<p>Besides getting a flu shot and obsessive hand washing, I'd love to know what tried and true methods others follow to keep healthy throughout audition season!</p>
<p>Drink lots of water, and tea with honey is wonderful for the throat - but NOT LEMON!!! Lemon is an acidic, and belongs on the tea table with the crumpets - LOL!</p>
<p>Sleep - it’s the best way to fight germs, even though it’s hard to convince students of its importance - especially with such full schedules! And not touching your face - very difficult to do, but the way almost all germs are transmitted.</p>
<p>Secret of Thieves spray. My D got pneumonia 4 days before her BoCo audition last year (needless to say, we had to cancel, but they were so nice about rescheduling!). A nurse here on CC told me about Thieves spray. I buy it on Amazon. My D sprays 1 pump down her throat every day, and she hasn’t been sick since last January (knock on wood). I swear by it! This wonderful woman also suggested using it on the planes…we sprayed it in the air vent, on the tray tables, armrests…everywhere. It is completely natural (all herbs) but kills all germs. And it smells like Christmas. We also took her advice and drank 2 CheriBundi juices every day, but only maintained that through the audition season. It worked! I now use Thieves house cleaner, Thieves soap, Thieves lozenges, and Thieves toothpaste. If I could buy stock in it, I would! Try it.</p>
<p>I second sleep!
Gargle with salt water twice a day. I read that if germs are starting this can flush them down the throat. This could be wrong but I figure it can’t hurt either.
We also plan to have a mask that she uses in very busy areas, like when we come into New York City through Penn Station. Ick.
Hand sanitizer everywhere!! Every bag, every car, etc.
Each night when you plug your phone in to charge, wipe it off with a Lysol wipe. Phones are nasty germ carriers.
Take Vitamins.
No sharing of any drinks or utensils with anyone, even close family members, from about October 15 until March.
That’s our plan. Yes, I’ve clearly thought about this too much. :-)</p>
<p>^^ I’ve heard so many good and wonderful things about that but never tried it!!</p>
<p>I get sick A LOT… Like in the span of the entire summer (Jun-Aug) I had a sore throat/cold, strep throat x3, and then another cold. </p>
<p>I started taking vitamins, getting enough sleep, and drink more healthy fluids such as water for hydration and fruit juices. I think the vitamins helped a lot but I didn’t notice an improvement until about a month after starting supplements. I had a sore throat coming on about 2 weeks ago and it went away very quickly… I was scared I had gotten strep AGAIN haha. </p>
<p>I don’t exercise but I really should. When I did work out, I rarely got sick and my doctor says it helps when you’re active.</p>
<p>Great! I placed my Amazon order for Secret of Thieves!</p>
<p>I’ve never heard of Secret of Thieves–will check it out! But on top of the other advice, we use zinc. It really works-it’s most effective when you take it when you feel like you’re coming down with something. You know, that stage when you think, “Am I getting a cold?” That’s when you take the zinc. You don’t have to use a lozenge.</p>
<p>Merlehay, the Thieves spray says “Do not ingest.” No worries. I’ve had 3 nurses and a doctor tell me to go right ahead. And we’ve been doing it since January. Best. Stuff. Ever. Yes, zinc is good. I swear by Zicam, but my D likes Cold-Eez. At the very first sign of a cold, take the stuff as directed. Tastes awful, but boy does it work. </p>
<p>And for all of you, please, please, please DO NOT USE Lysol wipes or ANY of the wipes with anti-bacterials in them. Use the Purell wipes or CVS alcohol wipes. Alcohol is fine, antibacterials are bad. The antibacterial wipes promote the propagation of super-bugs…you know, the antibiotic resistant bacteria? There are plenty of wipes and cleaners out there that use either herbs or alcohol, and they do JUST as good of a job. And dramamom0804 is right…the minute we walked into a hotel room, out came my CVS alcohol wipes (I would buy them in a big plastic cannister, then take them out and put them in a ziplock bag for travel) and I would wipe off the doorknobs, the faucets, the light switches, the lamp on and off buttons, and the TV remote. Also, you can buy these things called Wireless Wipes for your phone…they decontaminate your phone, iPad and laptop without hurting the electronics.</p>
<p>Do I sound like a crazy person? LOL. Well, after you cancel your kid’s first audition b/c she has pneumonia, you too will be a nut! But it worked. Best of luck to all, and stay healthy!!!</p>
<p>Thanks for noting the difference between wipes. I didn’t know that. And where do we get this special wipe for phones?</p>
<p>If you don’t already have one, invest in a personal steam inhaler. They can be found at most drugstores, Target, Walmart, etc…using this in the dry air of most hotel rooms and after flying helped keep nose and throat in great condition.</p>
<p>This is all great advice! I didn’t think about the types of wipes either. Thanks!</p>
<p>Thanks for the reminder about using alcohol wipes. I’m a preschool teacher and very fearful of those germy little creatures sending me home with something. Last winter my D had a constant cough (that we luckily found out was caused by medication) and I’m so afraid that something like that will happen again. Her song coach is finding her a song she can sing well even if she’s sick.</p>
<p>I searched for Secret of Thieves spray on Amazon and couldn’t find it. Then I found Thieves spray by Young Living - is that the right stuff? It says it is for furniture, etc., so I wanted to make sure I got the right thing before spraying it down S’s throat! I know above it says it is safe to do so, but I wanted to be sure it was the right product. Thanks!</p>
<p>Zebra runner. I hope that’s it because I just ordered it yesterday. Haha. I read reviews and people talk about using it as a germ repellent/killer.</p>
<p>That’s the one I ordered, so I hope it’s right! I have a feeling there will be quite the smell of Christmas at auditions this year :)</p>
<p>Yup, no worries, you got the right stuff for the Thieves spray! The lozenges are great, too. As for the Wireless Wipes, Amazon sells them! Just type in “Wireless Wipes” in the search engine and they will come up. Again, the Wireless Wipes are herbal (some herbs, like Thyme, are as good at killing viruses and bacteria as the nasty stuff), and they don’t harm your electronics. I promise, I don’t have stock in any of these companies. I wish I did, but I don’t.</p>
<p>I agree with Coach C: don’t touch your face!! And get addicted to Purell. I’m a nurse and use Purell obsessively. Also I became a believer in Cold-eeze during “Swine-0-9.” I was working at a summer camp and ALL the kids got sick. One of the nurses ran out and got Cold-eeze for US. One of the nurses refused to suck on them and she got sick. The other one and I sucked on them constantly and didn’t catch it. Ok, i know that’s anecdotal but it made me a believer. Also, sleep and healthy diet are crucial. Fruits and vegetables are your friends.</p>
<p>Also, I work with teenage performers who really really don’t want to get sick, and tell them don’t share drinks with ANYONE because people can spread illnesses even if they aren’t sick themselves, and they all nod and smile, then I see them later sucking on someone’s straw. Sadly, the teenage mind makes them often think that they will be the exception to a a bad outcome of a “risky” behavior. So if you can reinforce over and over and over that bad infections can (and usually are) spread from people who do not (sometimes yet) appear sick, something might sink in!!</p>
<p>Hydration
Flu shot
Never share eating and drinking utensils with others (tough to get kids to do)
Proper rest</p>
<p>And although said above the best piece of advice my D got from her coach: pick songs you can sing on the sickest day of your life</p>