In the last nine years I have had one actual cold, tho scores
of attempted colds where the symptoms generally disappear within
an hour. Whenever I experience persistently itching eyes,
repeated sneezing and/or the start of a runny nose, I take my
cold remedies. They must be taken within the first hour or
less of symptom appearance (I keep some by my bedside to take
in the middle of the night.) Generally one batch does it,
but if symptoms reappear hours later, I merely repeat;
occasionally I take about one batch a day for a week or more.
The list:
Vitamin C 3 grams
Echinacea (LEF) 2 250 mg
Olive leaf extract (d-lenolate) (LEF) 1-2 500 mg
Vit A 25,000 IU
Colostrum (New Life) 2x 480mg
Feverfew (Herbal Factors) 125mg
Astragalus (Nature's Way) 3 x 470mg
It works for me. Even my wife takes them as needed, and she disbelieves in
alternative medicine and avoids taking supplements.
Bob Spencer

[Thanks for the input, Bob. Since I take many of those myself and have
researched the others before, I am certainly prepared to accept that the above
remedy works. Both Kitty and I rarely get anything that resembles a cold
(although she tends to have a little bit of runny nose when in Casa Grande,
likely as a mild allergic response), but then we usually are able to quickly get
rid of it, unless (as you point out) we are so busy that we delay therapy. We
already take both olive leaf extract and astralagus daily. Possibly you are
taking the feverfew for reduction of headache accompanying a cold, because I am
not aware of any immune benefit from it. For the Colostrum, I know about it, but
have never had sufficient need to try it. The only item in your list that I
would recommend against is the 25,000 IU of vitamin A, but it may be of some
anti-cold benefit and if it is rarely taken then I don't expect it will harm you
much. --Paul]

[As a personal example, I last took a dose of our "emergency" items about 10
days ago when I awoke one morning feeling a hint of a scratchy throat. It was
gone a few hours later and I never did take a second dose. The periodic runny
nose I get in the windy and flowering times in Casa Grande is much less than
what I had when Paul and I first met. Then I had terrible sinus congestion and
drip for which I took anti-histimines and at the worst times would irrigate my
sinuses daily until the symptoms lessened. This even continued (much to Paul's
frustration :) for a couple of years, but finally began to lessen and I have not
used my nasal irrigator for at least 18 months now. **Kitty]