I can’t help but notice with the new school year’s arrival and the post holiday festivities, how many people are suffering from the common cold. I’ve tried my best to steer clear of anyone carrying a box of tissues or coughing rampantly, but with the weather reaching cold temperatures (37 degrees is freezing for Las Vegas) I find it almost impossible avoiding contact with an infected person.
Well sure, I wash my hands way more than I should and I pop Airborne like it’s candy not to mention the purse filled with hand sanitizer, but is it really enough?
In a recent article on the WebMD website, Kathleen Doheny, examines natural alternatives to kicking that winter cold.
She studied Four Natural Cold Remedies which include supplements and vitamins that aid the immune system in fighting virus. Although Dr. Blandino of the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center Shadyside Hospital admits, “You can’t cure a cold” we certainly can decrease the amount of time we spend coughing and sniffling.
Zinc a popular mineral has gained popularity in the prevention of the common cold. However, medical studies aren’t so popular in endorsing this mineral.
When found in over the counter zinc lozenges, there was no effect. However zinc nasal gel yielded positive results.
Vitamin C is the vitamin of all multi-vitamins. It’s praised for it’s prevention and treatment of colds with it’s ascorbic acid content and water soluble base. According to the article, a 2007 study examined the use of Vitamin C before and during a cold. When taken as a daily supplement it can decrease the length of the cold by about 8% in adults (14% in children).
Very active individuals who take Vitamin C may decrease their risk by one half of even catching a cold!
Echinacea another trendy herbal supplement is gaining almost as much attention as Vitamin C. Supporters claim its antiviral properties boost the immune system helping prevent colds.
But once again, when the scientific evidence is produced, incompatible results arise. A 2007 study conducted by the University of Connecticut found that echinacea reduces the chance of developing a cold by 58% but a previous study done in 2005 by the University of Virgina found no advantage from the herb in preventing or treating a cold.
Chicken Soup ahh…. good ole’ chicken soup.How many commercials do we see with kids sick in bed waiting for Mom to bring them a tray of hot soup? This image has been embedded into the minds of Americans forever, giving them the idea that chicken broth will make their cold disappear.
The difficulty in studying chicken soup is coming up with a comparable placebo. When you think about it, the placebo has to look and taste like chicken soup otherwise the patients will know. This is where scientists find problems. They cannot make accurate conclusions when they don’t have sufficient methods of even testing the soup to begin with. Although, a report published in 2000 found that chicken soup may have an anti-inflammatory effect on upper respiratory infections. One advantage of chicken soup is it can help fight dehydration. Fine. America wins.
The Verdict?
Although we can’t cure that nasty cold there are some preventive measures to take during cold season.
Just breathing in the same air as an infected person is not enough to contaminate. According to Dr. Hendley, professor of pediatrics at the University of Virgina, “You usually get it on the finger and you inoculate yourself.” Dr. Hendley advises it’s not just about washing your hands but washing them after you touch potentially germy surfaces: light switches, remote control, door handles- surfaces where cold viruses may linger longer than usual.
Drinking ample amounts of fluid and rest isn’t a bad idea either.
