How do you keep away the winter lurgy?

I taught for over 25yrs. Every October I had a heavy cold . I haven't had one since I retired ( touch wood)
So it was "the kids wot did it" Stay away from them and you should be alright.

I keep away from crowds, and have my shopping delivered. Definitely helps. Mum who is 98 lives on her own. If we have a cold etc we keep away, as she has some sort of pulmonary problem. She hasn't had a cold in years

We are off to the "Flu jab party" at the village hall next week.

I carry a sanitising gel in my handbag and also wash my hands every time I've been out of the house. I've only had one cold in the last few years.

Same as tanith. I am down to one cold a year.

No colds at all last year. Whitewave, the thought of locking myself up for the winter just doesn't appeal at all- what a waste. I know some grand-parents who refuse to see granchildren if they have the slightest sniffle. My own gran was like that. Sad.

As for the sanitizing gel, I remember reading last winter that it is not helpful and can cause more trouble than it is worth. Washing hands well is a must though- but without becoming obsessive about it.

Perhaps worth Googling- there are dozens of medical/scientific articles warning re sanitising gel.

Always wear gloves if you are using public transport. Did this throughout my 30years in London and I am sure it helped.

Oh! I don't lock myself up!!! Far from it. Winter is my time for the theatre, restaurants and muddy walks. But I am much more choosy where I go. I don't put myself in the way of crowded supermarkets or buses or even Christmas crowded pubs. It works well.

Well, have the flu jab for a start, but with colds, much harder to avoid.If you have young grandchildren it's a given that they will pass them on to you, but nothing to be done really about that.Wash your hands a bit more perhaps ( and wash their little hands as well) and keep a stock of paper hankies and paracetamol in the cupboard.

Yes always wash hands when you've been out. I've had a flu jab every year for the last 20+ years and only had one flu-like virus (not full influenza) in that time.
Get out into the fresh air and take a brisk walk for half an hour every day.

There was an article on the Saga website the other day about how to avoid catching a cold, and the main advice was to avoid transferring germs by hand, so lots of hand washing, don't keep touching your face (mouth and nose) with your hands. Plus a couple of tips about putting a little Vaseline just inside your nostrils to trap germs, and keeping your nose warm when it's cold outside, by pulling your scarf up (apparently the germs breed better when the nose lining is cool)

I'm sorry to use this forum as a sales pitch, but can't resist answering this question.
Have you ladies ever heard of drinking aloe Vera for good health?
I've been drinking it for six years now, along with my husband and my dog! I can't remember the last time I had a cold.
Aloe boosts your immune system, thus helping your body to help itself. So, if you do get any colds, sore throats etc, they will be milder and quicker to go. The bonus is it's good for your skin, and your digestion.
The one thing you have to understand is that you need to drink top quality aloe vera, and guess what? I can help with that. If you want to know more, just get back to me. No pressure.
Ok, sorry to ambush your chat. I'll go now xxx

I, like BBBevan, was a teacher and caught something from the little darlings at the start of every term: the Autumn cold/flu, the Spring chill and the Summer bug. I have had the odd cold since I retired but not so many and, due to decreased stress levels and not having to work while ill, not so serious.

I think there are several precautions you can take to prevent colds, chills and flu. Cold are a rhinovirus and develop in the back of your nose. Keep your nose warm with a scarf (also prevents germs entering) and use one of the 'Stop-a-Cold' remedies if you feel a tickle. They are expensive, £7/£8 or so, but worth it to save yourself froma week's misery.

Clean door handles, wash hands and launder towels frequently. Avoid others with sniffs and chills and, if you see anyone sneezing, walk the other way quickly as the germs explode quite a distance.

Being conscious of where the viruses come from and how they are transmitted will convey a level of awareness which will keep germs at bay.

If you do catch a cold -and no one in this country could avoid this entirely - then use the 'Stop-a-Cold remedy as directed on the box as they also shorten the life of the illness by about a day.

Hand washing! I wash my hands every time I come home from being out and about, particularly after pushing a shopping trolley around a supermarket but it's just one of those things, colds, flu and the like: we're going to get one or the other at some point as we head towards winter so its important to minimise the severity if you can.
A good diet, a daily walk and dressing for the season is my personal mantra, handwashing - and stocking up on the benylin.

tried to post this before but it didn't seem to work! I take a cod liver oil tablet every day all year round and I hardly dare to say this, but haven't had a cold for years - despite working in school! I am fairly prone to sore throats though and at the first sign, I gargle with water and just two or three drops of Teatree oil. DO NOT swallow this, as I think it is poisonous, but it works for me!

Like many on this forum, I was a teacher, but rarely caught the prevailing cold, despite being surrounded by small snotty people with dubious hygiene. I put it down to my immune system being constantly challenged and lots of handwashing . Since I retired, I have been lucky this way too. I don't have the flu jab as I tried it once and had a cough for the entire winter which probably knocks my immmune system theory on the head.

The clean hands and vaseline on the nose sound like good ideas. I am so fed up because I can't have the flu jab. I had two with no problems and then the third one caused a dreadful allergic reaction, so the docs say I can't have it, or the shingles jab. There are ways of avoiding colds as outlined above but there's always the person on the bus who sneezes all over you.

All of the above advice plus take zinc supplements at the first sign of a cold, quite a large dose, five 15mg tablets for a few days then just one for a couple of days, that should stop it in its tracks.

We take Vit D supplements; DH's immune system is impaired due to chemotherapy, and we seem to avoid most colds, despite the GCs coming over full of it!
I agree with the hand cleaning and so on; it is simple hygiene. Other people are not so careful or hygienic and tend to be very generous with their germs by being "heroic"...

I am a great fan of tea tree oil but would never ever gargle with it
It is poisonous if swallowed and so should not be used in or around the mouth at all.

You could put some on a hanky or tissue and sniff, or mix some with almond oil or a body lotion and rub some on neck and chest if you have been near someone with a cold.

or you could put a couple of drops of tea tree oil in hot water and inhale the steamy vapours.

I swear by garlic capsules,have taken one every day for years and hardly ever get a cold-when I do it is very mild and short-lived.

I'm going to try the sanitising gel and the cod liver oil. Nearly every time I go down to visit my daughter for a few days, which means crossing London I either get a cold 3 days after I arrive there or 3 days after I get back. They are all fit and healthy, so it's not them. I often travel about elsewhere and I stay healthy. Weird or what!