Probably the nth cold treatment thread

[Robson Valley]

The production of Vitamin D requires sunlight.
It is a modern fact of life that people from Northern countries do not spend enough time outdoors for their vitamin D requirements.
Taking a Vitamin D supplement is recommended by the real nutritional experts all over the world.

When we don't get enough of everything, our immune system is starving and we can't make the antibodies needed to fight off (potential) infections of one kind of nasty shirt or another.

 

[Toddy]

Basically exactly what Janne and Robson Valley said

We need sunlight, and in our climate that bright shiny yellow ball thing is a rare visitor in the sky.

Cow's milk is often fortified with Vitamin D, but surpringly high numbers of folks in Northern Europe can't digest milk comfortably.

 

[Corso]

Cow's milk is often fortified with Vitamin D

not in the UK

we do lack Sunshine not sunlight

UV-B doesn't care that much about clouds and I can't find a single academic paper that suggests our southern european friends have any anti-viral benifits from their place of residance

 

[Robson Valley]

Vitamins in enzymes for human biochemistry are like the tips of screwdrivers.
Meant for very specific jobs and no others. No, can't skip a step.
VIrus and bacterial infections hit incompetent immune systems most easily.
Plus, you can't stockpile vitamins. Some, in large quantity, are quite toxic.
Plus, a very stressful environment stimulates the human biochemistry to excrete vitamins that you needed!

Constant intake is a dietary requirement. Humans are built as omnivores. Do it.

One of the very best techniques which will reduce the risk of winter colds and flu?
Never touch you eyes or your nose with your fingers. Always use a tissue. Make that a habit.
A university is a crowded hot-bed of infections, borderline epidemics.
In 34 years of post secondary teaching and research, I took 3 sick days.

 

[Janne]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18767337

Just one quick one.

The problem in the Northern parts of Europe ( plus the northern parts of the World, plus the equivalent parts of the Southern Hemisphere):

Short daylight parts of each 24 hour day.
We spend those few hours indoors

People with very light skin have a better formation of Vit D then people with darker skin. People with African heritage of course, but even from the Indian subcontinent plus Southern Europeans AND Northern Europeans with darker skin have a low Vit D formation.

I am extremely light skinned, and have been given Vit D supplements by dad ( med dr) all my time in Scandinavia.

At a congress a couple of years ago I sat at a very interesting lecture.
The researcher showed of how much Vit D deficiency people with African or even part African, heritage suffer from.
Basically the majority of them with indoor jobs, in a line above Massachusetts or mid Europe are deficient.

Even ethnic Brits have increasing problems. Vit D deficiency, resulting in Ricketts, is on the increase in UK. amongst children. Recent studies showed that Ricketts in UK today is higher than 50 years ago.

Children stay indoors, do not eat fatty fish or liver.

I believe they talk about adding it to more foods, like in Northern Scandinavia?

The thoughts are that Vit D is hugely important in preventing cancers and a plethora of other diseases and illnesses.

 

[Toddy]

British milk is 'sometimes' enriched with Vitamin D.
https://www.arlafoods.co.uk/overvie...enriched-fresh-milk-launched-in-asda-1743222/
I agree with Corso that it's not usually the case as it is in other countries, but it is available. One glassful apparently = half of an adult's daily requirements. If only I could drink milk without feeling really nauseous

 

[Robson Valley]

I take the Vitamin D supplement pills 2 x 1,000 IU. They're just little bitty things. D3 Calciferol if my memory serves.
You can get a sort of an idea what to do, based on body mass. Doctors do the same.
They want to see you with ever so slightly more than you need. I am a slothful 84kg/185lb/13st3lb
As I said, you don't stockpile vitamins, you excrete the excess. No big deal.

I'm one of the fortunates who can prevent depression with 2 x 150 mg Magnesium Citrate per day.
Massive UK study less than 2(?) years ago. Really cheap fix. Some meds wash Mg++ out of your system.
Take one per day for a month and see how you feel ( I was noticibly OK). The best in the study was 2 x 125mg /day.

Plus my physical repair back in August, I'm going to roar through this winter's snow in a fantastically good mood.

 

[Toddy]

Sorry RV, but you've lost me. Magnesium Citrate is a laxitive here.
It usually results in a bowel movement within a couple of hours.
It's not something usually taken long term, iimmc ?

We've really taken this thread OT.

 

[Janne]

Well, Vit D is important for our immune system, and a fully functioning immune system will to some extent protect us from viruses like the common ‘cold’ virus!

Alcohol does not cure or alleviate the symptoms, but acts as a relaxant.

 

[Robson Valley]

Low dose Mg citrate perks up the psychosomatic responses.
Don't touch your eyes or nose with your bare hands.

Unlike internet preachings, text books are peer reviewed, often by committee.
Read something about Vitamin D and the analogues. I take Vitamin D3 which is effective.
There's no reason to endure the court of public opinion when all the biochemistry you will ever need
is stacked in shelves in university bookstores.

 

[Corso]

Vit D deficiency Is a bit of a problem in the UK and is as much an effect of the cover up/slap on sunscreen campaign to reduce skin cancer risk than the weather. Combine this with the fear installed in adults that its safer if their kids sit in front of the TV/PC/Games console indoors all day than go outside any play there's no wonder.

Go outside in sunlight and brave the weather preferably without being completely covered up and you'll be fine, might even enjoy it!

 

[Woody girl]

I read something a while back about people who live in the north suffer from vit D deficiency more than those from the south of Britain.
I always fancy liver and onions when the early dark nights and dark mornings begin at the start of winter.
Liver has a lot of vitamin D so I think it's my body telling me to top up. You need vit D to absorb vit C properly.

 

[Janne]

Beef, Calf, Pork or Lamb?

Myself, I am a dedicated Beef liver fan.
Have never tasted Lamb ( wish I could) though.

I also eat a fair bit of Cod Liver. Wonderful stuff. Gently boiled, then drizzled with hot, finely chopped bacon, including the melted fat.. steamed potatoes ( in skin) and steamed carrots!

Food for the Gods!

 

[Robson Valley]

Lamb liver is very cheap here, nobody wants it. Extremely mild, even smothered in bacon and onions.
One day, we made lamb's liver pate'. No real economic loss if we bombed it.
Hit a home run instead. Wonderful creation with the faintest flavor of lamb over the liver.

Northern hemisphere winter is here. My plan is to cook well and eat very well with the best of nutrition in mind.
That includes the odd hit of fish & chips and a pint in the pub. Probably the best things I can do to ward off respiratory infections.
Out comes the cold air humidifier this week. New foam wick, etc. Bad static in dry air can kill off modern electronics.
Plus, it alleviates the threat of dry throats and diseases.

 

[Toddy]

I think your continental northern hemispheric Winter's a tad different from ours though.
Ours is generally sodden wet, and it's dehumidifiers that we need, not something to put more moisture into the air. Probably why colds and flu are so prevalent, all that moist air around.

M

 

[Robson Valley]

Odd but dry air is the factor here.
Big elementary school, some 500 kids, classes of 30 or so.
1/2 the school forced hot air heating system got a water injection humidifier (kept a secret).
The other 1/2 of the school was left dry as usual.
Records kept of illness absentees. 3X in the dry section.
So the School Board did this test in 9 other big schools = same results.

I have had more than 30 years of university level students to examine.
In September, first class, I would describe the epidemic that would be coming in February.
Several things to do to try to lessen the effects or avoid it.
My prediction was always 100% correct and I'd remind the survivors of it.

I don't use the exhaust fan in the bathroom after a winter shower.
I have a little fan on the floor to boost that hunid air out into the house.
Also dries the bathroom walls, too.

1. There's the stress thing excreeting vitamins. Human biochemical fact. Take a vitamin supplement.
I don't care how good a cook you think you are ( and I'm very good at it.) I use Centrum 50+.

2. Wash your hands a lot. Use soap. 30 seconds by the clock is not a big piece of your life.

3. Don't touch your nose or your eyes with your fingers. Always use a tissue.
Yeah, so it costs a little more = cheap insurance.

4. Eat as great a variety of foods as you can. Try to eat a piece of fruit every day.
Booth Ranch navel oranges are grown in California. They are heaven on earth. CaraCara are almost as good.
Papaya? Mango? Star fruit? Lots of red and green grapes? Bananananaas? Apples?

My kids could inhale a box of Mandarin oranges almost daily if I let them. Never said no.
Huge fluid and Vitamin C hit. Good food. I rejected all criticism.

While the world is drowning in snot around you, keep up the fruit juice and good food intake.

Happy Solstice, too.

 

[Janne]

Yep, the British Isles humidity wintertime is horrible. I always felt my nasal passages were swollen because of this, plus my weak lungs irritated.
no colds though, just a nasty feeling after spending some hours outside.
I imagine those tissues were easily attacked and penetrated by the viruses?

I am very light skinned too. The locals called me 'bambino bianco' when we resided in the camp outside Napoli.

So far, I am lucky, I only had to enjoy two operations on my face. One was specially enjoyable. 4 hour op in Miami by a renowned Plastic surgeon.
Infiltrative Aggressive Basal Cell Carcinoma.
Had my wife not told me to see my GP, I would probably have lost my eye and a large chunk of my visage. Not that it would make me any uglier!

Veganism and Vegetarianism is increasing hugely. I expect we will see an explosion of medical problems connected to lack of nutrients.
It takes a lot of knowledge to eat correctly.

I do not know the nutritional value of fruits and veg grown hydroponically vs marginal, depleted soils, vs good soils.

@Paul_B, are you getting over the cold?

 

[Robson Valley]

The hydroponic stuff is OK, especially when you are looking for winter variety.
Hydroponic radishes beat the hello out of dirt radishes for taste.
Lettuce is pale. I suspect the varieties all need more degree-days than a greenhouse with lights can supply.
Tomatoes have been better since growers began to fertilize the air with carbon dioxide that they can buy from the breweries.

Humans are omnivores. Our anatomy and biochemistry is living proof.
I say that as plants use the sugar made in photosynthesis as the power, in turn, to build everything a plant needs.
However, plants are usually low in the amino acid Lysine.
In both enzymes and structure, humans use a lot of Lysine which they can't make = must come from food we eat.

We owe it to ourselves not to subconciously starve ourselves of essentials.
One very good way to avoid getting sick in the first place.

 

[Paul_B]

For some reason I get a day of a cold coming from nowhere and blowing up big. Then next day I feel better with just a slight leaking nose. Colds used to take best part of a week to die down. A year ago that changed to feeling cold then the cold blows the next day and third day I'm back to normal.

 

[Janne]

No allergies? Sounds like it may have an allergic component.