HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1966-10-27, Page 2.1/0.0.0•••••••11NIF •••••••••!,.....0.1•••••
d... he facts:
TES Mama Post 'BRUSSELS, ONTARIO
For at least 3,000 years man has been trying to
cope with the common cold. He has been armed
with faith, superstition, and hope. He has, been
advised by Grandma, his next door neighbor, and
the advertising copywriter, And he has bowed,
year after year, to the persistent, perennial, plag-
ping cold.
Yet, ever the optimist, tie raeaa eaeli wififer with
new hope and — probably some old, unproven,
but beloved remedy.
DO you ?
Here are some time-honored rituals . . . and what
modern research has to say about them.
7 At the firSt sniffle, go to bed and
stay there.
If you have a good book to read, or if a steady
diet of tv is your meat, you'll probobly enjoy the
vacation. But for a normal, healthy adult, bed
rest is not necessary unless you have a fever.
Of course, you'll be doing other people a favor by
staying away from them during the first conta-
gious days. And taking it easy is a good idea,.
since it helps your body to resist complications.
Young children, the elderly, folks who seem to
get one cold after another, and adults with a ser-
ious chronic disease — these need, to rest. They
need all their energy to ward off further illness.
? Wrap a piece of flannel around your
throat at the first sign of
scratchiness.
The cold germ will have a good laugh. The flannel
is only a substitute for the teddy bear you clutch-
ed as a baby.
But lots of remedies — hot milk is another ex-
ample — have a beneficial, though purely psy-
chological, effect.
? Take vitamin pills, and prevent colds.
Excess vitamins serve no purpose, and may even
beharmful. If you have a balanced diet, you don't
need vitamin pills.
Some people don't get all the vitamins they need,
(Teenagers appear to, live only on hamburgers
and Cokes.)
Ask your family doctor if you need a vitamin
supplement.
? Take a laxative to get rid of the •
cold germs.
The cold virus won't be budged.
But if you're constipated, a mild laxative may
make sense if you don't make a habit of it.
? Get under a pile of blankets, and
sweat.
This is supposed to flush out the poisons produc-
ed by the infection. It hasn't been proved.
Anyway, its pleasanter to drink liquids, and you
accomplish the same purpose — if yon accomplish
it at all.
? Cold baths and winter sleeping
.porches .build you up so you
don't get colds.
No,. they don't. Cold bath and cold air enthusiasts
get as many and as severe colds as comfort lovers.
Of course, you may become so used to discomfort
that you don't mind the cold when you get it.
? reed a cold,and starve a fever.
Oh, comp on.
What do you do if you have a cold and a fever?
WHAT IS A COLD?
The common cold is a name given to any of a num-
ber of short-lived infections of the nose and
throat. All of them are highly contagious. They
have similar symptoms. Sometimes they are cal-
led by other names, which simply tell you what
part of the upper respiratory tract is particularly
affected: rhinitis, affecting the nose; pharyngitis,
the throat; or laryngitis, the voice bok.
WHAT CAUSES A COLD?
Many different viruses can cause a cold.
A virus is a disease-producing agent so small
tnat it goes right through the very fine filter
that stops bacteria.
These cold-causing viruses are present in great
numbers in your nose and 'throat when you have
a cold. They are carried on the droplets you expel
when talking, coughing, or sneezing.
HOW DO YOU CATCH A COLD?
Though a virus causes your cold, a number of
conditions seem to increase your susceptibility
(science does not yet know why or how).
People appear to catch colds mainly indoors. They
get more of them during the colder months.
Fatigue, chilling, and poor physical condition
seem to give the virus a better foothold.
WHAT'S THE COURSE OF A COLD?
From one to three days after the virus takes hold
in your body, the symptoms appear. (But other
people,can catch your cold even before your symp-
toms appear — one reason why colds are hard
to prevent.)
The first hint is usually scratchiness in the
throat. Within a few hours, your nose gets stuffy
and you have vague feelings of discomfort and
illness. Usually you start sneezing, too.
Within 48 hours, your cold is in full bloom --
eyes teary, nose running, voice, husky, breathing
obstructed, and your senses of taste and smell
dulled.
You may feel lethargic and achy. It's common to
have a moderate headache, especially at the be-
ginning (but a severe one may be a sign of some
complication). You may also have some fever, al-
though that's unusual in adults,
Once the cold has fully developed, it usually con-
TIWRSDAY, OCT. 27th, 190
tinues at its peak for several days, r,i.hen there is
a gradual letting up.
An uncomplicated cold commonly lasts from
seven to fourteen days.
CAN A COLD DANGERQUS?
In itself, no. But it can open the door to other ill-
nesses. And it's bard to know when the door has
opened, because all the viruses that cause the
common cold have not yet been identified, It's
very difficult to say where the simple, unperilous
cold leaves off and complications, which may be
dangerous, begin.
Other — non-cold — viruses may complicate
matters by getting in their licks. when you are.
already felled by a cold. Or bacteria many of
which live in your body harmlessly during times
of good health — may grow strong when your
defenses are down. Or ,sometimes your body is
allergic to the cold virus or the activated bacteria.
Then. the severity of the cold symptoms increases,
and the inflammation and Mucous discharge may
spread to other parts of your. respiratory system,.
For some people, these eomplications• may be
dangerous.
CAN YOU CURE A COLD?
No, you can't, There is no drug known today that
can cure the common cold.
Antibiotics, the "wonder drugs" are effective
against bacteria, not against ordinary respiratory
viruses, Doctors may prescribe these drugs for
the complications — the secondary, bacterial in-
fections — but not for the cold itself,
As for antihistamines, they work against the al-
lergic reactions which accompany some colds. Of
course, only a doctor can tell the difference be-
tween the stuffy, running nose and burning, teary
eyes which come from the viral infection and the
same symptoms which come from the sometimes
accompanying allergy. Practically, this means
that at times an antihistamine will give you re-
lief, but it has no effect on the cold itself.
CAN YOU PREVENT COLDS?
Not very effectively.
Vaccines against cold viruses are being worked
on but are not available so far., One of the prob-
lems is that so many different viruses — maybe
a hundred — cause colds, PrOtection against one
gives no. Protection against the others. And the
protectidn, like the immunity you develop from a
cold itself, may last only a month or so. Mean-
while you are still subject to all the other cold, bugs people may breathe at you.
There are some common-sense precautions you
can take, though
Keep your distance from people who have colds.
Especially when they cough or sneeze.
In general, eat well-balanced meals, and try not
to get chilled or overtired.
And if you do get a cold, take these precautions
to keep from spreading the infection:
Keep 'your distance. Stay away from movies and
other crowded places.
Cover your coughs and sneezes. Use disposable
tissues, and get rid of them immediately by put-
ting them into a closed paper bag or flushing
their down the toilet.
CAN DO HERE'S WHAT YOU
You can relieve the symptoms:
• Your usual dose of aspirin helps your headache
and achiness.
• Antihistamines give you some relief if allergic
reactions accompany your cold.*
0, A vaporizer or a hot bath relieves congestion,
(Don't get chilled afterwards.)
• A piece of hard candy soothes your throat.
• Cough syrup eases a troublesome cough.'
• Nasal decongestants, in the form of drops, in-
balers, or sprays, are useful when your nose is
clogged up and your breathing is difficult.*
• Liquids — fruit juice or water — make you
feel better generally, though no one. is sure why.
• And rest, since it conserves energy, helps your
body to build up resistance against complications,
FOR YOUR COLD!
* Please note: Some nose drops, sprays, combin-
ation cold tablets, lozenges, capsules, and cough
mixtures contain drugs which have a long-term
bad effect. Ask your doctor, which he recommends.
Moving : Occasionally sore throat, headache, and
fatigue may not be symptoms of a cold at all, but
heralds of a more serious illness.
Call your doctor if you develop any of these
symptoms: a fever that lasts more than two or
three days, a severe headache, chest pains, hard
coughing spells, earache, or rusty-looking sputum.
And if you suffer from asthma, chronic bronchitis
or any other chronic respiratory illness, you
should consult your doctor at the onset of the
cold.
GESUNDHEIT
Your ChristmOs Seal contribution fights all Respiratory
Diseases, including Tuberculotis,
HURON - COUNTY TB ASSOCIATION