Ok I'm WITH you Daisy Girl! I'm feeling something coming on myself and all the kids/staff at school are getting sick. I don't want to be sick for the Arnold!
* I take 1 zinc tablet a day with my vitamins at lunchtime. It's not friendly on an empty stomach, and whatever you do, don't take more than one a day. I was sick last year once and took two a day and overdosed on it and I was sickkkkkkkk.
* Airborne is great but it's more prevention than anything else. You're supposed to take it when you feel something coming on or you are entering a high risk place like an airplane or our CLASSROOMS during cold/flu season. I have a sore throat and woozy head today... so I just dropped a tablet of that. It's an effervescent tablet and I just drink it with 4 oz of water; no biggie. They make it generic brand too, by the way.
* Last -- ZICAM. Oh man, I love Zicam. It's great for when you feel the onset of a cold and it's supposed to "shorten your cold" which I always thought was total bull, but it's great. A little pricier than the Airborne, but I use both. I don't take chances around these snot rags all day long! Zicam is a nasal spray/gel; drop in each side of the nose and hold 30 seconds at least. Real easy, nothing crazy. About $8. The name-brand Airborne is about $6 and the generic was $3 or $4.
Hope that helps. You are now armed -- and I always find that cardio and showers help me to sweat/breathe it out faster.
I hate being sick.