You’re cruising along just fine when the sneeze comes over you, oddly forceful, and repeats itself a few times. Yikes. Is this It?

Theories on beating common viruses and strengthening your immune system run the gamut from overloading on vitamin C to drinking lots of fluids to dropping hydrogen peroxide into your ears (no, I’m not sure that’s OK), to taking obnoxious cold medicines, such as DayQuil, at the first suggestion of illness. And don’t forget your yearly flu shot.

One has to think it comes down to what’s worked for you the best. And washing your hands.

This New York Times “Really?” post says that there is really no scientific evidence in existence that proves lots of liquids works. The same author claims that you shouldn’t blow your nose at all when you have a cold in a different NY Times Really? post, because it causes stuff to go back up into your sinuses, actually citing well-regarded research.

Holistically, vitamins might be your answer: Vitamins A, C & E, the B vitamins and Zinc could be catalysts in prevention and immune-system support according to this Yahoo! article. But if you’re already taking a daily vitamin, how could overloading on those be better for you? Well, we’ll let WebMD talk to you about that in detail.

My cure? Run it out or sweat it out. When that doesn’t work, eat everything in sight and suck it up as much as possible. What’s your best means of beating or getting over colds & flu?

Many favorite cures involve getting stuff to soothe the symptoms. NyQuil, DayQuil, EmergenC tablets, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, vitamin cocktails, Puffs Plus with Lotion, Vick’s VapoRub, humidifiers, baby aspirin, Airborne supplements, digital thermometers (is yours working?), Kleenex, and don’t forget the saline spray and a Neti pot.

You might as well have it all in the house and packed into your medicine cabinet before it strikes, to save you from that virus-filled checkout line at the drugstore.

To help you save, you can check out different drugstore’s weekly coupons and sales: Rite Aid, CVS, Safeway, Target, and even Walmart, all publish their weekly circular sales on their websites so you can surf for the best deals.

Many places will deliver, though your order might take a day to get to you. Check in with the grocery chains that have pharmacies first, then even call your local pharmacy, be it Walgreens or an independent. If you’re truly housebound, they’ll help you out.

No matter what, avenge the virus hordes by proactively buying a discounted gift card to any one of the following chains on the Plastic Jungle site who sell medicine-cabinet goodies, including:

Brookshires Food & Pharmacy

Costco

CVS

Cub Foods

Food Lion

Food Max

Fred Meyer

GNC

HEB Grocery Store

Jewel/Osco

Kirkland’s

Kroger

Meijer

Publix

Rite Aid

Safeway

Seven-Eleven

Target (a top-10 Plastic Jungle seller)

Tops Grocery Store

Trader Joe’s

Von’s

Walgreens

Walmart (a top-10 Plastic Jungle seller)

Wawa

Whole Foods

When May comes, and the viruses go away, you can always sell your medicine cabinet gift card back to Plastic Jungle and use the cash to buy a new bike. Hope you make it!