Combat the Common Cold

It’s really hard to avoid the cold and flu season without catching something, especially if you work in an office environment. Last week something was “going around” at work, so this week i got to experience it first hand. Even if it is just a cold, it’s enough to make me miserable for at least two days. Determined to fight the cold off, I tried a few products that were suppose to help shorten the common cold.

One was Airborne that is basically herbs that are suppose to help boost your immune system. You should really take this as a preventive measure and now when you’re sick. Zicam is another product I tried. You start taking Zicam at the onslaught of your cold and continue to take 48 hours after your symptoms have passed.

While I’ve heard success stories from both of these products, I’m remain skeptical just how well they actually work. A friend took Zicam and said it definitely helped shorten the time he was sick. Here is what works best for me: orange juice.

Usually I buy a gallon of orange juice when I’m sick. Juice is good for you and especially when you are sick. It seems to help me get well faster and makes me feel better while I’m sick. The friend who praised Zicam drinks orange juice like most people drink sodas, so I have a feeling that Zicam might be getting the credit for OJ. I

It appears Zicam is packed with Vitamin C, so the best way to combat a cold is to get a lot of Vitamin C either by juice or tablet.

Weight Loss Benefits for Women

After a bout of breast cancer last year, I decided to lose weight. No one advised me to do this. At 175 lbs. and rising to a height of about 5′ 4″, I was well aware of the extra poundage. It was mostly around the middle, too, making me a candidate for heart disease. But it was the cancer that gave me the incentive. My thinking went thus: I have cancer cells running around my body (probably). I was too chicken to take chemotherapy, which would have killed those nasty little time bombs (maybe). If a cancer cell takes hold and tries to multiply again, I want to be in the best possible healthy condition for my body to fight it off.

Not very scientific, but the logic worked for me. When the radiation treatments ended in early February this year, I began experimenting with a combination of increasing walking and decreasing food intake. I cut out all alcohol and sweets (empty calories). The only food I allowed myself was high in protein, low in fats and salt. I found if I paid attention to the protein rather than the calories or carbohydrates, I could stave off hunger and have enough energy every day.

The other half of the weight loss “secret” formula is to increase the calorie outgo by exercising more most days. A combination of circumstances limits me to walking for my health. So, I gradually increased the length of my morning perambulation around the neighborhood. Eventually I added a second walk in the late afternoon. Then I had to increase the length of both walks to keep the weight loss going. About a pound every 7-10 days fell away without much effort.

After the first 20 pounds were gone, I had an appointment with my surgeon. The health care workers always take a blood pressure reading. To my surprise, mine had dropped into the “normal” range at last. It was more of a drop than I had seen when I started taking a blood pressure medication after the surgery. What a nice bonus, I thought.

Now, more than 30 pounds lighter, I had an appointment with the oncologist last month. He complimented me on the loss of poundage. I told him that I knew it was silly, but I hoped slimming down would somehow help me combat any more cancer attacks on my body. He surprised me with the information that weight is a definite factor associated with women’s risk of having breast cancer. And having it again. More delight!

So, in addition to have a “new” wardrobe (one that I haven’t been able to wear for years), I hope to get off the blood pressure medication, saving some money, and remain cancer-free. I learned from Kaiser Permanente’s health information that other factors influencing breast cancer are alcohol and hormone replacement therapy (both of which I indulged in just prior to the tumor showing up on a mammogram).