I always catch something when I fly. Every time I get on a plane, I make sure I pack cold & flu medicine because I know I'll be sick for the next week. I told my doctor about it because I was wondering if I could get a hold of something over the counter to help. I know in the US they sell things that are supposed to help. He told me to buy Vicks First Defense (which is available in the UK over the counter, but as of last November, was not available in the US). It's a nasal spray that you don't inhale. You simply squirt it into the side of your nostril a couple of times and wait a few seconds before you take a breath through your nose (avoiding taking a deep breath for a few minutes - I once inadvertently inhaled it and let me tell you, it was painful so take my word for it - don't inhale it). The spray is supposed to form a thin layer of gel at the back of the nose, where it should trap the virus, disarm it and help the body to flush it out. I was hesitant when I went to buy it as it was expensive (over £7.00 for a small bottle). If my doctor wasn't the one who told me to buy it, I probably would have left it, but since it was recommended by my GP, I decided £7.00 was not a lot to pay to stop from getting sick. I used it on a flight to the States and that trip was the one and only time I didn't spend my first week in NJ, sick as a dog. As a side note, my nose gets terribly dry when I fly and it helped with that as well. The next trip I used it as well, but was unknowingly already suffering from strep throat and as soon as we landed, came down with a high fever and the worst sore throat of my life. I was confined to my mother's house (sick and contagious for a week).
The first bottle I bought lasted me ages so as it turned out, it wasn't too much to pay at all. I use it when I'm around sick kids as well. You are supposed to use it at the first sign of having a cold to stop it in its tracks. I can't say I've tried it before as I'm usually taking care of a sick kid that already has a cold & too busy to take care of myself. My son has had a cold for three days now. I spent the whole of last week sick with a stomach bug of some sort and have no interest in spending this week sick again. So, today when I felt a sore throat and nasal congestion coming on, I ran for the First Defense. My husband has the same symptoms as I do, but won't try the First Defense as he thinks 'it's too late for such rubbish' I'll keep you updated (in the comments section of this post) and let you know if it actually stops my cold in its tracks and if my husband ends up worse off.
The other mother and I went into the school to meet with the teacher and the assistant head. We both let them know how upset we were that we were not informed that our children were sent to the office and how much we were against the children being allowed to play fighting games on the playground. I told them I wouldn't allow it at home and I'm really unhappy that it's being allowed at school. They admitted it was a problem and explained that they are planning to introduce a a scheme to teach the children to play in a safe way. They will be calling it 'Super Hero Training'. They plan to give out capes & masks out to children who behave well as rewards at playtime. They will have assemblies where they will teach the children to play fighting games without making contact. I find this to be absurd. The problem has gone on to long and I doubt they will be able to teach little children to change their games when they have sixty other childr...
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You are supposed to use it for 3 days so I will update again to let you know if my cold progresses.
Now I'm over here in the US on a business trip, coming down with a cold and - you guessed - I left the stuff at home. And amazingly it doesn't still seem to be on sale here. Very odd.
At the first sign of feeling woozy, a bit sick or sneezy we take it and it is a MIRACLE !. I also recommend taking Sambucol which is a liquid made from black elderberry. It tastes so delicious my children sometimes pretend to be ill just to have it !
3 days ago I got a serious headache and in the following hour my throat started hurting and I felt dizzy. An hour after that my nose started running and I felt terrible but I used First defence a few more times than they actually recommend and I woke up in brilliant health !