Avoiding Germs During Flight?

[StPeteMark]

On Sunday, we'll be flying to Stowe, Vermont for 5 days of snow-filled fun...a big deal for us native Floridians. :jump

I've been dodging co-workers colds for several weeks trying to keep healthy for the flight.

I would appreciate any advice on avoiding others' unfortunate germs during flight...short of wearing one of those medical face masks. :dunno

Thanks,
StPeteMark
:airplane

PS: We're always braver when the flight is months away. Now, when it's only days away, the nervousness begins. Time to re-assimilate the education and tools learned from FOF sources. Thanks Ray for your book and to others for your helpful feedback on this board. :tiphat

[beaugest]

Mark, we were just talking about pre vacation germs at work yesterday. We have many people of many ages walking through the door here and half of them are sneezing...
I really don't think there's much to be done besides the standards. Load up on vitamin C and carry around those little anti-bacterial bottles that don't need water.
I have friends going skiing in Vermont and it looks like you will have great conditions. Enjoy. keep checking in here if those jitters get started. The support really does help.

[ChiefAtHeart]

I've heard people talk about Airborne. It is supposed to help with avoiding colds. Below is the description from the Walgreens website...

Airborne
Effervescent Health Formula Tablets

10.0 ea.
Price/Unit: $0.70/ea.
Price: $6.99

Sick Of Catching Colds??
Seven Herbal Extracts!
Antioxidants!
Electrolytes!
Amino Acids!
Megadose of Vitamin C!
Tastes Great!
It can be taken at the first sign of a cold symptom, or before entering crowded, potentially germ-infested environments, like airplanes and offices.
Airborne's unique natural formula with 17 active ingredients, offers maximum vitamin and herbal support for hours!
Plus it contains natural ginger for nausea!

Uses

For Use In:
Airplanes.
Offices.
Schools.
Restaurants.
HealthClubs.
Theaters.

Instructions
At the first sign of a cold symptom, simply drop 1 Airborne table in a small amount of plain water, let dissolve(about 1 minute and drink). Repeat every three hours as necessary. Children: one half tablet. As with all dietary supplements, pregnant women or people on medication should consult physician before taking. Sealed with a tamper evident cap for your protection. May be used in hot or cold water.

Active Ingredients
Vitamin A , Vitamin C , Vitamin E , Magnesium , Zinc , Selenium , Manganese , Organic Herbal Extract Lonicera, Forsythia, Schizonepeta, Ginger, Chinese Vitex, Isatis Root, Echinacea , Amino Acids

Ingredients
Citric Acid , Sorbitol , Sodium Bicarbonate , Natural Orange Flavor , Polyethylene Glycol , Aspartame , Mineral Oil , Canola Oil , Riboflavin

[Jeff California]

skip the vitamin supplements. If you drink a 12 pack of Bud Light per day, all cold viruses will die.

Jeff (who hasn't been sick in 99 years)

[Passenger Mark]

Alcohol from the inside out huh Jeff???

ha ha

You know, what I think works best is to go to Costco and get a box of those anti-bacterial wipes.

You catch colds more from the hands than anything you breathe.

[invert29]

Good ole' fashioned soap and water. Wash your hands frequently. Rub the soap on your hands for at least 20 seconds before rinsing. Most sicknesses are caused from viruses, which aren't effected by anti-bacterial things (but are by the alcohol in the wipes...hmmm Jeff may have a point).:D

I have heard good things about Airborne as well but haven't tried it. If I feel a cold coming on, I usually load (1000-1500mg/day) up on Vit C and zinc tablets and that seems to work.

[Strange333]

I have found Zocam (something like that, it has a lot of Zinc) works very, very well. Get the nose swabs (I know it is gross) and start using those now! They work like a charm. I used to use them all winter in Ohio because I was always getting a cold.

By the way...YOU'RE GOING SOMEPLACE COLD, I MEAN ON PURPOSE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Nich

[StPeteMark]

Yes, going for the cold...we bake in an oven for most of the year and snow is a novelty for us! (I didn't see snow until I was 35.) And after surviving four hurricanes :thundercloud , we seek the calm of white-blanketed landscapes. :hyped

Hmmm...lets see...it boils down to washing hands frequently and then making a choice between vita/supplements and BEER? That's a tuff one...seeing that Cal. Jeff has been around for 99 years makes a good case for BEER!?! :cheers

Bud has or is coming out with a beer with caffeine...maybe I should suggest bottling beer in zinc cans and adding Vit. C for the winter season? In the meantime, I'll just chug a beer and bite down on an orange slice!

Thanks for your suggestions! I already do the hand thing and beer...maybe need to increase the frequency of the latter? I'll look into the other healthy items.

I think I'm more worried about the health of the passengers around me than the flight itself. I have the worst luck in public places - those sniffling coughing people with gurgling-filled lungs always seem to seek me out...quietly...then attack from behind with a surprise blast into the air with their symptoms! :blech

Anyway, I need to stop worrying and concentrate on my FF tools. Note to me: I WILL stay healthy and I WILL have a good flight experience!!! :nod

Thanks again,
StPeteMark
:airplane

[Jeff California]

hahahahaha beer with caffeine?

[StPeteMark]

Here the Bud with caffeine:
www.anheuser-busch.com/ne...100404.htm (http://www.anheuser-busch.com/news/BtoE_100404.htm)

And it also has good stuff! ginseng and guarana (???)
This beer is at the cutting edge for those in the fast lane - at 6.6% alcohol, it won't take many to get a buzz! :crazy


Anheuser-Busch’s ‘BE’ Takes Beer to a New Level


ST. LOUIS (Oct. 4, 2004) - B-to-the-E (BE), Budweiser's newest entry in a long line of innovative beers by Anheuser-Busch, is a distinctive new product for contemporary adults who are looking for the latest beverage to keep up with their highly social and fast-paced lifestyles.

As the industry leader, Anheuser-Busch is the first major brewer to infuse beer with caffeine, guarana and ginseng. Well balanced with select hops and aromas of blackberry, raspberry and cherry, BE will offer a lightly sweet and tart taste - a great mixture of beer and new flavors for adults to enjoy when out with friends at a club or at a bar after work with colleagues.

Brewed at Anheuser-Busch's Houston brewery, BE will be packaged in a sleek, slim-line 10-ounce can with stylish graphics. BE will be launched in multiple phases throughout the year in markets across the country.

"Contemporary adults thirst for variety and what's new, and our B-to-the-E delivers a beverage that is true to their lifestyles and range of drinking occasions," said Pat McGauley, senior director of New Products and High End Brands, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. "Our new B-to-the-E provides caffeine, guarana, and ginseng in a great tasting beer."

BE will be priced slightly higher than Budweiser and marketed through local print advertising, point-of-sale materials, bar and club promotions and online programs. BE will contain 6.6 percent alcohol by volume.

"We created a great new drink that's outside the boundaries of the taste adults would expect from a traditional beer," said Nathaniel Davis, brewmaster, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. "With B-to-the-E, we've come up with a beer that has a taste with a 'wow' factor at the finish."

[Jeff California]

holy cow! getting drunk and a caffeine high at the same time. This might become my favorite breakfast.

Now, if only they would put vitamin B's in the beer to offset the deficiences.:cheers

[mindymoo 2]

Strange - what the heck are nose swabs? and what exactly do you do with them and what are they supposed to do for you?? ????

~ Mandy ~
( feeling very thick at this moment!) :ukflag

[invert29]

A stimulant and a depressant in the same bottle?? Can't be good. Don't think I will be trying that one soon. Now, put it in a Guiness...:p

[StPeteMark]

Airborne, which I never heard of, must be very popular...checked four drug stores before we left for Vermont - all four were out!

I did get Zicam nose swabs...popular too, but were in stock. This medication is zinc based. They also have other zinc products in pumps and sprays.

www.zicam.com/site/produc...flash.html (http://www.zicam.com/site/products/swabs_flash.html)

In addition, I got Cold-Eeze lozenges (zinc based) and Vitamin C tabs. I also washed my hands when possible and kept them away from my face. Also, one Michelob Ultra per day. :cheers

So far, I have stayed healthy in spite of cold weather and sick people around me. Luck is a factor, but probably these minerals/vitamins/beer and frequent hand washing played a role? :think

StPeteMark
:airplane

[Debbielevis2]

Mark

Welcome back -- great pics!!! Cold, though - brrrr. You need to come to Phoenix next month.

Avoiding germs? Well, c'mon now - alcohol kills germs. :cheers Period. Need I say anything else?

Deb

[StPeteMark]

Mark Welcome back -- great pics!!! Cold, though - brrrr. You need to come to Phoenix next month. Avoiding germs? Well, c'mon now - alcohol kills germs. :cheers Period. Need I say anything else? Deb

Deb, great reason for more to come to Phoenix! :pompoms:

Update on Zicam swabs...still so far, so good; they have worked well along with other preventative measures! :)

StPeteMark
:airplane: