Stopping coughs and colds

[Skibird]

When working in just one office and drinking green tea daily, I went without a cold for 4/5 years, which changed as soon as my role became regional and didn't have my own green to to hand, however, I found taking echinachea, for me anyway, was/is great at building up the immune system.

 

[marshmella]

I used to get bad chesty coughs everytime I got a cold. I would be coughing for a week or more, keeping me awake, keeping my wife awake, coughing so much, so hard I would get a headache and my stomach muscles would hurt. Then I started working awful 12hr rotating shifts but began cycling to work. In fact I found cyclechat and started cycling loads, and since then I rarely get a serious cold and hardly ever do they develop into a cough. I don't know if it is improved fitness or just being out in the bad weather and pollution but these last 8-9yrs have been completely different.

I suggest you just ride your bike much more......

I can relate to this. During the 8 years i was commuting i had very few colds and the ones i did have were far less severe than they used to be. This time last year i changed jobs and wasn't able to cycle to the new place (60 mile round trip with a 7am start) and by early January i was off for a week with a hideous chest infection. I need to start cycling regularly again!

 

[sleuthey]

This works for me.

 

[I like Skol]

I can relate to this. During the 8 years i was commuting i had very few colds and the ones i did have were far less severe than they used to be. This time last year i changed jobs and wasn't able to cycle to the new place (60 mile round trip with a 7am start) and by early January i was off for a week with a hideous chest infection. I need to start cycling regularly again!

Actually, your post got me thinking. I used to drive for a living and would do approx. 40k per year in my van for 13yrs. A 2 year career break as a stay at home dad then the new job with cycle commuting sorted out the cough situation. Maybe the driving thing is the link here? Could it be that spending time in a vehicle is a particularly bad environment (even if this is alone as the only occupant)? I hardly drive now, probably only about 4kpa.

 

[MikeG]

Avoid children (plague carriers)...and people who have children ........

And teachers. And families of teachers. And doctors. And families of doctors.

In fact, it's just so much simpler to avoid humans altogether. The other approach of course is to live in the Arctic or Antarctic, where viruses and other germs can't survive, but you'll have to think hard about your bike tyres, and your layering.

 

[rogerzilla]

Since taking echinacea from Oct-March and keeping santitising hand gel on my desk at work, I've gone from 4-5 colds a year to only one. Echinacea doesn't work for everyone, though.

 

[rogerzilla]

Probably true, although some wild animals seek out and eat echinacea daisies when they're ill.

The best placebo I know is putting your upturned cycling shoes under the bed after a long ride, to avoid night cramps. Never fails.

 

[Nebulous]

I've suffered from bad coughs after a cold most of my life. Cycling has helped, both to reduce the impact of the cold and the frequency of colds. I've always wondered why I always developed a 'chest infection' from a cold, but have come to the conclusion it is in fact asthma. Post-viral asthma is well recognised, even in people with no history of asthma.

See for instance.

https://www.verywellhealth.com/diagnosis-and-treatment-of-viral-induced-asthma-3893088

 

[Globalti]

More likely simple inflammation of the bronchia, generally known as bronchitis. Have you tried ibuprofen? It's an anti-inflammatory.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

If you think that placebos work, but know that they are placebos, can you get the same effect by pretending to take them?

With self reporting, definitely...

 

[User76022]

It's going to be different for everyone and I'm no medical expert, but now that's out the way...

I get the same. I would love to find a way to cure a chesty cough. But I have found a few things that help.

Any form of exercise outdoors helps. I think it's simply down to the vigorous breathing of fresh air literally drying out the excess mucous. Maybe it's not that, but that's my theory.

The obvious stuff like diet. Loads of vitamin C. And curry. Curry is awesome.

But here's the biggy for me. Antacids. I suffer a fair bit with acid reflux. My oesophagus doesn't close properly so acid can get back up. It usually doesn't matter because it's not that bad. But if I develop a cough it becomes self perpetuating. The involuntarily action of coughing violently contracts the abdomen. The resulting burst of pressure forces gastric acid back up my throat. The fumes irritate my throat causing me to cough more. Round and round it goes. Antacids as soon as a cough develops help neutralise the acid, which then doesn't aggravate the problem.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I really dread having colds.

So is there any effective way to reduce the chances of getting a cold?

Yes there is. Spend plenty of time outdoors and get plenty of fresh air. Avoid contact with germ-riddled disease carriers - namely schoolkids and people who work in air-conditioned offices that sneeze and cough all over the place then spread their germs to everyone they spend time in contact with.

 

[ColinJ]

But here's the biggy for me. Antacids. I suffer a fair bit with acid reflux. My oesophagus doesn't close properly so acid can get back up. It usually doesn't matter because it's not that bad. But if I develop a cough it becomes self perpetuating. The involuntarily action of coughing violently contracts the abdomen. The resulting burst of pressure forces gastric acid back up my throat. The fumes irritate my throat causing me to cough more. Round and round it goes. Antacids as soon as a cough develops help neutralise the acid, which then doesn't aggravate the problem.

My late best mate suffered from that and had to have tests every year for Barrett's oesophagus. (He died of an unrelated condition.)

 

[User76022]

My late best mate suffered from that and had to have tests every year for Barrett's oesophagus. (He died of an unrelated condition.)

Thankfully mine isn't bad enough to warrant yearly tests. Most of the time I have no issues with it. Mine only causes problems if I eat too much of the wrong stuff, or if I have a cold or certain other minor ailments that aggravate it.

Sorry to hear about your mate.

 

[ColinJ]

Thankfully mine isn't bad enough to warrant yearly tests. Most of the time I have no issues with it. Mine only causes problems if I eat too much of the wrong stuff, or if I have a cold or certain other minor ailments that aggravate it.

Well, good luck with it - not a nice problem to have!

Sorry to hear about your mate.

Thanks. It was a shock when he died because it was very sudden, but he had renal failure in his mid-40s so to get to 60 with a kidney donated by his dad wasn't bad going really.