mushroom power?

As of today, all three of the other members of my household (wife and 2 kids) have colds, and this has got me thinking about what I can do to prevent getting my yearly never-ending cold myself.  I usually get a cold in late October, one that I can't shake until the late spring.  I might as well buy stock in the Kleenex corporation.

In the past, I've tried to prevent and then ward off this cold with vitamins (esp. C, but also some others), but this hasn't worked too well.  Last year I went herbal, and this worked a little better but not much. 

So this year, in the spirit of my new interest in Chinese medicine, I will be trying...mushrooms.  Based on my reading, mushrooms have very strong powers for building up the immune system.  People in China rarely get colds (the web site I'm reading claims--I wonder if this is true), and it's because, at this time of year, they drink broths and teas that use a mushroom base.

I went to my alternative medicine supplier of choice (Whole Foods), and spoke with the kind man who works in the vitamin and supplements section.  First off, he's got a million tattoos and those weird ear things that makes it look as if he's got elf ears.  And he called me "dude."  But he seemed to know a ton about the wares in his section, so...I listened.

He told me a lot about mushroom-based treatments.  The taste of mushroom is not all that familiar to the US diet (he explained), so we've begun importing mushroom in pill forms.  (AND it was on sale!)

I'm trying it.  The label lists things I've never heard of, but the more I read, the more in intrigued.  It makes sense, I suppose, and, for me, that's a key to how I make my health care decisions.  My parents (both MD's) would be appalled, but nothing else has worked, so I'm game.

We'll see.