Common Cold 101

It is cold season again and before you grab the Kleenex and anti-histamine bone up on other things you can do to lessen your cold symptoms. Many of these things are common sense things that our grandparents did that we thought were silly when we were younger.

Drink lots of fluids. Don't drink a lot of caffeinated soda as caffeine acts as a diuretic and the goal is to keep yourself well hydrated ;while you have a cold. Drink water, decaffeinated tea, or juice. You need the proper amount of fluids to help your body get rid of toxins while you are fighting the cold virus.

Open up your house. While it may seem contrary to common sense, or grandmothers knew the value of fresh air in the house. If you have a chill you can curl up in a blanket, but open a window to let in fresh air. It helps to rid your sick room of dry germ filled air and let some fresh brisk air in.

Eat your chicken soup. It is better if it is homemade chicken soup, but all chicken soup works. Chicken soup has substances that actually helps reduce inflammation in your nasal tissues. If you can tolerate it add some fresh garlic to your chicken soup as it is known to have properties that help boost your immune system.

Don't over blow your nose. This is something grandma probably did not know about. If you over blow your nose there is a good chance you will be sending bacteria back into your nasal cavity. Use saline solution and a tissue to clear out your nose. There is less chance that you will irritate your sinuses with the saline solution then by blowing it hard anyway. To clear away post nasal drip gargle with warm salt water.

Don't skip breakfast. A Dutch study showed that eating breakfast boosted the bodies best anti viral compound gamma interferon by 450 % .Skipping breakfast lowered the level of gamma interferon by 17%. You will want to avoid dairy if you are really stuffed up because it encourages the formation of mucus. Eat an egg if you can, because your body needs protein to produce antibodies.

Drink your orange juice. While vitamin C is not a cure for the common cold it does help boost your overall immune system. People with the flu who took at least 500mg of vitamin C; studies showed had less risk of complications than those who did not take vitamin C.

It is fine to take over the counter cold medicine. If you do not have to work don't avoid the regular drowsy cold medicine. If you can get some extra rest; you will feel better faster. A good night's sleep has been shown to boost your immune system and in general improve how you feel. If you have to work with a bad cold; be sure to drink lots of fluids and keep some disinfectant wipes in your cubicle. Be considerate of your co workers and wipe off things that you have touched like the phone or shared keyboard

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http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=88519

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cold-remedies/ID00036

http://www.appliedchiropracticoftroy.com/newsletter/10-08%20Immune%20System.pdf

A must read on boosting your immune system.

http://health.howstuffworks.com/human-nature/health-myths/feed-a-cold.htm/printable