Curing the common cold

Colds – they happen every year. And, once they get started, they make the rounds through families and workplaces. As sure as winter is approaching, so is the COLD season. In the 1886 Farmers’ Almanac our medical advise was to “smell a dirty sock.” This effectively cleared one’s sinuses.

120 years later and there is no cure for the common cold. But we are a little smarter in how to prevent and control it. Colds last from 2 to 14 days. The average hangs around for a full week. Did you know that there are actually 250 different viruses that lead to colds. Because of the sheer number, it is hard to find a vaccination that works.

Here are the symptoms:

• Mucus build up in your nose
• Difficulty breathing through your nose
• Swelling of sinuses
• Sneezing
• Sore throat
• Headache
• Slight fever

Common Treatments:

• Rest
• Chicken Soup (yes it does wonders)
• Use petroleum jelly around the nose
• Spray saline in your nose
• Gargle with warm water
• drink plenty of clear decaffeinated fluids
• Increase your intake of vitamin C and zinc

Prevention:

• Wash your hands multiple times each day
• Avoid people with colds (no hugging them
• Keep surfaces shared by others clean – yes, carry a can of disinfectant with you.
• Cover your nose and mouth when sneezing.

There is now a technique that is preferred. It is called Coughing into your Sleeves. Check out a website that discusses and demonstrates the proper way to accomplish this. By way of this blog, we are going to make Coughing into your sleeve fashionable…. the preferred method to stop cold germs. Check out www.coughsafe.com. The title is “Why Don’t We Do It in Our Sleeves?. Good question. this video may not save your life but it might help stop the spread of the common cold.

I know it will take awhile for me to cough into my sleeve instead of the socially acceptable hands. But, I will learn and teach others. And, if you are wearing a strapless gown or swimsuit, be sure to have a smell sock close at hand. It still does the trick.

For our full story about Colds, check pages 78 – 79 of the 2007 Farmers’ Almanac.

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