interesting...

So we've all had colds or something.  Nelson came down with it first.  Natalie succumbed next.  Sarah and I followed.  Yuck all around. 

But here's the interesting part: Nelson and Sarah never got as sick as Natalie and I did.  When he first felt the onset of the sniffles and sore throat, Nelson started drinking Emergen-C and taking zinc tablets.  I had read that zinc could both shorten the duration and lessen the severity of colds.  I gave Sarah some zinc when she first started feeling poorly as well.  Unfortunately, I didn't have a form of zinc that Natalie could take, and I kept flat-out forgetting to take it. 

So Nelson and Sarah didn't get as sick and didn't stay sick as long.  Natalie and I got progressively worse, and Natalie ended up with a nasty case of pink eye.  My advice?  Take your zinc! 

Now for the science nerds out there, I do realize that this is anecdotal evidence and not true scientific data.  I also know the old line that "the plural of anecdote is not data."  However, it is good food for thought.