen-C" just for this purpose and my kids like them. It's actually a good thing to be exposed to colds and flus because it builds up your immune system, you just have to make sure your immune system is up to the fight. It's also important to get enough rest consistently and drink plenty of fluids all the time not just when you are sick.

O.K. Now I'm going to play devil's advocate a little to what the other mamas said. I would be careful of flu shots and sanitizing products. Here's the reasoning: The flu shots are one of the few remaining vaccines with mercury in them (some say harmless, some say harmful.) They also are for last year's flus not this years. So I personally don't see the point. As far as sanitizing products go there is quite a bit of research that they are one of the reasons we are finding more and more "super" germs because they mutate to be immune to these sanitizers. I just wash with normal castille soap and water at home. It works pretty well to keep the germs and toxins to a minimum without creating "super" bugs.

My best friend and I laugh about our children being like petrie dishes and bringing home all kinds of things to make us healthier in the long run. Believe it or not, there are studies that show children who come from sterile homes end up getting sicker in the long run because their bodies haven't learned to fight off the natural nasties that exist in the rest of the world outside of their sterile environment at home.

Hi Dawn,

My family has been taking Juice Plus+ for 5 years now and I am happy to say my 13 year old and my 6 year old have been very healthy! It is 17 different fruits and veggies in a capsule, gummie or chewable. It is whole food not isolated vitamins. We all know that fruits and veggies are the natural way to keep our immune systems healthy. Our family has this flowing through our bodies every single day. It gives me piece of mind knowing this. You can check out the published, peer reviewed scientific studies that have been done on ____@____.com. Please feel free and call me if you have any questions. my mission is to educate families about the importance of whole food nutrition.

Good luck!

L.
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Good old fashioned hand washing with soap and water. You don't need the antibacterial soap, but good luck finding non-antibacterial soap. It's a great marketing technique which will come back to haunt us. The good news is that after your 3.5 year old strentghtens her immune system from having had several colds, she and you will be less suseptible.

Hi,
Its hard to avoid colds. Lots of hand washing helps and get new tooth brushes after you finish a cold so you don't reinfect with the old germs. lots of rest and eat healthy. good luck
J.

Hi Dawn,

There is a wonderful supplement that you and your family could take that we take around our home that really prevents colds and if you have one gets rid of it quick. It is called, Immuno-shield by Irwin Naturals.

Good luck,
M. S.

Once you've gotten over a cold, you can never get that particular cold again--you're immune to that bug. So it's not the same cold that's getting passed around your house--it's a new bug each time. If your hand contacts your nose, mouth or eyes, and you have the bug, you'll pass it along each time you touch someone else--especially on their mouth, nose or eyes. That goes for other things that contact the mouth, nose and eyes as well. Ex: wiping your baby's nose, then rubbing your eye several minutes later is a sure way to get the baby's cold. Best bets are to wash your hands often, and encourage the kids to do the same; don't let them share cups, pacifiers, toys they've chewed on, tissues, etc. Try to keep your hands out of your mouth, nose and eyes (same for the kids). Keep their (and your) immune systems as strong as possible with vitamins and good food. Despite all this, it's hard to keep germs from passing around a family, especially with babies and toddlers. Good luck!

Best advice...always have everyone wash their hands whenever they come home from being out, and always before eating. Find ways to boost your immunity, like taking vitamins, getting enough sleep, eating healthy, etc.

When kids are in daycare they are sick often and yes it goes through the whole family. You can keep clorox wipes around to keep surfaces and door knobs clean and just alot of handwashing.

This is all part of the season. My approach is a little more natural. Make sure you wash your hands frequantly eat healthy and get enough rest. Two years ago, we went through an aweful cold season, it seemed as if someone was constantly sick. But it has gotten better. I don't really believe in using all that antibacterial stuff, that is the reason that we have all these super bugs that are resistant to regular antibiotics. I do have some hand sanitizer that I take for sporting events, when we have to use port a potties. Other than that we don't use all that stuff. Also, make sure to replace toothbrushes often, especially after someone has gotten sick. Make sure that whatever kind of toothbrush holder you use, to wash that in the dishwasher, since the germs will be there too. I also make sure to be extra clean. When someone is sick I usually clean the bathroom more often and wash the lines. Each time my kids have started school, they end up bringing home bugs, it is just part of life. The good thing is that they are building up their immune system, so eventually things will not be as bad. Hope things get better soon.

I keep hand sanitizer in the car, diaper bag and all around the house. Use it as soon as you pick up from school/daycare, after the gym and regularly during the day, especially if they have a runny nose. I also use Melaleuca’s biodegradable antibacterial wipes for shopping carts, phones, door knobs other things my kids are in contact with. Melaleuca also has a botanical antibacterial spray; much safer to use around your family than Lysol or any other. Spray down toys and other community items that are passed around. Also try opening windows during the day, air out the stale air and get some fresh. Good luck, it is a tough time of year to keep everyone healthy. If you want information on where to get the botanical antibacterial spray or the biodegradable wipes, let me know. ____@____.com

When ever my husband and I think we are getting cold or know someone who is we take some Airborne, just to get our system stronger.
Then other things is cleaning all your daughters sippy cups & washing her hands when she gets home, to get all the germs from making a "home" in your home.
And of course vitamins :) or vitamin fortified juices.

Great Advice so far! I just wanted to add I've had fewer colds (I'm the weak one in the family :-) Since I've started using a Netti pot. This flushes out your sinuses and it is hard and wierd to get used to but now I am very attached to my Netti pot. Whole Foods and Health Food stores cary them and have different styles. There's even a syringe type called Naselene for children. It takes a lot of patience to get used too. I agree on the anti bacterial soap and am actually allergic to it. I've heard regular soap and warm water is as affective anyway. This is rare but I wanted to bring it up. I'm allergic to Echinacea and when I researched it got the impression it is related to the walnut allergy I also have. The Best to you for the upcoming cold/flu season!

Airborne and vitamin c should help. My sister used to teach preschool and she was sick all the time. Hopefully you'll all build up your resistance. Take care, C.

Personally, I have had great success with Airborne for me and my teenage son. My younger children have been taught to cough or sneeze in the crook of their arm (elbow) when they are sick so their hands stay relatively germ free.

When someone gets sick, I spray down the furniture in the evening with Lysol and wipe bathroom counters and door knobs with anti-bacterial wipes. In the morning after everyone gets out of bed, I also spray the bed pillows and top edges of the blankets and sheets with Lysol. Also we only allow kisses on the cheek and no sharing cups and utensils with whoever is sick. These measures have been very effective in keeping the germs from spreading back and forth in my house. Good luck!

I am sure you have heard this before but I actually used it on a large scale at work......I used to work at a department store and every year customer X would come in because they stayed home sick then they would infect whoever waited on them. So I would go through the store with Lysol and/or Bleach and paper towels and get as many doors, phones, counters, sinks,toilet handles that I could and it actually worked. At home I would also wash sheets, towels, kitchen towels. I know it sounds like a lot of work but wipes really make it go quickly and if you can only do a couple choose door knobs, phones and pillow cases.

I feel for you. When my daughter started preschool we spent the entire cold and flu season being sick. It is much better now, possibly because our immune systems are stronger for the beating they took that year! I was an RN prior to becoming a stay at home mom and I learned the best thing you can do is wash your hands often and keep them away from mucus membranes, such as your eyes, nose and mouth. I agree with changing toothbrushes and towels often. I use antibacterial gels when I am out, like after going to the grocery store, but don't really use them at home. I don't think they are the healthiest thing to use. Plain soap and warm water are just fine in my opinion. Also, make sure everyone is eating really well all the time. Load up on fresh fruits and veggies, drink lots of fluids (water and/or juice, not sodas) and get plenty of sleep and exercise. Good luck!

Hi Dawn,

Try the homeopathic remedy Influenzinum 30C as a preventative for cold and flu. Take it once a month during the winter months and in addition to that, take it whenever you feel like you or your child is coming down with a cold or a flu or if somebody around is sick.

You can also use Vitamin C and Echinacea for cold prevention.

Read more in my articles:

http://www.masharosen.com/PreventingTheFlu.html

http://www.masharosen.com/GetRidofChildsColdNaturally.html

http://www.masharosen.com/FighttheFluNaturally.html

I also regularly teach classes on preventing cold and flu in children and adults using homeopthy and natural supplements.

Best wishes,
M..

M. Rosen, CHom
Certified Homeopath
www.MashaRosen.com
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840 Hinckley Road, Suite 110
Burlingame, CA 94010

Change toothbrushes after illness is over and get everyone their own personal toothpaste. Everyone should have their own cup in the bathroom also.

My son and i take Juice Plus. Its a kind of pricey vitamin but it boosts the immune system and though we still get sick, it doesn't last long.

Dr. Sears recommends it. It is supposed to have all of the fruits and vegies you need in it.

Hi Dawn - I would add to what is below also to be sure to change towels (especially hand towels in bathrooms) at least once a day. If someone is starting to not feel well - they get their own personal use towel - not using the ones the rest of the family uses. Also, check guidelines for flu shots - now they seem to have children getting them also. Best of luck and many blessings to you and your family! V. G. :o)