Welcome to Gaia! ::

XD nonsense. There's very few silly questions these days, unless they're questions like... well. no... that doesn't work... Hm... *really can't think of anything silly. XD*

Argh, I say! >< I hate being sick. I caught the early winter head colds.

Thymus is disinfecting, Echinacea only raises immunity but doesn't help killing microbes and other things. Well, thymus is mainly respiratory system though, but effective in use. 3nodding

i don't use any OTC cold medication, only ever take echinachea, and i too believe that it can prolong the effects sometimes, but it does lessen them, i don't have the luxury of letting it do its worst over the weekend, as i'm at work 6AM Sunday gonk
i just have to watch what i eat, i really want to comfort eat when i have a cold, get the urge to stuff my face with cheese and things like that.
i have read that you should avoid dairy produce when you have a cold, as eating a lot of fat increases mucus production eek not sure if that's a load of hogwash or not, but it makes sense to eat healthily when you're bunged up, i cook up brown rice and steamed veggies with a pungent combination of garlic, chilis and ginger blaugh that clears the tubes nicely xd

i work in a food factory and they are very stringent about hand washing, each time you enter or leave the work area, but i never use the soap ninja
it's horrible cheap anti-bacterial stuff, if i use it twice in one day my hands start to itch gonk
when i had my last health and hygiene refresher they even said, make sure you rinse your hands thoroughly after using the soap or it can give you dermatitis! why use it then! scream evil swines mad
they stand and watch the sinks at breaks to make sure people are washing their hands, so i squirt the soap into the palm of my hand, and then just wash it away, i've never failed any swab tests so i can't be that germ ridden rolleyes
honestly though, they want to keep hygiene levels high, but provide substandard washing products, i have to wash my glove liners myself too, because they use cheap and nasty washing powder which also gives me a rash mad

Well, on one note, antibacterial soap doesn't work. >< It's a proven fact these days, not that I can remember from where (mom's training for medical assisting, I never remember where she hears this stuff) but if their soap hurts, bring your own. Castile soap is just as effective and much gentler. ^_^

DS: Well.... >> Sort of a trade secret, so I won't give you details, but our salve for painfully dry skin has lanolin, lavender, vitamin E, comfrey oil, calendula oil, and sunflower and grapeseed oils.

I originally made it for an elderly lady who had very dry lips, up to her nose and down to her chin. It even got infected, it was so bad. So I made the salve to be a powerful moisturizer -and- anti-bacterial and anti-fungal to protect sensitive skin.