Got a cold should I see Doc?
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- Ross
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Got a cold should I see Doc?
Postby Ross » Wed Feb 08, 2012 8:03 am
I went for a ~30km recovery ride yesterday morning, felt good during the ride but later on (when the Codral wore off) I felt like I'd just done Paris-Roubaix.
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Re: Got a cold should I see Doc?
Postby Abby » Wed Feb 08, 2012 2:44 pm
Plus they are yummy.
Cheers,
Abby
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Got a cold should I see Doc?
Postby McGoo » Wed Feb 08, 2012 2:53 pm
You are dead right in that cold tablets treat the symptoms only. The flu is a virus, nothing can treat them. Fever is a body's natural defence against a virus, by raising the temperature of the body the virus cells are able to replicate less easily, allowing your body to fight the virus. Everything else is normal.
The only thing a doctor can give you is Tamiflu, which is only effective in the first 24 hours I believe. After that it does lots of very little.
- twizzle
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Re: Got a cold should I see Doc?
Postby twizzle » Wed Feb 08, 2012 3:35 pm
Other than that - keep it to yourself. I've been sick since Christmas, after finishing the third course of antibiotics on Sunday... fingers crossed I'm finally over it.
...real cyclists don't have squeaky chains...
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Re: Got a cold should I see Doc?
Postby trailgumby » Wed Feb 08, 2012 4:09 pm
So in your case, with aches and pains, that means no training.
Training in the short term makes you less fit and depresses your immune system, either slightly or a lot depending on how hard you've trained and for how long in the session.
So continuing to train while your body is fending off an attacker will not help speed your recovery. It will in fact delay it. This has been my experience and I've disregarded it to my cost.
For colds I find that megadoses of Vitamin C, Echinacea Forte, and Blackmores' garlic and horseradish tablets help shorten the duration from 10 to 3 days if you get it just at the start when you can feel it coming on, and there is some peer reviewed evidence to suggest that Vitamin C and Echinacea is of assistance.
The last item is for turning off the tap without keeping me wide awake all night, as the pseudoephedrine in Codral gives me membership of the League of Ceiling Starers. The other non-ephedrine based decongestants don't work for me.
If you're getting aches and pains, it is suggestive of a flu rather than a vanilla headcold. The above protocol will still help, but is not as effective with flus and if you start to get restricted breathing a trip to the doctor for broncho-dilators and possibly anti-biotics to deal with secondary infections might be in order.
Don't try to train through this. Bed rest and lots of sleep.
Disclosure: a family member is an employee of Blackmores... and I give them lots of stick about the rubbish pseudo-scientific "theory" much of their "professional" alternative healthcare lines is based on. So my discovery that their echinacea and garlic + horseradish products work was against my initial scepticism. I think we own some small shareholding. This family member gives me stick back that we should have bought more, the way the share price has gone.
- waramatt
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Re: Got a cold should I see Doc?
Postby waramatt » Wed Feb 08, 2012 8:28 pm
+1 what Oxford said. I had a week like that last June. Just couldn't shake it. So I took a week off cycling (and any other strenuous activity).
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- Ross
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Re: Got a cold should I see Doc?
Postby Ross » Thu Feb 09, 2012 9:03 am
Thanks for your helpful advice Trailogumby and others. I do already take a Multivitamin, Echinacea, Garlic, Zinc & C as well as Magnesium tabs daily. Have done for a few years. I think this is a main reason I rarely get colds.trailgumby wrote:The conventioal wisdom is, if the symptoms appear below the neck, no training whatsoever. Above the neck only, very light recovery type sessions only.
So in your case, with aches and pains, that means no training.
Training in the short term makes you less fit and depresses your immune system, either slightly or a lot depending on how hard you've trained and for how long in the session.
So continuing to train while your body is fending off an attacker will not help speed your recovery. It will in fact delay it. This has been my experience and I've disregarded it to my cost.
For colds I find that megadoses of Vitamin C, Echinacea Forte, and Blackmores' garlic and horseradish tablets help shorten the duration from 10 to 3 days if you get it just at the start when you can feel it coming on, and there is some peer reviewed evidence to suggest that Vitamin C and Echinacea is of assistance.
The last item is for turning off the tap without keeping me wide awake all night, as the pseudoephedrine in Codral gives me membership of the League of Ceiling Starers. The other non-ephedrine based decongestants don't work for me.
If you're getting aches and pains, it is suggestive of a flu rather than a vanilla headcold. The above protocol will still help, but is not as effective with flus and if you start to get restricted breathing a trip to the doctor for broncho-dilators and possibly anti-biotics to deal with secondary infections might be in order.
Don't try to train through this. Bed rest and lots of sleep.
Disclosure: a family member is an employee of Blackmores... and I give them lots of stick about the rubbish pseudo-scientific "theory" much of their "professional" alternative healthcare lines is based on. So my discovery that their echinacea and garlic + horseradish products work was against my initial scepticism. I think we own some small shareholding. This family member gives me stick back that we should have bought more, the way the share price has gone.
I do have a bit of a cough, it started out just a dry cough but now I seem to be coughing up green stuff.
Feeling a bit better today, aches and pains have mostly gone, still got a slight temp I think. Don't think I'm ready to get back on the bike yet. I might go to the doc today and see if he reccommend me some other potion.
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Re: Got a cold should I see Doc?
Postby giwi2 » Sun Feb 12, 2012 12:52 am
2009 Specialized Roubaix Expert
- twizzle
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Got a cold should I see Doc?
Postby twizzle » Sun Feb 12, 2012 6:35 am
I started off on Christmas day with a sore throat, finished off the third course of antibiotics one week ago for the chest infection it triggered that wouldn't go away.
...real cyclists don't have squeaky chains...
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Re: Got a cold should I see Doc?
Postby iMad » Sun Feb 12, 2012 12:15 pm
Did you continue cycling through this?twizzle wrote:Green stuff = bad. Bacteria in places you don't want them.
I started off on Christmas day with a sore throat, finished off the third course of antibiotics one week ago for the chest infection it triggered that wouldn't go away.
I'm developing what I think is a chest infection at the moment and really don't have a lot of energy.
After my efforts and hard earned rewards on the bike over the past 3 months I'm reluctant to stop and watch my fitness level drop.
Those that have crashed and those that are about to.
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Re: Got a cold should I see Doc?
Postby hotfoot » Sun Feb 12, 2012 12:21 pm
- twizzle
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Got a cold should I see Doc?
Postby twizzle » Sun Feb 12, 2012 2:23 pm
First few weeks, doing 300+km a week at < 50% FTP, but in the end the asthma that was triggered by the infection pretty much stopped me. Five days on steroids to stop the cough/wheeze. I've dropped CTL from mid 80's to low 70's. Given up racing ATM, aiming to be fit again for the end of March.iMad wrote:Did you continue cycling through this?twizzle wrote:Green stuff = bad. Bacteria in places you don't want them.
I started off on Christmas day with a sore throat, finished off the third course of antibiotics one week ago for the chest infection it triggered that wouldn't go away.
I'm developing what I think is a chest infection at the moment and really don't have a lot of energy.
After my efforts and hard earned rewards on the bike over the past 3 months I'm reluctant to stop and watch my fitness level drop.
...real cyclists don't have squeaky chains...
- trailgumby
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Re: Got a cold should I see Doc?
Postby trailgumby » Sun Feb 12, 2012 3:02 pm
After a hard training ride (like today, 70km home-Akuna Bay-West Head-home) I tend to stay away from large groups of people if I possibly can for the rest of the day.
Persevering when sick can dig you deeper into illness and delay your recovery.
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Re: Got a cold should I see Doc?
Postby iMad » Sun Feb 12, 2012 6:23 pm
I remember. BTW, what defines overtraining? Nobody I talk to seems to think 4 or so, 27km rides per week is too much.trailgumby wrote:@iMad, remember we were talking about overtraining a few weeks ago via PM? Getting sick can be an indicator.
After a hard training ride (like today, 70km home-Akuna Bay-West Head-home) I tend to stay away from large groups of people if I possibly can for the rest of the day.
Persevering when sick can dig you deeper into illness and delay your recovery.
The reason I asked is that I'm not too sure what is brewing. I've felt off colour for the past few days and now I've got a slight raspy cough.
I'm definitely going to take some time off to see what develops.
Cheers mate
Tony
Those that have crashed and those that are about to.
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