We have been fairly lucky this year in terms of illness. My son and I had some sinus issues in the fall due to our allergies but other than that, no one has been sick. I had hopes that our home would continue to stay healthy til spring allergies rolled around but, of course, that was too much to ask. 4 days ago my son tells me his throat hurts….my first response was to feel his forehead for a fever which was not present. So, what to do next? When you feel a cold coming on, what are the first things you need to do? I have a list of things I do that I wanted to share with you and included a few other handy tips that I found online. Let me know if you have any other suggestions! I would love to know what YOU do when you feel a cold coming on! (and the key is often making sure you keep your house well stocked BEFORE you get sick!)
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When You Feel a Cold Coming On:
1. Reevaluate your to do list: You need to make time to rest so that means when you feel a cold coming on you will not be able to do all 27 things on your to do list. Prioritize. Your health is most important right now and if the clothes stay at the dry cleaners a few more days, they wont care. I promise. For kids, you might want to consider keeping them home from a sports practice or canceling their next play date.
2. Plan on an early bedtime: Your body needs to be well rested and your energy reserves should be recharged with a good night’s sleep. Getting to bed an hour early will give your body the energy it needs to fight off the infection.
3. Start supplying your body with probiotics: When you feel a cold coming on, you probably don’t think about probiotics, right? Aren’t those just for upset stomachs? Honestly, your body gets a huge amount of it’s immunity from your gut. And if your gut flora aren’t healthy, your immune system is not up to par. Kefer, yogurt, and probiotic capsules are always in my fridge and we use them regularly. When you feel a cold coming on, you should start ingesting even MORE!
4. Up the vitamin C: I know, scientific studies have probably shown absolutely no effect of vitamin C on colds right? I don’t believe it. (and I have a science degree…). I really think that vitamin C can help you fight off that infection. Orange juice and fresh grapefruit are great but even if all you do is take a few vitamin C capsules you are better off than taking none at all.

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5. Stay hydrated: Drinking plenty of clear fluids will help keep your body in tip, top shape. It won’t help your body actually fight off the illness but it will cut back on how horrible your symptoms are. Plenty of water will keep mucus flowing easier, thus reducing chest and head congestion. We usually use Emergen-C which is a packet of vitamin C that you dissolve in water. That way we are getting plenty of Vitamin C as well as increasing our fluid intake.
: Cold viruses actually thrive in dry air. The added moisture in the air can help keep the virus from thriving–and help keep your nasal passages from feeling dried out and sore.

What do YOU do when you feel a cold coming on?

Diane is a professional blogger and nationally certified pharmacy technician at Good Pill Pharmacy. She earned her BS in Microbiology at the University of New Hampshire and has worked in cancer research, academics, and biotechnology. Concern over the growing incidence of human disease and the birth of her children led her to begin living a more natural life. She quickly realized that the information she was learning along the way could be beneficial to many others and started blogging and freelance writing to share this knowledge with others. Learn more about her HERE.
I need to share these tips with the people I work with. I stared with the flu 2 weeks ago & I wasn’t here but somehow one of the technicians is managing to spread it because his wife had it. It is so weird how germs work.
I love the first point about reevaluating your to do list – such a great idea for making things go smoother while you’re sick!
Most days, we try to do way too much. when we are sick, it really drains our energy reserves!
So how does the echinacea affect your allergies? I’m interested, because we take it often during cold season.
Another thing we do is take elderberry syrup when a cold is coming on!
I woke up this morning with a headache, sore throat and a cough. I couldn’t have found this post at a better time.
Lots of great ideas I have never thought of. I’m bad for trying to do everything I normally do instead of resting during a cold.
It is hard to just sit back and nap when our to do list is long!