Is there a cure for the common cold.

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Clarification of Question by clicker5-ga on 27 Oct 2002 10:18 PST

Please furnish comments.
My 9 year old granddaughter asked me to post this question about the common cold.  
Any and all myths, comments, legends, and ideas are welcome.
Anything suitable, and interesting, for a 9 year old girl.

Hi there clicker5 –

I’m going to address this to your granddaughter, since she’s the one
interested in the common cold. Maybe you can print it for her.

*******************

Dear Clicker5’s Granddaughter, 

The common cold is a very interesting topic because SO many people
have SO much to say about it.  And when you hear so many things, it’s
hard to know what’s true and what’s not. One person tells you, “Put on
a sweater, you’ll catch a cold!” another person says, “Open the
window, you need fresh air.” One friend isn’t allowed to go to school
because she has cold and doesn’t want it to get worse. Another friend
is at school sneezing and coughing and doesn’t seem to care. And then
three girls who went to a sleep-over with the sneezer get colds, but
three other don’t. What happened there?

And then if YOU get a cold, maybe your grandmother tells you that you
need chicken soup and your dad swears the best cure is a hot bath and
your aunt says you need a humidifier and your mom says you need your
sleep and your babysitter tells you that you shouldn’t drink milk. Oh
no! What’s a kid to do?

Well, let’s take a look at what the doctors have to say about the
cold.

First of all, there is no such thing as “THE COMMON COLD.”  There is
no one germ that causes all colds, so there can be no one cure for all
colds. If you get a cold it can be caused by one of over 200 different
viruses that get inside you. That means there are over 200 different
colds!

Here’s a good explanation of what a cold really is and how you catch
one (with some really cool information, like did you know that you
sneeze at 100 miles per hour?):

KIDS HEALTH – CHILLIN’ OUT WITH COLDS
http://kidshealth.org/kid/ill_injure/sick/colds.html


And here’s how that cold virus gets into your body -  go to this
website and click on UNDERSTANDING COLDS:

NOSE – SIDE VIEW
http://www.commoncold.org/index.htm


Now, what about all those fancy cures like and preventions like
staying out of the rain, eating chicken soup, putting a humidifier in
your bedroom, and all those naps everyone wants you to take?

Here are some common myths (meaning things that are NOT TRUE) about
colds. Under these I’ll give you some more links so you can read more
about these myths :

MYTH 1 – Becoming chilled causes you to catch a cold. 

Not true: People who stay warm are just as likely to catch cold as
people who go out in the rain or who don’t wear a sweater.

MYTH 2 – Drinking milk makes your cold worse by causing more mucus in
your throat and nose.

Not True: Milk and dairy products have nothing to do with how much
mucus your body makes.

MYTH 3 – Certain foods (chicken soup, tea, herbal remedies, Vitamin C)
can make your cold go away faster.

Not true: There are no magic cures for a cold. Eat or drink whatever
makes you feel better. If a nice warm cup of soup sounds good, have
one. If you feel like a burger, that’s ok too. Some foods, like tea or
ice cream or a Popsicle might make a scratchy throat feel better
temporarily. If so, have some.

MYTH 4 – You need more sleep if you have a cold. 

Not (necessarily) true. Your body knows when it needs sleep. If you
have a cold, but feel otherwise fine and energetic, you can keep doing
what you normally do. If you have a cold and feel tired and droopy,
then you need to sleep. Listen to your body.

MYTH 5 -  Starve a cold

Not true. This was an old wives tale that meant you shouldn’t eat or
drink when you have a cold. That is not true. Like I said above, you
can eat whatever appeals to you. As for drink, you should ALWAYS drink
as much fluids as possible when you have cold.


Read about cold myths here:

Myths of the Common Cold  (go here and click the common cold myth on
the right)
http://www.commoncold.org/index.htm

AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION 
Myths and Facts about the common cold
http://www.lungusa.org/diseases/c&f02/myths.html


A TRUE THING ABOUT COLDS

The best way to avoid all those cold myths is to NOT GET ONE!  Can you
prevent colds? Yes! To catch a cold you have to get the cold virus in
you. Usually this is through your mouth or nose or eyes. (Yes, you can
get a cold virus through your eyes!)

The number one way to prevent a cold is very simple – WASH YOUR HANDS.
 Every time you touch something that someone with a cold has touched,
you are at risk for getting cold virus. It gets on your hand, you
touch your mouth or rub your nose or eyes, and now you have it.  So,
wash your hands after using a restroom, wash them before you eat lunch
at school, wash them after riding the bus, wash them after playing on
playground equipment – in other words, every time you get a chance,
wash your hands. Send those cold viruses down the drain!

Here are some more sites that talk about preventing colds –


COMMON COLD PREVENTION – 10 TIPS
http://wvwv.essortment.com/commoncoldprev_rxbc.htm

COMMON MYTHS, COMMON COLD, AND COMMON SENSE
http://www.childcare.net/library/commoncolds.shtml

WASH YOUR HANDS!
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/microbiology/3304

FIGHT GERMS – WASH YOUR HANDS
http://www.healthatoz.com/atoz/healthupdate/alert101519992.html

AVOIDING THE COMMON COLD
http://www.medinamall.com/messenger/2000/0200-01.htm

So, that should give you enough information about the common cold, how
you catch it, why we have no cure for it, and what you can do to
prevent it.

I’m glad your grandparent thought to ask your question here at Google
Answers. It was fun to answer. Thanks for thinking of it.


-K~

If you want more information about colds use these search terms in
Google:

"common cold" myths
"common cold" wash hands

Hello knowledge_seeker-ga:
Thank you for the detailed answer.  
I appreciate your understanding, and kindness to my granddaughter.  
I sure rate your answer a strong 5 stars.
Thanks again,   clicker5-ga

There is a Naturopathy cure. If you steam with boiling water and a
vaporrub, it helps. Another one is if you drink tea with ginger. Boil
1 cup of water, add 1 tea bag, add 1 teaspoon of sugar, and some
ginger powder. It works.

Clicker, 

Please be aware that the above naturopathy treatments may help to
alleviate the symptoms of a cold, but they will not "cure" a cold
(drive the virus from your body).

Please also be aware that non-prescription herbal remedies may
sometimes have very nasty interactions with other prescription or
non-prescription drugs you are taking. If you want to take something
like this, just give your doctor a call first to make sure it won't
cause any harm to you. And too much of anything is NOT a good thing --
just because a little bit of it seems to help, it DOESN'T mean a lot
of it will help even more. Studies now seem to indicate that excessive
doses of even Vitamin C might not be good for you.

"The common cold is caused by any of a number of viruses that can
involve the upper respiratory tract. As your body reacts against the
attacking virus, you get the symptoms of a cold -- including nasal
congestion, sneezing, and sniffles."
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/4068.102?z=cf_4068_11#1

"Will a cold vaccine ever become available? 
Probably not. There are too many viruses that can cause the common
cold for scientists to prepare a vaccine to protect against all."
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/4068.140

The layperson's explanation I have been given in the past is this:
There is no cure for the cold because "the cold" is actually thousands
of different variants (mutations) of cold viruses. Once you have
caught a particular virus and your body's immune system finally
conquers it, you are immune to that particular virus for the rest of
your life. The problem is that all of his buddies are waiting outside
the door for their turn to "have a go" at you.

I was told that this also means that, as you will get older, you will
catch colds less and less often, because you will have developed
immunity to more and more different strains of the virus. (Although,
frankly, I feel like I'm getting pretty darn old, and I haven't
noticed this to be the case for me.)

The long and the short of it is, there will probably never be a cure
for the cold, but there are a number of different things you can try
to help lessen the severity of the symptoms while you're fighting one.

"How effective are home remedies such as a hot toddy or chicken soup?
Like many cold remedies, a hot toddy or chicken soup might soothe your
sore throat and help you sleep. However, there's no proof that either
will drive the virus out of your body."
and
"How effective are natural remedies such as zinc, echinacea, and
vitamin C?
In some individuals, natural remedies and preventive measures seem to
help. However, researchers have not proved that these things can
prevent a cold or the flu, reduce symptoms, or rid a body of a virus."
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/4068.139

There are many homeopathic and naturopathic remedies that ***claim***
to prevent or cure colds. WHAT YOU MAY NOT KNOW is that somewhere on
their label can probably be found -- in microscopic print -- a phrase
to the effect of "These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.
This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any
disease."

How can they possibly be saying both these things, when the statements
are obviously contradictory? They can say them because the FDA
currently does not evaluate herbal, natural or homeopathic treatments
for their safety or effectiveness. Basically, as long as a company
puts this disclaimer in tiny little print on their label, they can
pretty much make as many sorts of ridiculous claims about the
product's effectiveness in large, bold colorful print as they wish.

For example, one product (which shall remain nameless as I think this
sort of advertising, which preys on the sick and uninformed, is
absolutely unscrupulous and detestable) lists the following properties
on its website and label.

- Prevents colds and flus by stimulating immune response. 
  * How? How does it stimulate the immune response? Is there any
clinical proof that it stimulates the immune response? (No.) There
isn't, but since there aren't any studies done that prove this product
DOESN'T stimulate the immune response, they can't be prosecuted for
lying. And there aren't any studies that prove it DOESN'T stimulate
the immune response, because THE FDA CURRENTLY DOES NOT EVALUATE
HERBAL / NATURAL / HOMEOPATHIC PRODUCTS.

- Stops existing colds and flus in their tracks - fast acting.  
  * Stops them how? Exactly what mechanism of this product stops
colds? (they can't answer this, at least not with any response that
has a scientific basis.)

- Provides broad spectrum defense against bacterial, viral and fungal
infections.
  * Provides this defense how? (they can't answer this, at least not
with any response that has a scientific basis.)

- Activates macrophages triggering immune cascade to obliterate
microscopic invaders.
  * How does it activate these macrophages? (they can't answer this,
at least not with any response that has a scientific basis.)

- Natural and Safe - clinically proven in 100's of studies.  
  * Studies by whom? Where is the statistical data for these studies?
(They can't answer this, either.)

Don't get me wrong. I definitely think there is a place for natural
remedies. I must have a poor immune system, because I get sick all the
time. A couple of years ago I started taking a Vitamin C tablet every
day. Can I tell you for certain that it helps? No, but I can tell you
that I think my incidence of colds and flu has decreased in the last
couple of years. And since taking a Vitamin C tablet every day isn't
going to hurt me, I do it.

When I get sick there are certain things that I will do to make myself
feel better, in addition to taking aspirin, acetominaphen, ibuprofen,
naproxen, or ketoprofen (i.e. Tylenol, Motrin, Advil, Alleve, etc.)
every few hours, drinking lots and lots of fluids, and getting lots of
rest:
- I smear Mentholatum or Vicks Vap-O-Rub all over my chest and neck,
then wrap a really soft cloth around it and safety-pin in on. (My mom
used to do this for me when I was little, and I SWEAR that it helps).
- I will eat a bowl of nice, hot, Chicken O'Noodle soup. The warmth
soothes my throat, and the salt in the soup helps create an unfriendly
environment for bacteria in my mouth and throat.
- I will gargle with really hot, really salty water (It sounds really
horrible, but I SWEAR it will make an excruciatingly sore throat feel
better for a few hours. Try it the next time you have one).
- I will take a really long, really hot shower, or sit in a hot tub.
The heat and steam help to open up my sinuses and loosen congestion in
my head and chest.
- I will Lie in bed with a warm gel-pack on my face (similar effect as
a hot shower).

Will these things make YOU feel better? You can try them to see if
they help you. You can also try other things. I know a couple of
people who swear sucking on zinc lozenges at the first sign of a cold
lessens the severity of the cold. You just have to find the things
that seem to give you the most relief.

If you are suffering from a cold, Discovery Health, MDAdvice, and
WebMD all have some good information in their "Cold and Flu Survivor's
Guides".
http://health.discovery.com/centers/coldsflu/coldsflu.html
http://www.mdadvice.com/library/symp/illness91.html
http://www.mdadvice.com/library/symp/illness300.html
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/4068.101?z=cf_4068_1

I hope my long-winded dissertation has provided you with at least a
little enlightenment! :)

from that old joke :

(1) Hang your hat on the bedpost

(2) Drink until you see two hats

(3) Go to sleep. You won't have a _cold_ the next morning ! :)