I get sick a lot. Getting sick sucks. Maybe there are cheap and easy ways to get sick less?
I asked LLMs[1] to read all the relevant literature reviews and figure out what supplements or medicine I should be taking to get sick less and make it suck less. I looked through the recommendations and did a little additional research to make sure the AIs weren’t making egregious mistakes, but I am not an expert—this should not be viewed as credible medical advice.
Here is the quick list of steps I am currently taking or think might be useful to others.
Zinc lozenges: When you are starting to get sick, take zinc lozenges aggressively. They need to be a specific type of lozenge (Amazon, Life Extension). Suck, don’t chew, you’re trying to maximize the time they are dissolving in your mouth, and don’t eat/drink for 20 minutes after. Aim for one every 2 hours (~6 per day). Literature review. More notes in the appendix for this one.
Probiotics: For prevention, take specific probiotics once daily with a meal (Amazon). There are various products that have support in the literature, and it makes sense to buy one of them rather than a random probiotic (some strains appear to not work). The effect size is like a 25% reduction in colds—suspiciously high! Literature review.
Standard medication when sick for symptom relief (check for side effects and interaction with pre-existing conditions): NSAIDs (Ibuprofen) are primarily for headache, ear pain, and muscle and joint pain, Literature review; same for Acetaminophen (Tylenol). If chest congestion Mucinex. Nasal decongestants (e.g., sudafed) or a combination antihistamine-decongestant-analgesic (e.g., NyQuil Severe Cold & Flu) also might help with symptom relief. Note that oral phenylephrine has been deemed ineffective by the FDA, even though it’s common, so maybe use a different decongestant, specifically pseudoephedrine (available behind the pharmacy counter)? Literature review.
Obvious things to do when sick not necessarily backed by literature: Rest more, drink lots of water.
Physical things to get sick less: Wash your hands with soap and water, it’s probably good to use hand sanitizer before eating, it’s probably good to wear a mask in crowded indoor spaces (but the evidence isn’t very strong), also avoid touching your face if possible. Literature review for some of these.
Maybe take vitamin C megadoses regularly. The literature is mixed here and the side effects (stomach problems) are too much for me, but it might be good to take 1g of vitamin C daily. Literature review.
Maybe you should gargle salt water? I’m not sure, but it is cheap to try.
Maybe you should do nasal saline rinses? The literature is inconclusive but some people swear by it. If doing this, use distilled water.
Maybe you should get a flu shot. It reduces the chance of getting the flu and might make the flu less bad. But your chance of getting the flu is already pretty low, and the side effects of the vaccine are nontrivial for some people, so it’s not clearly worthwhile (I am surprised at how much this isn’t a slam dunk in favor of the vaccine). Literature review.
If you work on important problems then getting your coworkers sick is bad for the world (in addition to bad for them). If you are going to work while sick, consider doing it from home. If you work from the office, you should wear a mask, wash your hands frequently (and especially before touching a bunch of communal stuff), and cover your cough/sneeze (not with your hand).
Appendix on zinc lozenges
Zinc acetate Lozenges.
What: When you start feeling any symptoms at all, or when you’ve been exposed, start sucking on zinc lozenges. Your goal is to coat your mouth and throat in zinc for basically as long as possible. So you should be sucking each lozenge for 20-30 minutes (don’t chew), and then don’t drink or eat anything for another 20 minutes. Aim for 5-7 lozenges in a day, once every two hours or so.
What to buy: The particular lozenge probably matters a lot! The lozenges you want are big and slow to dissolve, Amazon link, manufacturer’s link (note that Amazon is frequently out of stock, and the manufacturer gives discounts for larger orders, I might buy 4 bottles at a time).
Evidence basis: Literature review pointing to the fact that they might reduce cold duration some. The main counter evidence, an RCT finding either similar or worse recovery than placebo.
Notes:
Don’t use these all the time, only when you’re worried you’re getting sick. Zinc in such large quantities interferes with copper and iron absorption and probably has other downsides.
Some people report stomach problems.
I find that when taking these lozenges, my colds are much more mild than usual and I can usually work at least half my normal productivity while sick.
I get sick a lot. Getting sick sucks. Maybe there are cheap and easy ways to get sick less?
I asked LLMs[1] to read all the relevant literature reviews and figure out what supplements or medicine I should be taking to get sick less and make it suck less. I looked through the recommendations and did a little additional research to make sure the AIs weren’t making egregious mistakes, but I am not an expert—this should not be viewed as credible medical advice.
Here is the quick list of steps I am currently taking or think might be useful to others.
If you work on important problems then getting your coworkers sick is bad for the world (in addition to bad for them). If you are going to work while sick, consider doing it from home. If you work from the office, you should wear a mask, wash your hands frequently (and especially before touching a bunch of communal stuff), and cover your cough/sneeze (not with your hand).
Appendix on zinc lozenges
Zinc acetate Lozenges.
What: When you start feeling any symptoms at all, or when you’ve been exposed, start sucking on zinc lozenges. Your goal is to coat your mouth and throat in zinc for basically as long as possible. So you should be sucking each lozenge for 20-30 minutes (don’t chew), and then don’t drink or eat anything for another 20 minutes. Aim for 5-7 lozenges in a day, once every two hours or so.
What to buy: The particular lozenge probably matters a lot! The lozenges you want are big and slow to dissolve, Amazon link, manufacturer’s link (note that Amazon is frequently out of stock, and the manufacturer gives discounts for larger orders, I might buy 4 bottles at a time).
Evidence basis: Literature review pointing to the fact that they might reduce cold duration some. The main counter evidence, an RCT finding either similar or worse recovery than placebo.
Notes:
Here’s a ChatGPT chat with an initial research report.