I can't think of anything that you can improve on, but hopefully someone here will have some good ideas.

As for myself, I take 500 mg of Vitamin C and Vitamin E 400 daily. To be honest, I forget why. Back when I was researching it, it made sense. The last time I saw a doc for being sick was March of 2007, so I'm not about to change it anytime soon.

I don't take a multivitamin regularly, more like when I'm feeling sick I do VitC and Zinc or if it's right in front of me I'll do a vitamin, very infrequently. I know that people say definitely multi-, but is it really that necessary? Don't mean to threadjack, I assume that the discussion will wander this way in time anyway.
Sorry Sue, can't help much. I have a similar diet and similar habits (lower training volume), but don't really get sick much, I think it's your exposure rate with the babies. They bring in all kinds of crazy stuff. I'm interested to hear theories.

[quote=SueR] I teach elementary school so I am exposed to way too much snot.
sue[/quote]

I'm guessing because of this you already buy Purell in bulk.

I recently decided that I'd add some supplements to the mix.
Even tho' I eat well, it seems difficult to eat the diversity of food necessary to get all the micro-nutrient stuff. Currently taking:

Gary Nulls: Green Stuff
Gary Null's: Red Stuff
Super Sea Veg
Nature Made: Triple Omega
Centrum Multi Vitamin

The first 4 are basically food and my stomach never has an issue with them. The Centrum I feel I need to take with food.
I take less than the recommended dosages, to make the stuff last longer. The Centrum I take only 2-3 times a week. I don't think I'm hurting myself by taking less, seeing how the majority of people survive without taking it at all.

Hi Sue, I am a 40 year old woman and ever since I started endurance sports (2004), I have been taking Lysine as advice from my doctor to help boost my immune system. I have no idea if it's working but I have maybe gotten a cold a handful of times in the last 6 years and nothing more than a runny nose and a cough. But I've also been a healthy person all my life...never had the flu. I trained and completed an Ironman last year and never got sick. I also on a daily basis take 1 packet of Emergen C. I get my Lysine from Whole Foods....it's actually called Super Lysine! Even though I have no idea if it's what's helping my immune system, either way, I will continue to take it, just in case it is!

wow! Tough year. I do take a multi when I can remeber to take it. I heard that only like 10% of the vitiamins in pill form will get into your system but I still take it (doc OZ says so). That is why alot of the percentages will be like 300% of your daily needed. I buy the store brand generic version of mens health they have a womens health as well that has additonal iron or something. If your sick that much I would try something. Besides a minor cold I have a clean bill of health but am in nowhere the shape as you. about 15lbs overweight and just started training this last month for tri's. Good luck.

dodging viruses is not easy and you've unfortunately gotten more than your fair share

i doubt immune system "boosting" is going to get you where you'd like to be. wash your hands more, or go insane with the hand sanitizer

I take a multivitamin; I don't know if it helps or not, but with the 4 virus magnets that live in my house and that go to school with 100s of other virus magnets, it's for my own peace of mind.

When I taught 2nd grade, I had a lg bottle of purell on my desk, and I was OCD about using it whenever a snotty kid handed in a paper...I was a little nutty, but never got sick :)

[quote=jtrimom] I had a lg bottle of purell on my desk, and I was OCD about using it whenever a snotty kid handed in a paper...I was a little nutty, but never got sick :)[/quote]

+1 and I just visit a local health food store and get a "good" multi. I trust the hippies with this one. I also use glucosamine w/ condrointant (sp?), and fish oil. That's it. I live with a 4yr old and a sister who is some how always sick and I manage to stay healthy. Good luck!

+1 a reasonable multivitamin and a couple of fish oil capsules, and frequent washing and purelling is about all I do. I don't teach, but with four school aged kids we have a few bugs brought home and I've been good so far.

Hello there...
From a medical point of view "universal precautions" are the first line of defence against viruses and bacteria that can infect via close contact. Surely your job is a hazard in terms of being more exposed to particulary viruses that little ones carry and spread all over.
So, hand washing, sanitizing are a must, and I am sure you are doing it, maybe become a bit more meticulous would be good. Do not share your mobile phone, or cleaned if you did so, clean your phone, keyboard and other stuff that little ones can practically snezze, breath, spit or so on.
Now the multivitamin, I don't think it would hurt, any good multivitamin in the market would do you good, particulary the ones with some Zinc to give it an extra punch would be a good idea. Fish oil nowadays is getting more popularity in the literature, so might be another one good to try. Now out in the market is easy to get lost with all the vast horizon of natural herbs, poisons, meds, supplements, boosters, jaw brakers and such...just a good old multivitamin will do the trick with a little kick of Zinc. Buying supplements on the verge of caos because of illness particulary for athletes can become adictive and futile.
Diet wise seems like you have a good grip about what you have to do...do not forget to sleep enough, something that in today's society and laboral world we tend to neglect.
HOpe you start feeling better...
Hey and last but not least...a nice and freshly squeezed tall glass to OJ a day...keeps the doctors away....
Best of luck

I like the kid's gummy vitamins since they taste like gummy bears and am more likely to bother with them (+ calcium chews, since that's not in the gummys). When I feel like I'm about to get a cold or my immune systems is down b/c of high intensity training or lack of sleep and high stress, I drink lots of oj and take coldeeze or zicam or something else with zinc.

One other thing that you could try would be a probiotic. A heathy digestive tract means a healthy immune system. If you eat a healthy diet all you should need to supplement would be a fish oil, high quality multivitamin, and probiotic. Let me know if you have any questions.

I agree on the probiotics and fish oil. Other than that, I'd suggest Vitamin D. Even for us outdoorsy types, it's hard to get enough sun to make enough this time of year, and it can really affect the immune system.

Yeah forgot about the vitamin d. The latest research is supporting 4000 IU per day. Being from MN I take 5000 IU a day and if I get sick it is a day or two and not much more than a stuffy nose. Being this far north we can only make vitamin D or about 4 months out of the year.

I'm not sure where I heard this, but eating flax seed on a daily basis for a long time will eventually render it useless. maybe detrimental.

Go to a naturopath and get your blood tested to find out exactly what you're low on. It's useless taking extra supplements you don't need, and you might need something you would never have thought of.

Turned out I had a thyroid problem that was causing my low energy/low immune system. Nobody would have guessed because I was thin from being so active.

I have to second Dr. Rios.

I would say the 30 snot machines you see every day are the real reason that you feel like crap. A lot of the immune system boosters have very little or spotty data behind them. Even Vit C isn't well proven and we pee most of it out anyway. Wash your hands every hour that may help just as much as putting a bunch of unproven things into your body. Also, w/ omega 3/6 I believe the studies have shown that what's in the supplements is not the same as eating the real fish. I may be wrong on that one but it's sticking in my mind. Vit D is a big deal for bone health. Almost all of us northerners are deficient. Just my 2 cents.

Colostrum. Aka mothers milk, bee stings.

I am a teacher too, my doc told me I'd have too change jobs.
Haha, doc was joking. I think with the colostrum I don't get as sick, maybe only a day or less.
How long have you been teaching. Rumor is after 5 years you had everything and toughen up.

It's all probably just BS. If you don't use it, you loose it.

That is such a pain! While I did not have the same sicknesses it seemed like everytime I turned around last year I was getting something, coming down with something or fighting something off (which is probably the samething all together). While I cannot go to far beyond what advise has been given before there is a tea I drink that seems to help when I am starting to feel something. It is called Echinacea. I don't know if it really does anything but warm tea always seems to help.

I know many people take the view that if you are sick you are unhealthy but I tend to feel the opposite. If you didn't work out a muscle it wouldn't be very strong...why would your immune system be any different? Unfortunately, you got everything back to back. I noticed with my own kids when they were younger it took them a really long time to build up their immune systems. However, each year they got less and less sick and I think it is because they were sick all the time when they were younger. Until now, they get sick maybe once year.