no head colds anymore

[hangle]

all my long life (age 76) i have at least
two head colds a year--one going into
winter, and one coming out of winter.
each cold is severe, beginning with
a very painful sore throat and with
congestion lasting two to three weeks.
however two years ago i became a vegan
and have not had my usual colds. have
i been lucky or am i deceiving myself?
is there a vegan explanation for avoiding
these colds? some time ago on the web i
ran across someone explanation of why
vegan have fewer colds, but i have not
been able to re-locate this reference
again. has anyone seen this explanation?

[veganosie]

i haven't had a cold for almost nine months when i used to get one every month or so. i think it's just that i'm eating more fruit and veg and therefore getting more nutrients. i don't know...also dairy increases mucus production so that could have something to do with it!

[Daffodil]

I find I get more when I don't get enough sleep - which is often these days! I'm lucky to get 4 or 5 hrs some nights. So this last week we've been making a proper effort to get at least 7 hrs a night, will see if it helps my immune system.... i never used to get colds this is a recent thing (so is the lack of sleep)

[Risker]

I'd definitely go with luck. People use lack of colds as evidence for a whole bunch of things. Really, it's much more likely to be other things such as seeing less people, better cleanliness of hands etc.

Still, it could be something related like visiting less restaurants/bars, sharing cutlery/crockery less.

Colds are far too variable to be used for evidence of anything really IMHO.

[veganosie]

you're probably right about going out less. since this time last year i eat out a lot less and i don't go to bars or clubs. so maybe there's a correlation there too. that's probably one of the benefits of being poor!

[crocus]

just wanted to say i have had more colds and flu since becoming vegan, but i too think it is just a coincidence.

[Ladygold]

I read somewhere (no idea where) that people that take vitamin C and other cold away supplements are sick less not because they take them but because people that do on average take better care of themselves all around. They will eat better, exercise and do better self care.
So no this is not documented in a way I can prove but it always made sense to me.

LG

[Purepsycho]

I do shift work, alternating 12 hour day and night shifts for the last 3 years. Its pretty much accepted that shift workers are more susceptable to anything going round.
And every year around xmas time without fail i've always had a horrible cold bordering on flu.

Now i've only been a vegan since beginning of November (5 months now woo!) but i've not had my usual coughs and sneezes. I usually get everything going round the office, especially in winter.
Nothing else about my life has changed (didn't ever go out much due to lack of funds and don't visit many friends/relatives that often due to the odd/long hours i work)
I'd got used to having regular sniffles due to my lack of sleep and odd sleeping patterns doing shift work.

But i've not had any colds or sorethroats or anything. I know its only been 5 months for me so it most likely is coincidence but i can't help but feel that my new veganism is a real step in the right direction health wise. :)