There’s an old saying that a cold takes three days coming, three days staying and three days to go away. This may not necessarily be true, but at times, it certainly feels that way. With all the advances in medicine, we still can’t cure the common cold, but there are measures we can take to prevent it.
A cold is a minor infection of the respiratory system. In most cases, it lasts about a week, but in other cases, it can linger. Most adults suffer from two to four colds per year while their children can suffer up to eight colds yearly. Because they are so highly contagious, (they can be passed on through touch or from inhaling tiny droplets of fluid from an infected person) colds are very easy to catch.
You’ve probably been told that if you go outside without the proper protection from the weather, or if you go to sleep with wet hair, you’ll catch a cold. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Since a cold is a virus, the only way it can be passed is by sharing infected bacteria with others. Not dressing properly in the cold or inclement weather can lead to hypothermia, however, so be sure to bundle up and dress accordingly when venturing outside.
If you want to avoid a cold, you should try to avoid all contact with an infected person. This may not be easy to do considering people show up at work or school infected. Still, it’s best not to get too close if this is something you want to do without. Below are some other tips for preventing a cold:
- Wash your hands. If you are exposed to an infected person, wash your hands after you’ve touched the person or if you’ve come in contact with the same items he or she may have touched. Also, wash your hands after blowing or wiping your own nose as the bacteria on your hands may also cause a cold.
- Clean any items an infected person may have touched. Germs can live for hours, even days, on an infected keyboard, telephone or a piece of silverware.
- Don’t cover your mouth. At least not with your bare hands. When you sneeze or cough into your bare hands, you’re inhaling your own germs. If you have to sneeze or cough, use a handkerchief or tissue to keep the germs from spreading to others – and yourself.
- Drink plenty of fluids. Water and juice flush the body’s impurities from your system.
- Eat plenty of yogurt. Researchers think the good bacteria in yogurt may stimulate output of immune system substances that fight disease.
- Don’t smoke. It’s been proven that smokers catch colds more often than those who don’t smoke. A smoker’s cold often tends to be more severe as well. Even being around secondhand smoke can wreak havoc on one’s immune system. If you don’t want to catch a cold, don’t smoke and don’t hang around people who do smoke.
- Use a humidifier so your nasal passages don’t dry out.
- Reduce stress. Studies have shown that serious stress can weaken the immune system making it more difficult to fight off a cold.
- Use separate hand and bath towels for sick family members so as not to spread the germs.
- Keep your hands away from your face. You don’t want to breathe in any germs containing virus-causing bacteria.
- Eat well and get plenty of exercise so your body is in tip-top shape for fighting viruses.
If you do catch a cold, it’s a good idea to stay home from work for a day or two to avoid spreading the virus to others. Studies show that the first three days of the cold is when it’s most contagious so it would be in everyone’s best interest if you did what you could to not share your germs with co-workers and schoolmates. There may be not cure for the common cold, but there are plenty of steps you can take to prevent it. Some basic prevention now may mean the difference between getting on with your life or a week of misery later.
