Preventing and treating colds: The evidence and the anecdotes

Oh, who doesn’t hate colds. You’re miserable, achy, tired, congested, and coughing. You may need to miss work, or go to the doctor. But it seems that no one really feels sorry for the person with a cold because colds are so common. “It’s just a virus, it’ll get better on its own,” says your doctor. “There’s no cure.” Well, colds cost the U.S. an estimated 40 billion dollars per year considering lost financial productivity, plus spending on medical care, pharmaceuticals, and supplements (and that estimate is from 2003)!1 It’s just a virus? There’s got to be more we can do to effectively prevent and treat this veritable scourge on society. As a primary care doc, here’s what I do for colds in my family (including me) … and the scientific evidence (or lack thereof) behind these recommendations. How to keep colds from happening in the first place There are several basic and effective methods that can help you avoid colds altogether.2 These are really obvious, but obviously not practiced enough. Stay home when you’re sick (and keep your kids home when they’re sick, too). Yup, the first step in prevention is to not go out when you’re spewing viral particles, and that will help prevent other people’s infections. Can’t get time off of work? Stay far away from others, sneeze into a tissue or your elbow, and wash your hands to avoid contaminating surfaces (see below). Wash, wash, wash your hands. Seriously, this is not an old wives’ tale. Handwash...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Cold and Flu Health Prevention cold prevention Source Type: blogs