Multi-vitamin, C, Zinc

I think I would talk about those symptoms with a doctor. Standard blood tests don't check for everything and the chronic nature of your illness would suggest that something is not quite right.

I take olive leaf on someone’s recommendation from here. I think funs advice is good.

On the counter at home we have a jar of honey-ginger-lemon tonic. It is basically a mason jar that you fill with alternating layers of chopped ginger and diced lemon(including the peel), then you pour local honey over it to fill all the nooks and crannies. Let it sit at least over night. Start each day with a spoonful in boiling water. If you have that 'tickle' that makes you think you could be getting a sore throat you can also eat a spoonful.

If we are sick, I make a big pot of 'immunity soup'

If my youngest(who had a fragile immune system when he was a toddler but is now 16 and strong as an ox) started to get sick more than I think is right, he would go back on the treatments that got him well in the first place. This would include this supplementand going to the acupuncturist, where he gets cupping, moxabustion and acupuncture.

Echinacea and Zinc every day.

I get a flu shot every year. Other than vaccines, I don't think that there's anything that you can take, such as a vitamin that will "improve" or "boost" your immune system.

Here's some interesting science based reading

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/more-boosting/

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/boost-your-immune-system/

I am not disparaging your hygiene habits, but wash your hands more and keep your hands away from your face. Your “strong as ox” gymnast daughter might be bringing germs home from all the things she touches at the gym.

Localeater’s tonic sounds delicious, I might just start doing that. I realized that I only drink plain water and one cup of tea a day, no other liquids, and sometimes I want more flavor or something to look forward to as a treat. Ginger, lemon, honey sounds like a treat to me. If it has healthy properties, too, that will be a bonus.

How many IUs of Vitamin D are you taking each day?

Not really. Eat well, exercise, plenty of sleep, etc. There was a doctor on the local news yesterday talking about this. As HH said, washing your hands is very important, especially during flu season. I also take the flu vaccine each year, and this year I took the sambulcol liquid a few weeks. My dad was having surgery, the flu shot didn't work so well this year, and I felt like I needed extra protection. I don't take vitamins, but I should probably look into Vitamin D. The ginger/lemon/honey water does sound good.

I take a multi vitamin (Alive brand was recommended by my personal trainer as a good cheap one- I’m not interested in the $200/month brands), CoQ10, and that’s it for supplements and medications. I’m post menopause, too. Also, you may be over-estimating your quality of sleep. Menopause changes a lot of things in your body, and you might be waking much more than you realize. Stay well!

Im taking 1000 IU vitamin D.

Just coincidentally bought the Alive multi vitamin as it has zinc and selenium in it, which are two things I see often recommended but aren’t included in a lot of the multi vitamins. After running around this morning, I took one of my new vitamins and made myself a smoothie with lots of frozen berries, kale, and plain Greek yogurt. I’ll be “strong as ox” soon! ;-)

DH has some kind of virus right now (I don’t think it’s the flu, no fever) so I’m wiping everything with chlorox wipes and washing my hands 20x a day... more worried about gymnast daughter really, as she has a meet this weekend.

Gonna look up that sambucol now...

This winter I upped my Vitamin d to 5000 IU, and added Vitamin C and a sambucol tablet once a day for 30 days. I also take a probiotic mostly year round. I do think there is some evidence of a healthy gut, healthy immune system connection. So far, so good and I just spent a week around the hospital and a rehab center with my mom without getting sick. Washing hands and not touching your face is key.

Mostly food related although I do take vitamin D and E. I like whole grapefruits for snacks, lots of vegetables at meals, little processed food, good organic seeded wheat bread, that sort of thing.

I'm not crazy about it though. I think not washing your hands is a better idea though.

Actually although we are tidy, I am not obsessive about challenges to my immune system. I have eaten left-overs significantly older than three days, I will pick up something off the floor and eat it, I eat very rare meat, I wasn't obsessive at the gym about cleaning off equipment, I take public transportation and all sorts of things.

I say this all the time but the polio epidemics of the 1950s were cause by too rapid increases in residential and street sanitation and a shift to bottle feedings. They were caused by people getting too clean, not being dirty.

I was taking a Sambucol tablet every day until they were no longer on the shelves or available online. They were mentioned in a NY Times article and suddenly they couldn't keep up with demand. The main ingredient is Elderberry concentrate so I just take a couple of teaspoons of that each day. We are fortunate to have it made locally. My Grandmother made it too and she was never sick.

I take a multivitamin, probiotic, and elderberry syrup daily. I started the elderberry this year due to the bad flu season. I also get a flu vaccine every year in the fall.

I think you definitely should consult your doctor to find out if there is a systemic reason behind your status.

I personally find Vitamin C, usually in the form of Emergen-C (added to still or sparkling water) to be effective for me. Fresh citrus and other seasonal fruit are also on my snack menu.

Nothing specific for immunity other than I did eat a bottle of elderberry gummies this year since someone mentioned elderberry extract on this forum in conjunction with flu prevention. As prairiemom mentioned, I quit taking them when they were no longer available for purchase at a reasonable price. I noticed they are back on Amazon at $4 more per bottle than the previous price.

Usually I just take a multivitamin and calcium/D supplement daily, good handwashing habits and no germophobe activities other than the hand washing. I'm of the opinion that regular exposure improves your immunity. Knock on wood - I'm rarely sick with any contagious illness. I've had the pneumonia vaccine but never a flu vaccine. I'm sure somewhat irrational thinking but I've never had the flu and multiple people I know who get the flu vaccine regularly also get the flu regularly.

I never get as much sleep as I'd like but I do try to get a good night's sleep as much as possible. And I like to not get stressed out about anything that's not truly worth getting worked up about.

Okay, now I know my eyesight is deteriorating, or maybe it's way past my bedtime -- my fast scan of the title of this post was "Do you do anything to boost your immaturity?"...

I have a compromised immune system due to a lymphatic disease-so I have a tendency to catch every bug around. But this winter, knock wood, I've been good. I get a flu shot very early every year-like in September. I wash my hands frequently when I'm out in the public and touch communal things-door knobs, grocery cart handles, pens, etc. I don't take supplements or extra vitamin C. In fact, your body doesn't really need all that much Vit C if you eat a rounded diet-and any extra is just eliminated so it's like flushing $$ down the toilet to add more. The only time I take a multi-vitamin is when my life has gotten crazy and I am not eating properly or regularly.

One thing I have found is extremely helpful is keeping humidity in the home. Especially in the bedroom. By having my nasal passages kept moist, it helps to keep the little hairs working to filter the bugs. Keeping hydrated also helps to aid in digestion and elimination. Keeps acid in the stomach down too-your nausea could sore throat could be coming from acid reflux.

My son-in-law is an early education teacher, he works with children from 2-5 years old and they have a one year old at home. My DD follows the same routines-hydration, humidity and flu shots and they're rarely ever sick. I don't think the baby even had a single bout of sniffles!

But I do agree with others, you should get a thorough check up and maybe a blood panel just to rule out some of those pesky things that creep up on us as we get older-thyroid issues, diabetes, etc.

Sounds like it could be thyroid. On the other hand, I have my thyroid checked every six months now that I take thyroid supplements, (it's fine) and my immune system was crap this winter even though I did every thing imaginable. As for herbs and vitamins, be careful. You may be taking a placebo, very difficult to determine if the active ingredient in the supplement is actually present. Most of the time I doubt it. Would be best to grow your own, but even then, chemical composition varies. With vitamins, it is whether your body can even absorb what you are taking, many things cancel each other out, like asprin/acetominophin and vit. C, for just one example. Calcium and iron for another. Same with foods, vitamin content can drop dramatically when they've bee sitting around or upon cutting them open, etc.

Other than what has been mentioned, (hydration, CLEAN humidifier, hand washing, etc.) with the cautionary note about "caveat emptor" (know your sources, freshness, interactions, etc.) another supplement I have had good luck with is lysine.

Lastly, lots of sleep, a diet RICH in whole foods, lots of fruits and vegetables, and SOUP. I don't know if soup makes the vitamins in the ingredients extra absorbable or what, but soup along with other hot liquids helped me finally expel the last of the flu lingering in my lungs. I got a flu shot but it didn't stop the flu from laying me low for two months. Vit. D helps too during the low sunshine times, but it is tricky to get it absorbed.

Stay away from alcohol.

I've been taking an organic wild elderberry syrup for years and was dismayed WF's was out of it when I went to get some more recently. I also take Boiron's Oscillococcinum at any sign of feeling like I'm coming down with something, and I feel they have both been effective.

I just wanted to thank everyone for all the suggestions. I’m still absorbing all the info, and am planning to call the dr for some blood work just in case. Ironically, DH is still sick so I’m practicing OCD-level handwashing.

I always drink lots of water so I don’t think that’s an issue. I start my day with coffee but after that I just drink water all day.

I’m chuckling a bit, thinking about Pal eating off the floor...