Cold is a nuisance, no doubt in that. We may not take it seriously but it can cause some serious discomfort. Particularly, to kids and elderly people.
If you are pregnant, you have my sympathies. Already overwhelmed with pregnancy symptoms and now you have to deal with cold, or worse, flu.
Flu can cause some complications. I suggest calling your doctor before your condition gets worst. Especially, pregnant women, young kids, and people with pre-existing conditions.
How do you know if it’s cold or flu?
Oh, you will know. Flu is far worst than cold.
What is common cold ?
The common cold is the illness of the upper respiratory tract. Several viruses can cause cold but rhinovirus is the most common culprit. Whereas flu is caused by influenza virus.
Symptoms of cold are our body’s immune response to the virus. They appear gradually, then they peak, and finally fade away.
Most of us know when we are about to get sick with a cold. Initially, we feel a bit itchy in the throat, and that different smell in your nose and throat that shouts in your head ‘do something, you are catching cold’. But by then it’s probably too late. Then comes the runny nose and that’s it. You better start sipping ginger and lemon tea.
Within a day or two, all hell breaks loose as all the symptoms of the cold appear with their full force. And finally, symptoms begin to ease off.
It is a common understanding that it takes about 7 to 10 days to recover from the cold. But it also depends on how strong is your immune system.
What Is the Treatment for a Cold?
There is no treatment or vaccine for the common cold. But you can get vaccinated for flu. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.
However, there are some tips and remedies to make you feel better and recover faster.
Cold indicates that a virus has entered your body and your body is trying to get rid of it. Your symptoms are just signs of what is going on in your body.
You can do things to ease your symptoms.
How long does a cold last?
One to two weeks. (NHS)
When is cold contagious?
A person with a cold can be contagious before symptoms appear until symptoms have finished. (NHS)
How does our immune response to a viral infection?
You might already know that viruses are all around us, many of them harmless, while others can make us sick.
Our body is designed to keep them out but sometimes those treacherous bugs can sneak in. Once they are inside our body they hijack our body cells and start reproducing. That means we are infected and sick.
That is when our immune system steps in. Our immune system is complex and comprises of the innate and adaptive immune responses. Don’t worry I am not going into fine details here, but if you are keen, I will provide links for curious minds.
In short innate immune response is our first line of defense. This system identifies viruses and infected cells and destroys them. When the innate mechanism can not clear the infection it activates an adaptive immune response. Adaptive immunity develops in the body after exposure to pathogen or vaccination.
Remember those white blood cells level in your last blood report, that is your army, who patrol the body and remove nasty viruses. In the process, it causes raised body temperature to kill the virus with heat or trap the virus in mucus and throw it out of the body. That’s the reason it’s important to stay warm and throw out mucus from the body, while it’s trying to heal itself from inside.
You can watch this Ted-ed video to understand this process. Cell Vs.Virus: A battle for health
but if you want to delve into the depth I have got something for you as well:-
Why pregnant women catch more cold often?
The chances of pregnant women catching a cold are high because hormonal changes suppress the immune system to support and continue the pregnancy. You can read more about how the immune system changes during pregnancy in this article (https://theconversation.com/how-pregnancy-changes-womens-metabolism-and-immune-systems-121893) on conversation written by some researchers of immunology.
And then medication during pregnancy is another sensitive topic. As you can’t take many pain killers, cough suppressant or decongestant during pregnancy because they might affect the growing babies. You can use Bumps ( best use of medicine during pregnancy) website to find out more https://www.medicinesinpregnancy.org
Despite that, cold is considered a mild illness and can be handled by the mother’s immunity. But flu is a different story altogether, severe symptoms and infection can pose a risk to the mother and baby. That’s the reason they suggest flu jabs for pregnant women. Prevention is better than cure!
Why common cold is so common during winter?
Every year, cold epidemic occurs between September and April. During this time waves of different viruses moving through a community. But why in winter? well, there are many reasons. You can read details here but in short cold is common during winter because
- Shorter days, longer nights with less sunlight and vitamin D compromises our immune system. So our defenses against infections are worn down
- Low temperature makes the cold virus more resilient and tough
- Cold air holds less moisture than warm air. That means the virus can stay afloat in the air for longer and make people sick
- People stay behind closed doors and windows during the winter, concentrating germs in confined places
- People prefer public transports that brings them in close proximity, which means sick people can easily infect others.
Can I prevent catching a cold or flu virus?
There is no sure-fire tip to make you immune to cold viruses ( if you do, go save the world) but you can do two things.
First, take few precautionary measures
- Maintain good hygiene. Don’t touch your face without washing your hands. Wash your hands with soap and water.
- Wear mask
- Keep warm
- Maintain safe distance from people with cold
Second, strengthen your immune system
- Eat well
- Get enough sleep
- Take vitamin supplements
- Exercise regularly
- Keep yourself well hydrated.
What will sooth a sore throat?
You might have heard experts suggesting cold and it works for many. Not me.
It’s a personal choice, and I am not contradicting any expert here. However, the cold drinks and popsicles are a big NO for me. I have observed that they make it worse.
I also avoid citrus juices and fruits because the acidity in them irritates my already tender and sensitive throat. However, I do eat lots of fruits and vegetables on regular basis. But not when I have sore throat.
I just drink warm water and gargle 3 times a day (15-20 minutes each) with warm salty water (Not hot).
If it doesn’t get better, call your GP.
How to stop coughing ?
Lozenges and cough syrups are popular solutions.
For me ginger and honey work best.
- a spoonful of warm honey mixed with some fresh ginger juice (At home)
- Ginger pieces dipped in honey ( carry to the office or school)
- when traveling, make a paste of dried ginger powder, white pepper powder, and honey in a small container. (Just because this has a longer shelf life).
Take take a little bit during coughing attack. It helps me immediately.
Placebo effect or not, it worked for me and my family.
It might be a cliche, but I feel the need to mention two points here.
First, we should not feed honey to babies. Honey can have a bacterium called clostridium botulinum that can make them very sick.
Second, Although I am a big advocate of home remedies and avoiding over the counter medication, I know when and where to draw the line. If it takes longer than expected to recover or symptoms get worse day by day, I consult a doctor.
Why cold symptoms get worse in the evening?
Initially, I thought it’s just me who feel worse in the evening when sick. But no, there is a scientific explanation behind this annoying physical conundrum.
Our immune system works 24 hours and fights infections, but it has its own circadian rhythm. In the evening it’s inflammatory response takes over. In an attempt to kill the virus it can cause high fever and increased mucus production. It can also cause breathing difficulty, body pain, and fatigue, etc. So just hang in there and it will pass, your body is working hard to recover.
Why antibiotics are not going to help?
Antibiotic kills bacteria and cold is caused by a virus. So antibiotics can’t treat cold. Also, antibiotics have some side effects that can make you feel worse.
If you take antibiotics often, bacteria can become resistant to the antibiotic. because when the bacteria come in contact with an antibiotic, again and again, they change to survive. This changed bacteria can be resistant to the antibiotic.
That means this antibiotic treatment will not be able to treat a bacterial infection in the future.
Why my doctor gave me antibiotics?
Good question! It’s rare but possible. In my understanding, if severe symptoms persist after prolonged cold and cough, you might have developed some sort of bacterial infection.
It can be respiratory tract infection, ear infection, throat infection etc. Your GP can better explain what s/he is trying to treat with antibiotics. So feel free to ask them.
Also, it’s good to discuss possible side-effects and precautionary measures before taking any antibiotics.
Is there no vaccine for the common cold?
No, your flu vaccine may not protect you from the common cold viruses.
Several viruses in the environment can cause the common cold and there is no vaccine to prevent that. so it’s up to your body’s immunity to fight back cold infection.
However, your body can remember the virus that made you sick that means you develop immunity from that particular virus once your body fights it off.
Can exercise make me feel better?
It depends on how you feel. Do you feel strong enough to do some mild exercises? then yes, go for it.
Some stretches can relieve tension in your joints and make you feel better. Mild workout can increase your heart rate, make you sweat, open your congested nose and that feels good.
Just be mindful, if you have chest congestion, shortness of breath, nausea, fever etc. In that case, you anyway won’t be able to do anything but rest.
Just listen to your body. Also, be careful if you just recovered from a bad cold. Take it easy. Give your body and immune system some time to recover and gain some strength.
Why it is important to self-isolate?
Please don’t go to the office or any public places when you are sick with a cold or flu.
Because cold and flu are contagious illnesses. You can make others sick. And then they will take these virus home and make their family sick. That’s how any infectious diseases spread.
Be considerate and think about those babies, pregnant women, frail old people, asthmatic people etc.
Sorry for the guilt trip but what I am trying to convey here is that you might be strong and soldier through symptoms of a cold but many can’t. So if possible, take sick leave or work from home, cancel meetings, delegate work, join the important meeting via skype or facetime, do whatever is possible but stay away from public spaces.
I loved my previous office for that reason. If you are sick or falling sick in the office, they will simply ask you to go home and take sick leave for the next few days. if you feel ok and want to work, they would allow you to work from home as well.
Also, it is not good for you to be out and about in the pollution, air-condition indoor spaces, cold wind and inhaling tobacco smoke (passive smoking) on the streets. They will make your symptoms worse.
Maintain good hygiene to prevent spreading the infection
It is impossible to ignore public health hygiene messages everywhere in the modern world but let me reiterate them for the sake of this article.
- Wash your hands more often
- Sneeze and cough in the tissue and bin them immediately
- Don’t shake hands
- Don’t touch your nose, eyes, mouth
- Don’t share food and drinks
- Don’t share personal items
- Wash all the clothes you have used during sickness, including towels, bed linens and robes etc.
- Clean all the surfaces you have used or touched
- Avoid close contact with people
Now, this article is getting too long so I will write about my top tips to recover from cold in my next post.
Keep reading!
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