Anyone tried Zicam?

[aeroangie]

Last night, I started getting a really bad sore throat. I thought a cold must be brewing. I woke up cold and hot all night and started using Zicam nasal swabs. Today, the throat pain was relaced by scratchiness and itching in the ears which was more tolerable and I have used Zicam all day periodically. No nasal stuffiness yet, but I can tell I am fighting something. So, now, I have taken a mega dose of vitamin C, took some zinc supplements and am drinking diet green tea (Lipton's -not great but I already had it in pantry and it's appealing to me a lot more than plain water right now.)

Is there any hope that I won't get this cold? Has anyone tried this stuff?

Thanks!

[mike_d]

Yeah, I have used the Zicam Gel (same as swabs), knocks a cold out in about 12 hours by blocking the receptor sites in the nose and throat the virus uses to replicate. No good for flu though. Check in the general health thread.

[aeroangie]

I will! THANKS!

[mike_d]

I did a search for more info:Why colds in Winter? Under ideal conditions at room temperatures, viruses can remain infective for about one week. Exposure to sunlight drastically reduces the length of time flu viruses can remain infective.
At cold temperatures, in feces, the virus can survive for weeks. aav.orghttp://www.commoncold.org/undrstn3.htm

http://www.commoncold.org/undrstnd.htm

One nasty cold I think I caught from the local AFB made the news by putting military recruits in the hospital. It went away with Zicam, then came back worse so I had to treat it for another day to be rid of it-- it seemed like SARS to me.

[aeroangie]

I only have a slight cold today. I could tell it was going to be horrendo if not for the zicam.

Am wondering if I should continue the vitamin C mega doses and the extra zinc supplements also? I want to make sure I kick this things ~$$!

[mike_d]

I found timed release C and zinc to be an expensive placebo-- I don't even take C anymore and have since not been ill (over a year). I had a touch of the Flu twice, threw it off and ended up getting the shot last month during my anual health check-up.

I don't think it would hurt to keep taking it though. Since starting IF almost two years ago I haven't been sick-- even cuts and scrapes heal in 2 - 3 days when it used to take a week or more provided infection didn't set in.

[aeroangie]

Mike - what is IF?