Cures for Colds: Questions and Answers
Q: I’ve heard natural remedies, such as zinc, Echinacea and vitamin C are very effective for treatment of colds. Do they really help?
A: According to some studies, nasal sprays with zinc do help reduce the duration and severity of the disease, but they are not cures for colds. It’s explainable, as zinc may coat the particles with virus, preventing them from attacking the cells and reducing the symptoms. On the other hand, zinc sprays are considered to be a mere placebo. Echinacea didn’t prove to be efficient either. However, there was an experiment that involved 120 people suffering from cold-like symptoms; some of them took several drops of Echinacea regularly (every two hours) during 10 days and their colds didn’t last as long.
Research determined to find out whether vitamin C and colds are connected hasn’t produced any stable results, and as far as we know, vitamin C cannot prevent a cold. However, vitamin C can considerably shorten the period of the illness: this was demonstrated in an experiment where people took eight grams of this vitamin a day, which resulted in their sooner recovery.
There are certain things you can do to prevent the illness in a safe and natural way. It’s as simple as that: your immune system should be strong enough to fight the virus without any help. You need to eat plenty of vitamins (spinach, for example, is full of vitamins A and C, as well as other dark green foods) and other useful microelements (salmon contains omega-3 fatty acids). Even a carton of low-fat yoghurt can help your immune system restore its powers.
Another boost for your immune system is regular exercise. Of course, even if you eat healthily and exercise regularly, you may still catch a cold, but it will go away very soon and the symptoms will be very mild.
Q: I get colds all the time. I’ve tried a great variety of drugs – mostly over-the-counter ones. What treatment would you advise?
A: There are no cures for colds. There are a few things you can do, though. First, you should keep your body hydrated to keep another kind of infection from entering your body. Second, try to exclude such drinks as tea, coffee and cola (any drinks that contain caffeine) from your diet, at least for the period of the illness, as they are likely to “steal” the fluids from your body, making you even more susceptible. It’s also recommended to eat well, but if you don’t feel particularly hungry, go for something simple yet nourishing – chicken broth always works.
Chicken broth or chicken soup works really well, as it’s both tasty and nourishing; at the same time, it helps you deal with the congestion better than any remedies. Ginger is another product you may find useful as it will treat your upset stomach.
Over-the-counter drugs do not treat cold but its symptoms, such as fever and ache. In most cases, however, unless the patient is very young or very old, low-grade fever can be more helpful than harmful as it gently activates the immune system and suppresses the growth of bacteria.
• Aspirin. It’s not safe for children to take this medication as it can lead to the development of Reye's syndrome (a rare metabolic disease that can be fatal, involving damage to the brain, liver and kidneys).
• Certain decongestants provide for a better and easier breathing as they reduce the swelling of the membranes in the nose. However, decongestants shouldn’t be used for more than a couple of days.
• Saline nasal sprays can be used for as long as you like, and they open the air passages.
• Cough preparations are mostly useless. You can treat a minor cough with plenty of fluids.
• Sore throat can be partly relieved by gargling with salt water or household soda.
What ingredients do cold medicines contain?
• Expectorants (for example, guaifenesin) aid you to cough up all the mucus by loosening the congestion. Guaifenesin can be short-acting (available in the form of syrup or a pill, for example, Robitussin) and long-acting (Mucinex, released as a tablet). You need to take short-acting remedies once every four hours, while Mucinex has to be taken with plenty of water, as prescribed by your doctor.
• Cough suppressants are intended for dry cough that interferes with your life or prevents you from sleeping normally. The ingredient used most often is Dextromethorphan (for example, Robitussin Pediatric, Delsym, St. Joseph Cough Suppressant, Hold DM, Robitussin Cough Calmers, etc.). However, these remedies can sometimes make breathing even more difficult, as they may hold the mucus inside your lungs. It’s always best to consult your physician before making up your mind about some product, especially if you have chronic respiratory problems.
• Decongestants are drugs used to let you breathe through the nose, not with your mouth wide open. Their effects are based on shrinking the blood vessels and membranes inside your nose so that more air can be inhaled and exhaled. They also relieve a sore throat. The most common forms of decongestants include nasal sprays, drops and drugs for oral administration. One of the ingredients often used is Pseudoephedrine (Cenafed, Decofed, Dorcol, Efidac 24, Pedia-Care, Sinutab, Sudafed), but it has been reported to cause rapid heartbeat.
Oral form of decongestants should not be given to a baby with colds if the baby is younger than six months. Other contraindications include high blood pressure, diabetes, glaucoma, an overactive thyroid, heart disease and an enlarged prostate. You need to discuss with your doctor any drugs you decide to take.
The nasal form of these remedies (Afrin, Dristan, Neo-Synephrine, Vicks, Otrivin) can be purchased over the counter, and it’s important to read the label to make sure you use the medicine in the right way. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is one of the safest options, but if you have a history of liver damage or liver disease, it should be avoided.
NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) represent another group of drugs efficient in the treatment of swelling and pains. Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen sodium (Aleve) are the most commonly used ones. NSAIDs are to be taken with some food. In case you even experienced or still have any of the following conditions, talk to your doctor before taking NSAIDs: heart disease, hypertension, ulcers, stomach bleeding or intestinal bleeding.
• Antihistamines are commonly used for the treatment of allergy symptoms (watery eyes, itchy eyes, runny nose and sneezing) and can do more harm than good when used for the treatment of common colds, thickening the mucus and making it hard for your body to get rid of it.
Q: I’ve never got a flu shot, but my friends keep telling me I should. I am 40 and have two children of 4 and 6 years old, and they got their shots earlier this week, so I guess if they don’t bring some infection home, I am not likely to fall ill. Based on what I know about flu, I am not in any of the risk groups, so can I do without a shot?
A: Getting a shot may be very beneficial, and here is why: unlike cold, the flu can seriously affect the health of the strongest person with a great immune system. The symptoms of the flu are very unpleasant; they include severe body aches, sore throat, dry cough and high fever – all of these usually last for a week and make you stay in bed. So, you really don’t want to go down with it.
Flu shots are recommended not only to people from risk groups but also to those with chronic diseases, children and adolescents (you can use shots to prevent your kids from colds up to their 19th birthday), health care workers and people over 50. Even if you are not in any of these groups, it doesn’t mean the shot will do nothing for you. The experience of most doctors demonstrates that people who choose not to have a shot often change their mind when it’s too late and the disease is already present. Next year such patients are the first ones in the line to get a flu shot.
Besides, unlike several years ago, vaccine shortage is not a problem anymore, and there is no need to sacrifice your health so that someone else would get a shot. If you are afraid of the needle (which is one of the reasons some people choose not to get a vaccination), you can ask your doctor about the availability of the nasal form of the medicine. In fact, nasal flu vaccine appeared to be even more efficient than the injected form, especially for children.
Q: When I have a cold, do I have to visit my doctor to get a simple antibiotic?
A: When you have a cold, antibiotics won’t help you as they have no impact on the virus: they kill the bacteria.
There is the danger of your cold becoming something more serious. You can develop an inflammation if your sinuses are constantly blocked, or an ear infection. These conditions usually improve without any interference, but your doctor can decide to prescribe an antibiotic to fight the bacterial infection and help your body deal with the disease.
Ear infection can display the following symptoms: feeling of fullness in the ears, earache and fever.
Sinus infection can include the following symptoms: facial pain, headache and runny or stuffy nose.
Q: What is best to deal with coughs – honey or special medicine?
A: Home remedies for colds are quite efficient. Honey with warm lemon water or tea is the old approved manner of reducing one the most annoying symptoms of cold: the sore throat. The studies are now being carried out to determine whether honey can suppress cough. In one experiment children aged over two that had various infections of the respiratory tract took two teaspoons of honey before going to bed. The results were quite interesting: the scientists reported that all the children slept better and coughed a lot less at night. So, home remedies for colds really work.
However, there is one thing you need to know about cough: sometimes it can be good. Coughing is basically the attempt of your body to clear out mucus from the air passages, so if this is the only symptom you have, it’s really not worth suppressing it in any way: just let your body fight the disease in a natural way. Another thing you need to keep in mind is that honey is not recommended for children younger than one as it can cause infant botulism (severe poisoning affecting the central nervous system).
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