This really does work!

Cold viruses transmit themselves mostly when you pick them up on your hands and then rub your eyes or pick your nose, giving them a direct route to the nasal lining where they multiply in the warm damp conditions. This is why you should always wash your hands first thing on getting into your house especially from shopping and public transport.

I’ve tried this three times now and it really works: as soon as you get that heady dizzy feeling, sore throat and mild fever and you start sneezing, you need to take urgent action to prevent the virus from multiplying.

First get a bottle of Corsodyl mouthwash. It’s expensive in Boots, cheaper in supermarkets and even cheaper in places like Bodycare Toiletries. Gargle with this four times a day, covering your mouth with a tissue because it’s very bubbly. At the same time get a small bottle of Vicks First Defence or the Boots own equivalent. This is a solution of saline with carrageenan gel to make it gooey. It works by mimicking the body’s own defence: snot. Follow the instructions and spray it up each nostril, it isn’t too bad and what it does is to trap the viruses in a hostile gooey solution and carry them away down your throat where you swallow them and your stomach acid deals with them. I also take zinc tablets because there is evidence that zinc reinforces the ability of the nasal mucosa to resist infection. Don’t bother with vitamin C, this particular fallacy has grown up because researchers discovered that your ability to absorb vitamin C is reduced when you have a cold; there’s no medical evidence that taking it helps stave off a viral infection.

Keep gargling and squirting and stay warm. I also think a good sweat in a hot bath raises the body’s temperature and helps kill off viruses but I may be wrong on that one.

It works!

I’ve tried this three times now and it really works:

3 times ay. Well I convinced he’s found the cure for the common cold, all those millions spent by pharmaceutical giants and you’ve found it by testing it 3 times. 😀

Me, I’ve had one cold in about the last 5 years possibly longer.

is this copied and pasted from one of those facebook ‘hit like’ things? if it is real you are extremely paranoid…

cordosyl as an antiviral against the common cold… hmmm… about that…

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=067ZRcsrdeM[/video]

I think you’ve just got lucky 3 times, and are using a couple of things that are masking symptoms a bit. No bad thing.

“you need to take urgent action to prevent the virus from multiplying”

That needs antivirals, I’m afraid.

I’ve got orange snot at the moment, like Drac it was about 5 years ago that I last had a serious bout of disco snot. I’ll stick with the eat well and get some exercise routine all the same.

My first cold in three years is just about on the end stages. Borderline migraine headache, sinus pain, cheery cough and got sent home from work when a fellow nurse checked my obs. Blood pressure was high 160/100, pulse 105, oxygen saturation 94% and 38.9 temperature. Had better observation levels post op.

Fever was nearly as bad as when I had a massive kidney infection.

Two paracetamol and two ibuprofen four hourly has helped. Don’t wanna ride my bike yet because of the high pulse.

the best way to stay healthy is to avoid all those chemicals

Well I convinced he’s found the cure for the common cold, all those millions spent by pharmaceutical giants

You honestly think the common cold costs “pharmaceutical giants” money?

… all those millions spent banked by pharmaceutical giants selling paracetamol-based lemony-sippy products at £4 a pop.

I guess that’s true! A pill to beat the common cold would sell well but sales of highly profitable “remedies” would plummet and worse still, the cold virus might become extinct!

I don’t mind getting colds…..nice to have a bit of feet up time.

I’m trying out the Boots First Defence stuff as we speak. Mrs Davesport has bee ill for a week. I started using as soon as I got the tickly throat. So far it appears to be working & it’s not getting any worse. 😀

get drunk.
you’ll feel worse, but it’ll be the hangover not the cold that hurts.
your body will stop pointlessly trying to fight the cold and just give in to it meaning it will be over quicker.

I think i’ll stick with my vit C boosters as soon as I start feeling a bit under the weather despite what the ‘experts’ say. Its not the first time experts have been wrong. It seems to have worked for me – or its an effective placebo at least – and staved off full-on cold or man-flu for about 5 or so years since i’ve been doing it.

Corsodyl is anti-bacterial so will have no effect on viruses living in your throat and nasal passages where its not even getting to. But i’ve heard from others that Vic’s First Defence is good. I think whatever works for the individual is fine as alot of this is phycological. A mate of mine swore by Chicken Soup. He thought it had magical abilities to fight off colds and flu.

Of course it does! The chicken has to be slaughtered facing the river in the smoke of burning camphor wood while you mutter voodoo incantations.

Im in the midst of a particularly snotty, blocked sinus, ears, eyes, cough smegma of a cold and I have to say, if personal medical care included frequent

gargling and squirting

, I might not be so keen to get better…

You honestly think the common cold costs “pharmaceutical giants” money?

No which is why I never said it did.

I just wish this one would bugger off – symptoms as described by bwfc4eva868 – first real one I’ve had for a few years.

PS. Was coincidentally swilling Corsodyl three times daily in the run-up to the cold as it developed (see my wisdom tooth extraction thread), with no discernable preventative effect, I’m happy to report.

Not only does anecdote not equal evidence, you have some counter anecdote to deal with.

Two weeks off the bike so far, just as the weather is on the turn. Grrrrrr…

the best way to stay healthy is to avoid all those chemicals

Probably the best advice, I wouldn’t be surprised if all these cold/flu remedy’s actually had something in them to make it worse or last longer!

I always find a curry with loads of garlic added sorts most colds out pretty quickly. And the getting drunk tip has actually worked a few times 😆

THe only time I tried First Defence, it wrecked my nasal passages and made me really ill.

Won’t touch it again. Berocca (well, Tescos own brand identical but half the price) for me.

Drink wheat beer, Erdinger if you want alcohol free. The poly-wot sit content has worked for me whilst the other 3 members of the house have been coughing through antibiotics.

The frequent hand washing bit may help though…