Does anyone think it's possible for your system to know when the holidays arrive? I have gotten the worst colds each and every year always at the holiday times. It's to the point now where I can't even book a vacation since I know I'll be ill.

Also, my colds never last the 7-10 days. They always take at least 3-4 weeks to get over. My Dr. thinks I'm nuts and this is all some strange yearly coincidence and there's nothing I can do.

Does anyone experience this type of annual curse? Is there a way to determine if my immune system is not working properly when fighting these colds?

Some of you have mentioned immune boost medicines. I only know of echinachea. Are there others? What kind of a specialist could I see for these issues? My GP is no help at all.

This is the time of year for high fungus and/or cedar count in our area following the ragweed season. I can always count on having bronchitis around Christmas time or early January. I believe what happens is that we are allergic to things this time of year. Allergies cause irritated air passages making us more vunerable to catching and not able to ward off bacterial and/or viral infections. This is the time of year for potent virus or bacterial bugs to raise their heads and lay us low.

Many people think they have colds on a regular basis, but, if they were to keep track of the pollen, most likely their colds would coinside with certain allergens in the air.

I always get a flu or cold the first week of winter break and it always goes away exactly on Christmas day!

It's been like this for 3 years now so I have the same problem as you.....

So you're not alone.

What part of the country are you living in?

From my experience, I think it is mold allergy. I live in Illinois. After the leaves fall, when the chilled rains occur, before the ground freezes, I get a drippy nose. If I don't hit early enough with heavy doses of antihistimines, it degenerates into a sinus infection. It was worse before I got my sinuses reamed. As soon as the ground freezes, everything clears up. Until spring. Within two days of any thaw that breaks the snow cover, I start dripping again. Then it's the same problem until the rotting leaves dry up.

That's why, in the winter, I want it to stay below freezing. And for the rest of the year, above 50 degrees F (10 C). :rolleyes: