Preventing colds.

Echinacea drops taken intermittently ....two to three weeks on them.......then six weeks off. You can do this just over the winter season or throughout the year. Helps to build up your resistance to colds. Make sure you get a good brand as some are not as good as others. If you do get a cold Pelegonium drops taken at the first sign of a cold help to keep the symptoms to a minimum. Hand washing regularly...hand gel when out....washing towels on hot wash. Just think of all the shopping trolleys....handling money....ATMs ....door handles .....that are used many times by other people who might not wash their hands as often as they should and how easily colds spread.

Echinacea all the way. Two weeks on , two weeks off, all year round. Haven't had a cold since I started this regime 11 years ago and I got through chemo without an infection
by avoiding everyone, including children, and lots of hand washing.

I use started sneezing out of the blue reading this.! Lol at first sniff I take beechams powders, gotta be powders, and use dettol cleaning spray all year round,

Trouble is the more you try to prevent them the more they’ll come as you are not allowing your immune system to fight the viruses, whilst this is understandable in someone who is poorly or already has a compromised immune system in someone heathy we should be able to accept that’s colds are part of living in a wet coldish climate The older you get the more viruses you ve had and the less you ll get that’s my theory anyway

Used the First Defence hand sanitiser foam frequently on a recent holiday, passengers on the long haul flight all coughing and sneezing, but I survived without getting anything. Sadly forgot to encourage poor DH to do the same, and he went down with a stinker (which I didn't get!)

Half of a fresh lemon squeezed into warm water every morning before you eat or drink anything.

It seems a bit fussy but when I visit others I take a small flannel which I keep in a pocket to use as a hand towel. I've found that other people's towels are often a bit damp - who knows what germs they harbour? I excuse it my saying that my immune system is still a bit down due to the past chemo and they're not offended. Before I did this I caught every cold going that they'd had. Also I change the hand towel at home before and after visitors.
I try to avoid that itch at the end of my nose when I'm visiting MIL at the nursing home and always use the hand sanitiser which is on the wall before leaving.

zinc+ vitamin C must be used together ... far more effective
Never have the flu jab now. Tried it only once and was unwell with RTIs until February
But, I don't use door knobs/ handles when out.... protect hand with jersey sleeve
Also, when using supermarket trolleys, I grasp them anywhere rather than use the handle. I generally lean over and hold the metal
Not had a cold for years

Hand washing when you return home and a multi-vitamin, that includes C and D. Sure I read last year that lack of vit. D was an issue in the winter. A couple of years ago a GP on TV said colds where spread hand to mouth so seems sensible.

For years I have taken Cod liver Oil for aching joints, and don't seem to get colds. Could this be the Cod Liver Oil? (I've probably put a jinx on it now).

I am a bit paranoid at the moment as I am getting treatment for a serious lung condition. The cashier at the supermarket coughed into her hand and immediately picked up my food!

I try and avoid taking any unnecessary drugs, unless I have a really bad headache, plus I have a low dose bp tablet daily. However I now do think First Defence seems to work for me. I was sceptical at first.

I first tried it at work, when surrounded by germy coughing people. I may just have been lucky of course. OH has had a cold for over a week now, the first in 2 years. So I used the first defence, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Instead of seeing "Keep Calm and Carry on" splashed across everything.....wouldn't it be good to see "Sneezes spread diseases...use a handkerchief!" or "Wash Your Hands Now" as used to be printed on toilet paper years ago. This would go a long way to any of us getting colds! Like most of you I avoid crowds and try not to touch stair rails etc in public places and I always carry a handkerchief!!

Hot lemon, honey and whiskey at bedtime, with a couple of paracetamol.
I find that as good as anything, and enjoyable!

It may sound silly but smear vaseline in your nostrils in the morning to catch the blighters before they can go anywhere

First defence and hand washing +zinc

I agree hand washing but I also think getting out and about in the fresh air helps. I walk my dogs in all weathers and rarely get a cold.

I haven't read the whole thread, so perhaps it's been mentioned already.
Avoid crowded places, especially public transport.
Tempting providence I know, but we haven't had a cold since moving to rural France 15 years ago. Before that, in crowded England, one cold after another.

1000 mg of easily digestible Vitamin C a day is my defence against colds. Over our last winter (southern hemisphere) DH and DS have both had terrible colds but I didn't catch them. DH and I hug and kiss a lot but I still stay well.

Theoddbird has a good point too. I no longer expect to get a cold when everyone else has one, so maybe it's mind over matter as well. (Note to self: there are lots of other areas you could practice this in.........)

to those of you who are unwell at the moment. I hope you're better soon.

another vote for First Defence.. used it for years,, Im on high dose steroids so catch every bug going without it.. I carry one in each handbag, one in front room ,one in car,
one in bedroom! If anyone sneezes within a mile of me it comes out and I have a squirt... One thing I would say to anyone new to it is Dont Sniff It..... just squirt it up and leave,,, I find one squirt up each nostril is enough. Carry hand sanitiser, try and remember to use it as soon as shopping is packed..

I started taking Omega 3 Fish Oil in my thirties with a quality multivitamin and have recently added Magnesium (for good sleep and muscle tone). In the Winter I top up with Vitamin C 1000mg daily and can't remember more than two colds in over 20 years. It also improves bone strength, flexibility and mobility. Works for me. I'm 66 and work out twice a week at the gym to keep my size 12 and stay in shape. I've never been on any medication.

I swear by First Defence. At first sign of a cold, sore throat for example. I use it that night & 9 times out of ten it's fine by the morning. Maybe coincidence but it works for me.

DH and I haven't had a cold (knock on wood) since we started washing our hands the minute we walk in the door. Supermarkets (carts), restaurants, airplanes and buses are where viruses seem to lurk the most. Besides staying away from sick people, I make it a point to keep my hands away from eyes, nose and mouth and have a bottle of hand sanitizer inside the car. In places like China, people also use face masks, but that's a bit of an extreme, even for me.

The answers as far as I am concerned are washing hands, not touching eyes and nose if you can’t wash your hands, not touching things like door handles in public places or anywhere including at home if someone has a cold and daily ZINC. Since taking zinc daily, (available from supermarkets, Boots etc,) I have had only one cold, which lasted about 2 days.

I'm sorry but a lot of this does sound a bit paranoid to me. I'm amazed at the lengths people go to! I agree with washing hands after the loo and before preparing or eating food. Also think fresh air and avoiding crowded places especially public transport if you can. Other than that I dont do any of these things mentioned and I too haven't had a cold in years! I believe in building up the body's natural defences.