Being sick all the time REALLY sucks

I live in NJ. Everyone is always sick right now, including me. Everytime I start to get on track at the gym I get sick. There is nothing medically wrong with me, just a bum immune system. Are there any of you out there with a low resistance to colds? It is really discouraging. I read the last post and figured there might be some of you with some insight on how you overcame this. I mean going through a few months being sick all the time and through supplementation/herbs you overcame it. I did learn this, everytime I go back in to the gym and lift heavy after a lay off I get a cold. I think it would be great If someone could detail an immune system builder for weight lifters who have problems getting colds all the time. Maybe the T-mag guys can help.

John…I was in a similar “sickly cycle” about 12 years ago. Seems like I was always sick. The one thing I have done differently the past five or six years has been to take daily: a multivitamin, 400iu’s of E, 1000mg of C. I have maybe had one cold in the past five years. I live in Pa. so the climates are similar. It’s not the stress, as my current job level is much more stressful than in the past. Eight hours of sleep also.

Believe it or not Zicam (the nasal zinc gel) seems to reduce cold symptoms and duration.
I have experienced it myself and so have many others.
It is worth a try as it is fairly inexpensive.
I have recommended it to ten people thus far, and all have been satisfied with their results. Who knows maybe we have a wicked placebo effect going on out here but I doubt it.

Tried Zicam, great product. The only problem is I am talking about prevention more than how to treat it. You are correct though, Zicam works wonders the first few times but I think it is not as effective If used all the time.

Since I really started cycling my intensity (ala-Ian King) and i take 2-3 days off between each training session, train each body part once/week my gains have been great, my sleep has improved and I have not had the problem of getting sick every time I work out. I used to have the same situation you are describing. Hope this helps.

Robert > I had not thought of that. I usually try to train 2 days in a row. It is especially helpfull during the weekend. Of course then by the middle of the wek I have a cold. Hmm, maybe a pattern. I would still like to see something from T-mag about overall Immune function and health.

Hey, add the vitamin C and E as previously mentioned, but try to add more fresh items to the list. For example when I see that a cold is comming on I usually start consuming lots of raw ginger(not dried, not pickled), and green tea. If you can’t eat it straight, which does require some getting used to, try putting it in a cup of hot water with some honey. The real key though is that its raw, I haven’t had the same affect with other types of ginger. Also make sure your getting 9-10 hours of sleep minimum. Sleep is the best remedy. Or if your really getting bad tryThymic protein. The stuff I’ve tried is from Smart Nutrition(sorry don’t know their URL). You just stick it under your tongue and the next day your fine. I had a sore throat that prevented me from speaking and a fever! Totally cured the next day, which supprised the shit out of me when my friend gave me some. Ive tried it several times and it always works although a package of 30 packets costs about $60. But the most cost effective for me is the ginger, it doestn’t just reduce symptoms it seems to cure it much faster.

So Thymic protein just reduces symptoms? How much ginger would you say? You can get raw ginger at the produce section right?

I agree with JRR on the vitamin E and vitamin C, however I take two 400 i.u. E’s and two 1000 mg. C’s through the course of the day. I also take a mega B (Twinlab) and ZMA. I was much like you in that I would get everything that came around. My doctor who is progressive said for me to start the above to boost my immune system and I haven’t been sick in nearly two years!!!Sleep is important and it is important to make sure you are not overtraining. Hope this helps.

Glutamine! No shit. Everytime I feel a cold coming on, I’ll take 5 grams about 5 times a day on an empty stomach. I feel that it strengthens the immune system. Its worked each time, and I haven’t had a cold in over two years.

This might seem obvious, but wash your hands often–and always, always, always after working out at a gym. The equipment in a typical gym is so rife with germs that you might as well be putting your hands on the rim of a public toilet. Never touch your eyes, nose, or mouth with your bare hands when working out. It’s also good to wash them regularly throughout the day, especially when you have been in contact with people. And Mom was right, wash up before eating. For maximum convenience, you can get a container of waterless hand sanitizer, which is based around alcohol and some kind of gel (glycerine?) that evaporates quickly. As far as herbs go, echinacea, astragalus, and garlic are the most important for immune function.

interesting trick i learned from a biochemist once. when you start to feel yourself coming down with a cold take 2 buffered asprin pills (mine are 325 mg each) and 1000 mg of vitamin C in the morning and at night. do this for 2-3 days and i haven’t had a cold in about 2 years. she explained the mechanism to me, but i forgot it.

theres a product called"cold snap"and I don’t know how to get it unless you live in colorado (we stock up when ever we visit ) but it works like a charm,just start slamming it as soon as you start sneezing. i also stay consistant with antioxidants.