Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Adventurer]

I keep hearing that many foreigners get colds here that last a while. Have others experienced that. What is the cause? I thought a cold is supposed to just be a cold. Everytime I get a cold, it last about 3-4 weeks over here, and I am not drinking much of anything. Initially, I had a fever accompanying a sinus infection. After consuming lots of garlic, the fever went down and the sinus infection is less bothersome, but despite the garlic, drinking lots of liquid, and taking Vitamin C tablets, I am still having this cold hanging around. Any advice on other ways to get rid of a cold? I suppose I could eat more chicken soup and eat more garlic with sphaghetti again, but I just don't want to smell of garlic.

[maddog]

I don't know if you're being a hypochondriac, but if it's as bad as you say, maybe you should see a doc. I caught a cold last week and it lasted about 36 hours. In 8 months, it's the only time I've ever been sick in Korea. Must be the kimchi

[Kimchieluver]

I have had three lingering colds in over 4 years here. They all came in the first two years I was here. You have to see a doctor and do what he says. If he says buy a humidifier, do it. You can always sell it when you leave. I found out the hard way the trick is to use preventative measures in order not to get one. Wash your hands like an obsessive compulsive freak during cold/flu season. Take two multivitamins everyday. Carry your own drying towel with you in your bag whenever you go to school. Don't avoid contact with the kiddies, just politely avoid contact with the sidkies. Air your apartment out once or twice a day, no matter how cold it is outside. The apartment will heat back up in a short time.

I haven't had a cold in two years, food poisoning is a different story.

[charlieDD]

I agree with Kimchieluver above: the best defense is a good offense. Be proactive in avoiding the "colds" in the first place, that's my way.

Wash your hands as soon as . . . as soon as! . . you enter your home, with soap and warm water, for at least a minute. This will help make sure the germs don't get in your home, like on the things you touch - - keyboard, remote control, countertop, handles, etc.

When outside, keep your hands away from your face; you have to do this consciously at first, but after a while it becomes second nature. The number one route of entry for viruses is through the nose, second is the eyes.

When entering buildings, I avoid touching the handles if I can, using my shoulder instead; or, if I can't, then reaching higher or lower than most people would on the handle bar.

The tissue to open the bathroom door as you're leaving thing - - advised by doctors, informed by research!

A little Vick's vapor rub, or some kind of Vaseline, under the nose before mixing with crowds is supposed to be good at trapping viruses that might be in the air from someone's cough or sneeze. (I've read they only remain in the air very briefly after being expelled in a cough or sneeze.) Apparently the petroleum jelly can bog the virus down !

Then there's the keeping yourself fit: A humidifier where you sleep is highly recommended in the dry months. It keeps you sinuses and all in good condition and that is a good natural defense against viruses. I posted a few weeks ago a thread on humidifiers;

here's the link to it:

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?p=952474&highlight=#952474

The best kind is the steaming type. 99% of the ones sold in Korea are ultra-sound, and the ultra-sound type can put bacteria into the air because they do not boil the water but just turn it into a mist, upon which the bacteria and whatever else is in the water can travel. See that post on humidifiers for more.

Eat well and take multivitamins. If you think you might be getting the illness from the water, drink only bottled water - - which means not drinking the glass of water the restaurant puts on the table, ever.

Get some exercise. Avoid kissing the sick ones, or at least the saliva exchange!

I haven't had a bad cold now in years of travel around / living in Asia, but it was earned by learning the hard way in the beginning. The downside of getting sick is much greater than the downside of all the proactive defense precaution, I think.

If the illness lingers, do see a doctor and get something for it. Sometimes that's all it takes to clear it up and to get your health back on good footing.

Good luck.

[ChopChaeJoe]

It seems that when i got here i got colds that lasted over two weeks and then i got them again soon after. I was always waking up with that sick feeling, or at least it seemed that way. They were mostly mild colds, just nagging.

I've been here a year and i still get sick frequently, probably every six to eight weeks or so, but now only for a few days and it hardly saps any pep, just a bit of a cough or something.

Taking vitamins helps, when i remember to. (Once you are sick, vitamins do squat.)

I do absolutely nothing to avoid illness, and all that mumbo jumbo about smearing vaseline under your nose and opening doors with toilet paper sounds creepy to me. But that's just me.

"Yes there are two paths you can go by...."

[Adventurer]