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HEALTHY LIVING Fix Your. . . Cold BY SYLVIA BOOTH HUBBARD


WHY COLDS MAKE YOU FEEL BAD Inflammation: Cold viruses attack the linings of your nose and throat, causing painful infl ammation and triggering annoying mucus production. Fatigue: Your body expends so much energy fi ghting the virus and coping with sneezing, sore throat, and stuff ed-up sinuses that fatigue sets in.


WHAT TO DO Get rest: If possible, stay home for a day or two and pamper yourself. Get relief: Take acetaminophen or aspirin for fever and mild headaches. Try saline nasal drops for congestion. If you take over-the- counter decongestants and cough suppressants, beware of drowsiness or dizziness. Unless directed by your doctor, don’t give over-the-counter cold and cough medicines to children under 4 because of possible risks. Never give aspirin to children under 12 because of the link to Reye’s syndrome, a potentially fatal illness associated with kids’ aspirin use. While cold medicine can make us feel better, there is no cure except time. Try zinc lozenges: Studies show that if you use zinc lozenges at the fi rst sign of a cold, you may reduce the severity of symptoms and slightly reduce the length of your cold. Replace fluids: Water and juice are good choices to replace fl uids lost to fever and mucus, but avoid caff eine and alcohol, which are dehydrating. Eat chicken soup: Mom was right — studies show chicken soup really works by acting as an anti-infl ammatory, and also as a decongestant by speeding up the movement of mucus.


88 NEWSMAX MAXLIFE | FEBRUARY 2012


Take vitamin C: While vitamin C doesn’t appear to prevent colds, it may shorten their duration and reduce severity. Too much can trigger diarrhea in children and the elderly. Stay warm: Keep the room where you recuperate warm but not hot. Apparently, science agrees with Mom: A British study shows that staying warm in cold weather and avoiding chills (just like Mom always said) may prevent colds. Gargle salt water: Half a teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water makes a good throat-soothing solution for gargling. Tip from Japanese


PREVENTION IS BEST


T


here’s no evidence that researchers are any


closer to finding that holy grail of modern medicine: a cure for the common cold. However, in recent


years two alternative cold treatments have become popular: zinc lozenges and echinacea tablets. Science, though, can’t


seem to agree on whether there is any benefit from the two. Some recent studies show that zinc is eff ective and echinacea is not. A major study on


scientists: Daily gargling with plain tap water may keep you cold-free by preventing viruses from replicating in your throat, perhaps because of the chlorine in the water.


WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS If your symptoms persist for more than two weeks, see your doctor. You might have an allergy instead of a cold. See your doctor if you have a fever of 103 degrees or higher, chills, colored phlegm, swollen glands, and severe sinus pain. These might mean you have the fl u or that you have a secondary bacterial infection in your ears, lungs, or sinuses.


SOURCES: Mayo Clinic, WebMD, National Institutes of Health, Ohio State University Medical Center, and Japan Times.


echinacea tablets at the University of Wisconsin found that the herb did not significantly help cold suff erers. But an exhaustive review


of data from 15 studies by the Cochrane Library last year found that the mineral supplements actually did slightly decrease the length and severity of the common cold. The best strategy may be to try to prevent getting a cold in first place, and a good way to do that is to exercise. Researchers found that people who exercised five or more days a week got 46 percent fewer colds than those who did not work out. In addition, those who


exercised reported their colds were much less severe and lasted for a shorter period of time.


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