So -- what is it in the supplement that helps the immune system? (I'm not doubting you; I just want to know stuff. All the time.)

I don't know the specific science behind it, but I know that there has been a ton of research about the immunity-boosting properties of specific types of mushrooms. My doctor (who is a MD/naturopath, which is part of why she is so fantastic) shrugs at a lot of other health-food supplement stuff, but is very enthusiastic about Host Defense.

Teppy, I can't recall offhand if you go in for nasal irrigation. If you don't, I recommend finding some format that you can stand. It may relieve your symptoms considerably. If the issue is viral, supplements of L-Lysine may boost your immune system. Olive Leaf extract is another, that I have found useful against both viral and bacterial infections - superior in effect to echinacea.

I have to confess right now that I knew these things, and even have a neti pot, and haven't been doing them at all. I also haven't been getting enough sleep. And I'm always a big proponent of the neti pot.

Please take care of yourself, Teppy. I know you have had a rough few months, and you are not quite yourself. But you are worth the effort.

I am Goldilocks. It's too chilly inside, so I came out to the back patio where Dad's watching football. Now, I'm too warm.

Oh, Jilli-- that sucks about both the basement and the various ailments.

As for when you could have been bitten by a critter, is it possible, timing-wise you could have been bitten during the picnic in the cemetery in New York? How long ago was that?

As for when you could have been bitten by a critter, is it possible, timing-wise you could have been bitten during the picnic in the cemetery in New York? How long ago was that?

I hadn't even thought of that! Um, that was ... July 2009. And I was certainly too busy then to have noticed if I had a weird bite mark anywhere.

Please take care of yourself, Teppy. I know you have had a rough few months, and you are not quite yourself. But you are worth the effort.

Aww, thanks Andi. I was talking to my mom on the phone and she was all, "Allergies! It's just allergies!" (which, you know, I live with 2 cats, and so allergies could be a factor here). And then she told me how she developed excruciating back pain in the week after putting her dog to sleep, and her chiropractor said that stress can definitely manifest physically. To which I said, "Well, maybe that's what this cold is -- a manifestation of stress!"

And my NPD mother, love her though I do, asked, "What stress have you been under?" Oy.

Anyway, I haven't been deliberately neglecting myself; it's just easy to forget about the neti pot, or to not get enough sleep because I want to read just one more chapter (or continue cruising the interwebs), or not get enough fluids because I'm busy reading just one more chapter (or the interwebs). But yeah, I need to take better care of myself, especially until whatever this is abates.

I can buy your chronic cold symptoms as either a direct manifestation of stress, or one of those stress leads to lowered immune response which leads to catching every damned bug that passes within a 20 yard radius of you.

I can buy your chronic cold symptoms as either a direct manifestation of stress, or one of those stress leads to lowered immune response which leads to catching every damned bug that passes within a 20 yard radius of you.

Oh, me too. I always, ALWAYS manage to rally very well in the midst of stress, and this summer was no exception. I feed people, run errands, do whatever they need me to (including pray the Rosary). But damn if I don't crash hard afterward. And the thing is, it takes a while for the crash to happen, like my subconscious stays on alert for a month or two afterwards, just in case more trauma happens. THEN I hit the wall.

Somebody in our neighborhood took a snowblower all the way around the sidewalk, so once we get the driveway plowed, the only thing left is the walk between the sidewalk and the front steps. Of which the bottom two are completely covered in snow. That says a LOT about how much wind blew the snow around, because there is not so much as a dimple showing where I had shoveled yesterday.

ETA: Did I mention that I am extremely grateful for the snow-blowing? I am. A lot. Very. Superlatively.