Surviving Cold Season
By Michael Castleman
Email this article to a friend
Last year Jane McGee swore by Airborne®, the cold remedy “created by a teacher.” All winter long, the New York-based jewelry maker dropped Airborne® tablets into glasses of water and felt reassured that the fizzy concoction would help her fend off colds. But since then, the Federal Trade Commission charged Airborne with false advertising, and in a $30 million settlement, the makers of the vitamin-mineral-herb product agreed to stop claiming that it prevents and cures colds.
“I don’t know what to think -- or do,” says the perplexed McGee. “I just want to stay healthy this winter.” For McGee and everyone else who’s trying to avoid catching cold this year, here’s what really works.
How You Catch a Cold
While bundling up before going outdoors can help you stay warm, it won’t prevent you from catching a cold. British researchers made one group of people wear wet socks while sitting in a drafty gym in their underwear until they felt thoroughly chilled, while another bunch watched TV fully clothed in a toasty room. Then both groups had cold viruses squirted up their noses. The warm group caught just as many colds as those who had been chilled.
So how do you really catch a cold? Colds are caused by any one of 200 viruses. When someone has a cold, they spew virus particles into the air whenever they cough, sneeze or simply exhale. The most common way to catch a cold is by inhaling the virus or picking it up on your fingers. “We all touch our noses subconsciously several times an hour,” says cold researcher Jack Gwaltney, M.D., of the University of Virginia. “When you have a cold, nose-touching contaminates your fingers with virus particles. If you touch other people’s hands or hard surfaces (counters, doorknobs, telephones, etc.), you deposit virus, and other people literally pick it up with their fingers. Then they touch their noses [or rub their eyes] and get infected.”
How to Prevent Colds
The best way to prevent colds is to minimize your exposure to cold viruses:
Increase ventilation It will disperse cold viruses. You may not want to open the windows in winter, but keep air moving with fans.
Encourage mouth-covering Coughs and sneezes expel millions of virus particles into the air. If you’re around someone who has a cold, encourage them to cover their mouths and noses when they cough or sneeze.
Use soap and water Multiple studies show that “one of the best defenses against colds is frequent hand washing,” says Dr. Gwaltney. “It removes viruses from fingers.”
Keep fingers away from nose and eyes That way you won’t infect yourself if you’ve picked up cold viruses on your fingers.
Disinfect surfaces In one study, Dr. Gwaltney contaminated a countertop with cold virus, then sprayed it with Lysol disinfectant spray. The disinfectant greatly reduced the amount of cold virus present.
Exercise It boosts immune function. In one study, David Nieman, a professor of health education at Appalachian State University, had a group of sedentary women remain inactive while another bunch took brisk, 45-minute walks five days a week. After 15 weeks, the exercisers suffered only half as many days with cold symptoms.
De-stress Ever catch a cold while studying for finals or struggling with a deadline? Blame stress. Carnegie-Mellon psychologist Sheldon Cohen, Ph.D., recorded the stress level of 400 volunteers, then squirted cold viruses into their noses. Those most stressed were twice as likely to catch a cold. Stress increases susceptibility, Cohen explains, “because it impairs the immune system’s ability to fight off colds.”
Laugh Massachusetts psychologist Kathleen Dillon, Ph.D., showed one group of volunteers a serious video while others watched a comedy. Then she measured levels of Immunoglobulin A or IgA, a cold-fighting component of the immune system. IgA levels didn’t change in the serious video group, but in the comedy group, they rose significantly.
Socialize Because colds spread from person to person, you’d think that loners would remain cold-free. But in a study of 276 volunteers, Cohen discovered that as social connections increase, risk of colds decreases. Social ties boost the immune system, Cohen notes. Evidently, the immune boost gained from sociability more than compensates for being around others who might have colds.
How to Treat Colds
If despite all your prevention efforts, you or a loved one starts sniffling and sneezing, take heart. As they say, this too shall pass. In the meantime:
Rest “Most colds aren’t serious enough to send you to bed, but take it easy for a few days,” says San Francisco family practitioner Anne Simons, M.D. It’s hard work for the immune system to vanquish the virus. That’s why cold sufferers feel tired. Support your immune system by resting.
Drink hot fluids Grandma was right. Cold viruses reproduce best at temperatures below normal body temperature. Hot liquids heat the throat and may impair viral replication. Hot fluids also soothe a sore throat, have decongestant action and help relieve cough.
Eat chicken soup Eight hundred years ago, Egyptian rabbis and doctors recommended chicken soup for colds. It’s been a mainstay of folk medicine ever since. A Florida researcher showed that chicken soup does, indeed, relieve nasal congestion better than plain hot water. What’s more, University of Nebraska cold researcher Stephen Rennard, M.D., confirmed the benefits of chicken soup -- as well as vegetable soup (without chicken) containing onions, sweet potatoes, carrots, turnips and parsnips.
Try echinacea and andrographis Recent research confirms that echinacea, the most popular herbal cold remedy, can indeed shorten a cold by 1.4 days. And several studies have shown that an Indian herb called andrographis has anti-viral action and can both ease cold symptoms and shorten their duration.
Consider vitamin C and zinc Australian researchers analyzed 29 studies and found that vitamin C offers modest benefits, speeding recovery by half a day. The jury’s still out, however, on zinc. Some studies show significant benefits; others do not.
Use over-the-counter (OTC) cold formulas with care After reviewing 51 studies of OTC cold formulas, Canadian researchers concluded that cold formulas neither attack the virus nor help the body fight it, so they have no effect on a cold’s duration. However, they do suppress symptoms, which can provide modest relief -- but only for people over age 5. In preschoolers, OTC cold formulas have no benefit at all. What’s more, last year the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ruled that OTC cold products should not be given to children under 2 years because they may cause potentially serious side effects in infants.
If you decide to reach for an OTC remedy, keep in mind that most doctors discourage all-in-one shotgun cold formulas. Why take a cough suppressant if all you have is a stuffed nose? Instead, look for single products for each of your symptoms: anesthetic lozenges for a sore throat, decongestant for nasal congestion, antihistamine for a runny nose, cough suppressant for a cough.
Finally, if you’re wondering how close you can get to your sniffling child or spouse -- or vice versa -- University of Wisconsin researchers gathered 16 couples, infected one member of each couple with a cold virus, then had them plant an extended kiss on their partner’s mouth. Only one partner (6 percent) caught the cold. The virus generally stays in the nose and throat while the mouth remains remarkably virus-free. So feel free to kiss cold sufferers. Just don’t rub noses.
Michael Castleman has been called "one of the nation's leading health writers" (Library Journal). He is the author of 11 consumer health books and more than 1,500 health articles for magazines and the Web.
Article Rating
Click a star to rate this article
Submit your comment below:
