Diagnosing a Cold

If you have tried the over-the-counter remedies without any success, several prescription medications are available for nasal stuffiness and cough (for example, ipratropium or cromolyn nasal spray for stuffiness and drainage and benzonatate for cough).

If you have a sore throat with fever and no cold symptoms, you should be seen by your doctor. This type of sore throat is more likely to be a Strep throat or other potentially serious illness.

Finally, if you notice facial pain, tooth pain, or yellow drainage from your nose accompanied by a fever, it is possible that you have an infection of the nasal passages (sinusitis) or a dental infection that would benefit from a medical evaluation and a course of antibiotics.

When should a doctor or other health care practitioner be consulted?

If you have tried the over-the-counter
remedies without any success, several prescription medications are available for
nasal stuffiness and cough (for example, ipratropium or cromolyn nasal spray for stuffiness
and drainage and benzonatate for cough).

If you have a sore throat with
fever and no cold symptoms, you should be seen by your doctor. This type of sore
throat is more likely to be a Strep throat or other potentially
serious illness.

Finally, if you notice facial pain, tooth pain, or yellow drainage from your
nose accompanied by a fever, it is possible that you have an infection of the
nasal passages (sinusitis) or a dental infection that
would benefit from a medical evaluation and a course of antibiotics.

Common
Cold At A Glance

• Common colds are caused by viruses.
  
• Going out into the cold weather has no effect on the spread of a cold.
  
• Antibiotics do not help the common cold.
  
• There are effective home remedies for the common cold

Cold - Symptoms

What Are the Symptoms?

One to three days after catching a cold virus, symptoms begin suddenly. They
start with a burning feeling in the nose or throat. Next comes sneezing, a runny
nose, and the feeling of being tired and unwell.

For the first few days, your nose
teems with watery nasal secretions. Later, these become thicker and darker. Dark
mucus does not necessarily mean that you have developed a bacterial
infection.

You may get a mild cough. It won't get much worse, but it is likely to last
into the second week of your illness. If you suffer from chronic bronchitis, a
cold will make it worse. If you are coughing up dark material -- or if you are
feeling a lot of distress low down in your lungs -- you may have a bacterial
infection. These symptoms can also be caused by a cold virus other than a
rhinovirus.

Usually there is no fever -- in fact, fever and more severe symptoms may
indicate that you have the flu and not a cold.

Cold symptoms settle in between one and four days after you are infected by a
cold virus and typically last for about three days. At that point the worst is
over, but you may feel congested for a week or more. During the first three days
that you have symptoms, you are contagious. This means you can pass the cold to
others, so stay home and get some rest.

Except in newborns, colds themselves are not dangerous. They usually go away
in four to 10 days without any special medicine. Unfortunately, colds do wear
down your body's resistance, making you more susceptible to bacterial
infections.

If your cold is nasty enough, seek medical attention. Your doctor likely will
examine your throat and ears. He or she may take a throat culture by brushing
your throat with a long cotton-tipped swab. This will show whether you have a
bacterial infection, which requires treatment with antibiotics.

Call Your Doctor If:

• You notice an inability to swallow.
  
• You have a sore throat for more than two or three days, particularly if it
  seems to be worsening.
  
• You have an earache.
  
• You have a stiff neck or sensitivity to bright lights.
  
• Your are pregnant or nursing.
  
• Your newborn or infant has cold symptoms.
  
• Your throat hurts and your temperature is 101 degrees F or higher.
  
• Your cold symptoms worsen after the third day. You may have a bacterial
  infection.

12 Tips to Prevent

12 Tips to Prevent Cold and Flu the "Natural" Way

There are no known cures for colds and flu, so cold and flu prevention should
be your goal. A proactive approach to warding off colds and flu is apt to make
your whole life healthier. The most effective way for preventing the flu is to
get the flu shot. It may not be natural, but it works better than anything else.
But there are other strategies you can employ as well. WebMD went to Charles B.
Inlander, president of The People's Medical Society, for suggestions you may
want to try:

#1 Wash Your Hands

Most cold and flu viruses are spread by direct
contact. Someone who has the flu sneezes onto their hand, and then touches the
telephone, the keyboard, a kitchen glass. The germs can live for hours -- in
some cases weeks -- only to be picked up by the next person who touches the same
object. So wash your hands often. If no sink is available, rub your hands
together very hard for a minute or so. That also helps break up most of the cold
germs. Or rub an alcohol-based hand sanitizer onto your hands.

#2 Don't Cover Your Sneezes and Coughs With
Your Hands

Because germs and viruses cling to your bare hands,
muffling coughs and sneezes with your hands results in passing along your germs
to others. When you feel a sneeze or cough coming, use a tissue, then throw it
away immediately. If you don't have a tissue, turn your head away from people
near you and cough into the air.

#3 Don't Touch Your Face

Cold and flu viruses enter your body through the
eyes, nose, or mouth. Touching their faces is the major way children catch
colds, and a key way they pass colds on to their parents.

#4 Drink Plenty of Fluids

Water flushes your system, washing out the poisons as
it rehydrates you. A typical, healthy adult needs eight 8-ounce glasses of
fluids each day. How can you tell if you're getting enough liquid? If the color
of your urine runs close to clear, you're getting enough. If it's deep yellow,
you need more fluids.

#5 Take a Sauna

Researchers aren't clear about the exact role saunas
play in prevention, but one 1989 German study found that people who steamed
twice a week got half as many colds as those who didn't. One theory: When you
take a sauna you inhale air hotter than 80 degrees, a temperature too hot for
cold and flu viruses to survive.

#6 Get Fresh Air

A regular dose of fresh air is important, especially
in cold weather when central heating dries you out and makes your body more
vulnerable to cold and flu viruses. Also, during cold weather more people stay
indoors, which means more germs are circulating in crowded, dry rooms.

#7 Do Aerobic Exercise Regularly

Aerobic exercise speeds up the heart to pump larger
quantities of blood; makes you breathe faster to help transfer oxygen from your
lungs to your blood; and makes you sweat once your body heats up. These
exercises help increase the body's natural virus-killing cells.

#8 Eat Foods Containing Phytochemicals

"Phyto" means plants, and the natural chemicals in
plants give the vitamins in food a supercharged boost. So put away the vitamin
pill, and eat dark green, red, and yellow vegetables and fruits.

#9 Eat Yogurt

Some studies have shown that eating a daily cup of
low-fat yogurt can reduce your susceptibility to colds by 25 percent.
Researchers think the beneficial bacteria in yogurt may stimulate production of
immune system substances that fight disease.

#10 Don't Smoke

Statistics show that heavy smokers get more severe
colds and more frequent ones.

Even being around smoke profoundly zaps the immune
system. Smoke dries out your nasal passages and paralyzes cilia. These are the
delicate hairs that line the mucous membranes in your nose and lungs, and with
their wavy movements, sweep cold and flu viruses out of the nasal passages.
Experts contend that one cigarette can paralyze cilia for as long as 30
to 40 minutes.

#11 Cut Alcohol Consumption

Heavy alcohol use suppresses the immune system in a
variety of ways. Heavier drinkers are more prone to initial infections as well
as secondary complications. Alcohol also dehydrates the body -- it actually
takes more fluids from your system than it puts in.

#12 Relax

If you can teach yourself to relax, you can activate
your immune system on demand. There's evidence that when you put your relaxation
skills into action, your interleukins -- leaders in the immune system response
against cold and flu viruses -- increase in the bloodstream. Train yourself to
picture an image you find pleasant or calming. Do this 30 minutes a day for
several months. Keep in mind, relaxation is a learnable skill, but it is
not doing nothing. People who try to relax, but are in fact bored, show
no changes in blood chemicals.

Cold--Causes

Common Cold--Causes

The viruses

More than 200 different viruses are known to cause the symptoms of the common
cold. Some, such as the rhinoviruses, seldom produce serious illnesses. Others,
such as parainfluenza and respiratory syncytial virus, produce mild infections
in adults but can precipitate severe lower respiratory infections in young
children.

Rhinoviruses (from the Greek rhin,
meaning “nose”) cause an estimated 30 to 35 percent of all adult colds, and are
most active in early fall, spring, and summer. More than 110 distinct rhinovirus
types have been identified. These agents grow best at temperatures of about 91
degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature inside the human nose.

Scientists think coronaviruses cause a large percentage of all adult colds.
They bring on colds primarily in the winter and early spring. Of the more than
30 kinds, three or four infect humans. The importance of coronaviruses as a
cause of colds is hard to assess because, unlike rhinoviruses, they are
difficult to grow in the laboratory.

Approximately 10 to 15 percent of adult colds are caused by viruses also
responsible for other, more severe illnesses: adenoviruses, coxsackieviruses,
echoviruses, orthomyxoviruses (including influenza A and B viruses, which cause
flu), paramyxoviruses (including several parainfluenza viruses), respiratory
syncytial virus, and enteroviruses.

The causes of 30 to 50 percent of adult colds, presumed to be viral, remain
unidentified. The same viruses that produce colds in adults appear to cause
colds in children. The relative importance of various viruses in pediatric
colds, however, is unclear because it’s difficult to isolate the precise cause
of symptoms in studies of children with colds.

The weather

There is no evidence that you can get a cold from exposure to cold weather or
from getting chilled or overheated.

Other factors

There is also no evidence that your chances of getting a cold are related to
factors such as exercise, diet, or enlarged tonsils or adenoids. On the other
hand, research suggests that psychological stress and allergic diseases
affecting your nose or throat may have an impact on your chances of getting
infected by cold viruses.

Cold Facts

Common Cold

Overview

Sneezing, scratchy throat, runny nose—everyone knows the first signs of a
cold, probably the most common illness known. Although the common cold is
usually mild, with symptoms lasting 1 to 2 weeks, it is a leading cause of
doctor visits and missed days from school and work. According to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 22 million school days are lost annually in the
United States due to the common cold.

In the course of a year, people in the United States suffer 1 billion colds,
according to some estimates.

Children have about 6 to 10 colds a year. One important reason why colds are
so common in children is because they are often in close contact with each other
in daycare centers and schools. In families with children in school, the number
of colds per child can be as high as 12 a year. Adults average about 2 to 4
colds a year, although the range varies widely. Women, especially those aged 20
to 30 years, have more colds than men, possibly because of their closer contact
with children. On average, people older than 60 have fewer than one cold a
year.

In the United States, most colds occur during the fall and winter. Beginning
in late August or early September, the rate of colds increases slowly for a few
weeks and remains high until March or April, when it declines. The seasonal
variation may relate to the opening of schools and to cold weather, which prompt
people to spend more time indoors and increase the chances that viruses will
spread to you from someone else.

Seasonal changes in relative humidity also may affect the prevalence of
colds. The most common cold-causing viruses survive better when humidity is
low—the colder months of the year. Cold weather also may make the inside lining
of your nose drier and more vulnerable to viral infection.

Questions 10 About Cold

Frequently Asked 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.

Cold: The Basics

Common Cold: The Basics

Sneezing, scratchy throat, runny nose -- everyone knows the first miserable
signs of a common cold. But what is a common cold really? What causes you
to catch colds frequently while your best friend stays well? And -- more
importantly -- how can you prevent getting a common cold this season? Here are
some common cold basics to help you protect yourself and your family from
getting sick.

What Is a Common Cold?

The common cold is a group of symptoms in the upper respiratory tract caused
by a large number of different viruses. Although more than 200 viruses can cause
the common cold, the perpetrator is usually the rhinovirus, which is to blame
for causing 10% to 40% of colds. Also, the coronaviruses cause about 20% of
colds and the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes 10% of colds.

The rhinovirus (or other cold virus) enters your body through your nose or
mouth and is easily spread when you touch someone or touch common objects (the
computer keyboard or mouse, the telephone receiver, a doorknob, or eating
utensils). If you aren’t cautious about hand washing, you can
spread the common cold to family, friends, coworkers, and people you’ve never
met at a restaurant or the supermarket.

What Causes a Common Cold?

While getting chilled or wet is not a common cold cause,
there are factors that make you more susceptible to catching a cold virus. For
example, you are more likely to catch a common cold if you are excessively
fatigued, have emotional distress, or have allergies with nose and
throat symptoms.

For more detail, see WebMD’s Common Cold Causes.

How a Common Cold Starts

With a common cold, you catch the virus from another person who is infected
with the virus. This usually happens by touching surface contaminated with cold
germs, and then touching your nose or mouth. You can also catch a cold by
encountering secretions someone has sneezed into the air.

A cold begins when a cold virus attaches to the lining of your nose or
throat. Your immune system sends white blood cells out to attack this germ.
Unless you've encountered that exact strain of the virus before, the initial
attack fails and your body sends in reinforcements. Your nose and throat get
inflamed and produce a lot of mucus. With so much of your body’s energy
directed at fighting the cold virus, you’re left feeling tired and
miserable.

Although the common cold is usually mild, it is a leading cause of doctor
visits and missed days from school and work. According to the CDC, 22 million
school days are lost annually in the U.S. because of the common cold. Some
estimates state that Americans suffer 1 billion colds annually.

Common Cold Symptoms

With the common cold, you may have cold symptoms such as
an itching or sore throat with sneezing, nasal congestion, watery eyes, and
mucus drainage. More severe symptoms, such as high fever or muscle aches, may
indicate you may have the flu and not a cold.

For more detail, see WebMD’s Common Cold Symptoms: What
You Might Feel

Kids and Common Colds

Children have about 5 to 7 colds per year. A key reason why colds are so
common in children is because kids spend time at school or in daycare centers
where they are in close contact with other kids most of the day. Another reason
is kids have not developed as strong an immune system against colds. In families
with children in school, the number of colds per child can be as high as 12
annually. Adults average about 2 or 3 colds a year, although the range varies
widely. Women, especially those aged 20 to 30 years, have more colds than men,
possibly because of their closer contact with children. On average, people older
than 60 have less than one cold a year.

For more detail, see WebMD’s Kids and Colds: Germs in
the School Room.

Preparing for Cold Season

In the United States, most colds occur during the fall and winter. Beginning
in late August or early September, the rate of colds increases slowly for a few
weeks and remains high until March or April, when it declines. The seasonal
variation may relate to the opening of schools and to cold weather, which prompt
people to spend more time indoors and increase the chances that viruses will
spread.

Seasonal changes in relative humidity also may affect the prevalence of
colds. The most common cold-causing viruses survive better when humidity is
low—the colder months of the year. Cold weather also may make the inside lining
of your nose drier and more vulnerable to viral infection.

When to Call the Doctor

Remember, common colds are viral—not bacterial. Yet many people
still ask their doctors for antibiotics when they experience common cold misery.
Antibiotics kill
bacteria -- not viruses. Antibiotics cannot help a viral infection
like a cold.

While most colds last around 7 to 10 days, if your symptoms continue, you may
need to call the doctor.
Sometimes common colds can lead to bacterial infections in your lungs, sinuses,
or ears that require medical treatment such as antibiotics.