Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

American Lung Association Gives Tips On Treating Cold, Influenza Virus

When it comes to the common cold, what goes around comes around.

With the weather getting colder and people spending more time indoors, the chances of cold viruses spreading from one person to another begin to increase. When one person brings cold symptoms home, the misery of a winter cold intensifies as it hits each member of the family.

The common cold, which is an infection of the head and chest, can be caused by one of more than 200 different viruses. Each infection stimulates the immune system to produce antibodies against that particular invade, but not against the next.

]Statistics show that every week during the winter, 13 percent of the U.S. population catches a fresh cold by infections spread through sneezing, coughing and personal contact.

"When exposed to a virus, one may develop an infection more easily if the nose is dry, providing lower amounts of secretions to wash the virus from the nose," Linda Ford, M.D., vice president of the American Lung Association, said.

"Although colds cannot be cured once contracted, precautions can be taken to reduce the chance of infection and over-the-counter medication can be used to each cold symptoms," she said.

Precautions to take in preventing a cold include the following: wash hands often, particularly after being in public places or around someone with a cold; use antibacterial liquid soap; avoid shaking hands and sharing eating utensils or drinking cups with someone who has a cold; frequently disinfect `high touch' surfaces like doorknobs and phones; use disposable tissues instead of handkerchiefs; ventilate rooms well and use a humidifier to cut down on nose and throat irritation; eat properly and get plenty of rest; avoid smoke; avoid exposing infants to people with colds and crowded public areas; wash your children's toys often in warm, soapy water and relieve individual symptoms with over-the-counter medications if you begin to develop the first signs of a cold.

Symptoms of the common cold usually begin two to three days after infection and often include a runny nose, red and itchy eyes, sneezing, sore throat and coughing. Symptoms lasting longer than two weeks could be an allergy or secondary bacterial infections rather than a cold.

Some suggestions to relieve cold symptoms include treating your illness symptom-by-symptom.

Avoid using unnecessary cold medications by reading the label of over-the-counter medicine to determine which ingredients they contain and what symptoms the medications are designed to treat.

Take an over-the-counter antihistamine/decongestant to help reduce nasal congestion and clear up runny noses. Check with your physician first about taking these medicines if you have a chronic illness.

Take acetaminophen to reduce fever and relieve aches and pains.

Drink plenty of liquids, especially fruit juices, clear soups and water. Drinking warm liquids every two hours will help relieve nasal congestion.

Watch the back of your throat for post nasal drainage. If streaks of mucus appear, try gargling with a teaspoon of salt dissolved in a glass of warm water. The saltwater won't kill viruses or bacteria, but it will take the edge off the pain.

And, finally, sleep a cold off.

For more information on colds, influenza or pneumonia, call Teresa Conner, program director, at the American Lung Association of Arkansas at 1-800-576-4872.