10 Questions About the Common Cold

The common cold is easily spread through the cold virus. Read answers to common questions about the common cold.

1. What is the difference between a cold and the flu?
Although the flu and the common cold are both respiratory illnesses, they are caused by different viruses. Because they have similar symptoms, it can be difficult to tell them apart. But generally cold symptoms are much milder than flu.

Common cold symptoms include:

Sore throat
Stuffy nose
Runny nose
Cough
Mild fever
The flu, on the other hand, often causes higher fever, chills, body ache, and fatigue.

2. Why isn't there a cold vaccine?
The common cold can be caused by nearly 250 different viruses. It's just too difficult for scientists to prepare a vaccine that protects against all of the cold viruses. Also, there's less need for a cold vaccine. Colds are minor infections of the throat, nose, and sinuses. Colds generally come and go with no serious complications. You're miserable for a few days, then it's over.

3. Could my cold symptoms actually be allergies?
If you are sniffling, but not achy or feverish at all, you may very well have allergies. Also, if your symptoms last longer than two weeks, and you also have red, itchy eyes, the evidence points to allergies. However, it's often hard to tell because people with allergies and asthma are more likely to get colds. They may already have inflamed and irritated lungs - so they are less able to fight off a cold virus.

4. What's the best treatment for a cold?
There is no cure for the common cold. The most important thing you can do is drink a lot of fluids to keep your body hydrated. This will help prevent another infection from setting in. Avoid drinks like coffee, tea, and colas with caffeine. They rob your system of fluids. As for eating, follow your appetite. If you're not really hungry, try eating simple foods like white rice or broth.

Chicken soup is comforting, plus the steam helps break up nasal congestion. Ginger seems to settle an upset stomach. A hot toddy may help you sleep, but beware of mixing alcohol with other cold remedies.

Over-the-counter cold medicines can offer relief from aches and fever. However, doctors no longer believe in suppressing low-grade fever - except in very young and very old people, or people with certain medical conditions such as heart or lung disease. Low-grade fever helps the body fight off infection by suppressing the growth of viruses or bacteria and by activating the immune system.

Aspirin. Young people and children should not take aspirin because of the risk of Reye's syndrome.
Decongestants can help make breathing easier by shrinking swollen mucous membranes in the nose.
Saline nasal sprays can also open breathing passages.
Cough preparations are not hugely effective. For minor coughs, water and fruit juices probably help the most.
Gargling with salt water can help relieve a sore throat.
5. How effective are natural remedies like zinc, echinacea, and vitamin C?
Some studies show that zinc nasal sprays help cut a cold's severity and duration. The theory? Zinc sprays may coat the cold virus and prevent it from attaching to nasal cells where they enter the body. But other studies show that zinc is no more effective than placebo. Recent, well-done studies on echinacea show that it is not effective in preventing colds. However, in one study, 120 people with cold-like symptoms took 20 drops of echinacea every two hours for 10 days and had briefer colds than others.

5. How effective are natural remedies like zinc, echinacea, and vitamin C? continued...
As for vitamin C's effects, a recent survey of 65 years' worth of studies found limited benefit. The researchers found no evidence that vitamin C prevents colds. However, they did find evidence that vitamin C may shorten how long you suffer from a cold. One large study found that people who took a vitamin C megadose -- 8 grams on the first day of a cold -- shortened the duration of their colds.

To prevent colds the natural way, it's best to make sure you've got a well-nourished immune system. Dark greens foods like spinach are loaded with vitamins A and C. Salmon is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which fight inflammation. Low-fat yogurt may help stimulate the immune system.

Regular exercise - aerobics and walking - also boosts the immune system. People who exercise may still catch a virus, but they have less severe symptoms. They may recover more quickly compared with less-healthy people.

6. Should I go to the doctor or get an antibiotic?
You usually don't need a doctor or an antibiotic when you have a cold. Colds are caused by viruses. Antibiotics kill bacteria, not viruses.

But a cold can turn into a sinus infection. If your sinuses become blocked and cannot drain properly, you can develop inflammation and a bacterial infection. An ear infection may also result from a bout with a cold. Although sinus and ear infections can improve on their own, sometimes you need antibiotics to clear the bacterial infections from your body.

Symptoms of an ear infection include ear pain, fever, and/or a feeling of fullness in the ears.

Symptoms of a sinus infection include a runny or stuffy nose, facial pain, and pressure, and headache.

7. Should I stay at home if I have a cold?
You're contagious for the first few days of your cold, so it's best to stay home then. You need to be careful about coughing and sneezing around other people. Also, you will recover quicker if you get some rest.

8. How can I prevent a cold?
Handwashing! Both flu and cold viruses are transmitted the same way -- through microscopic droplets from an infected person's respiratory system. Someone sneezes or coughs, and droplets are sprayed onto any nearby surface -- including you! If people cough or sneeze into their hands (without a tissue), they can contaminate every surface they touch. If you touch that same surface, you pick up the virus. If you rub your eyes or nose, you've just infected yourself.

To protect yourself and prevent spread of cold and flu viruses:

Wash your hands frequently. Use an alcohol-based gel if you don't have access to water.
Cough and sneeze into a tissue or into your hands. Wash your hands afterward.
No tissue? When you cough, turn your head away from others.
If you have a sudden sneeze, bend your arm and sneeze into it.
Don't touch your eyes, nose, or mouth.
Wash any shared surfaces (like phones and keyboards) frequently. Viruses can live on surfaces for several hours.
Stay away from crowds during cold and flu season.
9. Can you catch a cold from getting chilled?
This is one of the most persistent myths about colds. The only way to catch a cold is by being exposed to a cold virus. Cold air may irritate an existing condition, such as asthma, which would weaken your immunity. This could make your body more receptive to a cold virus, but only if you come in contact with it. If you've caught a cold after getting chilled, it's only coincidence.

10. Why does my child always seem to have a cold?
School children are incredibly good at passing a virus along. Children naturally exhale more highly concentrated virus droplets than adults do. They also exhale them for longer periods of time. Plus, children are very active, always in each other's faces. And there is a general lack of hygiene - children don't their wash hands. They don't cover noses or mouths when they sneeze or cough. Even more importantly, they don't get very sick - which means they continue to spread the virus while they are very contagious.

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